TRINITY SUNDAY
Text: Ephesians 1: 3-6
Source from Back to Luther with German archive reference. Back to Walther's Epistle Sermons.
Lord Jesus, Son of the living God, you have come into the world to save sinners. Thanks, praise, glory, and honor be to you on this day of your gracious and saving birth, that you came into the world to save us miserable sinners; because we were all like lost sheep, you as the Good Shepherd have gone after us by means of your sweet Gospel, called us back, brought us to faith, and kept us in it until this day. Oh, how can we ever thank you enough in time and eternity? We have not sought you but you have sought us; we did not come to you, but you came to us. Why have we deserved this mercy rather than millions of others? Ah, we owe all this to your undeserved grace. You saw us lying in the misery of our sins; that broke your heart and you said to us: You shall live! Oh, Lord Jesus, once on this day you gave yourself to us; today we give ourselves to you. Here is our heart. Take it, cleanse it, adorn it as your dwelling place, and rule in it until our death. Then with all the angels and archangels, with all the cherubim and seraphim, with all the thrones and dominions, with all the saints and elect, we will give you thanks, praise, glory, and honor in heaven for ever and ever. Amen.
Quote the text here: Ephesians 1: 3-6.
You have graciously invited me to come and preach a sermon on election for a twofold festival, Christmas and the anniversary of your church. I have gladly accepted your invitation and as God gives me grace, I will grant you your wish.
There are many indeed who maintain that one should never preach on the mystery of election to ordinary Christians; this is really a doctrine for the learned. However, they err. Paul writes to Timothy: " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." 2 Tim 3,16. To the Romans he writes: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." 15,4. Now if according to "all Scripture", that is, everything contained in the Old and New Testament, nothing is ever harmful but profitable in many ways, then also the doctrine of election, properly presented, can never be harmful but must be highly profitable. Scripture does not touch upon this doctrine most rarely and then always in unclear words but deals with it clearly and fully in many places.
I will cite only a few passages from the New Testament which deal with the election of grace.
Christ himself alludes to the election of grace at every opportunity, lie summarizes two different parables, that of the laborers in the vineyard, and the marriage of the king’s son, by closing them with the warning: "Many are called but few are chosen." When Christ wanted to comfort the disciples because the world would hate them, he said: "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Jn 15,19. On another occasion, so that his disciples, whom he had so highly exalted, might remain humble, and that they might not be filled with pride and presumption in their thought and speech he said: " Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." Jn 15,16. Again, when Christ wished to encourage his disciples in view of the great danger of apostasy during the last times, he said: "For there shall arise fal s e Christs,
and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect," Mt 24,24 and assures them that this is impossible. When Christ wished to encourage his own after he had foretold the great tribulation of the last times, he said: "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Mt 24,22. When Christ wished to impress upon his followers the certainty that their prayers are heard, he said; " And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him?" Lk 18,7 When Christ wanted to prepare the apostles for the apostasy of their fellow-apostle, the traitor Judas Iscariot, so that they would not take offence at his terrible fall, he said: "I speak not of you all; I know whom I have chosen." Jn 13,18. Finally, when Christ wanted to confirm the believers in the hope that on the last day they all would enter into eternal life, he said: "And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven." Mt 13,27.
Through the illumination and impulse of the Holy Spirit, the apostles follow Christ's footsteps. St. Paul warns the Corinthians, so richly blessed in knowledge and other gifts, against presumption, declaring: "But God hath c hosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chos en the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God c hosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are; that no flesh should glory in his presence." 1 Cor 1,27-29. He writes to the Thessalonians to comfort them in their affliction; "Knowing brethren beloved, your election of God." 1 Thess 1,4. He follows it with the admonition: "But we bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation." 2 Thess 2,13. In the same vein he encourages the Colossians: "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy," etc. Col 3,12. The Apostle Peter, in order to strengthen them in the faith, point-blank calls all Christians " the chosen generation " and greets the scattered believers to whom he is writing as "strangers... elect." 1 Pet 1,1.2. Finally, to warn the rich against pride James says: "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith? These few examples may suffice.
See, then, how like a golden thread the doctrine of election runs through the whole of Scripture. Christ, as well as the apostles, employ this doctrine sometimes to strengthen faith, sometimes to quicken Christian hope, sometimes for comfort, sometimes for encouragement, sometimes to humble, sometimes to move to prayer in firm confidence, and then again to warn against and preserve from unbelief, sin, and apostasy. How profitable and salutary this doctrine must therefore be!
Although the doctrine of election is taught in many passages in Holy Writ without this word being used, e.g., when mention is made of those who are called according to his purpose, those who are foreordained to eternal life, those whom the Father has given to Christ, those whom he has redeemed from among men that they should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures, those whose names are written in heaven, etc., the doctrine of election is treated in fullest detail in two cardinal passages of Holy Writ, first in the Letter to the Romans in the second half of chapter 8, also in chapter 9, 10,11, and then in the first chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians.
I have chosen this last passage as my today's text. Under the guidance of this text permit me to speak to you on:
THE ELECTION OF GRACE
On the basis of this text with the assistance of the Holy Ghost I will answer the following five questions:
1. Whom has God Chosen ?
2. When did This Election Take Place ?
3. To Chat did God Chose the Elect?
4. What Moved God to Elect Them ?
5. How Should the Christian Use the Doctrine of Election to be Saved ?
I.
The first question which I must answer today is this: " Whom has God Chosen ?"
At the very beginning of our text the apostle gives us the answer to this. question. We read: " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as he hath chosen US." Vv. 3.4a. Whom has God elected? The apostle says: " According as he hath chosen us." But who are the "us" of whom Paul speaks? That is evident. In part,Paul himself who wrote this letter, in part, those to v;hom he wrote, those Ephesians who came to faith. Yet how does Paul conclude that not only he but also the Ephesians belonged to those whom God elected? The apostle shows this by what he wrote first: " Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ," and then immediately adds, " According as he hath chosen us." The apostle wishes to say: How can and dare I doubt, my dear Ephesians, that you, even as I, are elected by God, since I see that God has " blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ "? You are not only redeemed by Christ, but you are also called through the Gospel and enlightened with the gifts of the Holy Spirit; you have come to the true faith in Christ And through this faith been made holy. I am therefore completely convinced, that you also belong to those whom God has elected.
As Paul writes to the Ephesians in our text, so he writes in other places, to the Christians at Rome, who for the sake of their faith had to endure many trials. Them also Paul comforts saying: "We know that all things work together for good to them that love, God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow," that is, elect, "he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified." Rom 8,28-30. The apostle wishes to say: "You Christians of Rome have no grounds to doubt that God has elected you, for I ask you, are you not called through the Gospel? have you not come to faith through it and through faith become righteous before God? and are you not also persecuted because of your faith? Lo, such and no others are the very ones whom God has elected."
Know this from the above facts: The doctrine of election is not a terrible and frightening doctrine for Christians; its purpose is not to raise doubts as to whether they will be saved because they may not be elected. On the contrary, it is the most comforting doctrine there can be; it is to make believers absolutely certain of their salvation. Election does not lower over Christians like a dark, black, threatening thunder cloud, so that they must continually worry and ask: Am I also one of the elect? No, the doctrine of election, rather than being a dark cloud, is the bright sun of grace, comfort, and joy which rises
over every person the moment he is called by the Gospel and comes to faith.
My answer to our first question: Whom has God elected? is briefly this: The true believers. That is why we read in the confession of our Church, the Formula of Concord: "The eternal election of God, however, vel praedestinatio (or predestination). that is, God's ordination to salvation, does not extend at once over the godly and the wicked, but only over the children of God, who were elected and ordained to eternal life." (XI,5).
II.
We now proceed to the second question: " When did this election take place ?
The apostle gives us a clear answer to this question. He says: " According as he hath chosen us in him BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. " V.4a. Hence, the election did not take place in time. According to his Word, God did not wait until people were born and lived on this world; he did not wait to elect them until he saw that they would be converted and persevere until the end. No, before men were born and did something good, yes, before God laid the foundation of the world, before even heaven and earth, sun, moon, and stars were created, when nothing existed except God's love, in short, election took place in eternity. People do many things which they had not even thought of earlier; but God, who knows and rules everything, not only knew in advance everything which he does in time, but also from eternity had decided in advance to do it. So Paul says that the grace of the elect was given them "before the world began." 2 Tim 1,9. For that reason Christ will say to the elect on judgment day: "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." M t 25,34. That is why our Church in the Formula of Concord publicly confesses to the whole world: "Not only before we had done anything good, but also before we were born, yea, even before the foundations of the world were laid, He elected us in Christ." (XI,88.)
Oh my friends, what ardent, inexpressibly great love must fill God's heart toward us Christians, that he thought of us, took counsel over us, and passed a resolution even before we were born, yes, before he had created the world, hence from all eternity! That is a love which is higher than heaven, broader than the earth, deeper than the sea, and as long as eternity.
III.
Let us seek the answer to our third question: " To WHAT did God chose us ?"
We find the answer of the Holy Spirit in our text. We read: "Ac cording as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be HOLY AND WITHOUT BLAME BEFORE HIM IN LOVE; having predestinated us UNTO THE ADOPTION OF CHILDREN." Vv. 4.5a.
So there are two things especially to which God has chosen the elect; first, they should be converted from their heart, and secondly, they are to become his dear children. When we read in our text, that God has chosen us to be " holy and without blame before him in love ", this is simply saying that God has chosen us to turn to him from our hearts; for only by a true
conversion does a person become " holy and without blame before him in love." And when we read in our text: " Having predestinated us unto the ADOPTION OF CHILDREN," this is simply saying that God has chosen us to become his dear child ren by faith in Christ; for a person becomes God's dear child only by faith. Paul writes: "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." Gal 3, 26. John writes: "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." Jn 1,12.
Is this not something glorious: Chosen by God even from eternity to repentance, conversion, and sanctification, as well as being predestined to the a doption of children and thus to faith? If we are chosen and predestined to those things, we are chosen and predestined to salvation; for Christ says: "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." That we are also chosen to salvation the apostle Paul says in so many words when he writes: "We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." 2 Thess 2,13. We therefore read in the last confession of our Church,the Formula of Concord: "The eternal election of God, however, not only foresees and foreknows the salvation of the elect, but is also from the gracious will and pleasure of God in Christ Jesus, a cause which procures, works, helps, and promotes our salvation and what pertains thereto; and upon this our salvation is so founded that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it, as is written: 'Neither shall any man pluck my sheep out of my hand.' And again: 'And as many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.'" (XI., 8).
Oh, how firmly your salvation is grounded, my dear elect believing Children of God. You can exult with Paul Gerhardt:
Though all the powers of evil
The will of God oppose,
His purpose will not falter,
His pleasure onward goes.
Whate'er God's will resolveth,
Whatever he intends,
Will always be accomplished
True to his aims and ends. (520,5.)
IV.
We come to our fourth question: " What moved God to chose the elect ?"
Our text answers this question clearly: " Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children BY JESUS CHRIST to himself, ACCORDING TO THE GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL, TO THE PRAISE OF THE GLORY OF HIS GRACE, wherein he hath MADE us accepted in the beloved." Vv.5.6. We see from this that God had only two reasons for predestinating the elect to the adoption of children and eternal life. The first according to our text was the " good pleasure of his will," or, " the glory of his grace " by which he " made " them " accepted ". The second was " Jesus Christ " that is, his most holy merit won for all men by his life, suffering, and death.
You see, my friends, God did not foresee something good in his elect which he had regarded and which then moved him to chose them; rather, he saw them lying in their sins and said: You shall live! Nor did God consider the fact that they would be acceptable to him and for that reason chose them;
rather, as our text says, he first " MADE " them " accepted in the beloved." Nor did God regard the fact that they had already left the world by repentance and conversion and therefore chose them; but as Christ says to his disciples, he " chose " them " FROM THE WORLD," from the unbelievers among whom he saw them. God did not even consider their faith and because of their faith choose them; but, because no: person can give himself faith, he decided from eternity to work faith in them through the Gospel and preserve them in it until the end.
Our Church in her Formula of Concord confesses: "It is written, Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved. Therefore it is false and wrong when it is taught that not alone the mercy of God and the most holy merit of Christ, but that also in us there is a cause of God's election, on account of which God has chosen us to eternal life. For not only before we had done anything good, but also before we were born, yea, even before the foundations of the world were laid, he elected us in Christ." (XI,88).
And now I ask you Christians: Is not this teaching confirmed by your own experiences? Who gave you faith? You yourself? Or was it not really God the Holy Spirit, who by his power and grace worked faith in you? What good did you do to come to faith? True, you came to church. But did you not come with a longing for faith first when God had already kindled a spark of faith in your heart?
Moreover, it is true: You did not stubbornly resist. But do you owe that to a heart good or better by nature than others had? Or must you not thank divine grace alone which overcame your resistance, and as he did to Lydia, opened your heart that you paid heed to the Word? And you, who first came to a living faith here in America, did you emigrate here so that you could come to the true faith? Or, wasn’t it really God the Ruler of your life, who led you to America, so that you could find the heavenly treasure of faith here without having to seek it, yes, while you were seeking your livelihood here for yourself and your family? Did you seek God? or did not God really seek you ? Did you come to God ? or did not God really come to you ? So, what — I ask every one of you Christians again -- what moved God to choose you? Absolutely no good in you but only God's inexpressible grace and Christ's most holy merit. Woe to him who ascribes the cause of his election to himself! He robs God of the honor which is due him alone.
V.
It is time that we hurry to close and now answer the fifth and last question: How should the Christian use the true doctrine of election in order to be saved ?
Our text does not give us a special answer to this question; yet from the way in which the apostle himself uses and applies the doctrine of election in our text, we can perceive clearly enough how it should be used by every Christian.
How does the apostle apply it in our text? First, to comfort the Christians at Ephesus; second, to admonish and warn them. These two uses are the only correct ones.
The apostle writes to the Ephesians: " According as he hath chosen us !" he says that believers are to use the doctrine of election to comfort themselves they are to be positive that they belong to the elect. But far be it that he
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have them reach this goal by their reason, or through the Law, or to judge by external appearance, or to try to sound the secret hidden abyss of divine foreknowledge; no, he refers them to the " spiritual blessings in heavenly things," with which God had already blessed them, and through which he has revealed his will to them. That is the way all true Christians should use the doctrine of election. They are to think this way: God has certainly "called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith." I therefore conclude that I am one of the elect; for the way of the general ordinance of grace is the only way on which God leads his elect to salvation. They are chosen in Christ, the Book of Life; in him alone they can and should seek the Father's eternal election. From the way in which God reveals himself to Christians through the Gospel, they are to perceive his hidden counsel which he decreed in eternity. With Paul they should joyfully exult: "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God and maketh intercession for us.... I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom 8,33.34.38.30. Oh, blessed, blessed are the Christians who use and apply the doctrine of election in this way! There they will find comfort in all the temptations of the flesh, the world, and the devil.
In our text the apostle holds also this up to the Ephesians; they are chosen by God that they " should be hold and without blame before him in love." Christians should let themselves be admonished to pursue sanctification earnestly and so, as Peter writes, by good works "make your calling and election sure;" but that they also should let themselves be warned not to misuse this comforting doctrine to become secure is also a part of the proper use of this doctrine. It. you consider yourself elect, do not forget that you are called not only to the adoption of children and salvation, but also to sanctification. Remember, that you could do nothing to make yourself elect, but that you can do much which makes it impossible for God to elect you. Of course, God earnestly wishes that all men would be saved; he has destined no one to damnation; the Calvinists deny the clearest words of God when they teach this. No, all men are redeemed by Christ; the Gospel should therefore be preached to all; through the Gospel God wants to give faith to and preserve all who have come to faith by his grace. Therefore, whoever is lost is lost by his own fault; he is not lost because God had elected him to damnation but he is lost because of his stiff-necked unbelief and his obstinate resistance. God says clearly in the Prophet Hosea: "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help." Hos 13,9.
Come, then, my dear brothers and sisters in the Lord; you have patiently suffered the theft of your property and rather turn your backs to your old large beautiful church and school than deny the pure doctrine of the election of grace; oh, remain firm ! What is the harm of being described now as fools if your name is written in heaven ?
Come, then, my dear Christians, battle until death. Reject everything which will hinder you and dampen your courage. If you want to wear the crown of glory, you must venture for Jesus. The beautiful crown of life will rest only upon the head of the victor! Amen.