Predestination and Election

(Free Online Text At Covenanter.org)

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. - Ephesians 1:4, 5 (emphases added)

Question. How shall we know that God has a purpose to save us?

Answer. By being effectually called. "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure" (2 Peter 1:10). We make our election sure, by making our calling sure. ''God hath chosen you to salvation through sanctification'" (2 Thes. 2:13). By the stream, we come at last to the fountain. If we find the stream of sanctification running in our souls, we may by this come to the spring-head of election. When a man cannot look up to the firmament, yet he may know the moon is there by seeing it shine upon the water: so, though I cannot look up into the secret of God's purpose, yet I may know I am elected by the shining of sanctifying grace in my soul. Whosoever finds the Word of God transcribed and copied out into his heart, may undeniably conclude his election.

- Thomas Watson, All Things for Good, p. 126 (Thomas Watson's full book, A Divine Cordial, or The Transcendent Privilege of Those That Love God and Are Savingly Called [All Things for Good], is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

Of God's Eternal Decree - from David Dickson's Truth's Victory Over Error (David Dickson's full book, Truth's Victory Over Error [A Commentary of the Westminster Confession of Faith], is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

Of the Decrees of God by Thomas Boston (The book, Commentary on the Shorter Catechism by Thomas Boston, from which this section of text is excerpted is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

Of Election to Everlasting Life by Thomas Boston (The book, Commentary on the Shorter Catechism by Thomas Boston, from which this section of text is excerpted is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

Predestination & the Decrees of God - Three Lectures by Presbyterian Covenanter Hugh Binning (The book, The Works of Hugh Binning, from which this section of text is excerpted is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

The Doctrine of Absolute Predestination by Jerome Zanchius (The full book, Absolute Predestination by Jerome Zanchius, is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

Of Election by Herman Witsius, from his Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man (The full book, Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man by Herman Witsius, is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

A Sermon on Creation, Providence, and Predestination by Henry Bullinger (The book, The Decades of Henry Bullinger, from which this section of text is excerpted is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

The Judgment of the Synod of Dort: Head 1 - of Predestination (The book, The Canon Ratified in the National Synod of the Reformed Church Held at Dordrecht, from which this section of text is excerpted is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

Of the Church, Predestined to Life, and Forgiven by Zacharias Ursinus, from his Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism (The full book by Zacharias Ursinus, Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism, is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

A Commentary on Romans Nine by William Twisse, DD. (The full book by William Twisse on Predestination is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

29 Propositions against Castalio relating to Predestination & Providence by Theodore Beza (Knox Translation) (There are five books by Theodore Beza on the Puritan Hard Drive)

A Name in Heaven the Truest Ground of Joy by Matthew Mead (There are ten MP3 by Matthew Mead on the Puritan Hard Drive)

"The Bondage of the Will" by Martin Luther (The full book by Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will, is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

A Brief Treatise of Predestination by Anthony Gylbie (The full book by Anthony Gylbie, A Brief Treatise of Predestination: With Certain Answers to the Objections of the Adversaries of this Doctrine, from which this section of text is excerpted, is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

The Chief Points of the Christian Religion, set forth in a Table of Predestination by Theodore Beza (There are five books by Theodore Beza on the Puritan Hard Drive)

Notes Appertaining to the Matter of Election by John Fox (The audio book, Notes Appertaining to the Matter of Election by John Fox, from which this section of text is excerpted is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

38 Aphorisms against Castalio relating to Predestination & Providence by Theodore Beza (Stockwood Translation) (There are five books by Theodore Beza on the Puritan Hard Drive)

A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints by Aurelius Augustine (The book, A Treatise on the Predestination of the Saints by Aurelius Augustine, from which this section of text is excerpted is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

A Sermon entitled The Church of God, and Her Benefits in this Life by Johannes VanderKemp

Predestination and Providence (Books and Quotes at PuritanDownloads.com)

Click on the links below for many MP3 (audio) sermons and MP3 audio books about biblical predestination and unconditional election from Still Waters Revival Books.

Biblical Predestination

Unconditional Election

"God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established." - Westminster Confession of Faith, Of God's Eternal Decree, Chapter 3:1, 1647, Original Edition. (The full Westminster Confession of Faith [original text, 1647] is on the Puritan Hard Drive)

And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed. - Acts 13:48 (emphases added)

The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. - Revelation 17:8 (emphases added)

Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. - Romans 11:5 (emphases added)

What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded. - Romans 11:7 (emphases added)

For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth. - Romans 9:11 (emphases added)

Calvinism (the Sovereignty of God, TULIP, etc.) Shown To Be Biblical, Dave Hunt and the Jesuit Connection (Dave Hunt's Arminianism Refuted), Arminianism, Semi-Pelagianism, Pelagianism, etc., Refuted Too, and Much More! Hundred of free Reformation resources related to Calvinism, predestination and election at swrb.com .