BIBLICAL CONCEPT: Summary of God’s eternity
past salvation activity for humanity
1. God’s carefully planned eternity past salvation activity happened in this order: Counsel, foreknowledge, predestination, calling and election.
2.
Counsel summary: In eternity past, the Triune God of the Bible carefully designed
a salvation plan guided by His foreknowledge and
included
human volition. This counsel (purpose, design) glorifies God and gives
confidence to Christians: Salvation, history and our inheritance are not
arbitrary but carefully planned.
3. Foreknowledge summary: From eternity past, God’s foreknowledge carefully planned our salvation. Human volitional choices were included in God’s sovereign foreknowledge. Predestination, calling and election flow from God’s foreknowledge: God was not arbitrary in His predestination, calling and election.
4. Predestination summary: Predestination is part of God’s careful plan from eternity past which flows from His foreknowledge and thus is not arbitrary but evangelistic and inclusive, volitional, insures history and is confidence building.
5. Calling summary: God’s call is part of His careful plan which insures that the Gospel will be preached and includes human volitional choices apart from works. God’s call encourages the living of the special Christian Way of Life.
6 Election summary: Election is the climax of God’s carefully planned Eternity past salvation activity: Election follows God’s foreknowledge, predestination and calling. Election takes into account human volitional responsibility regarding Gospel, faith and Christian Way of Life. Election concerns Christian encouragement, security and reward.