Today’s devotion comes from Acts 20:25-27.
“25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went aboutpreaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.
26 Therefore, I testify to you this day thatI am innocent of the blood of all men.
27 For Idid not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” Acts 20:25-27.
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We know from Acts 20:17 that in today’s Scripture Paul was addressing the elders of the church at Ephesus, so Paul’s letters to the saints at Ephesus, namely the Book of Ephesians, would be a good place to start our research in this “whole purpose of God”. We quickly come to Ephesians 1:3-12 which talks about His choice “before the foundation of the world”, “the kind intention of His will”, “He purposed”, “His will”, “His kind intention”, “summing up of all things”, “His purpose” and “the counsel of His will”.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.
In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.
In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:3-12.
Surely, this Scripture does not shrink back from declaring predestination as a central part of “the whole purpose of God”. It is mentioned at least three times”: twice by the word “predestined” and once by the phrase “He chose us”. Certainly, another central part of the whole purpose of God is the honor of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, by redeeming God’s chosen people through Christ and by otherwise also “summing up of all things in Christ”.
Romans 9:6-26 also has such broad language fitting to a consideration of “the whole purpose of God”. It talks about “God’s purpose according to His choice”. Romans 9:11. It also gives specific examples of God’s purpose in Jacob, Esau, and Pharoah.
“For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” Romans 9:15-18.
“… Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” Romans 9:21.
Again, in Romans Chapter 9, we see predestination as a central part of “the whole purpose of God” and two reasons for that predestination. “What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.” Romans 9:22-24. God wanted to show the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, and God wanted to predestinate not only Jews, but also Gentiles, to salvation.
In conclusion, Reformed Doctrine does not shrink back from declaring predestination as one of the central parts of “the whole purpose of God”. Reformed Doctrine does so declare predestination, not only because Scripture declares it as a central part of “the whole purpose of God”, Reformed doctrine does so declare predestination, because predestination shows “the kind intention of His will”, His lavish “grace”, and “the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy”.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 