August 29
Being Known, Chosen and Loved Before Time
One of the most astonishing truths in the entire Christian story is this: long before we were aware of God, God was completely aware of us. Before we prayed, believed a truth, formed a theology, attended church, or reached out to God in any way, something much older was already true:
We were known. We were chosen. We were loved.
This is not wishful thinking. It is the clear testimony of Scripture. The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 1:4 that the Father “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.”
He tells us in 2 Timothy 1:9 that grace was given to us “before the beginning of time.” Revelation 13:8 speaks of Jesus as the Lamb “slain before the foundation of the world.”
In every tradition—Evangelical, Charismatic, Reformed, Catholic, Orthodox, Wesleyan, Anglican—this truth manifests in different ways: God’s initiative. God’s calling. God’s foreknowledge. God’s electing love. God’s prevenient grace. God’s eternal desire.
Different language. Same truth:
God loved us first.
A Love Beyond Measure: Page 19
One of the most astonishing truths in the entire Christian story is this: long before we were aware of God, God was completely aware of us. Before we prayed, believed a truth, formed a theology, attended church, or reached out to God in any way, something much older was already true:
We were known. We were chosen. We were loved.
This is not wishful thinking. It is the clear testimony of Scripture. The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 1:4 that the Father “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.”
He tells us in 2 Timothy 1:9 that grace was given to us “before the beginning of time.” Revelation 13:8 speaks of Jesus as the Lamb “slain before the foundation of the world.”
In every tradition—Evangelical, Charismatic, Reformed, Catholic, Orthodox, Wesleyan, Anglican—this truth manifests in different ways: God’s initiative. God’s calling. God’s foreknowledge. God’s electing love. God’s prevenient grace. God’s eternal desire.
Different language. Same truth:
God loved us first.
A Love Beyond Measure: Page 19