1 Th. 1:4
Brethren Beloved of God
Pastor Martin expounds 1 Thessalonians 1:4, focusing on the phrase "brethren beloved of God." He argues that God's redemptive love is a special, distinguishing love directed specifically toward His elect people, not a general benevolence to all humanity. Martin establishes this by illustrating different kinds of love in human experience and in the lives of Christ and the Father, then demonstrates how election and distinguishing love are inseparably joined in Scripture. He applies this doctrine to believers as a source of deep humility, comfort, and assurance, and to unbelievers as a call to conviction and repentance, emphasizing that outside of Christ, God's wrath abides.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 10 sections · 51 min
- The Value of Microscopic Study of Scripture 0:02
- Introduction to 'Beloved of God' and its Exclusivity 3:25
- The Problem with a General View of God's Love 7:32
- Establishing Distinguishing Love in Scripture: Human and Divine Examples 9:00
- Further Evidence of God's Distinguishing Love 16:32
- Distinguishing Love Inseparably Joined to Election 22:04
- Election and Love in the Church 28:45
- The Nature of God's Special Redemptive Love 33:55
- Practical Use for the Saint: Humility, Comfort, and Assurance 37:37
- Practical Use for the Sinner: Conviction and Repentance 44:15
Key Quotes
“If we're simply skipping over the top and maybe even covering great sections of the Word of God and never coming to a grasp with the detail and with the richness of individual words, it's doubtful. Yet we shall have any real heart knowledge of the substance of biblical truth.”
“Therefore, we conclude that in some special way, only the people of God, are beloved of God in this special way. And, blessed be His name, all the people of God with all their weakness and all their failure and problems are beloved of God.”
“The idea that because God is love he has an identical affection to all men irrespective of their condition is an unscriptural concept whatever John 3.16 teaches.”
“Well, you mean the only cause is that God chose to set his love upon them precisely it's the only reason he gives”
“His general love to the world makes possible the salvation of all his peculiar love to his own makes certain the salvation of some”
“I know of nothing so humbling to the pride of the human heart than to realize that God set his love upon me not because he foresaw what I would be not because he saw something in me that distinguished me from others but he set his love upon me according to the good pleasure of his will”
“I'd remind you today that John 3.16 is in the past tense God so loved past tense the world that he gave his son his love has been expressed in a general sense to the world in providing a savior but what is his present tense attitude to men who are in unbelief listen to the scripture the wrath of God abideth right now on him that believeth not John 3.36”
“the circle of God's love outside of Christ the talk of the love of God is unscriptural nonsense to think of a love of God that is separated from Christ is unscriptural nonsense”
Applications
All listeners
- Memorize 1 Thessalonians and engage in microscopic study of Scripture for deeper understanding.
- Remember what you are (elect and beloved of God) to be armed with powerful motives for humility and obedience to God's will.
- Cultivate deep humiliation in your heart, recognizing that God chose you solely out of His sovereign love, not because of anything in you.
- Find comfort and assurance in your identity as beloved and chosen of God, knowing that nothing can separate you from His eternal love.
- Recognize that a general concept of God's love without Christ is a false security; God's wrath abides on those in unbelief.
- Allow God's goodness and mercy, which withhold immediate judgment, to lead you to repentance, not to complacency.
- Be convicted by the truth that God's love is inseparably joined to Christ; outside of Christ, there is no saving love.
- Come to Jesus Christ, the great shepherd, recognizing your need for His righteousness and salvation, repenting and believing.
- Revel in God's love and let it produce in your heart a love for Him that leads to obedience, service, extolling Him, and bearing witness to others.
A full transcript is available on the tab. 107 paragraphs, roughly 51 minutes.
The Value of Microscopic Study of Scripture
1 Thessalonians chapter 1.
I trust that many of you, perhaps even unconsciously, are memorizing 1 Thessalonians. We're going through at a rate that should not make that an unreasonable task. And I trust we're going through with sufficient detail and review that really there's little excuse for us not memorizing as we go along at this particular rate. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing if at the end of X time, however much time it takes us to get through the book, the majority of you would be able to recite from memory 1 Thessalonians.
With a little work you should be able to and be able to know the meaning of these tremendous thoughts and truths that God has conveyed to us. One of God's honored servants has said that generally speaking a microscopic study of a particular section of the Word of God is more profitable than a sweeping overview because in any microscopic study of any section of the Word of God, sooner or later you will touch upon almost every major doctrine of the Word of God and this then will become a key to unlock many other sections. It's the difference, you see, between the man who's an amateur astronomer and never does anything but take maybe a 30-power telescope and sweep the heavens
and gets a general idea of all the constellations and the rest and the man who takes time to learn how to train his eye to look at those things that the novice, the novice never sees. The first time I saw a galaxy other than our own, I was up at Camp Susquehanna and there was a college student there last year and sometime at 12 or 1 o'clock in the morning he zeroed in on a particular galaxy and he was all excited. He said, look at this, look at this. This is M14 or some other galaxy.
And I looked and looked and I just couldn't see it. But he was all excited. For you see, his eye had been trained to look at the detail and to understand the detail so that then he had, as it were, a key that could unlock many of the other mysteries of the heavenly bodies. But you see, my eye was not trained.
I only saw in the big overview and I could not then even appreciate what was there because of my lack of training in this area. Well, this is true with the scriptures. If we're simply skipping over the top and maybe even covering great sections of the Word of God and never coming to a grasp with the detail and with the richness of individual words, it's doubtful. Yet we shall have any real heart knowledge of the substance of biblical truth.
And I'm saying this not as a justification of the slow rate with which we're going through the book, but I trust more as an explanation as to why we are going through at this particular pace. We are considering what might be called Paul's paragraph of praise and thanksgiving to God for the Thessalonian Christians, beginning with verse 2 and going down through to the end of the chapter, chapter verse 10. He says in verse 2, We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers. And as he gives thanks, he does so, verse 3, remembering certain things, and verse 4, knowing certain things.
Introduction to 'Beloved of God' and its Exclusivity
The things which he remembered, we have studied. Their labor of love, patience,
work of faith, I have them backwards. And the thing which he knows in verse 4, as we've considered last week, is, number 1, their election, knowing brethren, your election, and secondly, he knows that they are beloved of God. Now the Lord willing, next week we, or the next time we study this, next week will be our membership Sunday, we will be considering how he knew that they were beloved of God and how he knew they were the elect of God, but our attention is being focused upon these two little phrases, knowing brethren beloved of God, which is the better translation, knowing brethren beloved of God, your election.
We studied what Paul meant by your election. The fact that Paul was convinced that these people were the particular objects of the sovereign choice of God to be the benefactors of redeeming grace. And Paul did not treat the doctrine of election like contraband goods to be held under the counter and only sneaked out if somebody came and asked for it. Writing to infant Christians, he takes this glorious doctrine and as it were spreads it out at the very threshold of Christian truth, wanting these new Christians to trace all of their blessings back to their fountainhead in the sovereign purpose of God
to draw them to himself. Now this morning we want to study the little phrase, brethren beloved of God. Just as other certain words become particular words, words to describe the children of God, so this little phrase, beloved of God, is a description of the people of God and belongs to no one else. The word holy or saints became a term applied to the people of God and was never used of anyone else.
And as you read the New Testament letters, you find phrases like this in Romans 1 in verse 7, to all that be at Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints, saints. You see the word saint and the word beloved of God are two particular descriptions of the people of God at Rome. In Colossians 3.12, the apostle says, put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved.
There are three terms used only of the people of God, elect, holy and beloved. He uses these words in a similar way in 2 Thessalonians 2 and verse 13, where he says, he speaks of the people of God as beloved of God. Now, what conclusion do we draw from this? Well, the very obvious conclusion that if a particular people are given a particular title and no one else is given that title, well, that title applies only to them and must signify something that is true of them, but true of no one else.
So, if the people of God are called holy ones, then it indicates that no one but a child of God in any sense is a holy man. But, in a real sense, everyone who is a child of God is a holy man or a holy woman. Therefore, the word saint becomes a particular title for those who are born of the Spirit of God. Now, the same way with the phrase beloved of God.
It is used only of those who stand in a state of grace. Therefore, we conclude that in some special way, only the people of God, are beloved of God in this special way. And, blessed be His name, all the people of God with all their weakness and all their failure and problems are beloved of God. That's the obvious conclusion that one would draw from looking up in a concordance, as I have done, the little phrase beloved of God.
The Problem with a General View of God's Love
Now, this conclusion immediately poses a problem to many of us, particularly in our generation. For we have, most of us, and when I say us, I am including myself, for years, thought of God's love simply as a general attitude of goodwill and benevolence to all men without any distinction or without any varying degrees that God loved all men in the same way and that to question that was, in essence, to question the truth of the Bible. John 3.16 has become not only the basic word of our God, gospel proclamation, but the basic framework of our theological understanding.
Now, my objective this morning is this, to seek to demonstrate from the scriptures that God's redemptive love is a special kind of love to a special group of people which attains special ends and objectives. That when Paul could write to the Thessalonians and say, knowing brethren, beloved of God, that he was calling those Christians at Thessalonica beloved of God in a sense that they were the objects of a particular redemptive love of God in a way that others were not. Now, that's my objective. How am I going to seek to obtain that objective?
Establishing Distinguishing Love in Scripture: Human and Divine Examples
In a two-fold way. Number one, first of all, I want to establish the fact and have you look up a number of scriptures with me to see that there is a distinguishing love taught in the Bible in a general way. By distinguishing, I mean a love that makes differences. And then secondly, to establish that this distinguishing love that God has to his own people is the love that is inseparably joined to his electing purposes.
So that's how I am going to attempt to gain my objective. Now, first of all then, can we establish the fact that there is, in the scriptures, a clear indication of a different kind of love that God has in different relationships? First of all, illustrate it from human experience. Suppose I were to say to you in the course of a half an hour's conversation, I love the color red.
It's sort of a joke around here that I'm prejudiced to the color red. When we redecorated the other place we met in there, I got a lot of jest about loving the color red. And when we made this little platform, well, we just had to have red carpet. And so I can say, without any reservation, I love the color red.
Now we then might move to the subject of food, and I might say, I love filet mignon. I don't court it very often, but once in a while, I'm invited out to eat and told I can order anything I want without any reservation. And if that's on the menu, why, I'm sure to take that. So I might tell you that I love filet mignon.
And that's not fish, is it? A friend of ours from Canada said that. It was a riot. We were sitting at a place to eat.
And he said, I know that's some kind of fish, but what kind is it? No, it's not fish. It's a rare, excellent piece of beef. Well, then I might move in my conversation to talk about Camp Susquehanna and say, I just love the mountains there.
And in the course of conversation, I might talk about how I miss my wife and say, I love my wife. And then in the course of conversation, we might be discussing our Lord, and I might say, I love my Savior. Now, in the course of a half an hour, I've said, I love the color red. I love steak.
I love mountains. I love my wife. I love my Savior. All the way from the color red to my Savior.
Now, it's obvious to you, and you understand this when I communicate to you, that the love which I have to the color red is qualitatively different from the love that I have to my Savior. For the love that I have to my wife. You would never put the same meaning on the word love when I say, I love my Savior. I love the color red.
Now, I do have an attachment an affinity to a feeling of complacency toward the color red. That's obvious.
But you would not put the same meaning on that word when I say, I love my Savior. I would never die for the color red. I would never bear reproach for the color red. I would never give of my substance and of my time and of my energies and if necessary of my blood for the color red.
But by the grace of God, I would do that for my Savior. So you see, even in human conversation, there are degrees of love. There are different kinds of love and we see this taught in the Scripture. First of all, consider that in the Lord Jesus, there were different kinds of love expressed to different people.
It is said that when our Lord looked upon the young ruler in Mark 10, 21 and beholding him, he loved him. Well, that means our Lord felt something toward him when he looked upon him that he did not feel toward him prior to love him. That's why he loved him prior to love him. And he felt something to him that he didn't feel to the other men that were walking around or else language loses its meaning.
If our Lord had the same affection to every young man in that area, then it's absolutely foolish that Mark should say and looking upon him, he loved him. You see, that was a distinguishing love, a particular kind of love directed to a particular person. Then we read in John 11 and in verse 5, statements that I'm sure are familiar to many of us, but I think they will help to get our minds thinking in terms of a distinguishing love. Now, Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
Now, if the love he had to them is the same love he had to all men, then John is telling us something that makes no sense whatsoever. Why tell us that he loves Martha and her sister, that was Mary and Lazarus, unless Jesus loved in a special way Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Turning to chapter 13 of John, you have a similar passage. 13 in verse 1, Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come, that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, now notice, having loved his own, which were in the world, separating his own from the world in general,
a love which is directed to his own in particular, having loved his own, which were in the world, he loved them, excluding others, with this kind of love. Whatever love he had to others, this kind of love was directed to a certain group, and he loved them unto the end. And then you see this in Revelation chapter 3, verses 9 and 19, many other passages. In fact, I went through every usage of the word love and beloved in the New Testament, and out of several dozens of references, I had to select a few that were most, I felt, helpful.
So this is by no means an exhaustive list, it is simply a suggestive list. Revelation 3 in verse 9, The Lord Jesus is speaking as he gives these prophetic utterances to John to send to the seven churches. Behold, Revelation 3, 9, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie. Revelation 3, 9, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie.
Behold, I will make them, that's one group of people, come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. You see, he says, I'm going to do something to convince men that I have a particular love for you as my particular people. And then in verse 19, you have the similar thing. Our Lord is speaking these words to the church at Laodicea, and he says in verse 19, As many as I love, limiting, you see, those whom he loves with this kind of love, whatever it is, as many as I love, setting off a group, those that he loves, I rebuke and I chasten.
Does he rebuke and chasten all as his sons? We shall see a little bit later. No. Therefore he has a peculiar love to, then of course it speaks of John as the disciple whom Jesus loved.
Now what do all of these references in the life of our Lord tell us? They tell us that our Lord had different kinds of love. He loved a different people. They tell us at least that much.
And that's the only conclusion that I want us to draw at this point. Now is this true of the Father? Does the Scripture attribute to the Father a different kind of love to different individuals or groups of people? Yes.
Further Evidence of God's Distinguishing Love
The Scripture says that the Father has a special love to his Son. In John 3 and in verse 35 we read, For the Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hand. The Father has a special love for his Son which has moved him to give to him as the mediator all things. The Father loveth the Son and hath given all things into his hand.
In John 10 in verse 17 you find a similar reference where our Lord says, Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life that I may take it again. Here is a special love because of the self-sacrifice of Christ. My Father, he says, has a peculiar love to me in the light of my willingness to lay down my life and to take it up again. Then the Scripture teaches that the Father not only has a peculiar love to his Son but he has a special love to his people.
John 17 and verse 23. John 17 verse 23. Our Lord is praying in his high priestly prayer and this is his petition. I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one that the world may know the world is one group those for whom he prays is another group are another group that they may be one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them my people as thou hast loved me.
His prayer is that the world may recognize that the Father has a special love to his people. That's his petition. And then of course in John 14 you have a number of references. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them he is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be what?
Loved of my Father and I will love him. Wait a minute. Doesn't he already love me? Ah, but he says I'll have a special kind of love to those who obey me.
I will love him. Future tense. And manifest myself to him. Now I don't want to multiply verses but I want to give you enough to let you know that this is not some kind of a truth that is hidden off in a corner that there is in a general sense a distinguishing love of God revealed in Christ's own life to others revealed in the Father's love to the Son revealed in the Father's special love to his people.
In Romans 9 in verse 14 we read Jacob have I loved Esau have I hated and if we take the word hate and give it its weakest translation and translate it this way Jacob have I loved Esau have I loved less you still come up with the fact that there is a distinguishing love. The weakest translation anyone will give to the word hate is love less. Jacob have I loved but Esau have I loved less. You see there is a distinguishing in the love of God.
An affection displayed to Jacob that was not displayed to Esau. And this is the plain statement on the face of scripture. Then in 2 Corinthians 9 7 it says that we should give not grudgingly nor of necessity but cheerfully. Why?
For God loveth a cheerful giver. You see God had a special love for some of you this morning when you put your money on the plate. That he didn't have for some of the others of you. Because some of you gave grudgingly.
Now I sure could have used that extra ten on my vacation. But I'll give it anyway. God might spank me if I don't. So you gave grudgingly.
God didn't love you as a giver. But those of you gave with the attitude bless God that I have life and breath and all that he's given me. Lord what a joy to give you my portion. God loved some of you in a way he didn't love others of you.
As the offering plate was passed this morning. You see God has a distinguishing love directed towards certain people in different circumstances. He loves a cheerful giver clearly teaching us that he doesn't have a special love to the non cheerful giver. And then in Hebrews 12 and verse 6 where the scripture tells us that whom the Lord loves he chases and scourges every son whom he receives.
There's the special love for his sons which leads him to chasten them. Then he says if ye are without chastisement then are ye not sons. Indicating that not everyone is chastened of the Lord. It's only those that he loves that are chastened of him.
Well there's a difference made. Some that he loves he chastens. Others that he doesn't love with that special love and he doesn't chasten them and they're not his sons. The writer to Hebrews says they're illegitimate ones.
Now do you get the feeling the drift of all of these passages. They teach and establish the fact that there is a distinguishing love of God. There is a separating or a marking off by differences in the love which God has to different kinds of people in different situations. The idea that because God is love he has an identical affection to all men irrespective of their condition is an unscriptural concept whatever John 3.16 teaches.
Distinguishing Love Inseparably Joined to Election
And it does teach something wonderful and we hope to come to that. God so loved the world whatever that love is that he has to the world in general. Beloved let us not run into the face of a hundred other scriptures which teach that there is a distinguishing in the love of God. Alright now having I trust established the fact that there is in general a distinguishing love I want to in the second place this morning establish that there is a distinguishing love of God to his own elect people.
For notice in our text these are the two things that Paul joins together. Knowing brethren beloved of God your election. You see Paul joined together these two thoughts the special objects of the love of God and the special objects of the electing purpose of God. These two are joined in our text and they are joined in the biblical concept throughout the entire breadth of scripture.
Will you turn with me to what I feel are the two key passages in the Old Testament which teach in the history of God's people Israel this tremendous truth that the distinguishing love which God has to his chosen people these two things are joined together. Election and distinguishing love inseparably joined. Deuteronomy chapter 7 if you will please Deuteronomy chapter 7 and then we shall look at another passage in Deuteronomy chapter 10. Deuteronomy chapter 7 the context is clear
God is exhorting his people to obedience promising if they obey blessing will come if they disobey a curse will come and now he is trying to give them motives for their obedience and he tells them in verse 6 for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all the people that are upon the face of the earth here is all the nations God says I set my choice upon you now notice verse 7 the Lord did not set his love upon you nor choose you you see the two thoughts that are joined together
set his love upon you and choose you distinguishing love and particular election inseparably joined the Lord did not set his love upon you nor choose you because ye were more in number than any people for ye were the fewest of all people but because the Lord loves you well that is kind of circuitous reasoning you know what circuitous reasoning is when you start reasoning here when someone says why do you believe that you say well I believe that because of this why do you believe that because of this why that and you go back to where you were they accuse us of who try to prove everything from scripture they say you believe the Bible is the word of God because the Bible says it's the word of God that's arguing in a circle well you see
you've got to start your argument from somewhere you've either got to start by assuming that your mind is the final arbiter of truth or you've got to assume that the word of God is the final arbiter of truth you've got to start somewhere if you're going to reason at all you've got to plant your guns on some battlement somewhere so this looks like circular reasoning now what's the trend of thought as God is trying to humble Israel to move her with motives to obey him he says now look God's chosen you to be a special people above all peoples and he didn't do it because you were greater because you were more in number but he loved you and he chose you for one reason he loved you well you mean the only cause is that God chose to set his love upon them precisely it's the only reason he gives
but because the Lord loved you He chose you because you were greater because you were more in number but because the Lord loved you for one reason He loves you you. It's the only reason he gets. And because he loved Israel, he chose her for a particular purpose. So you see the concept that distinguishing love and sovereign election are joined together.
Turn to chapter 10 of Deuteronomy, and you'll see precisely the same thing. Deuteronomy chapter 10, verses 14 to 16. And here again we have an exhortation to obedience. Verse 12, Now Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear him, to walk in his ways? Now he's trying to give them motives to prompt them to obedience. And listen to
the motive, beginning with verse 14. Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord thy God, and the earth also, with all that therein is. Only the Lord God hath a delight in thy fathers to love them, and to choose their seed after them, even though even you above all people, as it is this day. Oh, he says, Israel, be humbled and be brought to a place of obedience, as you behold the distinguishing love of God, which was joined to the particular election of God. He loved you, and he chose their seed after them. And
so you see this whole concept of God's distinguishing love and his particular election are joined together. In the whole history of Israel, so that when Paul is treating of God's dealings with Israel, he says in Romans 11, that New Testament passage which is pivotal in understanding God's purpose for Israel, he says in Romans 11 and verse 28, the following words. Romans 11 and verse 28, As concerning the gospel, speaking of the Israelites, they are enemies for your sake.
But as touching the election, they are beloved for the Father's sake. You see the two things joined? As touching the election, as touching the sovereign purpose of God in choosing a nation to be the vehicle of redemption, they are beloved, beloved, elect, chosen together. And you will find that concept going all the way through God's dealings with Israel. Now,
Election and Love in the Church
what is God dealing with in this day? Is his primary focus of dealing with a national entity to set up above all the nations of the earth? No. God is not committed to the preservation of any nation in our generation except what his future purposes for the nation of Israel may be, but I'm speaking apart from that. But what is the focus of his concern? It's his church, that peculiar nation, that
called out body of his own. And how are they? How are they described in the scripture? Well, turn, please, to Colossians 3, and we shall see these two thoughts joined together again as we find them joined with God's dealings with Israel. Chapter 3 of Colossians. Now, again, Paul is exhorting to Christian duty.
And just as when Moses would exhort the Israelites to Christian duty, he sought to arm them with motives by reminding them that they were the objects of distinction between God and the nations of Israel. Notice how Paul does the same thing. Put on, therefore. He's given the doctrine. He's given the exhortation. Now he says, giving motives. Put on, therefore,
as the elect of God, holy and belonged. Vows of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, forbearing one another, etc. He says, now, if you'll remember what you are, this will arm you with motives. And if you'll remember what you are, this will arm you with motives. And if you'll
remember what you are, this will arm you with motives to be what you ought to be. You got that? Remember what you are, Paul says. And when you remember what you are, you'll be armed with the most powerful motives to be what you ought to be. Well, what am I? You're
beloved of God. You're the elect of God. Oh, you mean God set his love upon me? Why? Because
he set his love upon you, period. I'm being pressed down in humiliation that God in his sovereign grace and mercy should love me when he may have not. I'm being pressed down in humiliation that God in his sovereign grace and mercy should love me when he may have made up his bride, his church, out of many others. What does this do? It arms the child
of God with great motives for humility, leading to obedience to the will of God. Put on, therefore, as the elect of God and the beloved of God, election and being beloved join together. See again the same thought in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.
And verse 13. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren. Now how does he address them? Beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the spirit and belief of the truth. Now notice the two
thoughts join together again. We give thanks for you, beloved of the Lord, because God hath chosen you. The particular love of God and the particular election of God join together inseparably. And then, of course, the classic passage showing these two things join together, Ephesians chapter 1. And I hope we haven't gotten lost in the words. Having established the general principle
of the distinguishing in the love of God, we are now seeking to show that that particular love that Paul speaks of in 1 Thessalonians 1-4 is that peculiar love of God that is joined to the particular election of God. Ephesians chapter 1. And those of you who may have an RSV, and it's also in William Phillips, and I don't know what it is in your Berkeley. Several of you carry a Berkeley.
But in the most recent Greek Testaments, when they put the punctuation, they put it so that it reads this way. And the punctuation, when Paul wrote, wasn't there. So it's a matter of conjecture. But I'm just saying this to support the fact there is good evidence for this translation.
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and heavenly places in Christ according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him period capital I in love having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to our foreseen faith no according to our foreseen holiness no we're not chosen because of holiness or because of faith but he says chosen in order to be holy having predestinated us according to the good pleasure of his will why did he love us?
The Nature of God's Special Redemptive Love
because he chose to love us why did he choose to love us? because he chose to love us that's the only answer the good pleasure of his sovereign will and so we see in these passages which I've tried to bring to bear upon 1st Thessalonians 1-4 that when Paul wrote to those Thessalonians and said knowing brethren beloved of God your election he was not speaking of that general love of God which God has to all of his creatures our Lord speaks about it in Matthew 5 he sends his rain upon the just and the unjust Acts 14 in that he did good giving rain and sunshine filling our hearts with gladness
no he's speaking of that peculiar particular love the love of the shepherd to his sheep spoken of in John 10 where our Lord said the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep I lay down my life for the sheep other sheep I have I already have them they're mine them also I must bring it's the peculiar love of the shepherd for his sheep it's the special love of the bridegroom for his bride Ephesians chapter 5 Christ loved the church and gave himself to the church that he might sanctify the church and present the church to himself without spot
and without wrinkle you see that love with which the Thessalonians believers were loved was a distinguishing love it was a dying love it was a conquering love it's the love spoken of in Jeremiah 31 3 I have loved thee God says to the prophet and to Israel I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee that's a love that's eternal a love that is immutable a love that is efficacious therefore I have drawn thee it's the love that not only provides redemption but quickens the dead sinner as Paul says in Ephesians 2
verses 4 and 5 but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us believers hath quickened us you see this is a love that not only provides the means of quickening but actually quickens the sinner for his great love wherewith he loved us hath quickened us has God quickened all men you don't believe that do you anybody here believe God's quickened all sinners I hope we have no universalist here he's quickened some then Paul says for his great love wherewith he loved us hath quickened us this is a love that actually quickens the sinner this is a love that actually looses the sinner Revelation 1.5 unto him who loved us and loosed us from our sins in his own precious blood
and made us to be kings and priests unto God for you see God's general love to the world makes possible the salvation of all God so loved that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish the general love of God to the world has made an adequate provision to be presented to the world but his special love to his sheep to his church to use the term that Paul is not afraid to use his special love to his elect makes certain the salvation of some his general love to the world makes possible the salvation of all his peculiar love to his own makes certain
Practical Use for the Saint: Humility, Comfort, and Assurance
the salvation of some other sheep I have them also I must bring home all that the father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out well I'd like to go on and enlarge on the doctrine but I must hurriedly now seek in the third place this morning to establish the practical use of what practical use was it to write to these people at Thessalonica little babes in Christ you say shouldn't they be concerned with other more practical things than beloved of God election aren't those mysteries for the theologians apparently Paul didn't think so in fact someone said to me the other day and I thought it was clever and it's true they were straight on election
though they weren't straight on their eschatology he had to straighten them out on the second coming they'd got a little bit confused and some of them thought well boy if you're living when Christ comes you've got a notch or two above those that are dead so he said now I don't want to have you ignorant brethren concerning those that fall asleep he had to straighten them out on the second coming but he didn't have to straighten them out on election they were straight they knew that God saved them and God saved them on purpose and he saved them because he loved them with a special love we're bound to give thanks to you brethren that God has chosen you from the beginning this was a glorious truth now why of what practical use is the doctrine of God's particular love for his own well let me establish very briefly it's practical use for the saint of God for remember Paul was writing assuming
that the majority there were saints and he says knowing brethren beloved of God your election now what should that what effect should that have some young believer sitting there at Thessalonica and he listens to those words beloved of God God has a peculiar love to me in Christ he has a love that has set his affection upon me and he's chosen me what should this do it should have first of all its effect of producing deep humiliation in the heart of the saint of God that's why God spoke that way to Israel he said look there's nothing in you that moved me to choose you the moment Israel forgot that
she became decadent as a nation when she began to think God chose us because of something we were and no longer walked in humility recognizing God chose them simply because he loved them of his own sovereign choice she became proud and haughty and cocky and God had to allow judgment to come upon her again and again decadent Judaism comes to all its light in the incident of the man who stands in the temple and lifts up his face to heaven and says I thank thee I'm not like his other men why God it's obvious why you chose me why it's so clear to me and I hope it's clear to you God and if it isn't let me just clue you in God you did a wise thing when you chose me to be part of the family of Abraham I'm not like other men
isn't that what he was saying he was just reminding God he did a pretty wise thing when he chose him whereas the true sons of Abraham are like that publican who beat upon the breast and see nothing in themselves but sin but wonder of wonders they see nothing they see that there's grace available and he cries God be merciful to me a sinner I know of nothing so humbling to the pride of the human heart than to realize that God set his love upon me not because he foresaw what I would be not because he saw something in me that distinguished me from others but he set his love upon me according to the good pleasure of his will Paul wanted these saints
to walk in the grace of humility that virtue which is called by many theologians the crown of all virtues the basis of all other virtues and then it would be to the saints of God a basis of comfort and assurance remember these Christians were getting kicked around little babes in Christ and they were having to do some pretty tough fighting they were getting persecuted they were getting abused and that's why Paul sent Timothy to find out how they were and that's what prompted him to write the letter when he got a letter back saying in spite of the persecution they were going on with God's he wrote this letter what comfort does that bring why? I'm beloved of God I'm chosen of God if I've been on his heart from eternity as the object of his love
and as the subject of his electing purposes why I can look everybody in the face who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect it is God that justifies who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who even sitteth at the right hand of God who maketh intercession for us and you read the latter part of Romans 8 and it's charged through with this very concept who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect it is Christ that died yea rather that rose nothing shall separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord the recognition that he's loved me with a peculiar love for reasons known only to him will produce in the child of God
the basis of his comfort the straight deep roots of his assurance that God who started moving toward me in eternity will not cut me off in time nothing shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus oh the love that bought me oh the love that sought me oh the grace that brought me to the fold you've been singing that all your life that it was grace that sought you brought you and brought you into the fold and blessed be God it's grace that keeps us there my name from the palm of his hands eternity will not erase impressed on his heart
it remains in marks of indelible grace yes I to the end shall endure as sure as the earnest is given more happy but not more secure the glorified spirits in heaven the work which his goodness began the arm of his strength will complete his promises yea and amen and never has forfeited yet things future nor things that are now nor all things below or above can make him his purpose forego or sever my soul from his love beloved that's comfort solid comfort that God has a distinguishing love to me in Jesus Christ and then in closing
Practical Use for the Sinner: Conviction and Repentance
I want to mention the use of this doctrine to you who are not savingly joined to Christ I pray that you will be trusted or send an arrow of conviction to your heart it's my own deep seated conviction that the concept of a general redemptive love that God has no distinguishing in his love but loves all men in the same way has lulled this generation to seek internal security and men can abuse and defy the throne rights of Christ and say oh but God loves me when I get good and ready I can turn and nod and slip under the canopy of his love and say oh but God loves me when I get good and ready I can turn and nod and slip under the canopy of his love oh beloved I'd remind you today that John 3.16 is in the past tense
God so loved past tense the world that he gave his son his love has been expressed in a general sense to the world in providing a savior but what is his present tense attitude to men who are in unbelief listen to the scripture the wrath of God abideth right now on him that believeth not John 3.36 God in love made a provision for sinners and he bids sinners flee to Christ but if sinners do not flee don't think that the canopy of his love is above your head the scripture says the wrath of God abideth on him that believeth not
Psalm 5 verse 5 says thou hatest all workers of iniquity Psalm 7.11 God is angry with the wicked every day Romans 1.18 the wrath of God is revealed from heaven Ephesians 2 we are children of wrath by nature even as others and I submit that we will not see a generation tremble before the holy law of God until once again the church returns to her birthright of this concept that there is a distinguishing love to the people of God who are in Christ and unless I am in Christ I should stand with shock terror and horror that I am bared and breast to the wrath of a holy God
isn't that what John meant when he said flee the wrath of God the wrath to come that hangs over your head that death it will break upon you flee to Christ for mercy oh dear young person adult outside of Jesus Christ though God in his goodness and benevolence sends rain and food and provides you with many good things Romans 2.4 remember the whole aim of his goodness is to lead you to repent not to lead you to say oh well God loves me I don't have any affliction no calamity no no no his wrath hangs above your head in his mercy and his goodness he withholds his wrath and in the meantime showers his benefits upon you why?
to make you wake up to your folly that seeing a God who could judge you in this moment has withheld his judgment and his place has given mercy this should cause you to fall upon your face crying out God have mercy the goodness of God Paul says leads should lead to repentance and so dear friend outside of Christ this doctrine should cause conviction to your heart to recognize that the circle of God's love outside of Christ the talk of the love of God is unscriptural nonsense to think of a love of God that is separated from Christ is unscriptural nonsense God's sole love that he gave
his love is joined to the Savior that whoso what that whoso believeth the only comfort in John 3.16 is for a believer to draw comfort from a love that you think is just a general ooze of sentiment while you remain in impenitence and unbelief is to butcher the word of God and to bring your own soul into jeopardy but it not only should strike conviction for any of you who hear today this morning conscious that you're not in Christ oh what a glorious doctrine that Jesus laid down his life for his sheep who are his sheep those who see themselves in need of the great shepherd
who see themselves destitute of any righteousness who realize that only the righteousness purchased by the blood shedding of the great shepherd will do do you see yourself in that place no righteousness of your own no hope in yourself and the great shepherd stands and says come, come, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest I'll save you with an everlasting salvation that's a wonderful gospel to preach isn't it a gospel of the great shepherd who dies for his sheep who dies for his sheep who dies for his sheep who gathers his sheep who keeps his sheep will you be gathered today he says come he says repent he says believe he says come
may God grant that you may find a discovery of the love of God as you are in Christ Jesus and the only way sinners get in Christ Jesus is to repent and to believe may God grant that this doctrine shall have its desired effect upon sinner out of Christ and upon us who are in Christ Jesus and upon us who are his children beloved of God I didn't even get a chance to begin to try to expound the thought beloved of God but just meditate today on the infinite chasm between man and God and then if you can stretch infinity even more because it's not a chasm between God and man but between a holy God and sinful man
and what brings that infinite chasm beloved of God oh the love that drew salvation oh the grace that brought it down to man oh the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary brethren beloved of God may we revel in his love and may that love produce in our hearts such a love for him that we shall obey him serve him extol him bear witness to him that others may know of that love and find refuge under the canopy of the love of God that is in Christ Jesus
let us pray
This transcript was generated by automated speech recognition and may contain errors. It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
This verse, specifically the phrase 'knowing brethren beloved of God, your election,' is the central text from which the sermon's main argument about distinguishing love and election is drawn.
This Old Testament passage is expounded as a foundational text demonstrating the inseparable joining of God's distinguishing love and His sovereign election in the history of Israel.
This New Testament passage is presented as the classic text showing God's election and love before the foundation of the world, reinforcing the sermon's core doctrine.
Texts Expounded
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