Chapter III: An Outline of the Entire Matter
CHAPTER III: OUTLINE OF THE ENTIRE MATTER
§ 47. The one who has elected us is God. Eph. 1:3–4: “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blesses us” (in time) “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.”
Election is a work of the entire Holy Trinity and thus is common to all three persons, though the order and distinction of persons is preserved. The Father is the fountainhead of the Trinity, and thus election is attributed to Him in the first place with regard to order. But because the Son and the Holy Spirit are of the same essence and will with the Father, election must also be attributed to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
How to consider the Son of God in election.
§ 48. One ought to consider the Son of God in election in two ways. First, as true God with the Father and the Holy Spirit, He has elected us in one undivided action to eternal life. Second, as the one established as the Redeemer and Mediator of the human race, He is that because of which we were elected to eternal life, and for this reason we were elected not only by Christ but also “in Christ before the foundations of the world” (Eph. 1:4).
Election is an act.
§ 49. To be sure, election or predestination is a species of the providence of God and thus is correctly defined as something that is an emanating act (such as creation and the execution of election in time, for instance) but also immanent, and one that is indeed ordered [ordinata]. Acts 13:48: “As many as were ordered to eternal life believed.” The logic for this order we explained to some extent at the beginning of this article [§§ 1–18], and we shall explain it more fully later [§§ 56, 102–5, 159, 197].
Election occurred according to the purpose of God.
§ 50. This election occurred according to the purpose [propositum] of God. Eph. 1:11: “Predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will.” Rom. 9:11: “That according to election God’s purpose might remain.” 2 Tim. 1:9: “Because of His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ [before the ages began].” (This purpose, plan, and good-pleasure of God are His decree arranged in Christ from eternity, revealed to us through the Gospel in reference to people who are going to be saved by faith in Christ.) This election occurred also according to foreknowledge (πρόγνωσις). 1 Pet. 1:1–2: “To the elect according to the foreknowledge [κατὰ πρόγνωσιν] of God the Father.” Rom. 8:29: “Those whom He foreknew He also predestined.” This foreknowledge necessarily relates to faith in Christ, for God has not also predestined all those whom He foreknew in all ways. Rather, He elected or predestined to eternal life those whom, with His infallible knowledge, He foreknew from eternity would persevere in believing in Christ by the grace of the Holy Spirit through hearing the Gospel.
Election was made from eternity.
§ 51. Not only are the purpose and foreknowledge of God eternal, but also the election made according to that purpose and foreknowledge is eternal. Eph. 1:4: “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” This is the description of eternity, as we showed clearly in our article On God the Father and His Eternal Son [1610 Loci Theologici, locus 5, § 40].1 2 Tim. 1:9: “Because of the grace with which God saves us in Christ, which was given us before the ages began.” 2 Thess. 2:13: “God has elected us from the beginning [ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς].” God loves the elect in the same way that He loves Christ, who is the Head of the elect (John 17:23). But now, Christ was loved by His Father before the foundation of the world (John 17:24). Therefore He also loved the elect before the foundation of the world.
Election is from the gracious mercy of God.
§ 52. God is moved to elect some people to eternal life by no human merits, by no dignity of the human race—in fact, not even by His foreseeing of their good works or faith. Rather, it is to be ascribed completely and only to His unmerited and boundless grace. Eph. 1:[5–]6: “He elected us in praise of His glory.” Rom. 11:6: “If it is by grace, it is no longer of works.” 2 Tim. 1:9: “God called us with a holy calling not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.” Augustine (De praedestin. sanct., ch. 15): “The brightest light of predestination and grace is the Savior Himself, the very Mediator of God and men, the man Jesus Christ. By what preceding merits of works or of faith did the human nature, which is in Him, earn that it should become this?… Therefore, just as that one man was predestined to be our Head, so we many are predestined to be His members. Here let human merits be silent, for they died through Adam, and let the grace of God which rules rule, through Jesus Christ our Lord, the only Son of God,” etc.
The foundation of the choosing to eternal life is Christ apprehended by faith.
§ 53. The foundation of that specific grace of God by which He chooses people to eternal life is Jesus Christ, the God-man, considered with all His merit and satisfaction. Eph. 1:4: “God chose us in Christ.” On the other hand, because the merit of Christ benefits no one without application, from the nature of related things,2 mention of Christ in election includes the concept of faith embracing Christ. 2 Thess. 2:13–14: “God chose us from the beginning to be saved through the sanctification of the Spirit and faith in the truth.” Finally, because some of the regenerate discard faith by their sins against conscience and cut themselves off from eternal life, perseverance in faith must also be understood here at the same time. Matt. 10:22: “He who endures to the end will be saved.”
The purpose of election.
The purpose of election with respect to us is twofold. The first is related to this life, namely: “That we may be holy and without reproach” (Eph. 1:4). The second pertains to life eternal and is our glorification and salvation (1 Thess. 5:9). With respect to God, the ultimate purpose of election is His glory (Eph. 1:6). One will be able to understand all this more fully and clearly from the following.
The antithesis of the Calvinists.
§ 54. Calvin and his followers teach the absolute election and reprobation of certain people. Calvin writes (Instit., bk. 3, ch. 22, § 11): “If we cannot provide a reason why God deems His people worthy of His mercy besides the fact that it pleases Him, then we also will have nothing other than His will in reprobating others. You see, when God is said to harden or to adorn with His mercy whom He will, people are thereby warned not to seek any reason outside His will.” Beza (on Romans 9): “God hates the reprobate even before they are born and has destined them for destruction without regard for their unworthiness.” Beza again (Opera, vol. 1, fol. 417): “You put forward that God was pleased to predestine some not only to damnation but even to the causes of their damnation; we acknowledge that this is true.” Zanchi (De natura Dei, bk. 5, ch. 2, p. 713): “Along with the apostle we contend that the entire reprobation—that is, both rejection from grace and glory and determination to disgrace and to the wrath of God, that is, to be vessels of wrath and vessels of reproach—depends solely on the will of God.” Ibid., p. 620: “The refusal of grace follows reprobation; sins follow this refusal; punishments for sins follow sins. To all these God has foreordained the reprobate from all eternity.” Zanchi again (Miscell., p. 302): “God wills absolutely that the elect are saved and also wills absolutely that the reprobate are not saved.” Szegedinus (Tabb., p. 12): “God did not admit a consideration of sins into His absolute decree. Therefore they are not the causes of anyone’s destruction.” Rennecher (Cat. aur., p. 37): “No cause of reprobation can be gleaned or adduced from the Scriptures other than the just and immovable will of God, that in His eternal and hidden counsel He has of Himself and for His own sake assigned some people to eternal death and punishment.” Bucanus (Locus 36, p. 403) repeats the same thing from Rennecher. Piscator of Herborn (on Romans 2, p. 43): “Those whom God predestined to destruction He did not predestine because of their offenses, for how could they have offended Him if they had not yet been born? Rather, He reprobated them out of free hatred, even a holy and just hatred.”
Their disagreements.
§ 55. Although they all agree that the decree of election and reprobation is absolute, nevertheless they disagree in some areas. (I) Some set “people not yet created” as the object of election and reprobation (as Beza says, Resp. 2 ad coll. Momp., p. 148). On the other hand, some place His foreknowledge of the fall after3 the decree of election and reprobation (as, for example, Perkins, De praedest., p. 11; Keckermann, System. theol., bk. 3, ch. 1, p. 308; Bucanus, Locus 36, p. 400).
(II) Some simply say: “Reprobation depends not on foreseen evil works but only on the free will of God” (such as Zanchi, De nat. Dei, bk. 5, ch. 2, part 4, R, ad object. 14). However, some posit two acts of reprobation, “one negative and the other affirmative.” They say the first is “absolute” but that the latter “contains a consideration of sins” (such as Perkins, De praedest., p. 25; and Trelcatius, Loci, p. 29).
(III) Some say that “the causes of reprobation and of damnation are not the same” (such as Beza, Resp. 2 ad coll., p. 161). However, some concede that from His decree of reprobation “follows the desertion of absolute grace, sins, and damnation itself” (such as Zanchi, Miscell., f. 229, and Piscator, De praedest., thesis 92).
What the absolute decree is.
§ 56. From these points one can understand easily what they mean by the expression “absolute decree.” Obviously they are claiming that from eternity God resolved to condemn some and to save others, and that this is the first decree of God. In order for that decree to be carried out, therefore God decreed that the first humans should sin and by their fall should entangle themselves and all their descendants in eternal destruction; this is, so to speak, the second decree of God. From that condemned mass of the entire human race God selected some by His absolute grace—that is, whomever He pleased—and ordained for them Christ as Mediator, the preaching of the Word, and faith, that through these means they might become partakers of salvation; this is, so to speak, the third decree of God. Finally, by the absolute hatred of God—that is, because that pleased Him—the remainder of the countless multitude was severed from salvation and from the means of salvation and contrariwise was predestined to sins and to the causes of their damnation; and this is, so to speak, the fourth decree of God. Sensible people will notdeny that this is the genuine meaning of those men.
1 See also On the Nature of God (1625 Exegesis, Commonplace II), §§ 137–49, especially § 141.
2 Among the rules governing “relations,” Micraelius states: “Related things are together both in nature and in recognition, so that when one is posited, the other is posited, too, and when one is recognized, the other is recognized too.” As an example of related things, Micraelius mentions “father” and “son” (Lexicon philosophicum, s.v. “Relatio”). Thus, upon learning that Isaac is a son, you know that there must be a father. The one implies the other. Here Gerhard is saying that since divine benefits as promises can be received only by faith, when the promises of divine benefits are mentioned, faith is implied.
3 The verb used here is substerno, literally, “to place under.” The idea is that God decides on the various decrees—of creation, permitting the fall, sending Christ, the means of salvation, and election—in a particular order. However, this order is a logical order, not a temporal order. The imagery of the order of particular divine decrees is that the first decrees are “above” and the later decrees are “below,” as though the logical order of God’s thoughts descended from heaven to earth or went down a list from top to bottom.