One of the amazing things about grace is that God chose us before “the foundation of the world.” He did not look down through the tunnel of time to see what kind of person we would be and then pick us for his team based on our future performance. God did not choose us because, in his omniscience, he knew that we would choose him. Fallen man does not seek God. This divine selection was based solely on God’s grace. And his choosing was for a purpose.
Ephesians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.
God’s design is for us to be “holy and blameless” in his sight. As fallen creatures, these characteristics can only be accredited (or “imputed”) to us by the work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus takes our sin, and we receive his righteousness. Paul says God “credited” righteousness to our account (Romans 4:3 NIV). That, then, is our positional holiness, but God wants it to be practical as well. That’s why he blessed us “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” from the blessing of justification to the indwelling of the Spirit whose “sanctifying work” is purposed for obedience (1 Peter 1:2 NIV).
For many, God’s choosing us is a hard truth to understand and accept. For some, performance, works, and personal achievement are the building blocks of the spiritual journey. But the apostle Paul well understood man’s fallen state and inability to seek God (Romans 3:11). In response to this amazing love, amazing gift, and amazing grace, Paul responded with a heart of gratitude and praise.
Dear Lord, praise be to you, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Praise be to you for all our spiritual blessings! Praise be to you for choosing us in Christ before the creation of the world! Praise be to you for making us holy and blameless in your sight! Praise be to you for giving us all we need to live a life pleasing to you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
We have a small group meeting Monday on the subject about people being chosen and those that were not. Are there any sermons based on this I could listen to or materials explaining this further that is very confusing? Are there some people that were born to be going to hell? Thank you.
Mark
Thanks for your question. I have preached through this in Romans and Ephesians series that should be archived on the TBC website. The best book on the issues is Packer’s Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God. Hope that helps.