I’ve thought of about a dozen different ways to open this sermon because we have come to a verse with the potential for controversy, but I believe some controversies are necessary because the truth of scripture is worth it. You don’t have to call yourself a Calvinist to see that before there were mountains and trees… before any human being existed, God set his electing love upon a people and secured their salvation in Jesus Christ. When the Bible says God “chose us,” it uses the word eklegomai, meaning He himself selected for himself by his own choosing, not based on anything in those people. This is not fate, random chance, or human decision; election is the deliberate act of the sovereign loving father. Your salvation, brother and sister, did not begin with you; it began with God.
Everything in this text is about being “in him,” which is the sphere of our election. We are chosen only as we are united with the “Chosen One,” Jesus Christ, which means our being chosen is as secure as Christ himself. Because of this, our assurance of salvation rests not in what we see in ourselves, but in Christ alone and in His promise. This choice happened “before the foundation of the world,” proving that our election is unconditional. You didn’t even exist yet, and if God were looking forward to your birth, He would have only seen a sinner; therefore, salvation is by God’s grace alone. Since you were chosen before creation began, nothing in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God.
Some ask why we should bother with evangelism if God has already chosen, but the truth is that God ordains both the end—the salvation of the elect—and the means, which is the preaching of the gospel. The gospel goes out to everyone, and God uses that preaching to call those whom he has chosen. This doctrine is the fountain from which every other blessing flows, and it should do three things in your life: it abolishes your pride, it puts your fear to rest because He who began the work will complete it, and it calls us to holy and blameless living. This deep truth is meant to cause our hearts to overflow with worship and bring us in awe of a God who wanted us for His own glory.
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Open your copy of God’s word to the letter of Paul to the Ephesians. I thought of about a dozen different ways to open this sermon because we have come to verse four. If you have read this verse or you have been engaged in theological discussions with fellow Christians, especially fellow Christians in the South in Southern Baptist churches, we come to one of those verses that has the potential for controversy.
Now, we read this morning in our Sunday school class that we want to avoid foolish controversies. Scripture tells us to avoid foolish controversies; it doesn’t say avoid all controversies. Some controversies are necessary. In fact, we should engage in certain controversies because the truth of scripture is worth it. Having said that, again, I’ve thought again and again how am I going to open this sermon? How do some of my heroes of the faith do so in their commentaries or in their preaching? So, I’m going to take the approach of brother David Miller: You don’t have to believe like I believe. You don’t have to be a five-point Calvinist. You don’t even have to know what TULIP is. You don’t have to call yourself a Calvinist or reformed or anything like that. We can disagree about our understanding of some of these deeper things and you and I will be just fine. We can continue to worship together, be united in our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ together, and agree to disagree about some of these things.
However, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, it’s okay to ask questions; it’s not okay to disbelieve or disregard anything in scripture. We cannot skip over the topic of the doctrine of election when you come to a word that is “election.” So, I’m going to teach it this morning as the Bible presents it. Whether or not you fully agree with how I have interpreted the scripture, we can still be friends. I still love you. I’m not a mean Calvinist, I promise.
Consider these things. If you have questions or you automatically resist, let’s sit down and talk about these things. We don’t need to avoid these controversies. It’s okay. You don’t learn anything unless it’s controversial. If you only believe what you already believe, you haven’t learned a thing. Let’s open God’s word and see what he has to teach us this morning. We’ve already looked at the first three verses of Ephesians chapter 1, and this morning we come to verse 4. As I mentioned previously, this is all one sentence from verse 3 through 14. We pick up and continue on over the coming weeks as a continuation of the same sentence. You’ve got to keep that in mind, which means at some points where we don’t get through an entire verse, it’s okay because we’re not getting through an entire sentence.
Last week we came to verse three: “Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.” And then it continues on. It continues the force of those previous phrases. Our hearts should overflow with worship. We should bless this God for all of these things we are about to talk about in verses 4 through 14. What we come to here in verse four is wonderful truth for us who are believers. Stand with me for the reading of God’s word. I’m going to read from verse one through verse four. I will also go ahead and tell you we will only get through the first half of verse 4, ending at “before the foundation of the world,” and then we’ll take up the next part in next week’s sermon.
Ephesians chapter 1: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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 in love”.
Father, this morning as we begin to scratch the surface of your great salvation, as we come to a topic that has unfortunately brought division among so many in your church where it was written to unite us and to give us assurance, Lord, we need your Holy Spirit to enlighten our eyes and our minds to understanding these things. We know that we will never fully grasp all that this entails because your salvation is greater than we can possibly fully imagine. But give us a glimpse. Help us understand enough that we might believe it and apply it to our life. Lord, teach us, reprove us, correct us, train us in righteousness through your word this morning, in order that we might be complete, equipped for every good work. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Before there were mountains and trees, fish and birds, before there was sun and moon and stars, before any human being existed, God set his electing love upon a people and secured their salvation in Jesus Christ. When I speak that truth, it often sparks debate, but that is not the intent. Understanding this deep truth is meant to cause us to adore and praise and worship God, to bring us in awe of him. It’s meant to humble us, to kill our prideful arrogant selves, and it is also at the same time meant to assure us and comfort us in our salvation. Your salvation, brother and sister, did not begin with you; it began with God who chose you in Christ before time began. He says, “Even as he chose us”.
Notice first here the author of our election: “He chose us.” Who’s the “he”? God. That’s the context. God chose us. The one who does the choosing is God himself, in particular, the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t forget that this one true God exists in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; he is the triune one true God. This word “chose” is the word eklegomai. You got that? “Elect.” “Well, I don’t like that election stuff.” It literally says the word right here. You don’t have to like it, but you can’t ignore it. You can skip it, but you’re saying that not every word comes from the mouth of God.
I don’t want to stand before God one day and go, “God, I liked everything you said except for these three words.” It’s there. That’s what that word “chosen” is. He elected us. It is a selection. What does it mean to choose something? You are selecting something for yourself. He selected with his own personal intent in mind. This is where having some idea of the languages helps get the richness of the meaning out of it. It’s not just like he chose among a line of 10 kids and picked the five strongest ones. No, he himself selected by his own choosing, not based on anything in those people. He himself chose for himself by himself. You can’t get around it; it’s in the language that God used to express this idea.
When I say “chose” or “elect” or “election,” we’re talking about the same thing. Election is not fate. It’s not fatalism, and it’s not just by random chance either. He didn’t have a big wheel up there with a little clicker. And it most assuredly is not human decision. You cannot jump from “God chose” to “I chose God.” You cannot twist these words to mean that; you would have to literally change the words. It’s not fate, it’s not chance, and it’s not human decision. Election is the deliberate act of the sovereign loving Father. Scripture everywhere ascribes this choosing, this election, to the sovereign will of God.
Deuteronomy chapter 7: “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession.” It’s funny to me sometimes the people who argue against this forget that God chose Israel instead of everybody else. Some of those people who argue against election are very strongly pro-Israel. Where did you miss the connection? God chose Israel. God chose Abraham out of all the other people on earth. Listen to the rest of these verses: “It was not because you were more in number than any other people, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers”.
2 Thessalonians 2:13: “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the first fruits to be saved through sanctification by the spirit and belief in the truth.” And then Romans chapter 8 verse 28 and 29: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, those who are the called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son.” Let me say this very clearly: if you’re still like, “I don’t fully get that,” we’re still friends, but you cannot ignore it. God chose us.
Who is the “us”? It’s not the whole world. It’s the saints, the church, those who believe. It is the faithful ones in Christ Jesus that he just referred to in verse one. It is a definite people. He chose the church, those who are faithful, those whom he has chosen. It is not vague humanity in general. God did not choose everyone. I understand how that sounds to our American ears where everybody gets to be chosen. It’s a particular people who are redeemed by Christ. He’s not talking about who can be saved; he’s talking about those who are saved. You, believer, have been chosen. How do I know I’ve been chosen? Because you believe.
To unbelieving ears, this sounds like, “Oh, God only chooses some people.” Listen to me: if you’re hearing my words and you’re not a believer, you can be. If you will believe, guess what? You’re elect. You’re chosen. But you’re not making yourself chosen; you’re showing that you already have been chosen. Some people argue that he chose us in general and that anybody who would make a commitment then that’s who he’s referring to. No, he chose the definite people. You’re just getting the cart before the horse. We get to the same place at the end. Those who believe are saved. Those who are elect will believe and be saved. One glorifies man and one glorifies God. Regardless of that, let me just say what the Bible specifically says.
Here’s what Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” You know who he didn’t lay his life down for? The goats, the ones who are not his sheep. I didn’t say that; Jesus did. Jesus died for the elect, for the chosen. “I lay down my life for the sheep.” He’s talking about a definite people, individuals who believe. Yet there’s also this sense in which it is “us,” including the whole corporate body of the church for all of time. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possessions.” It is corporate, yet it is very personal. Every single individual believer is included in God’s eternal choice.
God chose us. Your salvation did not begin with you; it began with God. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.” There’s no room for boasting, Christian. “What do you have that you did not receive? 1 Corinthians 4:7. And if then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” This understanding of God choosing us tears down our pride. We may ask, “Why me, God?” and that’s a good question to ask. That’s a humble question. God’s answer is, “Because I chose you.” I’m not the fastest or the strongest, but “I chose you.” What a blessing.
But he didn’t just choose us randomly. Number two: everything is about being in Him. “He chose us in Him.” This is the sphere of our election. Election is never abstract; it is in Christ. It is through Jesus. Jesus Christ himself is the big “C” Chosen One. That’s what Luke 9:35 expresses: “This is my son, my chosen one; listen to him.” We then are chosen as we are united with the Chosen One. 2 Timothy 1:9: “Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” You are not just saved because God decided to save you; you are saved through Jesus.
Christ himself is our representative and our surety. Before creation, Christ stood in our place. Hebrews 7:22: “This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.” This means then our election, our being chosen by God, is as secure as Christ himself. Christ, the sure and steady anchor in the fury of the storm. John 6 says that “all that the father gives me will come to me,” and “whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” He says, “And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.” We are chosen in Christ Jesus.
Our assurance of our salvation rests not in us but in Christ alone. I know I asked these questions early on in my salvation journey: “How do I know? I doubt my salvation; I keep sinning.” Our assurance does not rest in what we can see in ourselves. It rests in Christ and in his promise, in his work, in him alone. If you are trusting Christ as your Lord and Savior, your salvation is assured. It is secure because it is in Christ, not in you. When those doubts arise, we cannot look to our own feelings; we must look to Christ. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.
Third: the eternity of our election: “Before the foundation of the world.” How far back do we have to go? To the beginning of our salvation, before time itself. This phrase clearly places God’s divine election all the way into eternity past. Before creation, before sin, before humanity, when it was just God. This is why it’s so difficult to understand this doctrine. How do you put yourself outside of time and space? You can’t. You can only believe what God has revealed. I don’t understand it, I don’t get it, but I believe that the God who is beyond time and space, I believe what he has said.
Revelation 13:8 says that Jesus was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. Revelation 17:8 talks about the Lamb’s Book of Life. Did you know when that was written? It wasn’t written when you said “yes.” You didn’t write your name in it. Some people think you walked up and said, “I say yes to Jesus, I’m writing my name down.” No, those names were already written. Those who are not in that book are not chosen. I’m not telling people they’re not chosen, but there are those who are chosen; they’re already in the Lamb’s Book of Life from before the foundation of the world.
Matthew 25:34 says, “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'” I don’t know if it’s the hymns that we sang growing up and we just misunderstood them, but I just read you what the scripture clearly says. He’s gone to prepare a place for us, yes, but that place has already been prepared from before the foundation of the world.
Why does this timing matter? First, it proves that election is unconditional. God’s choosing is not conditioned on your good deeds. There is nothing in us that could be foreseen as any kind of merit. You didn’t exist before you came onto this earth. You were born in sin. In Adam, all died. If he was looking forward to you existing, he would have seen a sinner. Titus 3:5: “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.” This timing proves that election is unconditional and that salvation is by grace alone.
Romans 9:11 and 16, talking about Jacob and Esau: “In order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls.” So then, it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy. Salvation is by God’s grace alone. And number three, it proves the security of the believer. If you were chosen for salvation before anything existed, what can you do now to lose your salvation? Did God not know? No, it was already completed before the foundation of the earth. Therefore, Romans 8:38 and 39 is absolutely true: “Nothing in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Because it was before creation that he chose us, there’s nothing in creation that can separate us.
This eternal choice brings eternal comfort. For those of us who are afraid, let’s look into the promise that our name was written in the book of life before we ever even took our first sin. For those who were tempted to despair, God chose you before creation; he will not abandon you after your conversion. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.”.
In a sermon like this, it’s important that we touch on a few of the common misunderstandings or objections to sovereign election. There’s so much more that can be said, but these are objections that often arise from people who disagree. I want to quickly state them and give a quick biblical response. These objections often come from a sincere desire to uphold human responsibility, God’s love, and the free offer of the gospel. But these misunderstandings usually show how someone doesn’t understand how scripture holds divine sovereign election and human responsibility together without any contradiction.
Objection 1: “If God has already chosen who will be saved, then why should we bother sharing the gospel or evangelizing at all?” It assumes that sovereign election removes the need for the means God has given: preaching, witnessing, prayer. Biblical response: God ordains both the end, that is the salvation of the elect, and the means, that is the preaching of the gospel. Romans 10:14-17 makes it absolutely clear that people are saved through hearing the word preached. Election does not bypass it.
Objection 2: “But doesn’t God want everyone to be saved? Doesn’t 1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9 say he desires all people to be saved?” This objection pits God’s revealed will—that all people repent—against his secret will, which is that God sovereignly elects some. Both are true. God’s universal call for repentance goes out to all people. If your theology tells you to be careful about who you share the gospel with, you’ve got the wrong doctrine. The gospel goes out to everyone, but God will use the gospel to call those whom he has chosen. The tension is real, but there is no contradiction. He will save anyone who comes through the gospel, but not all will be saved.
Objection 3: “Election makes God unfair or unjust. He chooses some and passes over others.” Biblical response: No one deserves salvation. Justice would send us all to hell. Mercy is what saves us. Romans 9 addresses this: “Is there injustice on God’s part?” Paul replies, “By no means.” God’s mercy is free; it is not owed to anyone.
Objection 4: “Well, if election is true, then people aren’t really responsible for rejecting Christ.” This assumes divine sovereignty cancels out human accountability. Scripture is clear: it holds both at the same time. People reject Christ freely and responsibly, yet no one seeks God unless the spirit draws him. No one can say, “I came to Christ and he rejected me.”.
Objection 5: “Election only refers to a corporate group, like the church or the nation, not to individuals.” There is a corporate dimension, but it’s very clearly in the language that he’s speaking of individuals within that group.
Objection 6: “If someone is elect, then they’ll be saved no matter what they do, so sin doesn’t matter.” This turns election into a license for sin. Election is unto holiness, not a license for sin. Paul addresses this in Romans 6: “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means.”.
Objection 7: “We can’t know if we’re elect until we die, so it removes security.” I would argue the exact opposite. Scripture tells the believer to know that they are elect through faith in Jesus. It is the spirit’s witness within us. When we are repentant, there is fruit that is the assurance. Election is the ground of our assurance, not its enemy.
The biblical answer is never to deny one truth in order to preserve another. Just because it doesn’t make sense in your head to hold both doesn’t mean you can deny either. Trust in God’s word rather than your ability to fully understand. Election is the fountain from which every other blessing flows. He chose us before the foundation of the world. It began way before anything else existed, not because of anything in you, but because for his own glory he wanted you.
Remember, this truth should bring these three things into your life: it abolishes your pride; it puts fear to rest because “He who began a good work will bring it to completion,” and it calls us to holy and blameless living. Amen.