1689 Baptist Confession of Faith
CHAPTER 3
OF GOD’S DECREE
Paragraph 1.
God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass;1 yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein;2 nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established;3 in which appears His wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree.4
The Decrees of God –
James P. Boyce
[M]ay be defined as that just, wise, and holy purpose or plan by which eternally, and within himself, he determines all things whatsoever that come to pass.
Wayne Grudem
The decrees of God are the eternal plans of God whereby, before the creation of the world, he determined to bring about everything that happens.
NOTE: Here we understand this to be God’s decisions [i.e. his eternal purpose and plans] before creation.
Psalms 148:1-6 |
1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!
2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!
3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light!
4 Praise Him, highest heavens, and the waters that are above the heaven!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.
6 He also established them forever and ever; He has made a decree which will not pass away.
Romans 8:28 | … we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Acts 17:24, 26 | … God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth … He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation[.]
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Isa. 46:[9]-10 | Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am
God and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times
things which have not been done, saying, My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish
all My good pleasure[.]
Eph. 1:11-[12] | … we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were to first hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
Heb. 6:17 | In the same way, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed [guaranteed – margin note] with an oath[.]
Hebrew 6:13-20 [Context] For when God made the promise to Abraham [cf. Gal. Ch. 3], since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you. And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. In the same way, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed [guaranteed – margin note] with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
.. Promise – 1. An assurance given by one person to another that the former will or will not perform a specified act, 2. Reasonable ground for hope or expectation, esp. of future excellence or satisfaction.
. Covenant [Promise] – 1. An agreement entered into by two or more persons or parties; a compact, 2. Theol. The promise of God to bless those who obey him of fulfill some other condition.
. Covenant – An agreement between two people or groups, particularly the agreement between God and His people that promised His blessings in return for their obedience and devotion (Gen. 15). Through His sacrificial death, Jesus became the mediator of a new covenant, bringing salvation and eternal life to all who trust in Him (Heb. 10:12-17).
Rom. 9:15,18 | For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. … So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
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James 1:13 | Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God; for God cannot be
tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.
.. Tempted – (Gk. peirazo) / Strong # 3985 – means: 1. to try, temp, assay [testing to prove or examination]; 2. to test, try, prove … Note: Here James in 1:13-15 | refers to temptation, or trial, arising within, from uncontrolled appetites and from evil compassions. Such temptation does not proceed from God, yet does God regard His people while they endure it, and by it tests and approves them. | – cf. Esther 4:13-14; Job 1:6-22, 2:1-7.
James 1:14-15 | But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
1 John 1:5 | This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
James 1:17 | Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
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Acts 4:27-28 | For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus,
who You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of
Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
J. P. Boyce | God’s degrees are properly defined to be God’s purpose or plan. … Any such plan or purpose of God must have been formed eternally, and within Himself. … By this plan or purpose God determined all things which it included. … The knowledge of the futurity of any event, over which any one has absolute control, is the result of His purpose, not its cause. And, as God has such absolute control over all things, his knowledge that they will be, must proceed from His purpose that they shall be. … This plan, or purpose, includes all things whatsoever that come to pass; not some things, but all things; not all things in general, but each thing in particular. … The Scriptures recognize both the sovereignty of God, and the free agency, and accountability of man. Consciousness assures us of the latter. The nature of God … proves the former. The Bible makes no attempt to reconcile the two.
Acts 2:22-23 | Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know – this man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
John 19:11 | Jesus answered, You [Pilate – v. 10] would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.
Romans 9:14-24 | What shall we say then [in regards to vv. 10-13]? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. So then he has mercy on whomever he will.
You will say to me then, Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will? But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, Why have you made me like this? Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?
What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory – even us whom he called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? [ESV]
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Num. 23:19 | God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent; has
He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
.. God hath decreed … from all eternity … His wisdom in disposing all things –
. disposing | 1. To put into a receptive frame of mind for. 2. To condition toward some; esp. to susceptible. 3. To put or set in a particular arrangement or position. 4. To put into proper, definitive, or final shape; settle. 5. To control the course of events. – to dispose of – 1. To attend to; deal with. … 4. To throw away.
NOTE: Thus here, the article is stating that God in His eternal sovereignty has decreed the disposing (i.e. according to the first portion of the definition) of all things in accordance to His divine wisdom.
Romans 11:33-34, 36 | Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways. For who has know the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? … For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen [cf. Romans 8:28 | then consider: 1 Samuel 15:29 | … the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind; w/in its context of vv. 1-35.]
Eph. 1:3-5 | Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as he chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention [literally: good pleasure – margin note] of His will, [v. 6] to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
.. God hath … from all eternity … established … His … power and faithfulness in accomplishing His decree –
NOTE: God’s plan is efficacious [producing or capable of producing an intended effect]. What he has purposed from eternity will surely come to pass. The Lord says, “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand … For the LORD Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?’ (Isa. 14:24, 27.” He will not change his mind, nor will he discover hitherto unknown considerations that will cause him to alter his intentions. “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please,” says the Lord in Isaiah 46:10. Because the counsel of the Lord is from all eternity and is perfect, it will never fade nor be replaced; it endures forever: “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations” (Ps. 33:11).
Eph. 1:9 | He [God the Father] made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him [Jesus] with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and the things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
Paragraph 2.
Although God knoweth whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions,5 yet hath He not decreed anything, because He foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.6
Wayne Grudem [expanded] | The decrees of God are the eternal plan of God whereby, before the creation of the world, he determined to bring about everything that happens. This doctrine is similar to the doctrine of providence, but here we are thinking about God’s decisions before the world was created, rather than his providential actions in time. His providential actions are the outworking of the eternal decrees that he made long ago.
J. P. Boyce | … the more comprehensive, and, at the same time, the more definite is the plan of God, the more worthy is it of infinite wisdom. Indeed … the conclusion that God cannot be what he is, without forming such a purpose or plan.
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Acts 15:18 | Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. [KJV]
NOTE: This passage from the council at Jerusalem concerning the requirements for salvation of Gentiles. James here is declaring that the salvation of the Gentiles is according to God’s decree as found in the words of the Prophets. This particular passage is a quote from Isaiah 45:21. The context, Ch. 45:1-25, concerns God’s sovereignty and power in exercising His eternal decrees concerning Cyrus (v. 1), Israel (v. 25, etc.), and the Gentiles (v. 22).
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Rom. 9:11,13,16,18 | (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or
evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), … As it s written, Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated. … So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. … Therefore He has mercy on who He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. [NKJ] – cf. Ch. 8:29-30.
C.D. Cole | [Quoting C.W. Hodge]: The word foreknowledge has two meanings –
[1] It is a term used in theology to denote the prescience, [knowledge of events before they take place; foreknowledge], or foresight of God, that is His knowledge of the entire course of events which are future from the human point of view; | Acts 15:18 above.
[2] it is also used in AV and RV to translate the Greek word pro-gi-nos-kein and prognosis in the NT, in which instances the word ‘foreknowledge’ approaches closely the idea of foreordination. In the sense of prescience foreknowledge is an aspect of God’s omniscience. God’s knowledge, according to the Scriptures, is perfect, that is, it is omniscience. | Romans 9:11, 13, 16, 18 above.
Paragraph 3.
By the decree of God, for the manifestation of His glory, some men and angels are predestinated, or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ,7 to the praise of His glorious grace;8 others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of His glorious justice.9
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I Tim. 5:21| I solemnly charge you [Timothy] in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of
His chosen angels, to maintain these principles [vv. 17-20] without bias, doing nothing in a spirit
of partiality.
Matt. 25:34 | Then the King will say to those [nations - v. 32] on His right, Come, you who are
blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
1 Peter 1:1-2 | Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, who are chosen [elect – KJV, ESV] according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: may grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.
.. Predestinated or Foreordained – Predestination may be defined as the purpose of God from eternity respecting future events. … [or more simply put:] Predestination is the eternal determination or purpose of the Divine will.
Ephesians 1:11 | In Him [v. 9 – Christ] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will. [ESV]
T.P. Simmons – quoting:
James P. Boyce | “God of His own purpose, has from eternity determined to save a definite number of mankind, as individuals, not for or because of any merit or work of theirs, nor of any value to Him of them; but of His own good pleasure.” (J.P. Boyce, Abstract of Systematic Theology, p. 347)
A.H. Strong | “Election is that eternal act of God, by which in His sovereign pleasure, and on account of no foreseen merit in them, He chooses certain ones out of he number of sinful men to be the recipients of the special grace of His Spirit and to be made voluntary partakers of Christ’s salvation. (A.H. Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 427)
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Eph. 1:5-6, [12,14] | He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself,
according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He
freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. … to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ
would be to the praise of His glory. … who [v.13 – Spirit of promise] is given as a pledge of our
inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
John Phillips | Our acceptance by the Father in the Beloved is “to the praise of the glory of his grace.” God’s glory is greatly enhanced by the grace He has shown us. It was His idea, not ours. It was His plan to seek us, save us, sanctify us, and seat us in glory. The endless ages of eternity will prove to be all too short a time to sing His praises for such matchless love and grace.
NOTE: It is all about Him, not us!
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Rom. 9:22-23 | What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power
known, endured with much patience vessels prepared for destruction? And He did so to make
known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory[.]
Jude v. 4 | For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:22-23 | Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know – this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. [ESV]
NOTE: Man left in his fallen condition will seek out the desires of his heart [Jeremiah 17:9 | … deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked …; Isaiah 44:9-20 |… a deluded, heart has led him astray …; John 3:19-20 | loving darkness more than the light [and will not attempt to leave it on his own volition]; and Romans 1:18-32 … [taking] pleasure with those who practice their wicked ways].
Ephesians 2:1-7 | … we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God … even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by the grace you have been saved … so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [ESV]
Paragraph 4.
These angels and men thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.10
NOTE: This paragraph refers back to the statement from Paragraph 3 | “some men and angels are predestinated, or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ … others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation [both groups] to the praise of his [glory]…”
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2 Tim. 2:19 | Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, the Lord knows
those who are His, and everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.
I Tim. 5:21| I solemnly charge you [Timothy] in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels …
John Gill | Of the confirmation of the elect angels; for as God chose them, he confirmed them in that state of holiness and happiness; as soon as he created them, he confirmed them in the providence of God, … Col. 1:16-17 … their confirmation is owing to the free favor and good will of God, choosing them, to a state of holiness and happiness; and to his putting them under the care and charge of Christ, as the Head of all principality and power, 1 Tim. 5:21; Col. 2:10. … [As to] the sin and fall of non-elect angels … they kept not their first estate, and abode not in the truth | Jude v. 6 … [aligning themselves with Satan/devil, the father of lies who does not stand in the truth, John 8:44].
John 13:18 | I [Jesus] do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, he who eats My bread has lifted up his heel against Me.
John 6:35-40 | [35] Jesus said … I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. [36] But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. [37] All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. [38] For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. [39] This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. [40] For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.
Matthew 7:21-23 | Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness. [ESV]
Cf. – Matthew 25:41; Romans 9:13-24; and Isaiah 46:9-10.
Paragraph 5.
Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of His mere free grace and love,11 without any other thing in the creature as a condition or cause moving Him thereunto.12
The Baptist Faith and Message, 2000 | V. God’s Purpose of Grace
Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies,
sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and
comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God’s
sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting
and promotes humility.
All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and
sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to
the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve
the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and
temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation.
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Eph. 1:4, 9, 11 | [J]ust as He [God the Father – v. 3] chose us in Him [Christ] before the
foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love … He made
known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
… we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who
works all things after the counsel of His will.
.. Chose | Gk. exelexato [root: - eklegomai], middle-passive deponent verb / Strong # 1586 – means: to choose, set apart, elect … can… signify the electing activity of God according to his divine purpose and grace. … God’s sovereign purpose is manifest in his choosing of believers before the creation of the world (Eph. 1:4) …
Deponent Verb – is a verb that is [in the lexical form] middle or passive, but its [voice] meaning is always active. It can never have a passive meaning.
. Voice – is the relationship between the subject and the verb.
. Active – the subject does the action of the verb.
. Passive – the subject receives the action of the verb.
Rom. 8:30 | … these whom [God foreknew – v. 29] He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these who He justified, He also glorified.
.. Foreknew | Gk. proegno / Strong # 4267- means: to know before.
.. Predestined | Gk. proorisen / Strong # 4309 – means: to predestine; choose, determine, set apart beforehand.
.. Called | Gk. ekalesen (root: kaleo) / Strong # 2564 – means: to call anyone, invite, summon … is used particularly of the divine call to partake of the blessings of redemption.
.. Justified | Gk. edikaiosen / Strong # 1344 – means: to declare righteous, justify. | To deem to be right, signifies in the NT to show to be right or righteous; in the passive voice, to be justified. | From a religious viewpoint … rightly related to God.
.. Glorified | Gk. edoxasen (root: doxazo) / Strong # 1392 – means: (a) to magnify, to extol, to praise, (b) to do honor to, to make glorious.
2 Tim. 1:9 | [W]ho [God – v. 8] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.
NOTE: v.8 | The context here shows Paul instructing Timothy (us Christians) not to be ashamed of our Lord or of me (His servants), but instead join in suffering for the gospel according to the power [cf. Romans 1:16-17] of God … who has saved us and called us -
.. With a holy calling,
.. Not according to our works
.. but according to His own purpose and grace
.. Which was granted to us in Christ Jesus from all eternity
John Phillips | [Paul] reminded Timothy of his conversion and his call. The God who controls all of the factors of space and time is the God “who hath saved us.”
I Thess. 5:9 | For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
John MacArthur | The word destined expresses the inexorable outworking of God’s sovereign plan for believer’s salvation.
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Rom. 9:13,16 | Just as it is written, Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. … So then it does not depend
on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.
NOTE: v. 10-11 | … when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad – in order that God’s purpose of election might continue [NAS – stand, margin: remain], not because of works but because of him who calls – she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” [ESV] … cf. proof-text.
.. From the context (v. 10-16), it shows that God’s election stands because of His sovereignty, not the will of man own choosing.
Eph. 2:[4]-5,12 | But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) … remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
NOTE: Why has God been pleased to save some of fallen men? – Simply put because of His agape (ajgavph), i.e. unconditional, love.
Ephesians 1:4b-6 | In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
John 3:16 | For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten on, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
1 John 4:19 | We love Him,* because He first loved us. [NKJ]
* The word “Him” is not found in the traditional Greek text (Alexandrian and Sinaticus) which is used for most modern translations – NAS, ESV, NIV, HCS, etc. But the word “Him” is found in the Greek text of the Majority Text (most similar to the Textus Receptus or Received Text of 1516 by Stephanus (i.e., Robert Estienne) which is used for the KJV and NKJ translations.
Paragraph 6.
As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so He hath, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto;13* wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ,14 are effectually called unto faith in Christ, by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified,15 and kept by His power through faith unto salvation;16 neither are any other redeemed by Christ, or effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.17
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1 Pet. 1:2 | [A]ccording to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the
Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: may grace and peace be yours in the
fullest measure.
2 Thess. 2:13 | … we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
.. Sanctifying / Sanctification |Gk. hagiasmo (root: haiasmos) / Strong # 38 – means: separation [i.e., set-part] to God. … is also used in NT of the separation of the believer from evil things and ways. This sanctification is God’s will for the believer.
Wayne Grudem | Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives.
*Romans 8:28 | And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose – [cf. Romans 8:31-19].**
*Acts 17:26 | [God] made one from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and boundaries of their habitation.**
**These verses: Acts 17:26 and Romans 8:28, should not be overlooked here as appropriate proof-text for this section due to their explicit statements concerning the sovereignty of God’s interaction with His creatures and creation in all matters.
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1 Thess. 5:9-10 | For God has not destined [appointed – KJV] us for wrath, but for obtaining
salvation through Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will
live together with Him.
.. Destined [appointed – KJV] | Gr. ethesto | 2nd aorist verb*** middle indicative 3S of the root: tithemi / Strong # 5087 – translated as: to put, to set, appointed, committed, ordained, purposed, lay, etc.
*** 2nd Aorist Verb | the aorist [verb] indicates an undefined action normally occurring in the past. … This means that in translation you will normally use the simple form of the English past tense: “I studied”, not, “I was studying.”
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Rom. 8:30 | … these whom [foreknown of God – v. 29] He predestined, He also called; and
these whom He called, He also justified; and these who He justified, He also glorified.
NOTE: For the definition on the 1st Aorist Active Verbs* translated as Foreknew, Predestined, Called, Justified, and Glorified see the notes on P5, p. 45.
* 1st Aorist Active | The aorist active [verb] is translated with the simple English past indicating undefined action. “I studied”. Remember that aspect is primary, and all the aorist tells you is that an event occurred; it tells you nothing more about the aspect of the event.
NOTE: Concerning the grammatical / syntax difference between a 1st Aorist tense and a 2nd Aorist tense verb translation see below:
.. The difference between a 1st aorist and a 2nd aorist | The Greek has two different ways of forming the aorist tense, somewhat as English has two ways of forming the past tense. The Greek tense parallel to the English “regular” formation is called the first aorist while the “irregular” is called the second aorist.
. English Regular and Irregular Verbs | Verbs take different forms to show time of action and other kinds of information. … Every verb has four basic forms called principal parts: (1) the present [talk or sing], (2) the present participle [is talking or is singing], (3) the past [talked or sang], and (4) the past participle [(has/have) talked or (has/have) sung]. … The past and past participle of a regular verb, like “talk”, are formed by adding –ed or –d (depending on the ending of the word) to the present. … The past and past participle of an irregular verb, like sing, are formed in some way other than by adding –ed or –d to the present.
NOTE: Greek has two ways to form the aorist. There is no difference in meaning between the two, on in the form.
2 Thess. 2:13 | … we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
. God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation | The Father chose you.
. Though sanctification by the Spirit | The Holy Spirit set you apart to God.
. Faith in the truth | Christ is the way, truth, and the life for you.
16
1 Pet. 1:5 | [W]ho [the born again in Jesus Christ – v. 3] by the power of God are being guarded
through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time [NKJ].
. Power | Gk. dynamei (noun dative, feminine, singular) / Strong # 1411 – means: the word literally means power. Able to produce a strong effect, power, might, strength … opposite of weakness.
Galatians 1:13-14 | In Him [Christ v. 12], you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation – having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 4:30 | Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
. Are Being Guarded | Gk. phrouroumenous (present passive participle verb, accusative masculine plural) / Strong # 5432 – means: garrison, guard; figuratively protect, keep; in a transferred sense …
NOTE: Here the present passive verbal participle is telling the reader that God is doing the present guarding action on the one who [the indirect object] is being guarded passively, i.e., those who are born again in Jesus Christ (v. 3).
17
John 10:[25]-26-[30] | Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I
do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. … [26] But you do not believe because you are not
of My sheep. … My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give
eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them of my hand. My
Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of
the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.
John 17:9 | I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours[.]
John 6:64 | … there are some of you [many of the five thousand who were miraculously fed] who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
NOTE: God not only protects His own. He knows His own. He chooses His own. He calls His own. He justifies His own. He glorifies His own. He keeps His own. – cf. Romans 8:28-39.
Paragraph 7.
The doctrine of the high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending the will of God revealed in His Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election;18 so shall this doctrine afford matter of praise,19 reverence, and admiration of God, and of humility,20 diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.21
.. Predestination (Predestine) |
. Dictionary | Theo. – means: To foreordain by divine decree or purpose.
. Lexicon | Gk. proorizo – verb / Strong # 4309 – means: to predestine; choose, determine, set apart beforehand. It is derived from pro, meaning before or ahead of, and orizo, meaning to appoint, decide, determine.
God is always the one doing the action of this verb. [cf. Acts 4:28; Eph. 1:5, 11; Rom. 8:29-30; 1 Cor. 2:7] … These eternal purposes of God are a foregone conclusion because they are grounded in his predetermined will. This is why the eighteenth century theologian Jonathan Edwards referred to God’s predestining of believers along with his other saving acts listed in Rom. 8:29-30 as links in the inviolable [not to be violated or broken] chain of redemption. Some people struggle with the concept of predestination as it seems to conflict with their supposed personal free will, but the doctrine is clearly taught in Scripture.
18
1 Thess. 1:4-5 | [K]nowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not
come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just
as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
2 Pet. 1:10 | Therefore, brethren. Be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble[.]
. choice (chose, chosen) | Gk. eklogen – noun [NASF] / Strong # 1589 – means: a picking out, selection, choosing … In 1 Thess. 1:4, your election [KJV] refers not to the church collectively, [this is in contrast to John MacArthur’s Study Notes] but to individuals constituting it; the apostle’s assurance of their election gives reason for his thanksgiving. Believers are to give the more diligence to make their calling and election sure, by the exercise of the qualities and graces which make them fruitful in the knowledge of God, 2 Peter 1:10.
19
Eph. 1:6 | [T]o the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the
Beloved.
. Praise | The ultimate purpose of election is the glory of God (cf. vv. 12, 14; Php 2:13; 2 Th 1:11-12; [Rom 9:10b-24]).
Rom. 11:33 | Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
. Riches of Wisdom and Knowledge | Unsearchable Judgments | Unfathomable Ways | God’s purposes and decrees … beyond human understanding (cf. Ps 36:[5]-6).
20
Rom. 11:5-6, 20 | In the same way [v. 2] then, there has also come to be at the present time a
remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no long on the basis of
works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. … Quite right, they [Israel] were broken off for their
unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear[.] – [cf. in context vv. 11-32]
Ephesians 2:8-9 | For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Titus 3:5 | not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. [NKJ]
Hebrews 12:2a | fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith
Romans 12:3 | For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. [NJK]
21
Luke 10:20 | Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice
that your names are recorded in heaven. [cf. context: vv. 17-20]
Philippians 3:1-11 | Finally, my brother, rejoice in the Lord … Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gains Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith … [ESV]
NOTE: What would someone exchange for his soul? – cf. Matt. 16:24-26.
