A reading from the Second London Baptist Confession of 1689. Today comes from chapter 3 of God's Decree, 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 this mere free grace and love without any other thing in the creature as a condition or cause moving Him thereunto. In the last couple of weeks, we focused on the predestination to eternal life or to condemnation of some men and angels, including that the number of them is certain and unchangeable. This week we jump into unconditional election.

It is included here in the confession to emphasize what the Bible says about God's sovereignty and summarize the doctrine of election. Unfortunately, there is much controversy regarding election, even though there are many verses supporting election. Matthew 24, 22, Luke 18, 7, Romans 8, 33, Colossians 3, 12, 1 Peter 1, 2, all speak of a group of people considered as God's elect and there's other places as well. Scripture does not shy away from this term nor this doctrine and neither should we. If we peel away all the phrases of our paragraph, we find this statement.

Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory. This core statement addresses the who and the what of election. The remaining phrases addresses the when, the how, and the why. Let's start with the who. Who is doing the electing?

God is. The creator of the universe, the author and finisher of life, the King of Kings, Lord of Lord, the Almighty, the only true God. He is the one doing something here. He has the authority. He has the power.

It is God and God alone. Speaking to Isaiah, God tells us, for I am God, there is none else. I am God and there is none like me. Isaiah 45, 9. The psalmist declares, great is the Lord and greatly to be praised and his greatness is unsearchable.

Psalm 145, 3. And David praising God before the people of Israel says, blessed are you Lord God of Israel our father forever and ever. Yours oh Lord is the greatness, the power, and the glory, the victory, and the majesty for all that is in heaven and in earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head over all." 1st Chronicles 29, 10, and 11. Next, what is God doing here?

God has chosen those of mankind predestinated to life, to eternal life. But God has not chosen everyone for the life everlasting, only some. From our previous discussion in paragraph 3, God has predestinated some to eternal life and some to condemnation. Paul tells us, For God hath not appointed us, us being the elect, to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. First Thessalonians 5.9.

Paul also tells us, Oh man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing form, say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make the one vessel and to honor and another unto dishonor? What if God willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endureth with much long suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. Romans 9 20 through 22.

God is sovereign. It is God who will choose. It is God who will elect. For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Romans 9, 15.

It is God who elects those to eternal life. It is God who has chosen those in Christ unto everlasting glory. OK, when? When did God make this choice? God made his choice before the foundation of the world.

Paul confirms this in his letter to the Ephesians, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." Ephesians 1-4. And also in his letter to Timothy, 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 given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. 2nd Timothy 1 9. But what were the basis for God's choices? How did He decide or choose?

First, according to his eternal and immutable purposes. Paul's letter to the Romans describes two purposes of God. The first, to show his wrath and power. The second, to make known the riches of his glory. These are eternal and never changing.

Paul writes, What if God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much long suffering, the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction? And that He might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory." Romans 9 22 and 23. And from Hebrews we learn of God's unchangeable counsel wherein God willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath." Hebrews 6 17. Matthew Poole explains here, God did never and will never change one iota or till of his eternal will and decree of saving, perfecting, and gathering into one penitent believers. By the promised seed, Jesus Christ, which he did reveal to the world, and without which manifestation, a believer could have no comfort, and without its immutability not any lasting and permanent comfort.

Second, according to the secret counsel of His will, scripture tells us the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of his law." Deuteronomy 29, 29. Whether secret or revealed, God will worketh all things after the counsel of his own will, Ephesians 1-11. And God declares the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done saying, my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure, Isaiah 46-10. Which leads us to the last explanation of how God chooses. He chooses according to the good pleasure of His will.

Paul tells us that God predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will, Ephesians 1 5, and that he has made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself, Ephesians 1 9. His choosing is holy According to his will whether by the counsel of his will or by the good pleasure of his will not a reaction Based upon anyone or anything outside of him now we get to the why Why did he do this? Why would God elect some to eternal life and not others? We must first remember that none of us deserve God's grace. None of us have or can earn God's grace.

We've all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We all deserve death for the payment of our sins. And yet God has chosen some in Christ unto everlasting glory. Why? He has done it out of His mere free grace and love.

Paul tells us that it is to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved, Ephesians 1 6. Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ, Ephesians 4 7. His grace is free. It's a gift. It's undeserved because He loves us.

Again, Paul tells us, now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God, even our Father, which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace." 2 Thessalonians 2 10. He loves us and pours out his grace upon us. But are there any conditions placed on God with respect to His choices, His election. Our paragraph states, without any other thing in a creature as a condition or cause moving Him there unto. Paul explains, for the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but of Him that calleth.

Romans 9-11. God's choosing takes place before we are even born. There is no condition or no cause from any of us that would move God to alter what He has decreed. And God has chosen certain people before the foundation of the world, before they are alive and doing anything of their own. Does God see or rather foresee what they will do, how they will respond?

Of course He does. But this is not the basis of His choice. God is electing certain people, all of who sin and deserve eternal condemnation. He is electing certain people according to the purposes, His purposes, and by the counsel and good pleasure of His will. God is ordained to all things and God is perfectly sovereign over all.

There's one other phrase we haven't touched on and that is, in Christ. Dr. Sproul offers some great insight. In Christ, here in our confession, is important. Election in the Bible is always in Christ.

The ultimate object of divine election is Christ. In eternity the Father chooses the Son for glory, but desiring to glorify His Son, the Father gives gifts to His beloved. He gives Him people who belong to the world, whom the Father takes out of the world and gives to his Son. Jesus speaks that way frequently in the Gospel of John about those whom the Father has given him. He prays for them specifically, I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me for they are yours." John 17 9.

Those who are given to Christ are elected in Him the beloved. So the only reason we can give for our election is Christ. The only reason for election at all is the exaltation of the Son, that he may see the travail of his soul and be satisfied. Isaiah 53, 11. To be clear, election by itself does not save sinners.

The elect are saved through the redeeming work of Christ at the cross by His death and resurrection. Faith in Christ is the only way to salvation. Those people who are predestined to eternal life were chosen by God in Christ for everlasting glory. This should bring great comfort to the elect, to those who he has called. In an uncertain world, God is certain.

God is faithful and God is sovereign. As I mentioned, our actions and our works do not influence God's choosing those to eternal life. Our actions and our works are a response to God's grace, to God's love. Like the read from Galatians 5, 22, and 23. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

Against such there is no law. This is a wonderful verse and if you haven't memorized it I would encourage you to put it on your list of verses to memorize, list of verses to put in your heart. At the same time I would encourage you to think about each of these qualities. They are a byproduct of a spirit filled life. Spend some time this week examining your actions, your heart, your speech.

Do you see any of these qualities in your daily life? If you do, note them down in a journal if you have one. If you don't have one, you can start one. There's some notebooks back there you could use. If you don't see any of these qualities, maybe it's time to humble yourself, to repent and seek out the Lord.

Amen.