chuckd
Puritan Board Junior
It will be observed that Paul here adds an explanation of the end which the disclosure of this purpose served in the plan of God. The phrase 'the elective purpose of God' is explained in the following words: 'not of works but of Him that calleth'. This is equivalent to: 'not of works but of grace', the idea of 'calling' being with Paul an exponent of divine monergism. Revelation of the doctrine of election, therefore, serves the revelation of the doctrine of grace. God calls attention to His sovereign discrimination between man and man, to place the proper emphasis upon the truth, that His grace alone is the source of all spiritual good to be found in man. Election, consequently, is not according to Scripture a blind unreadable fate; it serves to the extent indicated an intelligible purpose. In this respect it differs from the fate of the pagans, which hangs, an impersonal mystery, even above the gods. The observation thus made is, of course, not capable of solving all the enigmas of the doctrine of election. There may be many other grounds of election, unknown and unknowable to us. But this one reason we do know, and in knowing it we at the same time know that, whatever other reasons exist, they can have nothing to do with any meritorious ethical condition of the objects of God's choice.
-Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology
I found this concept interesting. That there may be many reasons for electing Person A and Person B, but it has nothing to do with any meritorious ethical condition of that person. The latter concept is easy to understand, but not the former. Those grounds are unknown and unknowable.
-Geerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology
I found this concept interesting. That there may be many reasons for electing Person A and Person B, but it has nothing to do with any meritorious ethical condition of that person. The latter concept is easy to understand, but not the former. Those grounds are unknown and unknowable.
