God’s Sovereign Choice

Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him (Ephesians 1:4. ESV) 

As soon as you mention divine election, people tend to look at the negatives. What about those who are not chosen? How can it be fair to choose some but not others? It is wiser to begin with the positives. 

The Greek verb is eklego from ek (out) and lego (I speak. I name, I choose). It means to call out, to select or to elect, as in choosing a piece of land, or the best produce or a business associate or life partner. Grammatically, the verb is in the middle voice and means ‘to select for oneself’. This adds a remarkable and delightful personal touch to what the Bible is saying here. God chose us individually because he wanted us for himself. The choice is based, not on our worth, but on his grace. 

Remarkably, God’s choice was made before creation. The world was not even founded. God is above time, just as he is above distance. Like someone standing on a high building who can see the beginning and end of a long street where those on the street can see only what is immediately around them, he sees the beginning and end of both space and time simultaneously. 

Did you ever play a team game at school where two of your pals were appointed captains and would then take it in turns to choose their team members? Of course, they would always choose the best players first. What if you were usually the last one chosen but one day you were selected first! Your heart would swell with the joy of acceptance. God’s choosing of us is exactly like that. Even before the world was created, says Paul, we were chosen. 

There are two great foundational concepts of divine election. The first is human sinfulness. No one deserves to be saved. We are all unfit for the Kingdom of God. But God selects us anyway.

The second is divine sovereignty. God can choose whom he will. There are no grounds for charging God with unfairness or injustice. He is sovereign and in his infinite wisdom he never makes a bad or unjust choice. And rightly or wrongly, for better or for worse, he chose you!

So what?

Describe each of the following responses to being chosen by God with either ‘appropriate’ or ‘inappropriate’. Give reasons for each choice. 

· Pride

· Humility

· Gratitude

· Enthusiasm

· Complacency

Memorise Ephesians 1:4