The London Baptist Confession on God's Decrees: LISTEN to SOUND THEOLOGY

Check out this chapter in the London Baptist Confession of 1689,

Chapter 3: Of God's Decree

1._____ God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of his own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass; yet so as thereby is God neither the author of sin nor hath fellowship with any therein; nor is violence offered to the will of the creature, nor yet is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established; in which appears his wisdom in disposing all things, and power and faithfulness in accomplishing his decree.
( Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 6:17; Romans 9:15, 18; James 1:13; 1 John 1:5; Acts 4:27, 28; John 19:11; Numbers 23:19; Ephesians 1:3-5 ) 2._____ Although God knoweth whatsoever may or can come to pass, upon all supposed conditions, yet hath he not decreed anything, because he foresaw it as future, or as that which would come to pass upon such conditions.
( Acts 15:18; Romans 9:11, 13, 16, 18 )
3._____ By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated, or foreordained to eternal life through Jesus Christ, to the praise of his glorious grace; others being left to act in their sin to their just condemnation, to the praise of his glorious justice.
( 1 Timothy 5:21; Matthew 25:34; Ephesians 1:5, 6; Romans 9:22, 23; Jude 4 )
4.______These angels and men thus predestinated and foreordained, are particularly and unchangeably designed, and their number so certain and definite, that it cannot be either increased or diminished.
( 2 Timothy 2:19; John 13:18 )
5._____ Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of his will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of his mere free grace and love, without any other thing in the creature as a condition or cause moving him thereunto.
( Ephesians 1:4, 9, 11; Romans 8:30; 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; Romans 9:13, 16; Ephesians 2:5, 12 )
6._____ As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so he hath, by the eternal and most free purpose of his will, foreordained all the means thereunto; wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ, are effectually called unto faith in Christ, by his Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified, and kept by his power through faith unto salvation; neither are any other redeemed by Christ, or effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.
( 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:9, 10; Romans 8:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:5; John 10:26; John 17:9; John 6:64 )
7._____ The doctrine of the high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending the will of God revealed in his Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election; so shall this doctrine afford matter of praise, reverence, and admiration of God, and of humility, diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.
( 1 Thessalonians 1:4, 5; 2 Peter 1:10; Ephesians 1:6; Romans 11:33; Romans 11:5, 6, 20; Luke 10:20 )

The Doctrine of Predestinarian Election is Encouragement to the Belief in the Gospel

The election of God's people is eternal (Eph 1:4) and personal (Acts 9:15).

God's people are suppose to respond to the gospel.  That is, shouldn't that motivate you to preach the gospel and also live worthy of the gospel if He also personally chose you to believe Him as a means for how you are right with God on the sole basis of the divine unified imputed merit of Christ alone?

Think on that!

Grace and peace unto you!

Luther on the Salvation and Free Will

Luther wrote,

"If any man ascribes anything of salvation, even the very least thing, to the free will of man, he knows nothing of grace, and he has not learned Jesus Christ rightly."

Scriptural Support for Absolute Predestination

Predestination is described as God's purpose (Rm 8:28), prepared beforehand (Rm 9:23), foreordaination (Acts 2:23), God's foreknowing them (Rm 8:29), ordained of God (Acts 13:48), appointed to eternal life (Acts 22:10), determined (Lk 22:22), foreseeing justification because of God's sovereign choice (Gal 3:8; Rm 9:11) and before time began (2 Tm 1:9).

Predestination is determined by God's counsel (Acts 2:23), foreknowledge through predestination (Acts 2:23), good pleasure (Lk 12:32; 1 Cor 1:21), the plan of God and His good pleasure (Eph 1:5, 9, 11), the purpose of God (Eph 3:11) and the power of God (Is. 40:10-17; Rm 9:15-24).

Predestination is God's salvational choice (Is. 43:10) to cause "believing ones" (Jn 3:16) by His all-availing and all-prevailing choice alone not man's choice (Jn 1:13), because He chose them  without foreseeing their faith but upon His awesome mercy (Rm 9:11).  He elected us (Eph 1:4) to salvation (2 Thes 2:13-14) in justification by faith alone (Rm 8:30; Rm 4) to sanctification (2 Thes 2:12, 13), glorification as a knowing "child of God" and future perfection in glory (Rm 8:30).  Predestination is God's choice for our eternal and everlasting destiny before time began or the creation of the world (Mt 25:34).  He also foreordains all things down to the lest to the greatest detail (Eph 1:11).  That is, He holds all of mankind's wills in His Hand and He does what He pleases in heaven and earth (Ps 135:6).

It means spiritual salvation is completely free in God's mercy through His divine Son in His all-atoning sacrifice for the sin of God's people in their behalf.  We do not need to add to His mercy man's free will nor any kind of works of satisfaction.  Those who add things to God's free mercy do not properly understand the divine Scriptures nor the power of God in Christ Jesus.

Spurgeon on "Free Will"

Spurgeon wrote,

Free-will doctrine – what does it? It magnifies man into God; it declares God’s purposes a nullity, since they cannot be carried out unless men are willing. It makes God’s will a waiting servant to the will of man, and the whole covenant of grace dependent upon human action. Denying election on the ground of injustice it holds God to be a debtor to sinners, so that if He gives grace to one He is bound to do so to all. It teaches that the blood of Christ was shed equally for all men and since some are lost, this doctrine ascribes the difference to man’s own will, thus making the atonement itself a powerless thing until the will of man gives it efficacy. Those sentiments dilute the scriptural description of man’s depravity, and by imputing strength to fallen humanity, rob the Spirit of the glory of His effectual grace: this theory says in effect that it is of him that willeth, and of him that runneth, and not of God that showeth mercy. (A Jealous God, Sermon 502, March 29, 1863).