Election by C. H. Spurgeon

Future Decision? Really?

according as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, for us to be holy and without blemish before Him in love, (Ephesians 1:4 LITV)

I want to look at foreknowledge and election for a brief moment. We see in Ephesians 1:4 that God choose (which are the elect) us in Him (which is Christ) before creation. This verse is very clear when it comes to the subject of election. God is the one who is doing the choosing. God is the subject and He is doing the action of the verb, choosing His elected people in Christ Jesus before creation.

Many Christians believe that God's foreknowledge is God knowing future decisions for Christ (looking down the corridors of time) and based on their decision, they are elected! Think about what this means! God tries to persuade man to come to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and does all He can to persuade them, but there is only so much He can do, because the freewill of man cannot be violated, and ultimately God has to rely on man to achieve His purpose, and save a people for Himself! Think about this too, if a person's salvation is dependant on a decision they will eventually make, and God elects them because He looked down the corridors of time and sees them make the right choice someday, then man determines the future before they are even born. There is a problem with this and the problem is it is nowhere to be found in the Bible!!!


We are not to forget that God does foreknow those who will be saved by His grace through faith in the Lord Jesus, but He does not foreknow because He looks down the corridors of time and sees them receiving Christ and elects them, but He foreknows because He chose them (elected them) to be saved, and for that reason will come to the Lord Jesus, otherwise they would never desire to come to the Lord Jesus, and continue to reject Him and have pleasure in unrighteousness. A person comes to Christ because the Eternal God chose them unto salvation! Election is in God's Hands!

The Eternal God chose His people in an intimate way, choosing each one by name, not by a future decision he or she makes before he or she is born, but God chose them by name before they were born, knowing He would create them and call them and save them and be called His sons and daughters, and have a home with Him.

What About Romans 5:8?

Jesus will save people from every tribe, 
tongue, people and nation (Rev. 5:9)

There are  Christians who believe that Romans 5:8 means Christ died for all, every individual.

Let us look briefly at Romans 5:8,

v. 7 and 8 LITV, For with difficulty one will die for a just one, (for perhaps one even dares to die for the sake of the good one), 8. but God commends His love to us in this, that we being yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Paul wrote, God commends His love to "us" in this, that "we" being yet sinners, Christ died for "us". Obviously the pronouns "us" and "we" are speaking about the same people in v. 8. Let us carry on into verse 9.

Much more then, being justified now by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Notice the pronoun "we" again in verse 9. Reading v. 8 in its context, Paul is making a connection between v. 8 and v. 9, and referring to the same people  in v. 8 and v. 9 with his usage of "we" and "us", and the Bible says in v. 9, the "we" have been justified by His blood, and shall be saved from the wrath through Him. Who is justified by Jesus' blood, and shall be saved from the wrath of God?

The Bible says in Romans 5:1 LITV, Then being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The same "we" in 5:1 (and you can follow it all the way through to Romans 5:11) is the same "we" and "us" in v. 8. which speak of the believing ones in the Lord Jesus.

It is very clear Paul refers to the Elect of God when he wrote in v.8 "Christ died for us". He is not referring to every individual, but His chosen people, who will come to faith by the grace of God and be justified, and be saved from His wrath.

The Bible says in Revelation 5:9 LITV, And they sing a new song, saying Worthy are You to receive the scroll, and to open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood purchased us to God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

The Reason For the Believer's Adoption

predestinating us to adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will (Eph. 1:5 LITV).

The word pleasure in the Greek is "eudokia", and refers to God’s benevolence, good will or pleasure. Interestingly, The word "eudokia" comes from two words, meaning well or good, and think.

The word for "will" is the same word found in the first verse, it is the Greek word "thelema", which means a "thing-willed". It was the very pleasure of God predestinating His people, the chosen ones in v. 4, to adoption through the Lord Jesus to Himself.  It was in the very heart of God in eternity. Election (in v. 4) and predestination (in v. 5) transpired because it pleased Him.

This is important to understand because this excludes foreseen faith or good works from the believer. God was not persuaded by man, nor angels, nor any other creature. The direction of the will God was driven by God Himself, with no outside interference.

God did not look down the corridors of time and predestined to adopt believers into the positions of sons because He foresaw them putting faith in the Lord Jesus. The reason a believer puts their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is because he or she were elected by God to receive salvation (v. 4), and because they were, He predestined them to adoption (v. 5).

I remember one time, a true preacher of God was preaching on Romans 8:29, where it speaks about being predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus, and he taught that God predestined a believer to be like Jesus because He looked down the corridors of time and saw us putting our faith in Him.

I say this with respect, but this preacher was simply wrong. The reason a believer is predestined to be like Jesus is because God elected them to receive salvation through Him. The Lord decided all this in eternity by the good pleasure of His own will. God acts out of His own goodness and holiness

God does not have to look down the corridors of time to see what is going to happen, God already knows because He elected and predestinated.

Predestined means it is fixed in heaven, and no power of hell or on earth can change what God has put in place. Every Believer will be placed into a position of a son in the family of God because it has been predestined for His elected people in Christ Jesus.

Three Truths about the Seal of God!

Ephesians 1:13 LITV, the Bible says, in whom also you, hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,


There are three things this seal (God's seal) means for the believer,

It is a finished transaction. The Bible says in John 19:30 LITV, Then when Jesus took the vinegar, He said, It has been finished (tetelestai). And bowing His head, He delivered up the spirit.

The Greek word tetelestai, means, Paid in full. The debt has been paid, none left to pay. None outstanding. Christ redeemed His people, thus the seal makes known the transaction is complete.

Ownership. the Bible says in 2Timothy 2:19(a) LITV, However, the foundation of God stands firm, having this seal, "The Lord knew those being His;"

It is the seal of authenticity. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are the very genuine possession of the Lord, His treasured possessions, and they are the Lord’s Jesus’ inheritance, given by the Father.


Security. the Bible says in Ephesians 4:30 LITV, And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed to the day of redemption.

The seal of God makes it valid. The sealing of the Holy Spirit of promise is once for all. It is done. Believers are secure in Him, and are sealed to the day of redemption. God has given to every believer complete salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they will be with Him, the risen Lord Jesus, for all eternity!

The Seal of God

In Ephesians 1:13 LITV, the Bible says, in whom also you, hearing the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

This speaks of the seal of God, which all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are sealed with.

In the Old Testament, the kings would have a signet ring, with a mark upon it, and when a document would need a seal of a king, the king would push down with his signet ring onto some kind of wax on the document to seal it. The seal could not be broken. This would be done to make sure whatever the document contained, it would not be changed nor broken nor reversed.

All Christians have the King of kings, the Lord Jesus' seal upon them, the Holy Spirit of promise. God has marked His people. This can not be changed nor reversed nor broken.

Understand, the seal could only be broken by one higher in authority than the one who made the seal (on whatever it may be).

For example, when Jesus was in the tomb, the Bible tells us in Matthew 27:65-66 LITV, And Pilate said to them, You have a guard, go away, make it as secure as you know how. 66, And going along with the gaurd, they made the grave secure, sealing the stone. The stone was sealed by Rome. Then the Bible tells us in John 20:1 LITV, But on the first of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, darkness yet being on it. And she saw the stone had been removed from the tomb.

It was sealed by Rome, but One greater than Rome, Almighty God, broke the seal! Jesus walked out of that tomb, the risen Lord!

God's seal which all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have been sealed with (the Holy Spirit of promise) can never be broken nor changed nor reversed because there is nobody equal or greater than He. No man, no angel, no other creature can change the seal of God.

God is Holy, Holy, Holy!