Canons of Dort, Head 1, Article 7: Election
Election [or choosing] is God's unchangeable purpose by which he did the following:
Before the foundation of the world, by sheer grace, according to the free good pleasure of his will, he chose in Christ to salvation a definite number of particular people out of the entire human race, which had fallen by its own fault from its original innocence into sin and ruin. Those chosen were neither better nor more deserving than the others, but lay with them in the common misery. He did this in Christ, whom he also appointed from eternity to be the mediator, the head of all those chosen, and the foundation of their salvation. And so he decided to give the chosen ones to Christ to be saved, and to call and draw them effectively into Christ's fellowship through his Word and Spirit. In other words, he decided to grant them true faith in Christ, to justify them, to sanctify them, and finally, after powerfully preserving them in the fellowship of his Son, to glorify them.
God did all this in order to demonstrate his mercy, to the praise of the riches of his glorious grace.
As Scripture says, God chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world, so that we should be holy and blameless before him with love; he predestined us whom he adopted as his children through Jesus Christ, in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, by which he freely made us pleasing to himself in his beloved (Eph. 1:4-6). And elsewhere, Those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified (Rom. 8:30).
This past week our pastor conducted a funeral, preached on Thursday evening for Ascension Day, and preached again this morning, so this afternoon he was given a well-deserved break, and one of our associate pastors preached. This morning we celebrated the Lord's Supper, and the sermon text was from Ephesians 1:1-14, as well as Canons of Dort, Head 1, Article 7.
This article provides what is probably the fullest definition of election in the Canons. From the Scripture text and this article, we learn that God's elect have been chosen for communion. The word communion suggests a fellowship of groups coming together, in this case, God's people and God.
God's people have been chosen to communion by God the Father (v. 4). God desired a people to commune with, to love and be loved by. To elect means to call from out of, and here Paul speaks to the truly elect; he tells the elect that they are holy, saints. God chose us before the foundation of the world, and His purposes for us are that we should be holy and without blame before Him "to the praise of His glorious grace."
We have been chosen in Christ, and it is only in Christ that we can be holy and without blame; we are, of course, dependent on Him. Verse 7 describes the riches of His grace, those benefits that we have been graced (translated "made us accepted" in the NKJV) with in the Beloved (v. 6). The word that is used here for "made us accepted" carries much more meaning than simply acceptance. It is a word used only one other time in the New Testament in Luke 1:28, where Gabriel tells Mary that she is highly favored--as are we all.
Ultimately the elect have been chosen for communion with God through obedience. Because of all the benefits that we experience, described in Ephesians 1, we will become imitators of Christ. Those who have been justified will practice and seek righteousness. Verse 4 tells us that we are before Him in love, and this is a reference to the love we have for God. The phrase "in love" is commonly used today, and often just as quickly as one claims to fall in love, he or she frequently falls out of love. However, when we are elected in love, we will never be divorced from love. When God calls us, we are in love with God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We should only come to the Lord's table if we are in love with Jesus Christ. And we come to love him as a child loves a father, or, as depicted in the book of Revelation, as a bride loves her husband. And the purpose of all of this is "that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory" (v. 12).
Our song of response was truly a great hymn of the faith:
Jesus, priceless treasure,
Source of purest pleasure,
Truest Friend to me:
Ah, how long I've panted
And my heart has fainted,
Thirsting, Lord, for Thee.
Thine I am, O spotless Lamb!
I will suffer naught to hide Thee,
Naught I ask beside Thee.
In Thine arms I rest me;
Foes who would molest me
Cannot reach me here.
Though the earth be shaking,
Every heart be quaking,
Jesus calms my fear.
Fires may flash and thunder crash,
Yea, and sin and hell assail me,
Jesus will not fail me.
Hence with earthly treasure!
Thou art all my pleasure,
Jesus, all my choice.
Hence, thou empty glory!
Naught to me thy story,
Told with tempting voice,
Pain or loss or shame or cross
Shall not from my Savior move me,
Since He deigns to love me.
Fare thee well that errest.
Thou that earth preferrest,
Thou wilt tempt in vain.
Fare thee well, transgression!
Hence, abhorred possession!
Come not forth again.
Past your hour, O pride and power!
Worldly life, thy bonds I sever;
Fare thee well forever!
Hence, all fear and sadness!
For the Lord of gladness,
Jesus, enters in.
Those who love the Father,
Though the storms may gather,
Still have peace within.
Yea, whate'er I here must bear,
Thou art still my purest pleasure,
Jesus, priceless treasure.
~Johann Franck, 1653
