May 21 – LD 21, Day 1: The Election of the Church
by Prof Herman Hanko
Read: Ephesians 1
Question and answer 54
of the Heidelberg Catechism is one of the most beautiful lessons in the entire
Catechism, which our teacher wants us to learn. It is beautiful, partly because
of its terse, yet complete, summary of the teaching of Scripture on the
doctrine of the church. But it is also beautiful, because it teaches us to make
the personal confession: Of that church “I am, and forever shall remain, a
living member thereof.”
The Lord’s Day gives us
what amounts to a definition of the church in the words: “. . . a church chosen
unto everlasting life. . . .” Thus, the church is the number of the elect who
are chosen by God unto everlasting life.
This is a beautiful
confession in its own right. God chose his church in his eternal counsel before
he created the world (Eph 1:4). He did not choose an indefinite mass of people;
he chose definite people, individuals, whose names are written on the pages of
the book of life and whom God knows by name.
God chose them in
Christ. There is no Christ without the church, just as there is no church
without Christ. Christ and His church belong together and form one body (I Cor 12:27).
God gave his church to
Christ so that Christ might die for that church to pay for the sins of its
members, and thus make his church his own bride (Eph 5:32).
All those who are elect
are saved (John 6:37) and come to Christ. All who come to Christ are those who
are elect. No one else comes.
Election is the cause of
the salvation of the church in the history of the world. This is clearly stated
in our Canons of Dordt 1.7, The Conclusion to the
Canons: “. . .Election is the fountain and cause of
faith . . “ by which faith we are united to Christ as members of his body.
These elect are chosen
“unto everlasting life.” God’s purpose in choosing them is to give them
everlasting life in heaven with him. The whole church will be there in a host
that is beyond counting. They are more in number, Scripture tells us, than the
sand on the seashore and the stars in heaven. They shall be there without sin
in all the glory of Christ himself, who saved them. They shall be there as the
bride of Christ, married to him who is their Savior. They shall enjoy the
blessedness of covenant fellowship with God forever and ever.
Of that church, I
believe I am now and forever shall remain a living member.