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God's Electing Love in the Context of Redemption

God's electing love in redemption refers to the divine initiative by which God, before the foundation of the world, chose individuals for salvation and accomplished their deliverance through Christ's atoning work. This doctrine intertwines two central biblical themes: election (God's sovereign choice) and redemption (the purchase-back of what was lost through sin).

Biblical Foundation

The New Testament explicitly links election to God's love expressed in Christ. Ephesians 1:4 states that "He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love" [2]. This passage anchors election not in abstract sovereignty but in the context of union with Christ and God's loving purpose. The phrase "in love" can be read as modifying either what precedes (God's choice was made in love) or what follows (the goal is holiness lived out in love), but either reading situates election within the framework of divine affection rather than bare decree [11].

Paul reinforces this connection in 2 Thessalonians 2:13 and 1 Peter 1:2, where election is described as occurring "according to the foreknowledge of God" [1]. One Reformed commentary interprets "foreknowledge" here as "foreordaining love," inseparable from God's elective purpose and serving as both the origin and pattern of election [10]. This foreknowledge is not passive awareness but active, loving determination—God's choice flows from His character as love itself [6].

Redemption as the Means of Election's Fulfillment

Election finds its concrete expression in redemption. The term "redemption" (Greek apolutrosis) carries the consistent idea of a ransom paid to purchase back something lost [5]. Scripture presents redemption as accomplished "by the blood of Christ" [8], specifically through His self-offering as "an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood" [4]. One Presbyterian commentary notes that God's eternal foreordination of Christ's redeeming sacrifice demonstrates that "redemption was no afterthought, or remedy of an unforeseen evil, devised at the time of its arising" [9]. Rather, Christ was foreknown as the sacrificial Lamb from eternity, His willing participation integral to the divine plan [10].

The scope of redemption is comprehensive: deliverance from sin's bondage, the law's curse, the grave's power, and the present evil age [8]. This redemption is "in Him"—believers possess all spiritual blessings by virtue of union with Christ, "the Second Adam, the Restorer ordained for us from everlasting, the Head of redeemed humanity" [11, 14]. The kinsman-redeemer motif from Leviticus 25:48 provides the typological background: because no person could redeem himself from bondage, the Son of God became the Son of man to act as our kinsman-redeemer [14].

The Character of Electing Love

God's love in election is described across Scripture with specific attributes. It is sovereign, not contingent on human merit: "irrespective of merit," as Deuteronomy 7:7-8 and Job 7:17 indicate [6]. It is also everlasting (Jeremiah 31:3), unfailing (Isaiah 49:15-16), and unalienable (Romans 8:39) [6]. This love is "manifested towards perishing sinners" and "His saints" alike [6], demonstrating both the initiating grace that brings the elect to faith and the sustaining affection that keeps them.

The doctrine of a remnant "according to God's gracious choice" [3] illustrates how election operates within redemptive history. One Baptist commentary describes the elect as "a select number, a special people, whom he has loved with an everlasting love, so as of his own sovereign good will and pleasure to choose in his Son Jesus Christ unto everlasting life" [13]. This language emphasizes both the particularity of election and its grounding in God's eternal love rather than human worthiness.

Interpretive Tensions

One Wesleyan commentary offers a different reading of Ephesians 1:4, suggesting the passage refers not to individual predestination but to God's decree "from the beginning of the world" to include Gentiles in salvation, countering Jewish exclusivism [12]. This interpretation reflects broader theological differences about whether election primarily concerns individuals or corporate groups and their inclusion in the covenant community.

The doctrine remains, as one source acknowledges, among the "secret things" of God, beset with difficulties [7]. Yet the revealed pattern is consistent: God's electing love precedes human response, finds its expression in Christ's redemptive sacrifice, and aims at the holiness and blamelessness of those chosen [2, 11].

Sources

  1. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Election of Grace — The Scripture speaks (1) of the election of individuals to office or to honour and privilege, e.g., Abraham, Jacob, Saul, David, Solomon, were all chosen by God for the positions they held; so also were the apostles. (2) There is also an election of nations to special privileges, e.g., the Hebrews (Deut. 7:6; Rom. 9:4). (3) But in addition there is an election of individuals to eternal life (2 Thess. 2:13; Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:2; John 13:18). The ground of this election to salvation is the good pleasure of God (Eph. 1:5, 11; Matt. 11:25, 26; John 15”
  2. Ephesians “Ephesians 1:4 (BSB) — For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love”
  3. Romans “Romans 11:5 (NASB) — In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice.”
  4. Romans “whom God sent to be an atoning sacrifice, through faith in his blood, for a demonstration of his righteousness through the passing over of prior sins, in God’s forbearance; -- Romans 3:25”
  5. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Redemption — The purchase back of something that had been lost, by the payment of a ransom. The Greek word so rendered is apolutrosis, a word occurring nine times in Scripture, and always with the idea of a ransom or price paid, i.e., redemption by a lutron (see Matt. 20:28; Mark 10:45). There are instances in the LXX. Version of the Old Testament of the use of lutron in man's relation to man (Lev. 19:20; 25:51; Ex. 21:30; Num. 35:31, 32; Isa. 45:13; Prov. 6:35), and in the same sense of man's relation to God (Num. 3:49; 18:15). There are many passages in the New Tes”
  6. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love of God, The — Is a part of his character -- 2Co 13:11; 1Jo 4:8. Christ, the especial object of -- Joh 15:9; 17:26. Christ abides in -- Joh 15:10. Described as Sovereign. -- De 7:8; 10:15. Great. -- Eph 2:4. Abiding. -- Zep 3:17. Unfailing. -- Isa 49:15,16. Unalienable. -- Ro 8:39. Constraining. -- Ho 11:4. Everlasting. -- Jer 31:3. Irrespective of merit -- De 7:7; Job 7:17. Manifested towards Perishing sinners. -- Joh 3:16; Tit 3:4. His saints. -- Joh 16:27; 17:23; 2Th 2:16; 1Jo 4:16. The destitute. -- De 10:18. The cheerful giver. -- 2Co 9:7. Exhibited in The g”
  7. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Predestination — This word is properly used only with reference to God's plan or purpose of salvation. The Greek word rendered "predestinate" is found only in these six passages, Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29, 30; 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:5, 11; and in all of them it has the same meaning. They teach that the eternal, sovereign, immutable, and unconditional decree or "determinate purpose" of God governs all events. This doctrine of predestination or election is beset with many difficulties. It belongs to the "secret things" of God. But if we take the revealed word of God as our guid”
  8. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Redemption — Defined -- 1Co 6:20; 7:23. Is of God -- Isa 44:21-23; 43:1; Lu 1:68. Is by Christ -- Mt 20:28; Ga 3:13. Is by the blood of Christ -- Ac 20:28; Heb 9:12; 1Pe 1:19; Re 5:9. Christ sent to effect -- Ga 4:4,5. Christ is made, to us -- 1Co 1:30. Is from The bondage of the law. -- Ga 4:5. The curse of the law. -- Ga 3:13. The power of sin. -- Ro 6:18,22. The power of the grave. -- Ps 49:15. All troubles. -- Ps 25:22. All iniquity. -- Ps 130:8; Tit 2:14. All evil. -- Ge 48:16. The present evil world. -- Ga 1:4. Vain conversation. -- 1Pe 1:18. Enemies. -- Ps 106”
  9. 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 1:20: God's eternal foreordination of Christ's redeeming sacrifice, and completion of it in these last times for us, are an additional obligation on us to our maintaining a holy walk, considering how great things have been thus done for us. Peter's language in the history corresponds with this here: an undesigned coincidence and mark of genuineness. Redemption was no afterthought, or remedy of an unforeseen evil, devised at the time of its arising. God's foreordaining of the Redeemer refutes the slander that, on the Christian theory, there is a period of fo”
  10. 1 Peter (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 Peter 1:2: foreknowledge--foreordaining love (Pe1 1:20), inseparable from God's foreknowledge, the origin from which, and pattern according to which, election takes place. Act 2:23, and Rom 11:2, prove "foreknowledge" to be foreordination. God's foreknowledge is not the perception of any ground of action out of Himself; still in it liberty is comprehended, and all absolute constraint debarred [ANSELM in STEIGER]. For so the Son of God was "foreknown" (so the Greek for "foreordained," Pe1 1:20) to be the sacrificial Lamb, not against, or without His will, but His ”
  11. Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 1:4: hath chosen us--Greek, "chose us out for Himself" (namely, out of the world, Gal 1:4): referring to His original choice, spoken of as past. in him--The repetition of the idea, "in Christ" (Eph 1:3), implies the paramount importance of the truth that it is in Him, and by virtue of union to Him, the Second Adam, the Restorer ordained for us from everlasting, the Head of redeemed humanity, believers have all their blessings (Eph 3:11). before the foundation of the world--This assumes the eternity of the Son of God (Joh 17:5, Joh 17:24), as of the el”
  12. Ephesians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Ephesians 1:4: According as he hath chosen us in him - As he has decreed from the beginning of the world, and has kept in view from the commencement of the religious system of the Jews, (which the phrase sometimes means), to bring us Gentiles to the knowledge of this glorious state of salvation by Christ Jesus. The Jews considered themselves an elect or chosen people, and wished to monopolize the whole of the Divine love and beneficence. The apostle here shows that God had the Gentiles as much in the contemplation of his mercy and goodness as he had the Jews; and the blessings o”
  13. Luke (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Luke 18:7: And shall not God avenge his own elect,.... Who are a select number, a special people, whom he has loved with an everlasting love, so as of his own sovereign good will and pleasure to choose in his Son Jesus Christ unto everlasting life and salvation, through certain ways and means of his own appointing, hence they are peculiarly his: and these he will avenge and vindicate, right their wrongs, do them justice, and deliver them from their adversaries, and take vengeance on them; as may be concluded from his hatred of sin, his justice, and his holiness, from his promises,”
  14. Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 1:7: In whom--"the Beloved" (Eph 1:6; Rom 3:24). we have--as a present possession. redemption--Greek, "our (literally, 'the') redemption"; THE redemption which is the grand subject of all revelation, and especially of the New Testament (Rom 3:24), namely, from the power, guilt, and penal consequences of sin (Mat 1:21). If a man were unable to redeem himself from being a bond-servant, his kinsman might redeem him (Lev 25:48). Hence, antitypically the Son of God became the Son of man, that as our kinsman He might redeem us (Mat 20:28). Another "redempti”
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