The Sovereignty of God

Equally striking is the case of Elijah. And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan, and it shall be that thou shalt drink of the brook. And I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 1st Kings 17, 2-4 The natural instinct of these birds of prey was held in subjection, and instead of consuming the food themselves, they carried it to Jehovah's servant in his solitary retreat. His further proof required, then, it is ready at hand. God makes a dumb ass to rebuke the prophet's madness. He sends forth two she-bears from the woods to devour forty and two of Elijah's tormentors in fulfillment of his word. He causes the dogs to lick up the blood of the wicked Jezebel. He seals the mouths of Babylon's lions when Daniel is cast into the den, though later he causes them to devour the prophet's accusers. He prepares a great fish to swallow the disobedient Jonah, and then, when his ordained hour struck, compelled it to vomit him forth On dry land, at his bidding, a fish carries a coin to Peter for tribute money, and in order to fulfill his word, he makes the cock crow twice after Peter's denial. Thus we see that God reigns over irrational creatures. Beasts of the field, birds of the air, fishes of the sea, all perform his sovereign bidding. Three. God governs the children of men. We fully appreciate the fact that this is the most difficult part of our subject, and accordingly, it will be dealt with at greater length in the pages that follow. But at present, we consider the fact of God's government over men in general before we attempt to deal with the problem in detail. Two alternatives confront us, and between them, we are obliged to choose. Either God governs, or he is governed. Either God rules, or he is ruled. Either God has his way, or men have theirs. And is our choice between these alternatives hard to make? Shall we say that in man we behold a creature so unruly that he is beyond God's control? Shall we say that sin has alienated the sinner so far from the Christ Holy One that he is outside the pale of his jurisdiction? Or shall we say that man has been endowed with moral responsibility, and therefore God must leave him entirely free, at least during the period of his probation? Does it necessarily follow because the natural man is an outlaw against heaven, a rebel against the divine government, that God is unable to fulfill his purpose through him? We mean not merely that he may overrule the effects of the actions of evildoers, nor that he will yet bring the wicked to stand before his judgment bar so that sentence of punishment may be passed upon them. Multitudes of non-Christians believe these things. But we mean that every action of the most lawless of his subjects is entirely beneath his control, yea, that the actor is, though unknown to himself, carrying out the secret decrees of the Most High. Was it not thus with Judas, and is it possible to select a more extreme case? If then the arch-rebel was performing the counsel of God, is it any greater tax upon our faith to believe the same of all rebels? Our present object is no philosophic inquiry, nor metaphysical causistry, but to ascertain the teaching of Scripture upon this profound theme, to the law and the testimony, for there only can we learn of the divine government, its character, its design, its modus operandi, its scope. What then has it pleased God to reveal to us in his blessed word concerning his rule over the works of his hands, and particularly over the one who originally was made in his own image and likeness? In him we live and move and have our being. Acts 17, 28. What a sweeping assertion is this! These words, be it noted, were addressed not to one of the churches of God, not to a company of saints who had reached an exalted plane of spirituality, but to a heathen audience, to those who worshipped the unknown God and who mocked when they heard of the resurrection of the dead. And yet to the Athenian philosophers, to the Epicureans and Stoics, the Apostle Paul did not hesitate to affirm that they lived and moved and had their being in God, which signified not only that they owed their existence and preservation to the one who made the world and all things therein, but also that their very actions were encompassed and therefore controlled by the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Compare Daniel 5, 23, last clause. The disposing's margin of the heart and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Proverbs 16, 1. Mark that the above declaration is of general application. It is of man, not simply of believers, that this is predicated. A man's heart diviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps. Proverbs 16, 9. If the Lord directs the steps of a man, is it not proof that he is being controlled or governed by God? Again, there are many devices in a man's heart. Nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. Proverbs 19, 21. Can this mean anything less than that no matter what man may desire and plan, it is the will of his Maker which is executed? As an illustration, take the rich fool. The devices of his heart are made known to us. And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do? Because I have no room where to bestow my fruits. And he said, This will I do. I will pull down my barns and build greater. And there I will bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease. Eat, drink, and be merry. Such were the devices of his heart. Nevertheless, it was the counsel of the Lord that stood. The I-wills of the rich man came to naught. For God said unto him, Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be required of thee. Luke 12, 17-20 The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. As the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will. Proverbs 21, 1 What could be more explicit? Out of the heart are the issues of life. Proverbs 4, 23 For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23, 7 If then the heart is in the hand of the Lord, and if he turneth it whithersoever he will, then is it not clear that man, yea, governors and rulers, and so all men, are completely beneath the governmental control of the Almighty. No limitations must be placed upon the above declarations to insist that some men at least do thwart God's will and overturn His counsel, is to repudiate other scriptures equally explicit. We will the following. But He is one mind, and who can turn Him and what His soul desireth, even that He doeth. Job 23, 13 The counsel of the Lord standeth forever the thoughts of His heart to all generations. Psalm 33, 11 There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord. Proverbs 21, 30 For the Lord of hosts hath purpose, and who shall disannul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back? Isaiah 14, 27 Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring 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, 9 and 10 There is no ambiguity in these passages. They affirm in the most unequivocal and unqualified terms that it is impossible to bring to naught the purpose of Jehovah. We read the Scriptures in vain if we fail to discover that the actions of men, evil men as well as good, are governed by the Lord God. Nimrod and his fellows determined to erect the Tower of Babel, but ere their task was accomplished, God frustrated their plans. God called Abraham alone. Isaiah 51, 2 But his kin's folk accompanied him as he left Ur of the Chaldees. Was then the will of the Lord defeated? Nay, verily, marked the sequel. Terah died before Canaan was reached. Genesis 11, 32 And though Lot accompanied his uncle into the land of promise, he soon separated from him and settled down in Sodom. Jacob was the child to whom the inheritance was promised, and though Isaac sought to reverse Jehovah's decree and bestow the blessing upon Esau, his efforts came to naught. Esau again swore vengeance upon Jacob, but when next they met they wept for joy instead of fighting in hate. The brethren of Joseph determined his destruction, but their evil counsels were overthrown. Pharaoh refused to let Israel carry out the instructions of Jehovah and perished in the Red Sea for his pains. Balak hired Balaam to curse the Israelites, but God compelled him to bless them. Haman erected a gallows for Mordecai, but was hanged upon it himself. Jonah resisted the revealed will of God, but what became of his efforts? Ah, the heathen may rage, and the people imagine a vain thing. The kings of earth may set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Christ, saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us. Psalm 2, 1-3 But is the great God perturbed or disturbed by the rebellion of His puny creatures? No, indeed. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Verse 4 He is infinitely exalted above all, and the greatest confederacies or earth's pawns, and their most extensive and vigorous preparations to defeat His purpose are in His sight altogether puerile. He looks upon their puny efforts not only without any alarm, but He laughs at their folly. He treats their impotency with derision. He knows that He can crush them like moths when He pleases, or consume them in a moment with the breath of His mouth. Ah, it is but a vain thing for the pot-shirts of the earth to strive with the glorious majesty of heaven. Such is our God. Worship ye Him. Mark 2 The sovereignty which God displayed in His dealings with men. Moses, who was slow of speech, and not Aaron his elder brother, who was not slow of speech, was the one chosen to be His ambassador in demanding from Egypt's monarch the release of His oppressed people. Moses again, though greatly beloved, utters one hasty word and was excluded from Canaan, whereas Elijah passionately murmurs and suffers but a mild rebuke, and was afterwards taken to heaven without seeing death. Uzzah merely touched the ark and was instantly slain, whereas the Philistines carried it off in insulting triumph and suffered no immediate harm. Displays of grace which would have brought a doomed Sodom to repentance failed to move an highly privileged Capernaum. Mighty works which would have subdued Tyre and Sidon left the upbraided cities of Galilee under the curse of a rejected gospel. If they would have prevailed over the former, why were they not wrought there? If they proved ineffectual to deliver the latter, then why perform them? What exhibitions are these of the sovereign will of the Most High? Four. God governs angels, both good and evil angels. The angels are God's servants, His messengers, His chariots. They ever hearken to the word of His mouth and do His demands. And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it. And as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and He repented him of the evil and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough. Stay now thine hand. And the Lord commanded the angel, and He put His sword again into the sheath thereof. First Chronicles 21, 15 and 27. Many other scriptures might be cited to show that the angels are in subjection to the will of their Creator and perform His bidding. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety that the Lord hath sent His angel and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod. Acts 12, 11. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. Revelation 22, 6. So it will be when our Lord returns. The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity. Matthew 13, 41. Again we read, He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24, 31. The same is true of evil spirits. They too fulfill God's sovereign decrees. An evil spirit is sent by God to stir up rebellion in the camp of Abimelech. Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren. Judges 9, 23. Another evil spirit He sent to thee, a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets. Now therefore behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee. First Kings 22, 23. And yet another was sent by the Lord to trouble Saul. But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. 1 Samuel 16, 14. So too in the New Testament, a whole legion of the demons go not out of their victim until the Lord gave them permission to enter the herd of swine. It is clear from Scripture then that the angels, good and evil, are under God's control and willingly or unwillingly carry out God's purpose. Yea, Satan himself is absolutely subject to God's control. When arraigned in Eden, he listened to the awful sentence but answered not a word. He was unable to touch Job until God granted him leave. So too he had to gain our Lord's consent before he could sift Peter. When Christ commanded him to depart, get thee hence, Satan, we read, then the devil leaveth him. Matthew 4, 11. And in the end, he will be cast into the lake of fire, which has been prepared for him and his angels. The Lord God omnipotent reigneth. His government is exercised over inanimate matter, over the brute beasts, over the children of men, over angels, good and evil, and over Satan himself. No revolving world, no shining of star, no storm, no creature moves, no actions of men, no errands of angels, no deeds of devil, nothing in all the vast universe can come to pass otherwise than God has eternally purposed. Here is a foundation of faith. Here is a resting place for the intellect. Here is an anchor for the soul, both sure and steadfast. It is not blind fate, unbridled evil, man or devil, but the Lord Almighty who is ruling the world, ruling it according to his own good pleasure and for his own eternal glory. Ten thousand ages ere the skies were into motion brought, all the long years and worlds to come stood present to his thought. There's not a sparrow nor a worm, but found in his decrees, he raises monarchs to their thrones and sings as he may please. Chapter 4 The Sovereignty of God in Salvation Oh, the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways, past finding out. Romans 11, 33 Salvation is of the Lord. Jonah 2, 9 But the Lord does not save all. Why not? He does save some, then if he saves some, why not others? Is it because they are too sinful and depraved? No. For the apostle wrote, This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. 1 Timothy 1, 15 Therefore, if God saved the chief of sinners, none are excluded because of their depravity, why then does not God save all? Is it because some are too stony-hearted to be one? No, because it is written that God will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11, 19 Then is it because some are so stubborn, so intractable, so defiant, that God is unable to move them to himself? Before we answer this question, let us ask another. Let us appeal to the experience of the Christian reader. Friend, was there not a time when you walked in the council of the ungodly, stood in the way of sinners, sat in the seat of the scorners, and with them said, We will not have this man to rule over us. Luke 19, 14 Was there not a time when you would not come to Christ that you might have life? John 5, 40 Yea, was there not a time when you mingled your voice with those who said unto God, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. What is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit should we have if we pray unto him? Job 21, 14 and 15 With shamed face, you have to acknowledge there was. But how is it that all is now changed? What was it that brought you from haughty self-sufficiency to a humble suppliant? From one that was at enmity with God to one that is at peace with him? From lawlessness to subjection, from hate to love, and as one born of the Spirit, you will readily reply, By the grace of God, I am what I am. 1 Corinthians 15, 10 Then do you not see that it is due to no lack of power in God nor to his refusal to coerce men that other rebels are not saved to? If God was able to subdue your will and win your heart, and that without interfering with your moral responsibility, then is he not able to do the same for others? Assuredly he is. Then how inconsistent, how illogical, how foolish of you in seeking to account for the present course of the wicked and their ultimate fate to argue that God is unable to save them, that they will not let him. Do you say, But the time came when I was willing, willing to receive Christ as my Savior. True. But it was the Lord who made you willing. Psalm 110, 3 Philippians 2, 13 Why then does he not make all sinners willing? Why, but for the fact that he is sovereign and does as he pleases. But to return to our opening inquiry. Why is it that all are not saved, particularly all who hear the gospel? Do you still answer, because the majority refuse to believe? Well, that is true, but it is only a part of the truth. It is the truth from the human side. But there is a divine side too, and this side of the truth needs to be stressed, or God will be robbed of his glory. The unsaved are lost because they refuse to believe. The others are saved because they believe. But why do these others believe? What is it that causes them to put their trust in Christ? Is it because they are more intelligent than their fellows, and quicker to discern their need of salvation? Perish the thought. Who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now, if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it? 1 Corinthians 4, 7. It is God himself who maketh the difference between the elect and the non-elect, for of his own it is written, And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding that we may know him. That is true. 1 John 5, 20. Faith is God's gift, and all men have not faith. 2 Thessalonians 3, 2. Therefore we see that God does not bestow this gift upon all. Upon whom, then, does he bestow this saving favor? And we answer, Upon his own elect, as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed. Acts 13, 48. Hence it is that we read of the faith of God's elect. Titus 1, 1. But is God partial in the distribution of his favors? Has he not the right to be? Are there still some who murmur against the good man of the house? Then his own words are sufficient reply. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Matthew 20, 15. God is sovereign in the bestowment of his gifts, both in the natural and in the spiritual realms, so much then for a general statement, and now to particularize. 1. The sovereignty of God, the Father, in salvation. Perhaps the one scripture which most emphatically of all asserts the absolute sovereignty of God in connection with his determining the destiny of his creatures is the ninth of Romans. We shall not attempt to review here the entire chapter, but will confine ourselves to verses 21 through 23. Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering 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 aforeprepared unto glory? These verses represent fallen mankind as inert and as impotent as a lump of lifeless clay. This scripture evidences that there is no difference in themselves between the elect and the non-elect. They are clay of the same lump which agrees with Ephesians 2.3 where we are told that all are by nature children of wrath. It teaches us that the ultimate destiny of every individual is decided by the will of God, and blessed it is that such be the case. If it were left to do our wills, the ultimate destination of us all would be the lake of fire. It declares that God himself does make a difference in the respective destinations to which he assigns his creatures, for one vessel is made unto honor and another unto dishonor. Some are vessels of wrath fitted to destruction. Others are vessels of mercy which he had aforeprepared unto glory. We readily acknowledge that it is very humbling to the proud heart of the creature to behold all mankind in the hand of God as the clay in the potter's hand. Yet this is precisely how the scriptures of truth represent the case. In this day of human boasting, intellectual pride, and deification of man, it needs to be insisted upon that the potter forms his vessels for himself. Let man strive with his maker as he will. The fact remains that he is nothing more than clay in the heavenly potter's hands. And while we know that God will deal justly with his creatures, that the judge of all the earth will do right, nevertheless, he shapes his vessels for his own purpose and according to his own pleasure. God claims the indisputable right to do as he wills with his own. Not only has God the right to do as he wills with the creatures of his own hands, but he exercises that right. And nowhere is that seen more plainly than in his predestinating grace. Before the foundation of the world, God made a choice, a selection, an election. Before his omniscient eye stood the whole of Adam's race, and from it, he singled out a people and predestinated them to be conformed to the image of his Son, ordained them unto eternal life. Many are the scriptures which set forth this blessed truth, seven of which will now engage our attention. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Acts 13, 48. Every artifice of human ingenuity has been employed to blot the sharp edge of this scripture and to explain away the obvious meaning of these words. But it has been employed in vain, though nothing will ever be able to reconcile this and similar passages to the mind of the natural man. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed. Here, we learn four things. First, that believing is the consequence and not the cause of God's decree. Second, that a limited number only are ordained to eternal life. For if all men, without exception, were thus ordained by God, then the words as many as are a meaningless qualification. Third, that this ordination of God is not to mere external privileges, but to eternal life, not to service, but to salvation itself. Fourth, that all, as many as, not one less, who are thus ordained by God to eternal life, will most certainly believe. The comments of the beloved Spurgeon on the above passage are well worthy of our notice, said he. Attempts have been made to prove that these words do not teach predestination, but these attempts so clearly do violence to language that I shall not waste time in answering them. I read, as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. And I shall not twist the text, but shall glorify the grace of God by ascribing to that grace the faith of every man. Is it not God who gives the disposition to believe? If men are disposed to have eternal life, does not He, in every case, dispose them? Is it wrong for God to give grace? If it be right for Him to give it, is it wrong for Him to purpose to give it? Would you have Him give it by accident? If it is right for Him to purpose to give grace today, it was right for Him to purpose it before today, and since, He changes not from eternity. Even so then, at this present time also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace, otherwise work is no more work. Romans 11, 5 and 6. The words, even so, at the beginning of this quotation, refer us to the previous verse where we are told, I have reserved to myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal. Note particularly the word reserved. In the days of Elijah, there were seven thousand, a small minority, who were divinely preserved from idolatry, and brought to the knowledge of the true God. This preservation and illumination was not from anything in themselves, but solely by God's special influence and agency. How highly favored such individuals were to be thus reserved by God. Now says the apostle, just as there was a remnant in Elijah's day, reserved by God, even so, there is in this present dispensation a remnant according to the election of grace. Here the cause of election is traced back to its source. The basis upon which God elected this remnant was not faith foreseen in them, because the choice founded upon the foresight of good works is just as truly made on the ground of works as any choice can be, and in such a case it would not be of grace. For, says the apostle, if by grace then it is no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace. Which means that grace and works are opposite. They have nothing in common and will no more mingle than oil and water. Thus the idea of inherent good foreseen in those chosen, or of anything meritorious performed by them is rigidly excluded. A remnant according to the election of grace signifies an unconditional choice resulting from the sovereign favor of God. In a word, it is absolutely a gratuitous election. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God hath chosen the wicked things of the world to confound the things which are mighty. And base things of the world and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not to bring to naught things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. 1 Corinthians 1 26-29 Three times over in this passage reference is made to God's choice, and choice necessarily supposes a selection, the taking of some and the leaving of others. The chooser here is God Himself, as said the Lord Jesus to the apostles, He hath not chosen me, but I have chosen you. John 15-16 The number chosen is strictly defined, not many, wise men after the flesh, not many, noble, etc. Which agree with Matthew 20-16 So the last shall be first, and the first last. For many be called, but few chosen. So much then for the fact of God's choice. Now mark the objects of His choice. The ones spoken of above as chosen of God are the weak things of the world, base things of the world, and things which are despised. But why? To demonstrate and magnify His grace. God's ways as well as His thoughts are utterly at variance with man's. The carnal mind would have supposed that His selection had been made from the ranks of the opulent and influential, the amiable and cultured, so that Christianity might have won the approval and applause of the world by its pageantry and fleshly glory. Ah, but that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16-15 God chooses the base things. He did so in Old Testament times. The nation which He singled out to be the depository of His holy oracles and the channel through which the promised seed should come was not the ancient Egyptians, the imposing Babylonians, nor the highly civilized and cultured Greeks. No, that people upon whom Jehovah set His love and regarded as the apple of His eye were the despised nomadic Hebrews. So it was when our Lord tabernacled among men. The ones whom He took into favored intimacy with Himself and commissioned to go forth as His ambassadors were, for the most part, unlettered fishermen. And so it has been ever since. So it is today. At the present rates of increase, it will not be long before it is manifested that the Lord has more in despised China, who are really His, than He has in the highly favored USA. More among the uncivilized blacks of Africa than He has in cultured Germany. And the purpose of God's choice, the reason for being of the selection He has made is that no flesh should glory in His presence. There being nothing whatever in the objects of His choice, which should entitle them to His special favors, then all the praise will be freely ascribed to the exceeding riches of His manifold grace. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as He hath chosen us in Him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him, having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him, who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will. Ephesians 1, 3, 5, and 11. Here again we are told at what point in time, if time it could be called, when God made choice of those who were to be His children by Jesus Christ. It was not after Adam had fallen and plunged his race into sin and wretchedness, but long ere Adam saw the light, even before the world itself was founded, that God chose us in Christ. Here also we learn the purpose which God had before Him in connection with His own elect. It was that they should be holy and without blame before Him. It was unto the adoption of children. It was that they should obtain an inheritance. Here also we discover the motive which prompted Him. It was in love that He predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. A statement which refutes the oft made and wicked charge that for God to decide the eternal destiny of His creatures before they are born is tyrannical and unjust. Finally, we are informed here that in this matter He took counsel with none, but that we are predestinated according to the good pleasure of His will. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2.13 There are three things here which deserve special attention. First, the fact that we are expressly told that God's elect are chosen to salvation. Language could not be more explicit. How summarily do these words dispose of the sophistries and equivocations of all who would make election refer to nothing but external privileges or rank in service? It is to salvation itself that God hath chosen us. Second, we are warned here that election unto salvation does not disregard the use of appropriate means. Salvation is reached through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. It is not true that because God has chosen a certain one to salvation that he will be saved willy-nilly whether he believes or not. Nowhere do the scriptures so represent it. The same God who predestined the end also appointed the means. The same God who chose unto salvation decreed that his purpose should be realized through the work of the Spirit and belief of the truth. Third, that God has chosen us unto salvation is a profound cause for fervent praise. Note how strongly the apostle expresses this. We are bound to give thanks always to God for you, beloved brethren of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, etc. Instead of shrinking back in horror from the doctrine of predestination, the believer, when he sees this blessed truth as it is unfolded in the Word, discovers a ground for gratitude and thanksgiving such as nothing else affords save the unspeakable gift of the Redeemer himself, who hath saved us and called us with an 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. 2 Timothy 1.9 How plain and pointed is the language of Holy Writ! It is man who by his words darkeneth counsel. It is impossible to state the case more clearly or strongly than it is stated here. Our salvation is not according to our works. That is to say it is not due to anything in us, nor the rewarding of anything from us. Instead, it is the result of God's own purpose and grace. And this grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. It is by grace we are saved, and in the purpose of God this grace was bestowed upon us, not only before we saw the light, not only before Adam's fall, but even before that far distant beginning of Genesis 1.1. And herein lies the unassailable comfort of God's people. If his choice had been from eternity, it will last to eternity. Nothing can survive to eternity, but what came from eternity, and what has, so come will George S. Bishop elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1.2 Here again, election by the Father precedes the work of the Holy Spirit in and the obedience of faith by those who are saved, thus taking it entirely off creature ground, and resting it in the sovereign pleasure of the Almighty. The foreknowledge of God the Father does not here refer to his prescience of all things, but signifies that the saints were all eternally present in Christ before the mind of God. God did not foreknow that certain ones who heard the gospel would believe it, apart from the fact that he had ordained these certain ones to eternal life. What God's prescience saw in all men was love of sin and hatred of himself. The foreknowledge of God is based upon his own decrees, as is clear from Acts 2.23. Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain. Note the order here. First, God's determinate counsel, his decree, and second, his foreknowledge. So it is again in Romans 8.28 and 29. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son. But the first word here, for, looks back to the preceding verse, and the last clause of it reads, to them who are the called according to his purpose. These are the ones whom he did foreknow and predestinate. Finally it needs to be pointed out that when we read in Scripture of God knowing certain people, the word is used in the sense of knowing with approbation and love. But if any man love God, the same is known of him. 1 Corinthians 8.3. To the hypocrite Christ will yet say, I never knew you. He never loved them. He lacked according to the foreknowledge of God the Father signifies then chosen by him as the special object of his approbation and love. Summarizing the teaching of these seven passages, we learn that God has ordained to eternal life certain ones and that in consequence of his ordination, they, in due time, believe. That God's ordination to salvation of his own elect is not due to any good thing in them nor to anything meritorious from them, but solely of his grace. That God has decidedly selected the most unlikely objects to be the recipients of his special favors, in order that no flesh should glory in his presence. That God chose his people in Christ before the foundation of the world, not because they were so, but in order that they should be holy and without blame before him. That having selected certain ones to salvation, he also decreed the means by which his eternal counsel should be made good. That the very grace by which we are saved was, in God's purpose, given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. That long before they were actually created, God's elect stood present before his mind, were foreknown by him, that is, were the definite objects of his eternal love. Before turning to the next division of this chapter, a further word concerning the subjects of God's predestinating grace. We go over this ground again because it is at this point that the doctrine of God's sovereignty in predestinating certain ones to salvation is most frequently assaulted. Perverters of this truth invariably seek to find some cause outside God's own will, which moves him to bestow salvation on sinners. Something or other is attributed to the creature which entitles him to receive mercy at the hands of the creator. We return then to the question, why did God choose the ones he did? What was there in the elect themselves which attracted God's heart to them? Was it because of certain virtues they possessed? Because they were generous hearted, sweet tempered, truth speaking in a word? Because they were good that God chose them? No, for our Lord said there is none good but one, that is God. Matthew 19, 17 Was it because of any good works they had performed? No, for it is written there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Romans 3, 12 Was it because they evidenced an earnestness and zeal in inquiring after God? No, for it is written again there is none that seeketh after God. Romans 3, 11 Was it because God foresaw they would believe? No, for how can those who are dead in trespasses and sins believe in Christ? How could God foreknow some men as believers when belief was impossible to them? Scripture declares that we believe through grace. Acts 18, 27 Faith is God's gift and apart from this gift none would believe. The cause of His choice then lies within Himself and not the objects of His choice. He chose the ones He did simply because He chose to choose them. Sons we are by God's election who on Jesus Christ believe. By eternal destination sovereign grace we now receive. Lord thy mercy doth both grace and glory give. Two, the sovereignty of God the Son in salvation. For whom did Christ die? It surely does not need arguing that the Father had an express purpose in giving Him to die or that God the Son had a definite design before Him in laying down His life. Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world. Acts 15, 18 What then was the purpose of the Father and the design of the Son? We answer Christ died for God's elect. We are not unmindful of the fact that the limited design in the death of Christ has been the subject of much controversy. What great truth revealed in Scripture has not. Nor do we forget that anything which has to do with the person and work of our blessed Lord requires to be handled with the utmost reverence and that a thus saith the Lord must be given in support of every assertion we make. Our appeal shall be to the law and to the testimony. For whom did Christ die? Who were the ones He intended to redeem by His blood shedding? Surely the Lord Jesus had some absolute determination before Him when He went to the cross. If He had, then it necessarily follows that the extent of that purpose was limited because an absolute determination of purpose must be effected. If the absolute determination of Christ included all mankind, then all mankind would most certainly be saved. To escape this inevitable conclusion, many have affirmed that there was not such absolute determination before Christ that in His death a merely conditional provision of salvation has been made for all mankind. The refutation of this assertion is found in the promises made by the Father to His Son before He went to the cross, yea, before He became incarnate. The Old Testament Scriptures represent the Father as promising the Son a certain reward for His sufferings on behalf of sinners. At this stage we shall confine ourselves to one or two statements recorded in the well-known 53rd of Isaiah. There we find God saying, When thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, that He shall see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied, and that God's righteous servant should justify many. Verses 10 and 11. But here we would pause and ask, how could it be certain that Christ should see His seed and see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied unless the salvation of certain members of the human race had been divinely decreed and therefore was sure? How could it be certain that Christ should justify many if no effectual provision was made that any should receive Him as their Lord and Savior? On the one hand, to insist that the Lord Jesus did expressly purpose the salvation of all mankind is to charge Him with that which no intelligent being should be guilty of, namely to design that which by virtue of His omniscience He knew would never come to pass. Hence the only alternative left us is that so far as the predetermined purpose of His death is concerned, Christ died for the elect only. Summing up in a sentence which we trust will be intelligible to every reader, we would say, Christ died not merely to make possible the salvation of all mankind, but to make certain the salvation of all that the Father had given to Him. Christ died not simply to render sins pardonable, but to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Hebrews 9 26, as to whose sin, that is guilt, as in 1 John 1 7 etc., has been put away, Scripture leaves us in no doubt. It was that of the elect, the world, John 1 29, of God's people. 1. The limited design of the atonement follows necessarily from the eternal choice of the Father of certain ones unto salvation. The Scriptures inform us that before the Lord became incarnate He said, Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God. Hebrews 10 7. And after He had become incarnate, He declared, For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me. John 6 38. If then God had from the beginning chosen certain ones to salvation, then because the will of Christ was in perfect accord with the will of the Father, He would not seek to enlarge upon His election. What we have just said is not merely a plausible deduction of our own, but is in strict harmony with the expressed teaching of the Word. Again and again our Lord referred to those whom the Father had given Him, and concerning whom He was particularly exercised. Said He, All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. And this is the Father's will, which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. John 6 37 and 39. And again these words aspect Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come. Glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee, as Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest Me out of the world. Thine they were, and Thou gavest them Me, and they have kept Thy word. I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine, Father. I will that they also whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which Thou hast given Me. For Thou lovest Me before the foundation of the world. John 17 1, 2, 6, 9 and 24. Before the foundation of the world, the Father predestinated a people to be conformed to the image of His Son, and the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus was in order to the carrying out of the divine purpose. 2. The very nature of the atonement evidences that, in its application to sinners, it was limited in the purpose of God. The atonement of Christ may be considered from two chief viewpoints, Godward and Manward. Godward, the cross work of Christ was a propitiation, an appeasing of divine wrath, a satisfaction rendered to divine justice and holiness. Manward, it was a substitution, the innocent taking the place of the guilty, the just dying for the unjust, but a strict substitution of a person for persons, and the infliction upon him of voluntary sufferings involved the definite recognition on the part of the substitute and of the one he is to propitiate of the persons for whom he acts, whose sins he bears, whose legal obligations he discharges. Furthermore, if the lawgiver accepts the satisfaction which is made by the substitute, then those for whom the substitute acts, whose place he takes, must necessarily be acquitted. If I am in debt and unable to discharge it, and another comes forward and pays my creditor in full and receives the receipt in acknowledgement, then, in the sight of the law, my creditor no longer has any claim upon me. On the cross, the Lord Jesus gave himself a ransom, and that it was accepted by God was attested by the open grave. Three days later, the question we would here raise is, for whom was this ransom offered? If it was offered for all mankind, then the debt incurred by every man has been cancelled. If Christ bore in his own body on the tree the sins of all men without exception, then none will perish. If Christ was made a curse for all of Adam's race, then none are now under condemnation. Payment God cannot twice demand, first at my bleeding surety's hand, and then again at mine. But Christ did not discharge the debts of all men without exception, for some there are who will be cast into prison. Compare 1 Peter 3.19, where the same Greek word for prison occurs, and they shall by no means come out thence till they have paid the uttermost farthing. Matthew 5.26, which, of course, will never be. Christ did not bear the sins of all mankind. For some there are who die in their sins. John 8.21, and whose sin remaineth. John 9.41 Christ was not made a curse for all of Adam's race. For some there are to whom he will yet say, Depart from me, ye cursed. Matthew 25.41 To say that Christ died for all alike, to say that he became the substitute and surety of the whole human race, to say that he suffered on behalf of and in the stead of all mankind, is to say that he bore the curse for many who are now bearing the curse for themselves, that he suffered punishment for many who are now lifting up their own eyes in hell, being in torment, that he paid the redemption price for many who shall yet pay in their own eternal anguish the wages of sin, which is death. George S. Bishop But on the other hand, to say, as Scripture says, that Christ was stricken for the transgressions of God's people, to say that he gave his life for the sheep, to say he gave his life a ransom for many, is to say that he made an atonement which fully atones. It is to say he paid a price which actually ransoms. It is to say that he sent forth a propitiation which really propitiates. It is to say he is a Savior who truly saves. 3. Closely connected with and confirmatory of what we have said above is the teaching of Scripture concerning our Lord's priesthood. It is as the great high priest that Christ now makes intercession, but for whom does he intercede? For the whole human race or only for his own people? The answer furnished by the New Testament to this question is clear as a sunbeam. Our Savior has entered into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us. Hebrews 9.24 That is for those who are partakers of the heavenly calling. Hebrews 3.1 And again it is written wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7.25 This is in strict accord with the Old Testament type. After slaying the sacrificial animal, Aaron went into the Holy of Holies as the representative and on behalf of the people of God. It was the names of Israel's tribes which were engraven on his breastplate, and it was in their interests he appeared before God. Agreeable to this are our Lord's words in John 17.9 I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine. Another scripture which deserves careful attention in this connection is found in Romans 8. In verse 33 the question is asked Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? And then follows the inspired answer It is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Note particularly that the death and intercession of Christ have one and the same objects, as it was in the type, so it is with the anti-type. Expiation and supplication are co-extensive. If then Christ intercedes for the elect only and not for the world, then he died for them only. And observe further that the death, resurrection, exaltation, and intercession of the Lord Jesus are here assigned as the reason why none can lay any charge against God's elect. But those who would still take issue with what we are advancing weigh carefully the following question. If the death of Christ extends equally to all, how does it become security against a charge, seeing that all who believe not are under condemnation? John 3, 18 4. The number of those who share the benefits of Christ's death is determined not only by the nature of the atonement and the priesthood of Christ but also by his power. Grant that the one who died upon the cross was God manifest in the flesh and it follows inevitably that what Christ has purposed, that will he perform. That what he has purchased, that will he possess. That what he has set his heart upon, that will he secure. If the Lord Jesus possesses all power in heaven and earth, then none can successfully resist his will. But it may be said, this is true in the abstract. Nevertheless, Christ refuses to exercise this power in as much as he will never force anyone to receive him as their Lord and Savior. In one sense, that is true, but in another sense, it is positively untrue. The salvation of any sinner is a matter of divine power. By nature, the sinner is at enmity with God and not but divine power operating within him can overcome this enmity. Hence, it is written, No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me, draw him. John 6 44. It is the divine power overcoming the sinner's innate enmity, which makes him willing to come to Christ, that he might have life. But this enmity is not overcome in all. Why? Is it because the enmity is too strong to be overcome? Are there some hearts so steeled against him that Christ is unable to gain entrance? To answer in the affirmative is to deny his omnipotence. In the final analysis, it is not a question of the sinner's willingness or unwillingness, for by nature, all are unwilling. Willingness to come to Christ is the finished product of divine power operating in the human heart. And will in overcoming man's inherent and chronic enmity, as it is written, thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. Psalm 110 3. To say that Christ is unable to win to himself those who are unwilling is to deny that all power in heaven and earth is his. To say that Christ cannot put forth his power without destroying man's responsibility is a begging of the question here raised. For he has put forth his power and made willing those who have come to him. And if he did this without destroying their responsibility, why cannot he do so with others? If he is able to win the heart of one sinner to himself, why not that of another? To say, as is usually said, the others will not let him is to impeach his sufficiency. It is a question of his will. If the Lord Jesus has decreed, desired, purposed the salvation of all mankind, then the entire human race will be saved. Or otherwise, he lacks the power to make good his intentions. And in such a case, it could never be said he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. The issue raised involves the deity of the Savior, for a defeated Savior cannot be God. Having reviewed some of the general principles which require us to believe that the death of Christ was limited in its design, we turn now to consider some of the explicit statements of Scripture which expressly affirm it. In that wondrous and matchless fifty-third of Isaiah God tells us concerning his Son, He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people was he stricken. Verse 8 In perfect harmony with this was the word of the angel to Joseph, Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. Matthew 1, 21 That is, not merely Israel, but all whom the Father had given him. Our Lord Jesus himself declared, The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Matthew 20, 28 But why have said for many, if all without exception were included? It was his people whom he redeemed. Luke 1, 68 It was for the sheep, and not the goats, that the Good Shepherd gave his life. John 10, 11 It was the Church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. Acts 20, 28 If there is one scripture more than any other upon which we should be willing to rest our case, it is John 11, 49 through 52. Here we are told, And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake he, not of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation, and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. Here we are told that Caiaphas prophesied not of himself, that is, like those employed by God in Old Testament times, see 2 Peter 1, 21, his prophecy originated not with himself, but he spake as he was moved by the Holy Spirit. Thus is the value of his utterance carefully guarded, and the divine source of this revelation expressly vouched for. Here too we are definitely informed that Christ died for that nation, that is, Israel, and also for the one body, his church, for it is into the church that the children of God, scattered among the nations, are now being gathered together in one. And is it not remarkable that the members of the church are here called children of God, even before Christ died, and therefore before he commenced to build his church? The vast majority of them had not then been born, yet they were regarded as children of God, children of God because they had been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and therefore predestinated unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, Ephesians 1, 4 and 5. In like manner, Christ said, Other sheep I have, not shall have, which are not of this fold, John 10, 16. If ever the real design of the cross was uppermost in the heart and speech of our blessed Savior, it was during the last week of his earthly ministry. What then do the scriptures which treat of this portion of his ministry record in connection with our present inquiry? They say, When Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end, John 13, 1. They tell us how he said, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends, John 15, 13. They record his word for their sake. I sanctify myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth, John 17, 19, which means that for the sake of his own, those given to him by the Father, he separated himself unto the death of the cross. One may well ask, why such discrimination of terms if Christ died for all men indiscriminately? Air closing this section of the chapter, we shall consider briefly a few of those passages which seem to teach most strongly an unlimited design in the death of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 5, 14, we read, One died for all. But that is not all this scripture affirms. If the entire verse and passage from which these words are quoted be carefully examined, it will be found that instead of teaching an unlimited atonement, it emphatically argues a limited design in the death of Christ. The whole verse reads, For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge that if one died for all, then were all dead. It should be pointed out that in the Greek, there is the definite article before the last all, and that the verb here is in the aorist tense, and therefore should read, we thus judge that if one died for all, then the all died. The apostle is here drawing a conclusion as is clear from the words, we thus judge that if then were. His meaning is that those for whom the one died are regarded judicially as having died too. The next verse goes on to say, and he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. The one not only died, but rose again, and so too did the all for whom he died, for it is here said they live. Those for whom a substitute acts are legally regarded as having acted themselves. In the sight of the law, the substitute and those whom he represents are one. So it is in the sight of God. Christ was identified with his people, and his people were identified with him. Hence when he died, they died judicially. And when he rose, they rose also. But further we are told in this passage, verse 17, that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. He has received a new life, in fact, as well as in the sight of the law. Hence the all for whom Christ died are here bidden to live henceforth no more unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. In other words, those who belonged to this all for whom Christ died are here exhorted to manifest practically in their daily lives what is true of them judicially. They are to live unto Christ who died for them. Thus the one died for all is defined for us. The all for which Christ died are they which live and which are here bidden to live unto him. This passage then teaches three important truths, and the better to show its scope, we mention them in their inverse order. Certain ones are here bidden to live no more unto themselves, but unto Christ. The ones thus admonished are they which live, that is live spiritually, hence the children of God. For they alone of mankind possess spiritual life, all others being dead in trespasses and sins. Those who do thus live are the ones the all, the them for whom Christ died and rose again. This passage therefore teaches that Christ died for all his people, the elect, those given to him by the Father, that as the result of his death and rising again for them, they live. And the elect are the only ones who do thus live. And this life which is there through Christ must be lived unto him. Christ's love must now constrain them. For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, not man. For this would have been a generic term and signified mankind. O the accuracy of holy writ! The man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 1 Timothy 2, 5 and 6. It is upon the words, who gave himself a ransom for all, we would now comment, in Scripture the word all as applied to humankind is used in two senses, absolutely and relatively. In some passages it means all without exception. In others it signifies all without distinction. As to which of these meanings it bears in any particular passage must be determined by the context and decided by a comparison of parallel Scriptures. That the word all is used in a relative and restricted sense and in such a case means all without distinction and not all without exception is clear from a number of Scriptures from which we select two or three as samples. And there went out unto him all the land of Judea and they of Jerusalem and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. Mark 1 5. Does this mean that every man, woman and child from all the land of Judea and they of Jerusalem were baptized of John in Jordan? Surely not. Luke 7 30 distinctly says but the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the council of God against themselves being not baptized of him. Then what does all baptized of him mean? We answer it does not mean all without exception but all without distinction. That is all classes and conditions of men. The same explanation applies to Luke 3 21. Again we read And early in the morning he came again into the temple and all the people came unto him and he sat down and taught them. John 8 2. Are we to understand this expression absolutely or relatively? Does all the people mean all without exception or all without distinction? That is all classes and conditions of people. Manifestly the latter for the temple was not able to accommodate everybody that was in Jerusalem at this time namely the feast of tabernacles. Again we read in Acts 22 15 For thou, Paul, shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. Surely all men. Here does not mean every member of the human race. Now we submit that the words who gave himself a ransom for all in 1 Timothy 2 6 means all without distinction and not all without exception. He gave himself a ransom for men of all nationalities, of all generations, of all classes in a word for all the elect as we read in Revelation 5 9 For thou wast a slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. That this is not an arbitrary definition of the all in our passage is clear from Matthew 20 28 where we read the son of man came not to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Which limitation would be quite meaningless if he gave himself a ransom for all without exception. This Reformation audio track is a production of Stillwater's Revival Books. SWRB makes thousands of classic Reformation resources available free and for sale in audio, video, and printed formats. It is likely that the sermon or book that you just listened to is also available on cassette or video or as a printed book or booklet. Our many free resources as well as our complete mail order catalog containing thousands of classic and contemporary Puritan and Reformed books, tapes, and videos at great discounts is on the web by phone at 780-450-3730 by fax at 780-468-1096 or by mail at 4710-37A Avenue Edmonton that's E-D-M-O-N-T-O-N Alberta abbreviated capital A, capital B Canada T-6-L-3-T-5 You may also request a free printed catalog. And remember that John Calvin in defending the Reformation's regulative principle of worship or what is sometimes called the scriptural law of worship commenting on the words of God which I commanded them not neither came into my heart from his commentary on Jeremiah 7-31 writes, God here cuts off from men every occasion for making evasions since he condemns by this one phrase, I have not commanded them whatever the Jews devised. There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions than that they are not commanded by God. For when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies and attend not to His commands they pervert true religion. And if this principle was adopted by the Papists, all those fictitious modes of worship in which they absurdly exercise themselves would fall to the ground. It is indeed a horrible thing for the Papists to seek to discharge their duties towards God by performing their own superstitions. There is an immense number of them, as it is well known, and as it manifestly appears. Were they to admit this principle that we cannot rightly worship God except by obeying His word, they would be delivered from their deep abyss of error. The prophet's words, then, are very important when he says that God had commanded no such thing and that it never came to his mind, as though he had said that men assume too much wisdom when they devise what he never required, nay what he never knew.