Electing Love (Robert Murray M'Cheyne)

John 15:16

“Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” 

 2. But further, Christ chooses his own from the beginning; 2 Thess. 2.13: "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth," Eph. 1.4, "According as he had chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love." So, brethren, it was before the foundation of the world that Christ chose his own; when there was neither sun not moon; when there was neither sea nor land — it was from the beginning. Ah, he might well say, you have not chosen me. It was before man loved man, or angel loved angel, that Christ chose his own. Now, I know the meaning of Paul when he says, That you may be able to know the length and breadth, the height and the depth of the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge. Now, I am not surprised at the death of Christ! It was a love so great that it broke over the banks that held it in; a love that broke over a Calvary and a Gethsemane. O brethren! do you know this love?

 But I come now to the reason of his love — "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." Now, it is a very natural question, Why did he choose me? I answer, that the reason why he choose you was, the good pleasure of his will. You will see this illustrated in Mark 3.13: "And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him." There was a great crowd round about him; he called some, he did not call all. The reason here given why he did it is, "He called whom he would." There is no reason in the creature; the reason is in him who chooses. You will see this in Malachi 1.2: "I have loved you, saith the Lord; yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau." Were they not of the same mother? yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau. The only reason given, you see, is, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." You will see this also in Rom. 9.15,16. The only reason given in the Bible why Christ loved us — and if you study till you die you will not find another — is, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." This is evident from all those that Christ chooses. We read of two great apostacies — one on earth, the other in heaven. First of all, one in heaven; Lucifer, the son of the morning, through pride, sinned, and God cast him, and those that sinned with him, into hell. The second was on earth; Adam sinned, and was driven out of paradise. They were both deserving of punishment. God had a purpose of love; which is it for? Perhaps angels pleaded for their fellow-angels; yet Christ passed them by, and died for man. Why did he die for man? The answer is, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy." The same thing is evident in the individuals Christ chooses. You would think Christ would choose the rich, and yet what says James? "Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him?"

 Again, you would think Christ would choose the noble; they have not the prejudices that the poor have; but what says the Scripture, "Not many rich, not many noble are called."
     Again, you would think he would choose those that are learned. The Bible is written in difficult language; its doctrines are hard to be understood; yet what says Christ? "I thank thee, O Father, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."
     Again, you would think he would have chosen the virtuous. Though there are none righteous, yet there are some more virtuous than others; yet what says Christ? The publicans and the harlots enter the kingdom of heaven while the Pharisee is shut out. "O the depth both of the riches and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" Why did he take the most vile? Here is the only reason I have been able to find ever since I read my Bible — "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."

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Romans 9:15

“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”