The Unsearchable Riches of Christ
by T. Austin-Sparks

Chapter 4 - The Exceeding Riches Of His Grace: Selection And Adoption

I will read again the passages which are basic to our present meditation. In the eleventh chapter of the Letter to the Romans, at verse 33,

“Oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out.”


The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter three, at verse eight,

“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints was this grace given to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Now seeing that we have not yet said all that we have to say for this present time about the first context of riches, that is, “The riches of His grace,” we will just look at one or two other passages in that connection. In the Ephesian letter, chapter one, and verse seventeen: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.” That scripture comes after what we have in verse seven of that same chapter: “In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” Then at the end of chapter three, we have the apostle’s prayer for a spirit of wisdom and revelation, a prayer which has to do with the apprehension of the riches of His grace, found in verses fourteen through twenty-one:

“For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend (or apprehend) with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now unto Him That is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end. Amen.”

Now let us come back to chapter two, and verse seven,

“That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” —the exceeding riches of His Grace.”


We have already considered some of the things related to this grace, the things which are the riches thereof. We have seen the nature of grace. We have seen God’s work of grace, and we have set grace over against our own works for merit. And we have seen that the great initiative of Divine Grace is, in the free action of the Holy Spirit, to bring us into that grace.

Before we go on to look still more deeply into this fathomless, unsearchable ocean of Divine Grace, let us remind ourselves that just as Grace is the beginning of everything for us, and with us, so Grace is the continual basis of everything to the end. You see, what is true at the beginning, is true throughout the whole life of the child of God. This sounds like a contradiction, yet it is not, to say that the Law of Grace governs the whole life of the people of God. What Grace begins, Grace carries on, and Grace crowns. We will never be off the basis of Grace. And we shall discover, as we go on increasingly, how we are bound to Grace for everything that comes to us from God. Grace for everything that we know of God, and Grace for everything that we can be or can do; it will always be by Grace, and nothing else. We will never move from that place of Grace, and from that ground of Grace, on to any other. That sounds very simple, but this is something which confronts us every day of our lives, and all the way along, we shall be compelled by the Holy Spirit to recognize this, and to accept it, and to take this position: ‘Now this is all a matter of the Grace of God, or we will never get by this, we will never get any further than this, but only by His Grace.’

So, we are steadily moving, but we are really moving in a very practical way, toward that passage which we have just read: “That in the ages to come, He might shew the exceeding riches of His Grace in His kindness toward us.” Oh, how wonderful is this: that in the ages to come, the riches of His Grace will be exceeding and displayed in us!

Well, I think we are beginning to realize that this is a fact. I think more and more we are becoming aware that it has got to be more grace, and still more grace. And if we have any difficulty about that, let us put this climactic statement over the whole life in the ages to come: “To shew the exceeding riches of His grace toward us.” Now you cannot get to that point where it is so great, so complete and perfect, so full and final, you just cannot leap there in one day or in one experience. No, the whole of the life of the people of God is a pilgrimage of grace.

A Pilgrimage Of Grace

Now, I expect you know that Peter’s letters are founded upon this one word: “Grace.” And, I think it is worth our pausing here to note it, because grace is mentioned a number of times in his letters. Here they are just to remind ourselves of them: 1 Peter 1:2, 10,13; 2:19,20; 3:7; 4:10; 5:5,10,12. And in 2 Peter 1:2; 3:18. However, it is a great pity that the translators have not given us the correct translation of this word “grace” in every case in Peter’s letters. But Peter, as you also know, represents the Church as in its pilgrimage. Paul represents the Church as in the heavenlies, having arrived very largely there, because he is viewing it from above. But Peter is viewing it here, and he says, “I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims” (1 Pet. 2:11). Pilgrims, that is Peter’s standpoint. For him it is the pilgrimage of the Church. And the great word of the pilgrimage with the people of God is the word: “Grace.”

Peter has so much to say about grace. When I referred to the unfortunate translation of this word, you will probably remember that he said, “If you take persecution, opposition, ill treatment joyfully, this is (and the translators have put the word) acceptable with God.” But the real word there is “grace.” The word in the original is, “This is grace with God.” The pilgrimage contains: persecution, opposition, misrepresentation, and what not. And if any man knew about that, Peter did. And if any man knew the meaning of grace, it was that man who had denied his Lord three times, in such a way as to feel that he had sinned beyond the possibility of forgiveness. If ever you had done a thing like that, in a vehement, angry way, and declared that you did not know Jesus Christ after having been with Him for three years, in the closest contact, you would despair of yourself. No wonder Peter went out and wept bitterly. No wonder the Lord had to make a special mention of him by name when recalling the scattered disciples after His Cross, ‘Go to My brethren, and say unto them, and to Peter’ (Mark 16:7)—and to Peter, mentioning him by name.

Well, that is old ground and so familiar to us, but now we can understand why Peter’s great word was grace. Yes, grace is for the pilgrimage. And what Peter is saying so much about in his first letter is “the sufferings,” the sufferings of this present time; and it is grace all the way along, the whole journey calls for grace. However, and this will belong to a further consideration, “It is grace unto glory.

Well, I think it was worth reminding us of that word: “Grace.” But what grace begins—and we all know that it is through grace that we begin, the grace of God that brought us into salvation—grace is going to perfect the work; it is going to carry it right through and crown it at last. And I am quite sure that the top stone will be brought forth with shoutings of Grace, ‘The grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ’ (Zech. 4:7; 1 Pet. 1:13).

Now when we talk about the riches of grace within the realm of the unsearchable, the inexhaustible, and, although we shall never be able to fathom these depths, I think we can still go a little bit deeper. I want you to come to this first chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians. I am not going to make anything of this—it may be a coincidence and there may be really nothing in it—but you know that in Bible numbers, the number of grace is five. And here in this chapter, we have five of the exceeding riches of His grace. And when I say exceeding, I am quite sure that as we look at them you will say, “That is beyond me. I cannot comprehend that, that is too big.” But, nevertheless, you know we are allowed to look at the big mountains, even if we cannot compass them or master them, and it sometimes does us good just to look at them. But, thank God, these are not just objective things that are presented to us here, we are in them, and so we will look at these five great, I think the greatest, “riches of His grace.”

“Election”: To Serve God In A Purpose

Chapter one, at verse four, “Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before Him in love.” He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. Do you understand that? Can you comprehend that? This is election. In the Word it is definitely stated that “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” There was an election, which took place in those eternal counsels of God, which included us if we are today in Christ Jesus. We are in Christ Jesus, because we were chosen in Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world.

You see, to begin with, you are dealing with a Timeless God. As far as time was concerned, what was some four thousand years ahead, was present with God before time began, because He is Timeless. Everything which for us is future time, is always present time with God. And so, for Him in effect, Christ was then, and in effect we were then, and God acted on eternal ground. So let us look at this matter of “election.” I am going to change the word election, because I do not like that word, although in certain forms it is in the New Testament, which is found in 1 Peter 1, at verse 2: “Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.” That is Peter, and the elect is there mentioned as a body, but let me say again, I am not fond of this word election because of its associations. So I am going to change it and speak about “selection.” Selection, it is the same thing in meaning and in word. Now, then, when we get that word we are helped. The nation of Israel was “selected” out of all nations. They were selected and chosen. If you like: “Elected.” But God looked on all the nations of the earth, and selected Israel among the nations. Did that mean that God rejected all the other nations, because He selected this nation? Did it mean that He selected them to be saved, and all the other nations to be lost, because they were not selected?

Now, by way of illustration, let us come into this room where we are a little company of people. Allow me, not to take the place of God, but just to take this place by way of argument, of wanting something done. I want something done, and I look over this company, and I say: “Brother, I want you to come alongside of me for this thing that I want done. I select you from this company, for the thing that I want to do. Now do not jump to conclusions, either you or the others. Do not jump to conclusions that you are more important than all the others, and that you are better than all the others, that you are more worthy of this than the others, for that is not true.”

And you others: “Do not jump to the conclusion that because I did not select anyone, or all of you, that you are rejected by me and have no place in this plan of mine. Do not conclude that you are less worthwhile than this one, or less worthy, because you are not selected for this thing. Do not come to such a conclusion.”

The Lord selected the nation of Israel and said, “I have chosen you, not because you are better than the other nations, not because you are more worthy, but I have acted sovereignly and chosen you, or selected you, from among the nations, because I have a purpose that I want fulfilled. Now My purpose is just this, to use you to the good of all the other nations. All these other nations are going to come into blessing through My use of you, through My selection of you.”

Let us go to the Bible. What was the covenant with Abraham, who was the first of this nation? “In thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). That does not sound as though all other nations were rejected and consigned to be lost, because they were not the selected ones—in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed.

We have a great illustration of this in Joseph, the beloved of his father. “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children... and when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him...” (Genesis 37:3–4). Joseph was sold into Egypt. Hence, it was through Joseph, that Egypt was saved from famine and from death. It was not only his brethren, the children of Israel his father who was saved, but it was through Joseph that the blessing of life, salvation came to the nation of Egypt. So Joseph, a chosen one, a selected one out of a nation took real blessing to the nations of the world.

Whatever word you like to use, “Election, chosen, selection,” just means: “To serve God in a purpose.” It does not mean that you should be saved, and others are appointed to be lost. See the twist that has been given to this word, and how false it is?! And we know right through their history that whenever Israel forgot, or lost sight of, and failed to fulfill their vocation to the nations, they were put under a state of suspension as to their very calling. They were in the nations for the nations, and when they made themselves an exclusive body, shut up to themselves, and despised the nations, and called the Gentiles dogs and had no dealings with them, and said we are the people, and we are the only people, God so heartily disapproved that He withdrew their vocation, and sent them into captivity.

And mark you, dear friends, the two thousand years of Israel’s history since their rejection of the Son of God is because they failed to recognize their own calling, that through Jesus Christ they could be made a blessing to all the world. They put a hedge around themselves and said, “We are the beginning, the end of everything, God is only interested in us, the other nations are doomed.” This was just the reverse of their calling, “In thy seed” —and That Seed, says Paul in Galatians 3:16, is Christ—“shall all nations of the earth be blessed.” And, when, instead of being a blessing, they really became a curse amongst the nations. God said, “That is enough, you have canceled out your own vocation, your own calling, your own election. You have canceled it out.” So Israel for these two thousand years has been in the outer darkness with much weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth. That is how it is, is it not?! Why? Because in the Son of God, their vocation for the whole world was secured, and they rejected their own vocation when they rejected Him. That is history. And that is the meaning of “election or selected,” not to be saved as over against all others to be lost, but for a purpose, the blessing of all others, the salvation of all others who will be saved.

Now, we come to Ephesians 1:4, where “the Church was chosen in Him before the foundation of the world.” Chosen. What for? To be a blessing! The vessel and instrument of God is to be a blessing to the whole world. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, speaks of the Church as the “Jerusalem which is above, the mother of us all” (4:26). John, in his vision, “sees the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven” (Rev. 21:2). Paul has seen it there, the new Jerusalem, our mother. John sees the coming down of the new Jerusalem from above, our mother, and he goes on to say: “The nations shall walk in the light thereof” (Rev. 21:24). So there are nations that are extra to this selected nation. And of this selected nation, says Peter again, “Ye are a chosen nation” (1 Peter 2:9). This selected nation, which is the Church, has been selected to be a light to the nations in the ages to come. “The nations shall walk in the light thereof.” This is, as I see it, the true doctrine of election.

Now, if you and I in Christ, as a part of that nation, of that Jerusalem which is above, that holy city, if you and I have been called and chosen in Christ to form this body, which is symbolized as the city, to diffuse the light of grace in the ages to come to the redeemed nations in order that they shall see the full manifestation of the grace of God, which is the exceeding riches of His grace to us-ward, then you and I will have to learn the meaning of grace very deeply.

So, dear friends, while I am saying these things, I am all the time catching my own breath. I know quite well that I am involving myself in something that will be a very real test, the ground of very deep testing. And, I say this again, that because of the greatness of the vocation, which is to display the exceeding riches of His grace, not only to angels, but to the redeemed nations in the ages to come, because of that vocation, you and I will have to learn the meaning of grace in a greater depth, if it is to be displayed in its fulness. My, how you and I are going to be made to know the necessity for grace, the greatness of grace. It is all grace. May that not explain the fiery trial of which Peter speaks in connection with grace? “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you...” (1 Pet. 4:12). “Though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness, through manifold trials” (1 Peter 1:6). Why? Well, he just says there, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Pet. 4:10). Chosen— what grace! Grace to know it and grace to show it.

How deep is this grace! If this is true, and not imagination, and not only visual ideas, but if we could see with John the nations, the redeemed nations of the earth walking in the light of what God has done in us, deriving their blessings through this vessel, if we could just see that, then we should bow and say, “Oh the depth of the riches, the unsearchable riches,” how great is grace, “that in the ages to come, He might show forth the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness to us.”

“Unto Adoption As Sons”

Well, I have taken a lot of time on only one of the five of these riches of grace, but it needs a great deal more, does it not, to explore that one realm. Perhaps, I might take another one of the exceeding riches of His grace this evening; and if we do not get further than that, it does not matter. But for the time being, let us go into the next one in Ephesians 1, at verse 5:

“Having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”


“Foreordained us unto adoption as sons unto Himself through Jesus Christ.” Now that needs breaking up, but let us just be content with this one phrase, this part of the whole scripture: “unto adoption as sons.”

Selection? Adoption? Now what does that mean? Paul has more to say about that in his Letter to the Romans in chapter 8, where he is defining sonship. He is saying, These are the sons of God, that are led by the Spirit of God (v. 14). “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His” (v. 9b). And he is explaining that it is by the Spirit that we become sons of God. Now here he goes right back and says, “Having foreordained us unto adoption.” And one meaning of adoption is certainly this: that an adopted one does not stand upon the natural ground of sonship, but is brought in from the outside.

As you know, this Letter to the Ephesians was written almost entirely, if not entirely, to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were brought in from the outside, they were called outsiders by the Jews, but this adoption goes far back before Israel was a people. These Gentiles existed, having been foreordained, to be brought in from the outside and made sons. ‘You are not sons by nature, and you are not sons, or children of God on natural grounds at all.’ This disposes of the whole theory that everybody by natural birth is a son of God, is a child of God. This whole theory is not true.

Now, the sons of God are brought in on other than natural ground. They are not the “born ones;” they are the “adopted ones.” The Church is an adoptive Body. We are not of the Church by nature. You know, this has been a controversy both in the natural realm, and in the religious realm, for hundreds of years. In the natural, the scientific realm, a controversy has raged, or did rage for three hundred years on the question of life, or the origin of life.

Now one side of the argument was represented by highly qualified intellectual scientists, who argued and tried to prove, that life is spontaneous. That it is there naturally, and it just comes about of itself. They wrote wonderfully high-browed books about this matter, and argued and had their conferences that life is just there, and it comes about of itself. The other side took this position, ‘No, not at all. Life can only come from life. It does not come from nothing; it can only come from life. And if life springs up, if life comes into being, then you will track it down to some living organism.’ You see, the whole science of microorganisms, the very air, the very dust of the air, is impregnated with some organism, minute, too minute for the natural eye to see, but put under certain tests in the test tube, you will see it. You will discover there is a living organism there. Life is always coming out of life. It does not come out of nothing, but it comes out of life. In the end the second side won.

Now this same thing, this same kind of argument or contention has gone on for hundreds of years in the religious realm. It is a very large school of people, of theologians who say we are sons of God by natural birth. Humanism is built upon that, human good, natural good, and you have only got to develop the natural good in people, and it may take a few millions of years, but in the end they become gods, the deification of humanity is in the very nature of man. How under the experiments of two world wars that theory can stand, I do not know? Knowing what man can do to man, and is doing today, how can you speak about the natural sonship of God inherent in man without any special intervention or operation.

Well, here is the other side. You come to the Bible, the Word of God; and it says, ‘Only from Him Who has life can life be derived.’ Life, eternal life, can never be unless it comes from a Living Source. There must be life, eternal life, somewhere before you can have it; it must come from there, it does not come out of what is dead. The simple cry of the angel on the resurrection morning has a profound meaning, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” That is incongruous, contradictory, belonging to two different worlds, there is nothing of life where there is death. And there is no use seeking life amongst the dead. You can only seek life where life is from the Living Source, the Eternal Life, in Him was the Life.

Now, you see, there is sonship. Oh, no, we are not sons of God by natural birth, but by adoption. Sons are being brought in from the outside and given life where you have not got it. Of course, you people do not need such an argument, do you? But, perhaps, it is helpful for us to recognize that we are brought out of nothingness, so far as a relationship with God is concerned, and given that which makes us children of God—sonship which we do not have, which we cannot have, but only by adoption. I know there are other full meanings of adoption besides this one, but this is its basic meaning: we were brought in from the outside and made members of a family to which we do not belong by nature. No, only by new birth are we adopted and brought in. What a wonderful thing this is, the grace of God. “Ye who were once afar off are now made nigh, who were not children, but now made children.” ‘You were not sons, but now made sons.’

And what a terrible plight and state is represented by that word “not” and by “were afar off.” God only knows the great chasm that was between us and Him and His family. By nature, there is a terrible chasm. It has got to be bridged, and we have got to be brought over that chasm; and it is the grace of God that does that. And the bridge is in Christ Jesus.

Our adoption is in Christ, as our election is in Christ. He is the bridge Who comes over and brings us to God. How unsearchable are His judgments, oh the depths of the riches, the riches of His grace. We are truly in deep waters, we can only wonder and worship. If this is true, if this is what the Word of God teaches, and I believe it does teach this, if it be so, then how deep are the wonders and the mysteries and the riches of His grace in His kindness unto us. “You who were once afar off, by His kindness, are made nigh.” In other words, we are made nigh by His grace.


[ Previous Chapter ] [ Contents ] [ Next Chapter ]



  • Alphabetical
  • Chronological
  • Topical
  • Alphabetical
  • Chronological
  • Topical
  • Alphabetical
  • Chronological
  • Alphabetical
  • Chronological