The election of the New Creation
“We have already seen that this election does not imply that the non-elect shall receive injury; but, on the contrary, that it implies the blessing of the non-elect in due time. We might add in this connection that neither Justice nor Love could make any objection to the granting of a special favor to some that was not granted to others, even if the favored ones were not intended to be channels of blessing to the less favored or non-favored.
This is the meaning of the word grace or favor: it implies the doing of something not specially called for or demanded by Justice, and these words, "grace," and "favor," are repeatedly used throughout the Scriptures in respect to this elect class of this Gospel age.
"By grace are ye saved," and similar Scriptures, impress upon us that there was no obligation on the part of the Almighty to recover any of Adam's race from the death sentence, nor to give to any the opportunity of life eternal through a redemption; much more there was no obligation on God's part to any of his creatures in respect to the high calling--to membership in the New Creation. It is all of divine favor--"grace on grace," or favor added to favor--and whoever does not get this thought clearly in mind will never properly appreciate what is now taking place.
The Apostle Peter assures us that we, as a class, were "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father." He does not stop with this declaration, however, but proceeds to say, "through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. 1:2)
This signifies that God foreknew the New Creation as a class--that he foreknew his intention to justify them by faith, through the blood of Christ--that he foreknew that enough such to complete this class would be obedient, and attain to sanctification through the truth.
Nothing in any Scripture implies a divine foreknowledge of the INDIVIDUALS composing the elect class, except in respect to the Head of the Church. We are told that God foreknew Jesus as his elect one.
We are not to be understood as limiting the Lord's ability to identify the individuals who would compose the elect class, but merely that, whatever his power in this direction, he has not declared himself as intending to exercise such power. He ordained that Christ should be the world's Redeemer, and that his reward should be exaltation as the first member-- Head, Lord, Chief of the New Creation. He ordained also that a certain specific number should be chosen from amongst men to be his joint-heirs in the Kingdom—participants with him of the New Creation. We have every reason to believe that the definite, fixed number of the elect is that several times stated in Revelation (7:4; 14:1); namely, 144,000 "redeemed from amongst men."
The election or foreordination from before the foundation of the world, that there should be such a company selected, we apprehend to be after the same manner as the foreordination of a certain troop of soldiers in the British army known as "The King's Own," and composed of men of large stature and special development, the various particulars of height, weight, etc., being determined in advance, and the number constituting the troop definitely fixed, before the present members of it were born. As the royal decree ordained these physical requirements and the number which should constitute that troop, so the royal decree of the Creator fixed and limited the number who should constitute the New Creation of God, and defined not their physical measurements, but their moral qualities and heart measurements. As it was not necessary to foreordain the names of those who should constitute "The King's Own," neither is it necessary that our Creator should foreordain the names or the individuals acceptable to him as New Creatures in Christ, under the measurements and limitations which he sets forth.
This is particularly drawn to our attention in a passage of Scripture which is generally remembered and quoted only in part--"Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate." The Lord's people should not be content to thus take a portion of the divine Word and separate it from its close context. When we read the remainder of the passage as it is written the whole matter is clear before our minds: "Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son [that is, to be copies of his Son], that he might be the first-born among many brethren." Rom. 8:29
Such a predestination is different indeed from the one generally understood by those who have championed the doctrine of election in the past. According to their conception and teaching the passage should read--Whom he did foreknow, them he also did predestinate to escape eternal torment and experience eternal blessings in glory.
How different such a view from the reasonable and proper one presented in the language of Scripture! God predestinated that his Only Begotten One should be the Head of this New Creation, and he determined long before he called any of us that none should be members of the New Creation except as they should become copies of his Son. How beautiful, how reasonable is the Scriptural doctrine of election! Who could question the Wisdom, the Justice, or the Love of such an election with such limitations as to character-likeness to Jesus, and for such a great work as God hath designed?—to be joint-heirs with Christ in the blessing of all the families of the earth.” (F178-181)
Continued with next post.
“We have already seen that this election does not imply that the non-elect shall receive injury; but, on the contrary, that it implies the blessing of the non-elect in due time. We might add in this connection that neither Justice nor Love could make any objection to the granting of a special favor to some that was not granted to others, even if the favored ones were not intended to be channels of blessing to the less favored or non-favored.
This is the meaning of the word grace or favor: it implies the doing of something not specially called for or demanded by Justice, and these words, "grace," and "favor," are repeatedly used throughout the Scriptures in respect to this elect class of this Gospel age.
"By grace are ye saved," and similar Scriptures, impress upon us that there was no obligation on the part of the Almighty to recover any of Adam's race from the death sentence, nor to give to any the opportunity of life eternal through a redemption; much more there was no obligation on God's part to any of his creatures in respect to the high calling--to membership in the New Creation. It is all of divine favor--"grace on grace," or favor added to favor--and whoever does not get this thought clearly in mind will never properly appreciate what is now taking place.
The Apostle Peter assures us that we, as a class, were "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father." He does not stop with this declaration, however, but proceeds to say, "through sanctification of the spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. 1:2)
This signifies that God foreknew the New Creation as a class--that he foreknew his intention to justify them by faith, through the blood of Christ--that he foreknew that enough such to complete this class would be obedient, and attain to sanctification through the truth.
Nothing in any Scripture implies a divine foreknowledge of the INDIVIDUALS composing the elect class, except in respect to the Head of the Church. We are told that God foreknew Jesus as his elect one.
We are not to be understood as limiting the Lord's ability to identify the individuals who would compose the elect class, but merely that, whatever his power in this direction, he has not declared himself as intending to exercise such power. He ordained that Christ should be the world's Redeemer, and that his reward should be exaltation as the first member-- Head, Lord, Chief of the New Creation. He ordained also that a certain specific number should be chosen from amongst men to be his joint-heirs in the Kingdom—participants with him of the New Creation. We have every reason to believe that the definite, fixed number of the elect is that several times stated in Revelation (7:4; 14:1); namely, 144,000 "redeemed from amongst men."
The election or foreordination from before the foundation of the world, that there should be such a company selected, we apprehend to be after the same manner as the foreordination of a certain troop of soldiers in the British army known as "The King's Own," and composed of men of large stature and special development, the various particulars of height, weight, etc., being determined in advance, and the number constituting the troop definitely fixed, before the present members of it were born. As the royal decree ordained these physical requirements and the number which should constitute that troop, so the royal decree of the Creator fixed and limited the number who should constitute the New Creation of God, and defined not their physical measurements, but their moral qualities and heart measurements. As it was not necessary to foreordain the names of those who should constitute "The King's Own," neither is it necessary that our Creator should foreordain the names or the individuals acceptable to him as New Creatures in Christ, under the measurements and limitations which he sets forth.
This is particularly drawn to our attention in a passage of Scripture which is generally remembered and quoted only in part--"Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate." The Lord's people should not be content to thus take a portion of the divine Word and separate it from its close context. When we read the remainder of the passage as it is written the whole matter is clear before our minds: "Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son [that is, to be copies of his Son], that he might be the first-born among many brethren." Rom. 8:29
Such a predestination is different indeed from the one generally understood by those who have championed the doctrine of election in the past. According to their conception and teaching the passage should read--Whom he did foreknow, them he also did predestinate to escape eternal torment and experience eternal blessings in glory.
How different such a view from the reasonable and proper one presented in the language of Scripture! God predestinated that his Only Begotten One should be the Head of this New Creation, and he determined long before he called any of us that none should be members of the New Creation except as they should become copies of his Son. How beautiful, how reasonable is the Scriptural doctrine of election! Who could question the Wisdom, the Justice, or the Love of such an election with such limitations as to character-likeness to Jesus, and for such a great work as God hath designed?—to be joint-heirs with Christ in the blessing of all the families of the earth.” (F178-181)
Continued with next post.
