In this third of three posts, I will point out a third crucial concept
that is prerequisite to understanding God's grace. There are many others, but
these three are most relevant in the conflict between Reformed theology and
free-will theology within the Appalachian territories. They are in my
experience the most frequent sources of error in the prevalence of free will
theology in West Virginia.
·
The
Glory of God—God’s glory motivates everything that he does, including his gracious
work of predestination. Read Ephesians
1:3-14 and take note of what brings him
glory.
o
God exercises his will—he does what
he wants to do.
o
His will is described as
being based upon what would give him pleasure. In other words, God always does what makes him happy.
o The ability to do whatever you want to do is
known as free will. In other words, God
has complete and total free will. He can
do whatever he wants to do, whatever makes him happy. His will is not forced by someone or something
else--He works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. Have you ever noticed that some people think
this free will more properly belongs to human beings than to God?
o
God used his free will, his right and ability to do whatever
he wants to do, to develop a plan for everything that happens. Before time began, God planned everything that would ever
happen. What happens could not happen any other way than the way he
planned it. This plan was based upon his own wisdom and desires without
any outside influences.
§
Eph. 1:11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been
predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity
with the purpose of his will.
§
Is 46: 10 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.’ 11 What I have said, that I will bring about; what
I have planned, that I will do.
o
God’s
plan has an ultimate purpose or goal—his own glory.
§
5. he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and
will. 6. To the praise of his
glorious grace.
§ In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who
works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in
Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
§
14. To the praise of his glory.
o
Everything God does is to the praise
of his glory. His plan is designed to
glorify himself. Therefore, predestination
glorifies himself.
§ His plan demonstrates how beautiful, weighty, and
valuable all his perfections are. God’s
glory is all about demonstrating his perfections.
o
Predestination is an act of God’s grace. God’s motivation for the grace that he
bestows upon humanity is to bring himself glory.
o
If we deny predestination, or try to explain it away, or
avoid it because it is controversial, then we are denying something that God
says in no uncertain terms, brings him glory.
o
For that reason,
we need to take the grace of predestination out of closet and put it front and
center in our instruction and understanding within the church.
In order to understand the grace, we
need to understand our own human depravity.
We need to understand that God chooses people who lack any ability to
choose him. We need to understand that
God’s motivation for this grace is completely and entirely his own glory. Apart from understanding these three things,
we will not understand grace as fully as we should.
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