Ephesians 1:11 ( NKJV ) 11In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will,
Titus 3:5 ( NKJV ) 5not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
I can remember a time before I came to know the Lord when I was told that my salvation did not depend on my goodness or good works but on Christ. I just found that incomprehensible. Once I came to know Christ I thought I understood the Biblical principle that I was saved by the Grace of God because of the work of Christ on the cross. My understanding was that I added no work or effort to my salvation. While that is true, what I didn’t really get, was that the phrase “not of works” (Ephesians 2:8, Titus 3:5; Romans 9:11), meant that God chose and that He did this before the foundation of the world and that His choosing was not dependent upon any good works I may or may not do in the future.
Ephesians 1:3-4 ( NKJV ) 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.
The emphasis of Ephesians 1:11 is that salvation it is not by the will or effort of man but solely by the will of God and therefore for His purposes only (vs.5)! The Christian has an inheritance in Christ based on the will and purposes of God alone (vv.5, 11).
Often we look at the doctrine of salvation from man’s perspective or at the very least man’s benefit. And while the Scriptures speak to that issue, we often fail to see the greater principle and motives in salvation, that they spring from God himself as it is clearly emphasized in vs.6; “to the praise of the glory of His grace.” Leaving aside that Ephesians 1 clearly teaches that the purposes of God are intrinsically tied to God elective purposes, we must conclude that God’s purposes are sovereign and undefeatable, especially in salvation.
The Bible indicates at least five overriding reasons (purposes) why God moved in redemption. As we briefly look at the reasons I will admit that the order of discussion is arbitrarily my own based on my judgment of God’s priorities. I also see the first as the preeminent reason and all the rest as subsets.
First, God moved in redemption toward sinful humanity, for the glory of God (vs.12; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Philippians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2 Peter 1:3). In the end, the whole of creation, the whole history will be to the glory of God. We are also exhorted that in all things, we should do them to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 1:31). God’s primary purpose in redemption is to bring Him glory. Since this is the clear testimony of the Scriptures, then the whole of the saving work of Christ is to the glory of God. This means that the work of salvation must be seen in total as the work of God on our behalf as He gets all the glory. To say that somehow we can lose our salvation would clearly diminish the work of salvation and as the writer of Hebrews says, put Him (God) to open shame (Hebrews 6:6c).
Second, God moved in redemption toward sinful humanity, “to the praise of the glory of His grace” (vs.6). Our salvation is all about the grace of God. It speaks clearly to the fact that God moved on our behalf not because we deserved it, but because he chose to redeem apart from any merit on our part (cf. Romans 9:10-11). For all eternity, we will be on display to the glory of the riches of His grace (Ephesians 2;7; cf. Revelation 7:10-11). We will be the trophy case of God’s grace. If we can again, lose our salvation we diminish the grace of God.
Thirdly, God’s redemptive work declares His righteousness (Romans 3:24-26). God’s redemption is more than an acquittal. He sent His son as a propitiation for our sins. He has not winked at our sin, but in Christ satisfaction is made for our sin so that God’s righteousness is demonstrated and declared. Christ’s violent death satisfied the offended holiness and wrath of God (Isaiah 53:11; Colossians 2:11-14). Through the sinless life and substitutionary death of Christ, God acts in justice as the justifier of those He redeems (Romans 3:26). The righteous demands of God’s character are met and God’s redemptive work is done in righteousness and declares His righteousness. Anything short of this is not a declaration of the righteousness of God and falls short of satisfaction and justification in Christ alone.
Fourth, God’s redemptive purpose is to call out a people to worship and enjoy Him (1 Peter 2:5, 9). It is God who has called a people to worship Him. And as Peter states, we are “a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5 NKJV). In and of ourselves we are wholly incapable of such worship. We are made capable as a result of the effectual call of the Father and regeneration by the Spirit of God. Verse nine goes on to say that as worshippers we are “a people of his own possession”, to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called [us] out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Our worship of God is a result of His effectual calling. If our salvation is not secure, neither is our worship or His calling.
And last and certainly not the least, God moved in redemption to demonstrate His incomparable love (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:9). The love of God is not thwarted by our sin. On the contrary, God moves in love and mercy to save sinners (Romans 5:8). God’s love is a demonstration of His overcoming mercy and grace on our behalf. God’s love is transforming. To say that we can lose our salvation is to say that God’s love is finite, and that there is sin that God’s love was incapable of overcoming in the instance of salvation.
All that I have shared on this subject in the article falls short of expounding on the subject of God’s purposes in salvation. But what should be clear is that our salvation is dependent upon the purposes of God alone, not the effort or will power of men.
-Michael Holtzinger