2 Timothy 1.9b-Salvation is Based Upon God's Gracious Predetermined Plan Which Originates in Eternity Past with the Father and Jesus Christ
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday February 19, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 1:9b-Salvation is Based Upon God’s Gracious Predetermined Plan Which Originates in Eternity Past with the Father and Jesus Christ
Lesson # 13
2 Timothy 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, 4 longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. 5 For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God 9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity. (NASB95)
“Not according to our works” means that God never saved the Christian because of their own meritorious actions.
“But according to His own purpose and grace” presents an emphatic contrast with the Christian performing actions prior to their conversion, which would merit God giving them eternal salvation.
Therefore, the emphatic contrast is between the Christian’s eternal salvation being based upon performing actions which merit God giving them eternal salvation and their eternal salvation being based upon God’s predetermined plan and grace policy.
In other words, the emphatic contrast is between salvation received on the basis of a meritorious system of works which constitute human self-righteousness and salvation received on the basis of the Father’s predetermined plan and grace policy.
“According to His own purpose and grace” is composed of the following: (1) preposition kata (κατά), “according to” (2) adjective idios (ἴδιος), “His own” (3) noun prosthesis (πρόθεσις), “purpose” (5) conjunction kai (καί), “and” (6) noun charis (χάρις), “grace.”
The noun prothesis means “predetermined plan” and refers to the Father’s plan of salvation for mankind, which originated in eternity past (Romans 8:28; 9:11; Ephesians 1:7-11; 3:8-11).
This noun is the object of the preposition kata, which functions as a marker of cause indicating that God saved the Christian “because of His own predetermined plan.”
The noun prosthesis is modified by the adjective idios which is emphasizing that the Father saved the Christian and effectually called them by means of an invitation to privilege which was holy because of “His own” predetermined plan.
The noun charis means “grace” referring to God the Father’s grace policy and is also the object of the preposition kata, which functions as a marker of cause indicating that God saved the Christian and effectually called them with an invitation to privilege which was holy “because of His own grace policy.”
“Which was granted us in Christ Jesus” is composed of the following: (1) verb didomi (δίδωμι), “was granted” (2) personal pronoun egō (ἐγώ), “us” (3) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (4) noun Christos (Χριστός), “Christ” (5) proper noun Iesous (Ἰησοῦς), “Jesus.”
The verb didomi does not mean “to give” but rather it means “to cause to come into being or existence” indicating that the Father caused His own gracious predetermined plan to save the Christian to come into being or existence.
The Father did not give the Christian His own gracious predetermined plan to save them since the Father did not give this plan for the Christian to execute but rather the Father executed this plan through His Son and the Spirit on behalf of the Christian.
Christos signifies that Jesus of Nazareth served God the Father exclusively and this was manifested by His execution of the Father’s salvation plan which was accomplished by His death on the Cross.
The word also signifies that Jesus of Nazareth has been given authority by God the Father to forgive sins, give eternal life, and authority over all creation and every creature as a result of His execution of the Father’s salvation plan.
Furthermore, it signifies that Jesus of Nazareth was perpetually guided and empowered by God the Holy Spirit during His First Advent.
Lastly, Christos signifies that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised deliverer of the human race from the bondage of Satan, his cosmic system, the old Adamic sin nature, personal sins, condemnation from the Law, spiritual and physical death as well as eternal condemnation.
This word is modified by the proper name Iesous, “Jesus” which refers to the human nature of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth.
Christos is the object of the preposition en which is functioning as a marker of association which indicates that the Father caused His own gracious predetermined plan to come into existence for the benefit of each and every Christian “in association with” the Christ who is Jesus.
“From all eternity” is composed of the following: (1) preposition pro (πρό) (2) noun chronos (χρόνος), “ages” (3) noun aiōnios (αἰώνιος), “long past.”
The noun chronos is in the plural and means “ages” referring to an indefinite period of time during which some activity or event takes place and here it refers to all the events and activities taking place during human and angelic history.
This noun chronos is modified by the adjective aiōnios, which means “eternal” pertaining to an unlimited duration of time and is modifying the noun chronos, “ages,” describing these ages as eternal.
The noun chronos is the object of the preposition pro, which means “before” which is marking God’s gracious predetermined plan to save the Christian in association with Jesus Christ as taking place prior to human and angelic history.
Second Timothy 1:9 The one who saved each and every one of us. Indeed, the one who effectually called each and every one of us by means of an invitation to privilege which is holy. Never because of our meritorious actions but rather because of His own gracious predetermined plan which was brought into existence for the benefit of each and every one of us in association with the Christ who is Jesus before eternal ages. (My translation)
“Never because of our meritorious actions” expresses the fact that God the Father never saved the Christian because of their own meritorious actions which echoes Titus 3:4-5.
“But rather because of His own gracious predetermined plan” presents an emphatic contrast between salvation received on the basis of a meritorious system of works which constitute human self-righteousness and salvation received on the basis of the Father’s predetermined plan and grace policy.
This “predetermined plan” is a reference to the “divine decree,” which is God the Father’s eternal plan in which He has rendered certain all the events of the universe, including both angelic and human history-past, present and future.
God’s decree rendered all things as certain to occur and He decided that they would exist and so therefore, God rendered certain to occur all the various circumstances that the Christian would experience during the course of his lifetime and God decided that these things would exist.
The divine decree took place in eternity past before anything was ever created and is God’s eternal and immutable will.
Paul describes this predetermined plan as “gracious” which is a reference to God the Father’s grace policy.
Grace is all that God is free to do in imparting unmerited blessings to those who trust in Jesus Christ as Savior based upon the merits of Christ and His death on the Cross.
It is God treating the sinner in a manner that they don’t deserve and excludes any human works in order to acquire eternal salvation or blessing from God.
Therefore, Paul is saying that God the Father saved the Christian and effectually called them by means of an invitation to privilege which is holy because of His own grace policy.
Grace means that God saved us and blessed us despite ourselves and not according to anything that we do but rather saved us and blessed us because of the merits of Christ and His work on the Cross.
It excludes any human merit in salvation and blessing (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5) and gives the Creator all the credit and the creature none.
By means of faith, we accept the grace of God, which is a non-meritorious system of perception, which is in total accord with the grace of God.
Grace, faith and salvation are all the gift of God and totally exclude all human works and ability (Eph. 2:8-9).
Paul reminds Timothy that the Father brought His own gracious predetermined plan into existence for the benefit of each and every Christian without exception “in association with the Christ who is Jesus” which denotes the close personal intimate association that existed in eternity past between the Father and the Son.
It indicates that the Father and the Son were in agreement to save the Christian and effectually call them by means of an invitation to privilege which is holy through the Father’s own gracious predetermined plan.
Second Timothy 1:9 closes with Paul noting when the Father’s gracious predetermined plan to save the Christian was brought into existence, namely “before eternal ages.”
This means that God the Father’s gracious predetermined plan to save the Christian in association with Jesus Christ took place prior to human and angelic history and also indicates that the plan of salvation for sinful humanity came into existence in eternity past when the Son agree to accomplish this plan.
He agreed to become a human being and then suffer a substitutionary spiritual and physical death on the cross and then to rise again from the dead on behalf of all sinful humanity.
Paul’s statement here in Second Timothy 1:9 that the Father’s plan in eternity past to save the Christian came into existence in eternity past in association with His Son, Jesus Christ is echoed by Paul in Ephesians 1:1-14.