Pr Joshua Yong

There are times when we may wonder why things unfold the way they do. The Bible tells us that behind the unfolding of all things is the sovereign purpose of God. This sovereign purpose concerns an aspect of God’s will known as God’s Decretive Will”. A “decree” is a mandate, an order, a command or an edict. When we talk about God’s decretive will, we are, therefore, describing the aspect of God’s will that concerns God’s eternal, unchangeable decree by which He has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass. Nothing is accidental. Nothing unfolds outside His eternal plan.

There are many aspects of God’s decretive will which we may consider. But we shall focus on Ephesians 1:4-6 that teach us the decretive will of God in relation to our salvation. These verses describe how our salvation is of the Lord and that God has chosen us to be His children in the Lord Jesus Christ before the foundation of the world. God predestined us unto the adoption of children, not because He saw anything good in us, but simply according to the good pleasure of His own will and for His glory.

1.  God’s Decretive Will is Eternal (v.4a)

The Bible in Ephesians 1:4 says, “According 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.”

God the Father has chosen us to be His children in Christ before the foundation of the world. God’s redemptive purposes were settled in eternity, before the world was created, and every detail had already been determined.

Knowing that God has chosen us before the foundation of the world tells us that we have been saved solely on the basis of God’s grace. This is the sovereignty of God in our salvation. We have done nothing that could be counted worthy or good for God to save us. God’s election of His children is not based on our works at all, but on God’s sovereign grace alone. For the believer, this is a very comforting truth because he knows that if God were to choose him based upon what He would do or how he behaved, then none would be found good enough to be God’s child. The only reason he is saved is because God chose to save him. This truth takes away all boasting and reminds him that his salvation rests not on his merit or decision, but on God’s sovereign grace.

To be chosen before the foundation of the world also shows us how much God loves us. God’s love for us is unconditional and eternal. God did not love us because we are lovely, but God loved us even while we were sinners and when we were dead in sin. This truth brings comfort to us when we feel discouraged, weak or unworthy. God’s love for us was never based on how lovable we are, but on His own unchanging nature.

This world is ever-changing and uncertain, but God’s sovereign purposes have been determined before the foundation of the world and are thus not affected by all the changes in life and in this world. This reminds us of the security and certainty of salvation. Because God chose us before the foundation of the world, we can rest secure knowing our salvation is part of an eternal plan that will never fail. God’s unchanging purpose gives us great comfort and assurance. What God has begun, He will complete.

2.  God’s Decretive Will Unto Holiness and Adoption (v.4b-5)

Ephesians 1:4b-5 says – “…that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,”

These verses reveal to us the fruits and the results of God’s decretive will in our salvation.

The phrase “holy and without blame before him” refers not only to our position in Christ, which is our justification, but also to God’s work of sanctification, whereby we are increasingly conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Holiness is not optional – it is the purpose for which God has elected and chosen us. God’s decretive will is not only to save us from sin, but to conform us to the image of Christ.

God’s decretive will is unto holiness and it is also unto the “adoption of children”. God’s decretive will results in us becoming a part of God’s family.  In ancient times, adoption was a legal act that granted the adopted child full status, inheritance rights, and family identity. Paul used this term to express the wonderful truth that when God saved us, He also adopted us to be His children. We are not only saved from judgment, we are brought into God’s household as sons and daughters.

Being God’s sons and daughters is closely tied to living a holy and blameless life. God’s sovereignty does not negate human responsibility. Knowing that God’s decretive will is unto our holiness, we must now walk in a manner that is fitting to our identity and position as the children of God.

3.  God’s Decretive Will Brings Glory to God (v.6)

Verse 6 tells us that God’s work of election will work “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” This repeated refrain in Ephesians 1 (v.6, 12, 14) tells us that God’s ultimate purpose in election and salvation is for the display of the glory of God’s grace. God’s grace is Jesus Christ who died for the sins of the world. His grace is magnified when undeserving sinners are chosen, redeemed, and made His children. This is why the doctrine of election leads not to pride, but to praise. When we appreciate and understand what the grace of God has accomplished, knowing that this is a grace we don’t deserve, we must respond with praise. We will want to praise God for the glory of His grace.

When we think of God’s wonderful plan in salvation, there is so much to praise God for. In God’s decretive will, we see His wisdom, justice, goodness, love and mercy. Everything that God has decreed will always work together in God’s timing to fulfil His purposes.

Conclusion

When we reflect on the decretive will of God, we must see that we are not dealing with a cold, abstract and fatalistic doctrine. Instead, we are to meditate on the eternal love and wisdom of God that decreed our salvation before the foundation of the world. In God’s decretive will, we see that our security, our holiness and our position all rest not on ourselves, but on the eternal decree of a faithful and gracious God. This truth should humble us and remove all boasting. It should also assure us, reminding us that our salvation cannot fail. It should direct our lives, as it calls us to live as holy children of God, to the praise of the glory of God’s grace.