We Believe In Jesus: The RedeemerSample

God’s Eternal Counsel: Ephesians 1:4, 11

The theological term eternal counsel, often called “eternal decree,” refers to God’s plans for the universe, which were set before his work of creation. God’s eternal counsel is mentioned in places like Acts 2:23, Romans 8:28-30, and 1 Peter 1:2. Different theological traditions have different beliefs about the nature and extent of God’s plans. Some believe that God’s eternal plan includes every detail of history. Others believe that God has fixed certain things and not others. But we all agree that what Christ accomplished is central to God’s plan — that God ordained salvation in him, and that Christ won’t fail. As we read in Ephesians 1:4, 11:

God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight… In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.

What God did in Christ wasn’t an accident or a fix for an unforeseen problem; it was set by God’s eternal decree. Now, as we think about God’s eternal counsel regarding Christ, it’s helpful to distinguish two aspects: foreknowledge and purpose. 

One passage where both these aspects of God’s eternal counsel are evident is Isaiah 46:10. Here is what God said there:

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. 

Regarding his foreknowledge, God said that “from the beginning,” that is, before he created the world, he knew what was “still to come.” And regarding his purpose, he said, “My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”