Plan of Salvation - Election and Predestination (Eph. 1:3-14) — John Murray

Holy and ever-blessed Lord, as we come together to study Thy Word, may it be illumined to us. May our hearts respond in understanding. May the truth be sealed from minds and unconscious, so that we may ever remember that Thy Word is forever settled in heaven.

And as our conviction corresponds with Thy Word, so does it correspond with Thy mind. And all in Jesus' name, amen. Next tomorrow, I'll put the test on the board, you know, right after chapel. So if you want to start, I don't want to keep you from your coffee, of course, if you want it.

But if you want to start, I don't want to keep you from your coffee, of course, if you want it. And it takes no longer than an hour, twenty-three minutes, maybe half an hour, an hour and a quarter, whatever it could be, it could be ten minutes.

That's up to you. And if you're studying, please don't study in this room, because I'll be putting you to sleep. And bring your Hebrew Bible and the Great Testament, that is, the Testaments in the original Hebrew and Greek.

And of course, the test will cover, as I told you, from the Adamic administration to creation. And leave your papers under here when you're finished, please, because I will not be able to pick them up right away.

Yes, Mr. Hart. Could you grant credit for being more conservative last year? About the questions? Yes. Well, I'll tell you, the questions will cover the material from the Adamic administration to the end of the agency.

Reading Ephesians 1:3–14: Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Well, now, we've come to this passage. And if you're enjoying it, please, I'd love for you to answer it for whoever's watching. Answer the specific questions asked, the specific questions asked. Be relevant to the precise question.

Bear it in mind. Don't wander all over. Answer as fully as time will permit on the precise questions left unanswered. That's all important in systematic theology. I better read this passage to you. Have you got the Great Testament?

The Great Testament is all that's left to collect. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us. Who gave us this irresponsible and blessed us with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly saint Christ.

Just as He elected us or chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him. And then you have, remember, in love, having predestinated us unto adoption through Jesus Christ, unto Him.

I don't know what the antecedent of our time is, whether through Himself or unto Christ. Through Jesus Christ or to Himself, probably according to the good pleasure of His grace, the grace of the glory of His grace.

Wherewith He abundantly favored us in the Beloved, in whom we have the redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of the trespasses according to the riches of His grace. With which He abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Him unto an economy and dispensation of the fullness of time.

To sum up all things in Christ, those in the heavens and those upon the earth, in Him, in whom also we have been made heirs, in whom also we have been given an inheritance, we have been made heirs, having been predestinated according to the purpose of Him, who is working all things according to the counsel of His will.

To the end that we should be up to the praise of His glory, we have come to put our hope in Christ, in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also, having believed, ye were sealed, ye were sealed, hear this passage, ye were sealed with the Spirit of the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance unto the redemption of the precious possession, and to the praise of His glory.

The Present Possession of Spiritual Blessings

Now, in dealing with this passage, I want to make self-introduction. Reflect upon this, this spiritual blessing. Spiritual blessing is just beheading you. Bless us, you see, with all spiritual blessing, and then passæ eulogia pneumaticae, with all spiritual blessing.

Now, there are two things about this in particular. First, the denotation. The denotation, we are interested in the connotation too, but the particular point now is the denotation of spiritual blessing.

We are not to think that this blessing is the blessing, is simply the blessing to be enjoyed in heaven in the age to come. That is not the force of the characterization heavenly, in heavenly. There are two considerations establish the denotation here.

First, Paul is speaking on behalf of believers, and he is thinking of blessings in possession. Blessings in possession. And the heiress participle eulogies us. The heiress participle, that thesis. He proceeds to specify the blessings, comprehended in all spiritual blessing.

Complete occasion of catalog. But he gives us outstanding examples. Giveness of trespasses, verse 7. The making known to us. The midst of His will, verse 9. Being made heirs, verse 11. The seal of the Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance.

Verses 13 and 14. The seal of the spirit being is the seal which is the spirit. The genitive is an opposition of the spirit. The Holy Spirit Himself is the seal, and He is the earnest. Now I think that should be clear.

For all spiritual blessing extends to the life to come. The mix of all spiritual blessings in the heavenly city of Christ is not restricting the blessing in the life to come. Now let us find limitations concerning the second.

Election in Christ and the Logical Order of Salvation

Pattern. The pattern in thinking particularly of catalogs is that all spiritual blessing bestowed through election in Christ. In Christ. And in Him, victory. Uh uh. Using the verbal form. Election in Christ provides all spiritual blessing bestowed is eternal, pre-temporal.

Is eternal, pre-temporal. Was election before the foundation of the world. And second, it is logically He is always, I believe, a step too deep. Edward Paltwin, verses 4 and 5. Self-question of the relationship between chosen and in love having predestined.

Christo, the Unmistakable and Deceitful. Agreement with 29. Gospics of election. Logically first in the saving counsel of God. Logically first. And then predestination, that which is logically second.

Is what you would call a sequence. Intimated in these two verses. Consecutive questions. Logical relationship in these two verses. That could very well be obtained. But personally, I think that these two clauses, these two verses are and that virtually ephexedetical of verse 4 is associated with standing in opposition to verse 4.

And that Paul is saying virtually in two consecutive clauses. In two consecutive verses. Because you do not have elections. Election to holiness and blamelessness. And election is not in this verse. Due to the anguished enemy.

Even as he chose us in him from the foundation of the world. That we should behold. The enemy. That we should behold him without name. Since that is the case. Most reasonable interpretation. I believe, I submit.

Most reasonable interpretation. These two verses are parallel. He proceeds in love, having predestinated unto adoption. That clearly states, clearly states the end contemplated in predestination. The preceding verse, the end contemplated in election.

Holiness, Adoption, and the Objects of Election

In love, in love. And that, to say that from the standpoint of exegesis before I proceed. Object of election and predestination. He noted in the teaching of the passage. These things to be noted. His ultimate holiness.

Chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. That we should behold him without blame. Before him. So holiness flows. That men are elected. Because they are foreseen to be holy. Because God foresees that they will be holy.

Completed in election. Not the conditioning. Speaks in verse four. This holiness. Which he gives us examples in the verses before. Spiritual blessing. At least you have to say that holiness is an ingredient.

In this spiritual blessing. According to verse five. Springs of the love of God. In predestination. Predestination. An index. The conditioning. Of the conditioning factors. You see we have an index. What is the conditioning element.

Or the conditioning factor. We have an index to what is the conditioning factor. In predestination. So we are pointed. In a problem called emotion. God does he contemplates mankind from its authority.

God’s Sovereign Purpose in Predestination

The determinant of predestination. The determinant. Here particularly we have verses six. Verses five and eleven. Be and the whole of verse eleven. In love having predestinated us unto adoption through Jesus Christ unto him.

Tell you the key of truth. The name of Christ unto us. The good pleasure of his will. It is to be noted how Paul emphasized the concept. It is sufficient for him to say. Perhaps he wants to enrich. It is not simply.

But. Combination of construction. One with the other. In order to emphasize. We turn to verse eleven. Here we have the same. Continuous construction. Amplified still further. In whom also we have been given an inheritance.

We have been made heirs. And now. Having been predestinated. Here is passage first. Having been predestinated. According to the purpose of him. Who is working all things according to the counsel of his will.

The three terms. Prophecies. Purpose. In. To the name of Christ. Unto. It would have been sufficient. According to the analogy of Paul's teaching. Well said. According. According to purpose. In Romans 8 .28.

According to purpose. It would have been sufficient for Paul to have said. According to his will. But he is not satisfied with that. Now what is this? It is simply to emphasize. Sovereign. And it would whack the plain import of this emphasis.

To say that predestination is conditioned or determined. Foresight. Of autonomous. Sovereign decision on the part of man. I say it would whack. Repeated emphasis. To say that it is conditioned or determined by God's foresight.

Of autonomous decision on the part of man. For even in that event. It would be the will of man. That would be the conditioning factor. And that would run counter to every index in this person. Good pleasure of God.

Every pointer to the sovereign good pleasure of God. Consequently here I think we have something on which the whole issue is staying. That which is the conditioning factor. In predestination is God's sovereign good pleasure.

And interfere with that in any degree. Plain import. And I am told of course. To be very specific. Therefore. And. In various other. Instances. And so forth. You notice how this passage. Is pervaded by that.

Union with Christ and the Believer’s Present Redemption

That it is in Christ. Abundantly favored with grace. God paid men. In the beloved. Simplify it by saying. In Christ we were abundantly favored with grace. In verse seven. It is in him. We have the redemption.

Oh. In whom we have the redemption. The forgiveness of the trespasses. In whom. In Christ. That all things are summed up. Oh. Verse eleven. It is in Christ. We are made heirs. Oh. God. And. We have been given an inheritance.

In Christ. Sealed with the Holy Spirit. In Christ. Given an inheritance. Sealed with the Holy Spirit. It is apparent. That these all refer to blessings enjoyed. By the believer. Here and now. Blessings enjoyed by the believer.

Here and now. Now we ask. When did that relationship begin? In him. Other considerations. Very important. All things in Jesus Christ. Blessings actually enjoyed. Explicates in verse twenty-nine. He did foreknow.

Conformity to the Image of God’s Son

He also did predestinate. Again. Of course. Yes. Back to God. He did predestinate. To mortals. We have to purpose that. To predestinate. To be conformed. To the image. Of his son. To the end. That he might be the first begotten.

Predestinated. To the image. Of his son. Predestinated. To be conformed. Now few passages. Have provoked. And this passage. This few passages in Paul. Have provoked more. Difference of opinion. And the first question.

That arises here. Is the meaning. Of foreknow. Forgenosco. This means to foreknow. Forgenosco. And that is. To know beforehand. To know beforehand. To his eternal. Prevision. His eternal. Omniscient. All that would come to pass.

That is the meaning. In this instance. This meant. We are predestinated. To a certain end. Limited to passions. Human race. Limited to a certain class. Liberty.