Well, this morning we are going to touch on one of the most contentious doctrines among evangelicals. And keep in mind, though, that we're studying, we have a series on the Trinity, and I want to show you this morning and next week that both election and the atonement is rooted and grounded in the Trinity. election, predestination, regeneration, sanctification, glorification, the atonement. All of it demonstrates a oneness of God. This morning is really part one. Next week will be part two. But really, they're all so interconnected. It's like the parts of an engine. An engine doesn't just run on one part, but on many parts. And so next week will be the Trinity and Definite Atonement, as it links to this week with Trinity and election. Now, I want to, this morning, put on prescriptions. And I want us to look at election only through the eyes of the Trinity. Because election is Trinitarian. So far we've studied, we've seen that theologians distinguish between who God is as Trinity in terms of his essence, in terms of his substance, in terms of his ontological being, and how that same Trinity operates and functions in history, in the redemptive timeline. This is known as the missional or known as the appropriations of the Trinity. Now I've given you a new definition. I tell you I'm done with the new ones, but then I'd be lying. You'll see on your outline, I give you the definition of what appropriation is, because I'm going to be using the word appropriation this morning. Appropriation means to draw to proper, and it describes how each person of the Trinity acts in time, in the redemptive timeline. Now, every act of each person excludes no other person. Why? Because God is what? One. God is not made up of parts. He's not divided into three slices of a cake. God is one. But at the same time, each person of the Trinity possesses a distinct mode of action in space and time that is consistent with their order of subsistences. So the father as unbegotten paternity, the son as begotten affiliation, and the spirit as spiration. No person of the Trinity can ever act apart from the other. Why? Because God is one. He is one. Yet, and we'll see this this morning, yet, each person has a distinct, inseparable action. The role of each person of the Trinity is not interchangeable. Not interchangeable. But neither are they independent. For God is one. I want to show you the doctrine of the Trinity this morning. There are many. New Testament is just overflowing with Trinitarian texts, so I just have to choose one of them. And so Ephesians chapter 1 will be it. Please turn to Ephesians chapter 1. I'll be reading verses 3 through 6. Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 through 6. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him, in love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. I'm saying oh my, because I have 29 minutes to get through all of this. We'll do our best. Point number one, I want us to look at the Trinitarian plan of salvation. The Trinitarian plan of election. This is verses three through four. Ephesians chapter one, verses three through 14, in the Greek, is one long sentence. It's one long thought. It's uninterrupted. And it's called a doxology. Friend, do you know what a doxology is? Doxology means praising glory or speaking glory. That's what a doxology is. And Paul here is speaking, Paul is writing glory. Glory all over the pages of Scripture. And he's writing glory to all persons of the Trinity for their one act of what he calls, in verse 3, spiritual blessings. Do you see that? Spiritual blessings. Paul is just overflowing. Paul's like Mary, who just bursts in a song of thanksgiving. hard like Zechariah, whose lips are untied, and now he can sing praises and glory to Yahweh, to the Lord. Paul is just overflowing with gratitude. Now here's the question. Why is Paul overflowing with joy in this doxology? Why? This is the reason why. It is because of the doctrine of election. That is why he is praising God. It is the doctrine of election. Now the Father and the Son, notice in verse 3, are mentioned. Blessed be the God, and who? Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing. And notice how this is a past tense. Do you see that? Blessed. Who has blessed us. Do you see that? Who has blessed us. all past tense. Not that he is blessing us, although he is, but that he has. He has blessed us. When has he blessed us? For the foundations of the world. That's when he has blessed us. And notice that as well the Holy Spirit is alluded to, although he's specifically mentioned in verses 13 and 14, but notice here in verse 3 that he blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. This is an allusion actually to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit allows us to share in these spiritual blessings. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is the one who takes what is Christ's and gives it to us. The Holy Spirit's appropriation, the Holy Spirit's mission in time, in redemptive history, is to take what is Christ's and say, here, it is yours. It's yours. That's the Holy Spirit's mission. And notice as well, it's not just some every-spiritual-blessings-in-the-heavenly-places as though it's some ethereal concept, like kind of out there somewhere. Yeah, we'll get it later on, you know, just heaven, kind of just a floating thing. No. The Holy Spirit allows us because of the work of Christ, to share in the same wonder and awe that He has with each person in all of eternity. If you are in Christ right now, you have access, you have access right now to the Father by the Son through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the divine executive that applies the work of Christ to our hearts. The Holy Spirit, friend, he is the one who allows you to enjoy blessings now. Now. What kind of blessings? What kind of spiritual blessings is this? Christ has paid for every sin, past, present, and future, in and through faith, which is a gift of God, not a work of your own, so that no man may boast. But it is because of Christ now that you can call his Father your Father." Is that not a glorious truth? do get to call the Father, Father, because of Christ and because of the appropriation of the Holy Spirit to your account. And Paul wants to make sure that nobody reading this text has any confusion on who's doing the choosing. Verse 4, Even as He, who is the He? The Father. Even as He, the Father, chose us in Him, in Him as who? Christ, before the foundation of the world. That is, the doctrine of election is this. based, or before creation, the Father, based on His good pleasure alone, chose for Himself a people whom He gave to His Son. The Son now dies for these people. And we're going to see this unpacked next week. The Son now dies for these people. For these people. My arms aren't big enough. These people. And then the Spirit takes that payment, that check, and applies it to that person's account. The Father is the architect. He is the planner. He is the communicator missionally to the Son. Who chose? Who is the he in verse four? The he is who? It is the father. The father chose. The Greek word for choosing is actually, it's a compound word. It's ek, lego. Ek is out, lego is to choose. An out choosing, a selection. It refers to taking something smaller out of something that is larger. Did you know that election does not destroy, it saves? Election saves. God removes men and women who were on the path of destruction and brings them to himself. If you are in Christ, you will not say, why not other people? You say, why me? Why me? Second, I want us to look at the Trinitarian motive for election. Oh, this is good. This is real good. I want you to notice the motive at the end of verse four. Don't miss it. In what? Love. Do you see that? In love. Oh my. The doctrine of election. Predestination. The motive is love. Oh my. It actually starts within the Trinity. Last week we saw that God is essentially what? He is personable, he is loving, and he's communicative, isn't he? In love. The father loves the son. He loves the son principally. This is why after our Lord came up out of the water in the Jordan River, a voice came from heaven, that was the Father's voice saying, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him. The Son did not become beloved in the incarnation. The Son has always been the beloved. The Son also loves the Father. He says in John 14.31, I do as the Father commands me, so that the world may know that I love the Father." But we're not done yet. The Spirit, the Spirit also loves the Father and the Son, Romans 5.5. Hope does not put us to shame. because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Love permeates the doctrine of election, friend. Love permeates the doctrine of election and the doctrine of predestination. God essentially is love. True love gives itself willingly and uncoerced, doesn't it? If you are in Christ, do you know what you are? You are a love gift. You are a love gift from the Father to the Son. That same love gift is from the Son to the Father. And that same love gift, you, it's for the Spirit now to the Father and the Son. I want to show you. I want to show you this so you can see it with your own eyes. Turn to John chapter 6, please. Verse 37, all that the Father gives me will come to me. Do you see that? All that the Father gives me will come to me. And whoever comes to me, I won't cast out. Verse 38, for I have come down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. Verse 39, this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. You see that? You see that? Look at chapter 10, please. Verse 14. I'm the good shepherd. I know my own, my own know me. Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, I lay down my life for the sheep and I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also. Do you see that? I must bring them. Do you see it? I must. That is, it is divine necessity. It is of divine necessity that the other sheep are brought into the fold. I must have them. I must have them. And they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock and one shepherd. No one takes it from me. But I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it up. Again, this charge I received from who? My father. But we're not done yet. Look at verse 27. My sheep hear my voice. I know them. They follow me. I give them eternal life. They will never perish, for no one will snatch them out of my hand. Oh, so it's your hand. Wait, my father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and none is able to snatch them out of the father's hand. Okay, wait, I and the father are one. I and the father are one. Look at chapter 13, verse one. Now before the Feast of Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of the world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the very end. Look at chapter 14. Verse 10, do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Verse 15, if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Look at chapter 15, verses 13 through 15. Greater love has no one other than this, that a man, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing, but I have called you friends. For all that I have heard from my father, I've made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another." John chapter 17, verse 6, and we're almost done. I have manifested your name to the people whom what? Whom what? You gave me, do you see it? Who you gave me out of the world, yours they what? Were. Yours they were. They were yours. And you gave them to me. Look at, look at verse, look at verse 10. All mine are yours. and yours are mine, and I'm glorified in them. I'm no longer in the world, but they are in the world. I'm coming to you, Holy Father. Keep them in your name, which you've given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I've guarded them and have not lost one of them, except the son of destruction, that the scripture might be fulfilled. Friend, I hope you see the Father missionally gives to the Son people whom He chose. Please turn back to Ephesians chapter 1. So the Son was sent by the Father, the Son went willingly, and they're so intricately bound that the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father. Do you see? No one is doing anything without the other. Why? Because God is one. And notice in verse 5 that this is according to the purpose. Now the ESV does a horrible job with the translation. It should say, according to the good pleasure or the kindness of his will. Verse 5. In love he predestined us. The Father chose you if you are in Christ. Election is rooted in Trinitarian love. Each person gifts the other But I'm talking right now, like, there are three people. God is one. Father chooses, gives to the Son, the Son dies, the Spirit applies. None is lost. Not one. And the Spirit, friend, keeps for two reasons. The Spirit keeps because Christ has atoned for your sin. Not potentially, but actually. He definitely did, and we'll see more of this next week. Second, you are kept, you are preserved, you are loved, you grow, you're sealed. Listen, because the Spirit of God loves the Father and the Son. None will be lost. Look at verse 13. Chapter 1 in Ephesians. In him also when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. Do you know what the Holy Spirit is? The Holy Spirit is an engagement ring. An engagement ring from the Father and the Son to you. And the Spirit is the one who delivers it. He doesn't say, well, you love me because you're lovely. He says, I'm with you, I'm giving myself to you, and there are no take backs. See, us, we propose, and we're still learning about the other person. Spirit is the engagement ring that Christ will come back for you on that great day. The American gospel teaches this, that you're lovely, that we're lovely, that we're wonderful, and that we are essential to God. Of course God would die for us. We're so kind. So everything from creation to the fall to Christ's death to the incarnation, all of it was for you. It's all for you because you are just Mr. and Mrs. Wonderful. Of course God would die for you. Of course he would do all of this for you because it's all about you and it's all about me, friend. The American gospel teaches that you are at the center of God. God is essentially personable, lovable, and communicative whether or not he has you or not. What does scripture say of man naturally? Well, we don't even have to leave the page. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, you were dead in your sins and trespasses, Paul says in Romans chapter 3 verse 23, that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You don't even have to leave this page. You were dead in the trespasses and sins. An open-eared preacher once, decades ago, he was harassed by a young, arrogant man. And this young man heckled the preacher, and he asked the preacher, Hey preacher man, you say that sin creates a burden. How much does sin weigh? How much does this burden weigh? Does it weigh 7 pounds? Does it weigh 70 pounds? The preacher then asked the young man, tell me young man, you put a 400 pound weight on the chest of a dead man. Would he feel it? No, answered the young man, because he's dead. The same way, replied the preacher, it's the man who feels no load of sin. He is dead spiritually. Man is born dead in their sins. Even a four and five year old knows what dead means. I have one so I know. They know what dead means. We are walking zombies. Isaiah, Isaiah in chapter 64 verse 6, he says, we've all become like one polluted, like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are as what? Filthy rags. Now, we say filthy rags, but I don't think we actually know what filthy rags are. So I'm going to give it to you straight. The Hebrew word for filthy rags, it refers to the woman's clothing, that collects blood during their menstrual cycle. Our best works is like that bloody rag, ladies, that you throw away, that is disgusting, that is unclean, that you rightfully discard. And man, in and of himself, through the supposed good works is like that rag. Throw it out. Ladies, it doesn't matter how angry you are at your husband, you would never ever give it to him. Throw that thing away. Don't even mention it. That is what our righteous works are like before God. Not only that, but second, also follows the human system willingly. Notice that in Ephesians chapter 2. verse 2, in which he once walked following the course of this world. Notice that he walked. That was his sanctuary, okay? That was his life. That was his sphere. That was his way of life. He was dead in his trespasses and sins. Trespasses, it conveys stumbling. That is, he stumbled or he fell. His footing was not firm. That is, all of us, prior to our regeneration, we were on sinking sand, weren't we? We were tripping, we were falling, there was no strong foundation, we were a dead spiritual zombie. Not only that, but man by nature rejects God, is the recipient of his wrath in verse 3, and has no innate desire to follow God. So, man naturally is born spiritually dead, unable, and unwilling to come to God in and of themselves, but they must be sovereignly and supernaturally changed, not from the outside in, but from the inside out. That's what must happen, and God alone does that, because man is spiritually dead. Dead people don't make spiritual decisions, because death begets death, and life begets life. Now really, When you just boil it down to it, there are really only two options. And there are different subcategories, but really, it all comes down to this. Who does the choosing? Does God do the choosing? Or does man do the choosing? Scripture is very clear. God does the choosing. A dead man does not need help. A dead man does not need prevenient grace. A dead man needs to be made alive. And only God can do that. Election is grounded in Trinitarian love for the father gifting to his son a people. The son dies for these people. And the Spirit takes that payment and invades the sinner. That's what He does. The Spirit of God does not ask permission to come in. Why? Because we would say no every time. God must do the work alone. Third, The Trinitarian result of election, you'll see in verse 5, he predestined, predestination, or predestined, it means before the horizon. So if you look out, as you go out to your car, you'll see a horizon. You'll see the beginning of a horizon, and you'll see the end of the horizon. And predestination refers to everything within this horizon. It refers to setting boundaries. It refers to laying down goalposts, so to speak. And notice that he predestined who? Us. You see the us? Who's the us? All who believe. Who's the us? It's the elect. In love, God has set limits and boundaries for us. Now, we don't have time this morning to get into all the different aspects of predestination, but predestination includes people, boundaries, and decrees. And I want you to notice the result of this election. This is actually in verse four, that we should be holy and blameless. Do you see that? The holy and blameless refers to both the positional And then the practical. A holiness and a blamelessness has to be credited to our account. Why? Because we're not by nature holy and blameless, are we? That refers to Christ's active obedience. But then we also have a problem because since we're unholy and we're not blameless, we have a sin problem that refers to Christ's passive obedience. He bore upon himself the sin of all who believe. We are called to be holy. That is the purpose, and that is the result. That is, we are to be God-oriented. And in order for us to be God-oriented, God must do the orientation himself. Why? Because man is spiritually dead. In faith, holiness is given to us, and then that holiness is wrought out in the believer's life. We're not holy, we're unholy, but we're given a holiness in and through faith. Also notice there is a blamelessness as well here. This is at the end of verse four, that we may be holy and blameless. Friend, you are blameless right now before Christ in and through faith. He views you in faith, clothed in the righteousness of his Son. And you know what? He loves you as he loves his Son. This is the Christian life. The Christian life is marked by a growth progressively into who and what he is positionally. Notice as well adoption into God's family through Christ. This is verse five. He predestined us for adoption, notice, to who? To himself. Do you see that? To himself as sons through Jesus Christ. Adoption brought a complete break. from the old family and it created a new family. That is, when someone was adopted in the first century, they cut total and complete ties in terms of all affiliation with the old family and they received full reception, full family obligations now that they are adopted. Man is not born into God's family, he's born into the devil's family. and you can call God Father right now. Third, praise to God for His glorious grace. Notice this in verse six. All this is to the praise of His glorious grace. Praise means applause, it means approval, it means commendation, and this is why it's a doxology. Don't miss this. The doctrine of election is a marvelous doctrine. Why? Because it is the only way in which anybody could be made right. Actually, not potentially. Notice how it's glorious grace. I mean, Paul here is looking for words here. This is heavy stuff. And if you look at the Greek actually, this glorious grace with which he has blessed us, the blessed us in the ESV actually has its root word in grace. And so what you have is, you have in verse six, grace on steroids. That is, this is not common grace which falls on everyone as the rain falls on the just and the unjust. This glorious grace with which he has blessed us in verse 6 is grace on steroids. This is like a five-course meal, and the restaurant is called Grace. You're given grace. You're invited to grace. You come because your eyes are open. You sit down. The table, the table's name, it has written on the table's name, is grace. The waiter is grace. The owner is grace. The chef in the back cooking your food, his name is grace. I've never met a man named grace, but his name is grace anyway. The utensils have grace on it. It is all grace. And when you receive the check at the end, it says paid in full by grace. This is glorious grace. This is phenomenal grace. But not only that, notice the blessings in the Beloved. The benefits of union in Christ is now that you are loved. You are loved now with the same love that the Father loves the Son. The Father's love is primary, and we are in Christ. Grace extended to sinners flows from God's love. I have to be done, but I do want to give you a few points of application which are not on your outline. This is the first point of application. The doctrine of election is biblical and it is glorious because it is the only way in which man can be saved. It is the only way. The doctrine of election, pay very close attention, the doctrine of election provides the blueprint for the appropriation of each person as Trinity in time and space missionally. Second, true love is unrestrained and is free. God is not required to love any of his creatures. He essentially loves himself. Creation and redemption is the overflow of God's inter-Trinitarian love amongst one another. Third, the doctrine of election motivates gospel endeavors. It motivates gospel endeavors. And the reason is because God's gonna do what he's gonna do, won't he? which means reasoning, persuasion, apologetics are all good, but they're all means. And if anybody here thinks that they can reason or convince anybody into the kingdom of heaven, into faith, there is a cemetery very close to here. There's several of them within a couple miles. See me after, and we're gonna go there, you and I, and I want you to preach. any grave that you want. Tell them to come alive. Tell them to get up. Offer them something. Tell them. That is how much power you have in and of yourself apart from the working of the Holy Spirit. That is how much power I have and you have. But simultaneously Simultaneously, we live as though it depended on us. Fourth, the doctrine of election gives peace to those of you who have loved ones who do not know the Lord. Parents, God saves. To those who have spouses who do not know the Lord, God saves. You till the soil, You scatter the seed, and God gives the growth. Your goal, parent, is to bring your child up in the way of the Lord, so that when he's old, it, the teaching, will not depart from him, but will haunt him or haunt her all of their days. And you know what? God can do what you can't do. He's in the business of saving sinners. He did it to you, didn't he? And he is able to save anyone, wherever they are, to the uttermost. Friend, the doctrine of election is the only reason why any parent, why any spouse can lay their head down at night. Fifth, the doctrine of election does not excuse sin and unbelief. Paul is praising God for the doctrine of election right now in Ephesians 1, but in Romans 9, he's gonna weep over his own people, and he's gonna say in Romans 9, verse 3, oh, I would wish myself accursed for the brethren. Do you know what he's saying in Romans 9? He's saying, if it was possible for me to give my regeneration and my salvation to my people, I'd do it, I can't. So the same man who's inspired who's opening up the window to God's heart. He's still broken over loved ones who don't know the Lord. And lastly, just as the Father sent the Son missionally, He is sending you wherever you are. Isn't that interesting? The Father sends the Son, and the Father sends the Spirit through the Son, Some call it double procession, I won't split hairs here, but the spirit is sent missionally, and then you're kept, spirit invades your heart, causes you to be born again, causes your spiritual dead bones to live, and now you're kept here on mission. Now you're kept here on mission. You're on mission. God gave himself for sinners, you tell people that. You tell people that. You tell people that God is a self-giving God and He displayed it on the cross. You tell people that. And He didn't wait for anyone to choose Him because nobody would choose Him. He took the initiative. And you tell them that the only prerequisite is grace through faith, that they need to come to the Lord for the forgiveness of sin. And the only prerequisite for reconciliation is estrangement. You tell people that and they will laugh at your face. They will mock you, they will deride you, they will make fun of you, they will shake your heads. But you know what you also get? You'll see people coming to the Lord. And you'll see it. And you'll see God honoring your work. The doctrine of election is the only reason why anybody loves the Lord. It is the only way anybody will love the Lord. You are not essential to God. God is essential to you and your happiness. And the love of the Father, the love of the Father is what brought about the incarnation of the Son. It is them loving one another. Isn't that a glorious doctrine? The Father is pleased to send Christ for you. Christ is pleased to lay down his life for you, and the Holy Spirit is pleased to take Christ's righteousness, Christ's death, and apply it to your account. Not one will be lost. We'll see that next week. Let us pray. Father, we're thankful for the doctrine of election. It is the only mechanism, only way by which sinners may be saved. Thankful as well that your son and your spirit as well are actively working in the lives of those who believe. We're thankful as well that those who you save, you sanctify. Those who you sanctify, you glorify. And what a tremendous privilege it is for us to sing this praise. and help us as well to be salt and light wherever you've placed us, so that your name may be lifted high in Jesus' name, amen.