13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 14 To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 2:13–14 (ESV)
A SERMON DELIVERED ON SABBATH MORNING, SEPTEMBER 2, 1855, BY THE REV. C. H. SPURGEON, AT NEW PARK STREET CHAPEL, SOUTHWARK.
The other thought is—for my time flies too swiftly to enable me to dwell at length upon these points—that election produces GOOD RESULTS. “He has from the beginning chosen you unto sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” How many men mistake the doctrine of election altogether! And how my soul burns and boils at the recollection of the terrible evils that have accrued from the spoiling and the wresting of that glorious portion of God’s glorious truth! How many are there who have said to themselves, “I am elect,” and have sat down in sloth and worse than that! They have said, “I am the elect of God,” and with both hands they have done wickedness. They have swiftly run to every unclean thing, because they have said, “I am the chosen child of God, irrespective of my works, therefore I may live as I like and do what I like.”
O, beloved! Let me solemnly warn every one of you not to carry the truth too far—or rather not to turn the truth into error, for we cannot carry it too far. We may overstep the truth. We can make that which was meant to be sweet for our comfort, a terrible mixture for our destruction. I tell you there have been thousands of men who have been ruined by misunderstanding election, who have said, “God has elected me to heaven and to eternal life,” but they have forgotten that it is written, God has elected them, “through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.” This is God’s election—election to sanctification and to faith.
God chooses His people to be holy and to be believers. How many of you here then are believers? How many of my congregation can put their hands upon their hearts and say, “I trust in God that I am sanctified”? Is there one of you who says, “I am elect”? —I remind that you swore last week. One of you says, “I trust I am elect,” but I jog your memory about some vicious act that you committed during the last six days.
Another of you says, “I am elect,” but I would look you in the face and say, “Elect! you are a most cursed hypocrite and that is all you are.” Others would say, “I am elect,” but I would remind them that they neglect the mercy seat and do not pray. Oh, beloved! never think you are elect unless you are holy. You may come to Christ as a sinner, but you may not come to Christ as an elect person until you can see your holiness.
Do not misconstrue what I say—do not say, “I am elect,” and yet think you can be living in sin. That is impossible. The elect of God are holy. They are not pure, they are not perfect, they are not spotless, but taking their life as a whole, they are holy persons. They are marked and distinct from others, and no man has a right to conclude himself elect except in his holiness. He may be elect and yet lying in darkness, but he has no right to believe it. No one can say it, there is no evidence of it. The man may live one day, but he is dead at present. If you are walking in the fear of God, trying to please Him, and to obey His commandments, doubt not that your name has been written in the Lamb’s Book of Life from before the foundation of the world.
And lest this should be too high for you, note the other mark of election, which is faith, belief of the truth. Whoever believes God’s truth and believes on Jesus Christ, is elect. I frequently meet with poor souls who are fretting and worrying themselves about this thought, “What if I should not be elect.” “Oh, sir,” they say, “I know I put my trust in Jesus. I know I believe in His name and trust in His blood, but what if I should not be elect?”
Poor dear creature! You do not know much about the Gospel or you would never talk so, for he that believes is elect. Those who are elect, are elect unto sanctification and unto faith. And if you have faith, you are one of God’s elect. You may know it and ought to know it, for it is an absolute certainty. If you, as a sinner, look to Jesus Christ this morning and say— “Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Your cross I cling,” you are elect.
I am not afraid of election frightening poor saints or sinners. There are many divines who tell the inquirer, “Election has nothing to do with you.” That is very bad, because the poor soul is not to be silenced like that. If you could silence him so, it might be well, but he will think of it, he can’t help it. Say to him then, if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are elect. If you will cast yourself on Jesus, you are elect.
I tell you the chief of sinners—this morning, I tell you in His name, if you will come to God without any works of your own, cast yourself on the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, if you will come now and trust in Him, you are elect—you were loved of God from before the foundation of the world, for you could not do that unless God had given you the power and had chosen you to do it. Now you are safe and secure if you do, but come and cast yourself on Jesus Christ, and wish to be saved and to be loved by Him.
But think not that any man will be saved without faith and without holiness. Do not conceive, my hearers, that some decree, passed in the dark ages of eternity, will save your souls, unless you believe in Christ. Do not sit down and fancy that you are to be saved without faith and holiness. That is a most abominable and accursed heresy, and has ruined thousands. Lay not election as a pillow for you to sleep on or you may be ruined. God forbid that I should be sewing pillows under armholes that you may rest comfortably in your sins.
Sinner! there is nothing in the Bible to lighten your sins, but if you are condemned, O man! if you are lost, O woman! you will not find in this Bible one drop to cool your tongue, or one doctrine to lessen your guilt. Your damnation will be entirely your own fault and your sin will richly merit it, because you believe you are not condemned. “ You believe not because you are not of my sheep. You will not come to me that you might have life.” Do not fancy that election excuses sin—do not dream of it—do not rock yourself in sweet complacency in the thought of your irresponsibility. You are responsible. We must give you both things. We must have divine sovereignty and we must have man’s responsibility. We must have election, but we must ply your hearts, we must send God’s truth at you. We must speak to you and remind you of this, that while it is written, “In me is your help,” yet it is also written, “O Israel, you have destroyed yourself.”
More to come. May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 