THE EVERLASTING COUNCIL Between The Three Divine Persons, Concerning The Salvation Of Men.

[Alan Dale Gross]

The Eternal Council of God, concerning His Eternal Plan for Man's Salvation
is none other than God's very Thought, from Eternity Past.

Adapted from:
A Body of Doctrinal & Practical Divinity by John Gill
Doctrinal Divinity~Book 2, Chapter 6:

“THE EVERLASTING COUNCIL
Between The Three Divine Persons, Concerning The Salvation Of Men"​

“I will consider the Operations and Transactions among the Three Divine Persons when Alone, before the World began, or any Creature was in Being; and which are, chiefly the Council and Covenant of God, respecting the Salvation of men: these Operations and Transactions among the Three Divine Persons are generally blended together by Divines;

"but I think they are to be distinguished, and the Operations among the Three Divine Persons is to be considered as leading on, and as preparatory and introductory to the actual Transactions among the Three Divine Persons, though both are from the same Date in Eternal Past;

and so I will begin with the Operations among the Three Divine Persons within the Eternal Council of God, held between the Three Divine Persons, Father, Son and Spirit, concerning Their Eternal Plan of Man's Salvation before the World was.

“And it will be proper to enquire.

“1. First, In what sense Counsel, Consultation and Deliberation,
can be ascribed to God, to the Divine Persons; and,

“1a. This Eternal Council is not to be understood
as expressive of any want of knowledge, or of the least degree of ignorance in God, or of His being at a loss in forming the Scheme of Salvation;

"since He is a God of Knowledge, of All Knowledge, is Perfect in Knowledge, wanting nothing; is the Only Wise and All-Wise God, Whose Understanding is Infinite, and reaches to all things, and nothing can escape it:

"want of knowledge is often the case with men, and therefore they deliberate with themselves, and consult with others; but it is not so with God; wherefore,

“1b. Consultation in Him is not in order to gain more knowledge, or to obtain more satisfaction, and so more pleasure in the review of things; for since His Understanding is Infinite, there can be no accession to it, nor increase of knowledge in it:

"men consult with themselves, and reason on things in their own minds, or consult with others to gain more knowledge; and if this is not the result of it, yet it gives them satisfaction and pleasure, when those they have an high opinion of agree with them, and approve of their schemes; this makes their minds more easy, and confirms and settles them; and thus “in the multitude of counsellors there is safety” and delight; see Proverbs 11:14, 27:9;

"Where no counsel is, the people fall:
but in the multitude of counsellers there is safety."

"Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart:
so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel."

"1c. Nor, Does a Counsel Held between the Three Divine Persons
suppose any inequality between Them; usually indeed with men, in matters of moment and difficulty, persons supposed to be of superior abilities are consulted, and their judgment taken; as Ahithophel by David, and the Israelites, whose counsel with them was as the Oracles of God; II Samuel 16:3;

"And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counselled in those days,
was as if a man had inquired at the Oracle of God:
so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

"but this is not to be supposed here, when the Father Consults with the Son and Spirit, it is not because They have Knowledge Superior to Him, or that He needs any information from Them; They are One in Nature; and are Equal in Knowledge and Understanding;

"the Father is Omniscient, the Son Knows all things, and the Spirit Searches the Deep Things of God; and yet They may Consult Together; just as three individual persons of equal knowledge and judgment among men may consult together about an affair of importance, without supposing any superiority and inferiority in them.

“1d. Nor is Consultation in God continued,
carried on and protracted to any length, as it often is with men, who when they have a matter of difficulty before them, do not suddenly and at once determine;

"but take time and consider it in every point of view, that they may fix on the wisest and most rational method of acting; consultations on an affair have been sometimes held many days successively;

"but it is not so with God, Counsel with Him is as Quick as Thought, yea, it is none other than His Thought, and therefore God's Counsel and His very Thought are One and the Same, Psalms 33:11";

"The Counsel of the LORD Standeth Forever,
the Thoughts of His Heart to all generations."

 

[Ascetic X]

The Eternal Council of God, concerning His Eternal Plan for Man's Salvation
is none other than God's very Thought, from Eternity Past.

when the Father Consults with the Son and Spirit, it is not because They have Knowledge Superior to Him, or that He needs any information from Them; They are One in Nature; and are Equal in Knowledge and Understanding;​

"the Father is Omniscient, the Son Knows all things, and the Spirit Searches the Deep Things of God; and yet They may Consult Together; just as three individual persons of equal knowledge and judgment among men may consult together about an affair of importance, without supposing any superiority and inferiority in them.

Yet this John Gill guy quotes not one single scripture about any divine council involving the 3 people of the Trinity.

 

[Alan Dale Gross]

Those of us who have studied Gill's treatment of the various categories and nuances of the Doctrine of the Eternal Council and Covenant of Grace look forward to the dozens of verses Gill generally supplies within his explanations of any given Bible subject.

One verse, of many you have possibly never seen is in Psalm 21:5;
"His Glory is Great in Thy Salvation:
Honour and Majesty hast Thou Laid upon Him."

"1d1. When Consultation about the Salvation of man is Ascribed to God, it is intended to express the importance of it; not things trifling, but those of importance, are what men consult about and deliberate upon; such is the work of men's Salvation of the greatest moment, not only to men, to their comfort and happiness here and hereafter, but to the Glory of God;

"the Glory of all Whose Perfections is Greatly Displayed in it, being so Wisely Contrived as it is for that Purpose; wherefore it is not put upon any footing; nor into any hands, but into the Hands of the Son of God, Psalm 21:5 above & John 17:4;

"I have Glorified You on the Earth.
I have Finished the Work which You have Given Me to Do."

"1d2. This way of speaking is used to set forth the Wisdom of God displayed herein; Schemes, which are the fruit of consultation and deliberation, are generally the most wisely formed, and best succeed:

"in the Scheme of Salvation by Christ, God has Abounded in All Wisdom and Prudence; it is the Manifold Wisdom of God, in which that is Displayed in the Greatest Fulness and Variety; insomuch that Angels, those wise and knowing creatures, desire to look more and more into it, Ephesians 1:7,8 3:10,11.

1:7; "In Whom we have Redemption through His Blood,
the Forgiveness of sins, according to the Riches of His Grace;

1:8; "Wherein He hath Abounded toward us
in All Wisdom and Prudence;"

3:10 "To the Intent that now unto the Principalities
and Powers in Heavenly Places might be known by the church
the Manifold Wisdom of God,

3:11 "According to the Eternal Purpose
which He Purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:"

"1d3. This being the Effect of a Council between the Three Divine Persons, shows their Unanimity in Their Eternal Council of the Plan of Salvation; as They are One in Nature, so They Agree in One; and as in Everything, so in this, the Salvation of men;

"The Father Signified His Mind that His Son should be Sent to Be the Savior of men, when He may be supposed to have put such a question out Among Them as in Isaiah 6:8,

"Whom shall I Send, and Who will Go for Us?"

"The Son, Knowing His Father's Will, and Assenting to it,
Declared His Agreement with it, "Here Am I, Send Me";

"And the Spirit Approving of the Father's Motion, and the Son's Consent, Joined with the Divine Father in the Mission of His;
"Now the Lord God and His Spirit hath Sent Me", Isaiah 48:16

"And, for the child of God, what inexpressible pleasure must such Unanimity give to a believing soul, to declare which is the Design of the Divine Consultation."

His By Grace--"John Gill: A Body of Doctrinal & Practical Divinity"-Doctrinal Book 2, Chapter 6

A Baptist Sovereign Grace, Christian site committed to the doctrines of grace . A ministry page that exists to try and clearly draw the lines between trusting Christ, and the mere appearance of trusting Him. Articles, audio messages,links & study tools. Calvinistic.

www.gracesermons.com

 

[Ascetic X]

None of these verses from that guy Gill speaks of a Council between the Three Divine Persons of the triune godhead.

He even misinterprets badly Isaiah 6:8 which is Isaiah saying “here I am, send me”. Gill wrongly attributes the response as an utterance of Christ. Very poor exegesis.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

 

[Alan Dale Gross]

a Council between the Three Divine Persons of the triune godhead.

These teaching are regarding the Council
and afterward, I'll start another tread about Their Eternal Covenant.

Continuing, "to give some proof that there was a Council between the Divine Persons concerning the Salvation of men.

"2a. An argument in favor of this may be drawn from the Purpose of God; all Whose Purposes are called His Counsels because they are founded in the Highest Wisdom, Isaiah 25:1;

"O LORD, Thou Art my God; I will Exalt thee, I will Praise Thy Name; for Thou hast done Wonderful Things;
Thy Counsels of Old* are Faithfulness and Truth."

*An expression of Eternity Past.

"Now the Purpose of God respecting the salvation of men, is the Basis and Foundation of the Council held concerning it, in which Purpose, as well as Council, All the Three Persons are Concerned;

"because the Scheme of Salvation, which is,
"the Manifold Wisdom of God,
is according to the Eternal Purpose which He" (God the Father) "Purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord", Ephesians 3:10,11,

"and the Son was not only Privy to this Purpose or Counsel, and Agreed to it; but the Spirit also, Who Searches "the Deep Things of God", and Approves of them, which are no other than the Purposes and Counsels of His Heart, 1 Corinthians 2:10;

"But God hath Revealed them unto us by His Spirit:
for the Spirit Searcheth All Things, yea, the Deep Things of God."

"2b. It appears there was a Consultation Held about the Salvation of men from the Gospel, where the Gospel is an Exhibition and Declaration of the Scheme of Salvation, being called the Counsel of God, Acts 20:27;

"For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the Counsel of God."

"and the Wisdom of God, the Hidden Wisdom Ordained before the World,

1 Corinthians 2:6,7; "Howbeit we speak Wisdom
among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this World,
nor of the princes of this World, that come to nought:

7; "But we speak the Wisdom of God in a Mystery,
even the Hidden Wisdom,
which God Ordained before the World unto our Glory:"

"Because the Gospel is no other indeed than a Transcript of the Council and Covenant of Grace; the Sum and Substance of the Word and Ministry of Reconciliation, is that Eternal Transaction between God and Christ concerning the Gospel, which the Apostle thus expresses;

"God was in Christ Reconciling the World unto Himself,
not imputing their Trespasses", 2 Corinthians 5:19.

"2c. It may be reasonably concluded, from the Consultation had between the Divine Persons, concerning the Formation of man, thus expressed,
"And God said, Let Us Make man in Our Image"; which was said, not to Angels, but to the other Two Divine Persons, the Son and Spirit; ..."

"But,

"2d. What would put this matter out of all doubt, is the sense of a passage in Zec 6:13 as given by some learned men, if it can be established; "And the Counsel of Peace shall be between them Both":, as we've seen the Holy Spirit is always a Participant Who Searches the Deep Things of God."

"Rather by the "Counsel of Peace", may be meant the Gospel, called the Counsel of God, and the Gospel of Peace, which was to be, and has been among Jews and Gentiles, Preached to them, both as to them that are nigh, so to them afar off, as in Zec 6:15 and which was a means of Making Peace between them, and Reconciling them together, Ephesians 2:17, 6:15:

"but there is another sense of them embraced by learned men, to whose judgment I pay a great deference; such as Heidegger {2}, De Dieu {3}, Cocceius {4}, Witsius {5}, Dr. Owen {6}, and others, that this respects the Council concerning the Peace and Reconciliation in Eternity, between Jehovah and the Branch, between the Father and the Son, Who in Time was to become man.

My objections to this sense have been that this Council in Eternity was between the Three Persons, and not Two only; ... but when I consider that Jehovah and the Branch are the only Persons mentioned in the text, and so could only, with propriety, be spoken of, though the Council was between the Three; ... and in this Light, this sense of the passage may be admitted, and so be a proof of the point under consideration.

"2e. That there has been such a Transaction between the Father and the Son, which, with propriety enough, may be called the "Counsel of Peace", we have sufficient warrant from 2 Corinthians 5:19; "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses"; by the "world" is meant the Elect of God, He so Loved, as to Send His Son to be the Savior of, and for the Life of Whom Christ Gave His Flesh, John 3:16 6:51 and about the peace and reconciliation of those, or in what way to Make Peace and Atonement for them, God was in Christ, or with Christ, Consulting, Contriving, and Planning the Scheme of it; which was this, not to Impute their sins unto them, but to Christ, now called to be the Savior of them; and this contains the sum of what we mean by The Council of Peace."