Why some people and not others receive this sovereign grace in election is a question not answered in Scripture; the Bible is a book designed to address God's people, not to answer all the questions of the world. But it is this totally unmerited chooseing and enabling that further underscore the message of mercy that the Bible makes its main point. The point made clear is this passage (Eph. 2:1-10) and many others is that we can never stand before God and say, "The reason that I am yours is what I did or chose through my good actions, good sense, or good heart." Our salvation is entirely a gift of God - of his grace. The point of Scripture is not to explain why some and not others, but rather to comfort those who face the impossibility of being saved by their own works that God has sovereignly worked in their behalf to secure what they could not. There can be no boasting or pride in this, but only a growing appreciation for grace that is made more precious the more we understand the nature of our heavenly Father. This is why our focus must be more upon the person of God, rather than upon the nature of predestination.
- Bryan Chapell, Ephesians (Reformed Expository Commentary), 89
No comments:
Post a Comment