Saved By The Trinity - The Father's Role in Salvation

So the last post was an introduction to this entire series on each member of the Trinity's role in salvation. It contained a quick reminder and a very important warning. Please make sure that you read the introduction before proceeding to read this article and the articles to come. In this post we are going to be considering the Father's role in salvation which is: election.

The Father's election is unconditional, meaning that there was no condition that man had to meet in order to be elected by God. God's election is not based on certain works that someone has done, or character traits that they have. God chose us according to His will, not according to what we have done. We are saved by God's grace, not by works. Ephesians 2:8 tells us:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God"

It is by grace that we have been saved, not by anything that we have done! Ephesians 1:4-5 :

"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will"

In these verses we see that true Christians are chosen by God, but the question we also need to answer is whether or not election is unconditional. Some would say that there are certain characteristics that we have or things we have done which is why God elects us, making election conditional; and others would say that there are not, making the election unconditional. I believe that these verses shows that the election is unconditional.

I first want to point you to the phrase, "according to the good pleasure of His will." It is according to the will of God, more specifically, "the good pleasure of His will." God's election is according to His will, not according to anything that man has done.

God elected a certain group of individuals before the foundation of the world. Before man, before the world was even created, God had chosen certain ones to salvation. Consider Isaiah 40:13-14 (italics original):

"Who had directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, And taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, And shows Him the way of understanding?"

Who was there to give Him counsel? Who was there to tell Him whom He should choose unto salvation? True Christians are a "remnant according to the election of grace." Not according to the election of their works or character, meaning that we are elected based on what God foresaw in us, rather election is based solely on the will of God. No one was there to give Him counsel, it was only Himself.

Acts 13:48 also shows us that election is by the will of God. It says, "Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed" (emphasis mine).

This is one of the clearest statements in Scripture regarding the God's sovereignty in salvation. I want you to notice two things about this verse. First, notice the precise number of those who had been elected to salvation. Second, notice the certainty of who believed.

First, the number of those who believed. The number was not unknown to God. God didn't sit back and wait to see who would choose to come to salvation, as if man chooses whether or not they will be saved. Those that believed that day were not a surprise to God.

The number was known by God, because He appointed the exact number and people that would come to salvation. You can see that in this verse when it says, "as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." Focusing more on the phrase, "as many as had been appointed."

That one phrase shows that only those that were appointed believed. There wasn't a single person that was appointed who didn't believe, and there wasn't a single person who believed who wasn't appointed. The exact amount of people who had been appointed to believe, believed.

This leads to the second point: the certainty of their salvation. No one was left out. If you were appointed to believe, you believed. There wasn't a single human being that could thwart God's appointment to salvation. If they were appointed, they believed. Romans 8:30 also shows this truth:

"Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

If God predestined someone to saving faith, they will be called. If they are called, they will be justified. If they are justified, they will be glorified. When God determines the eternal destiny of an individual, it is certain. There is nothing that can thwart His plan. If you are elected, you will believe.

Let's turn to Romans 9:21-23:

"Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known,endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared for glory"

Notice here, that by nature all of human kind are the same. The elect and the reprobate (those whom God has chosen to not save) are from the same lump. Ephesians 2:3 tells us that we "were by nature children of wrath." If God had decided not to elect anyone, we would all be heading for eternal destruction and punishment in Hell.

The difference between the Christian and the non-Christians is not that one was made out of some special clay. No, it is because some had been "prepared for glory" and some had been "prepared for destruction." Whether someone was prepared for glory or destruction lies in the hands of the Potter, not in the will of the clay.

Verse 21 presents a question: Does not God have power over us? This is a humbling truth, when we realize that we are merely just clay in the hands of the Potter. There is nothing good in us that requires God to grant us salvation. Faith is a gift from God, not something that God is required to give us.

When we consider the fact that faith is a gift from God, and not a requirement, we see that it is indeed love and mercy that He would elect some to salvation. Like what was said before, had God decided not to elect anyone, we would all be headed for eternal destruction and punishment in Hell. Salvation is not a duty that God requires to give us.

Had election been conditional, based on a trait that we had or something that we have done, that would have made salvation a duty. In other words, because we met that condition, God would be required to grant us faith because we met the condition. In love God predestined us, not out of a sense of duty. It was God who voluntarily elected some to salvation, according to His will.

In this quote, A.W. Pink shows that God's election is unconditional:

"What was there in the elect themselves which attracted God’s heart to them? Was it because of certain virtues they possessed? because they were generous-hearted, sweet-tempered, truth-speaking? in a word, because they were “good,” that God chose them? No; for our Lord said, “There is none good but one, that is God” (Matt. 19:17). Was it because of any good works they had performed? No; for it is written, “There is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Rom. 3:12). Was it because they evidenced an earnestness and zeal in inquiring after God? No; for it is written again, “There is none that seeketh after God” (Rom. 3:11). Was it because God foresaw they would believe? No; for how can those who are “dead in trespasses and sins” believe in Christ? How could God foreknow some men as believers when belief was impossible to them? Scripture declares that we “believe through grace” (Acts 18:27). Faith is God’s gift, and apart from this gift none would believe. The cause of His choice then lies within Himself and not in the objects of His choice. He chose the ones He did simply because He chose to choose them."

God did not choose us because we possessed "certain virtues." In other words, we weren't chosen because of what we have done or who we are; the choice "lies within Himself and not in the objects of His choice." The choice was according to His will.

What should our response to this doctrine be? Let's take a look at the passage in Ephesians. Again, we are chosen "in love." When we consider the human condition, and just how depraved we are, we see that it is indeed love that God would elect to save certain ones to salvation. God is not required to save anyone, faith is a gift from God.

One thing we need to consider when we say or imply that God is unmerciful or unloving: Who are we to say that God is unloving or unmerciful? To make a broader application: Who are we to say that God is wrong? When we do that, we put ourselves above God and judge Him. Which means we measure God up to our standards, as if our standard is perfect and infallible.

Take a look at the Apostle's Paul response to this doctrine. Ephesians 1:6 says, "to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved." After discussing election and predestination in verses 4 and 5, this is his response: praise! He praises God that He elected certain ones to salvation!

Again, when we consider who we are as human beings, just how depraved we are, we see just how undeserving of salvation we are. As shown above in the quote from A.W. Pink, there is nothing in us, nothing that we have done, that would influence God's decision to save us. Isaiah 64:6 says (italics original):

"And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags"

The very best works that we have done, are just filthy rags compared to God. There is nothing that we have done that would influence God to save us. Salvation is not according to our own works, it is solely by the grace of God, according to His will.

Paul's response is God-exalting, isn't it? Shouldn't we be praising God that He chose to elect certain ones to salvation? He was not required to do so, it was "according to the good pleasure of His will." We are saved by God's grace, not by our own works. Praise God that He chose to elect some to salvation!