Saved From All Eternity

Not from but before. Re: 2 Timothy 1:9.
. . . προ χρονων αιωνιων . . . .
. . . before of time of ages. . . ."
Or before of time of eternity. . . .
Same phrase found in Titus 1:2!

 

If understood in that way, God Himself, He is before all other things. (Colossians 1:16-17).
That phrase in the New Testament only occurs in 2 Timothy 1:9 and Titus 1:2.

2 Timothy 1:9, ". . . before the world began, . . ."

Titus 1:2, ". . . before the world began; . . "

Before the creation of time. χρόνος chronos.

 

2 Timothy 1:9, ". . . Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, . . ."

". . . but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, . . ."

We are saved in time. God's purpose was before time.

 

Before of time of . . . . To be precise. Eternity is from God, which there is not anything before God.

 

Time is created.

 

I have seen this sentiment stated in different ways, even by John Gill describing all of the Elect as already having been Justified, from Eternity Past, and maybe even adopted from forever ago.

He said he came to that position, based on 'how does God view His Elect children?', or similar, and as God looks back in time, how must He see them?

Does God see them as lost, from His perspective, or as saved, since their salvation is certainly secured in their Surety, Jesus Christ, and His absolutely successful Work of salvation on their behalf He would most assuredly accomplish.

I say that from His perspective we need to understand what He has said about His Elect being predestinated.

Not to be overly simplistic while being in contrast to good men on it, but I have to maintain my thoughts regarding the integrity of the Gospel and it's call.

For whom He did Predestinated, them He also called.

I see God's calling as taking place in time and by the means and instrumentality of His Word and the message of the Gospel.

Then, whom He calls, He also justifies, in time, logically after being pardoned from their sins, for which previously they were held guilty for, with God's Wrath abiding over their heads.

Otherwise, we have a fatalistic attitude of "I can,'t help it-ism", where neither the lost or the saved know where they stand, with any certainty.

This 'saved forever' position led to the Anti-Missionary approach of the Hardshells, who say that salvation is up to God, as to whether one attains it, or not.

Then, they have to sit around inactive with respect to God's design and plan and command for His servants to preach the Gospel and wonder whether or not they or others are 'the Elect', based on how nice they are or some other equally stringent criteria, without any assurance, until they stand to be judged?

I may not have all that just right, but I do know souls are saved when they are begotten by the sword of truth and the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation; not the power to let us in on our already having been saved.

So, what do we do with "them He also glorified". I look forward to it happening, even though our God already sees it as if it has already come to pass, which it has in His Mind and it is as sure a thing as there ever was or will be.

Then, for my purposes I believe that saying we were already whatever in God's Mind, from Eternity Past, is no different than Him saying we are glorified.

According to God Himself. O.K.

According to life here and now and His manifestations of His Eternal Counsel and Covenant of Grace, I see them taking place, as to their effectual consummation within our soul, as happening at our appointed time during our lives to be saved and that it is under the influence of God having sent a messenger and using the message of His Son's death, burial, and resurrection, for God's glory, for us to be born again by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said. "you must be born again", right?

Not that we were saved and/or called before the world began, but that God's purposes and grace that have been given us in salvation, were first contained in the Work of salvation Jesus had agreed to perform and were given to us as part of that plan and our salvation was assigned to Jesus' Final Work to be carried out in the future, before the world began.