The Elect under God’s wrath before Regeneration!

There are many sincere men/women in the Reformed Faith who hold that the
Elect (God’s sheep) were never under the wrath and displeasure of God
ever! Seeking to defend and exalt the Sovereignty of God in election these
men have unwittingly overlooked the seriousness and reality of the Fall and
the consequences thereof, thereby making Christ’s satisfaction to the
offended law a sham and deny the “grace” which they seek so valiantly to
defend!
Unless one seriously believes himself to be ungodly, guilty and defiled and
that it is only such persons whom God justifies, then his belief on whether
God intends to save him through Christ’s particular atonement is of no
effect! This is in view of the fact that God saves (justifies) none but the
‘ungodly’.
The truth is, being ungodly, the elect as the reprobates, are under the one and
same wrath of God when the Gospel finds them, and until justifying faith.
God’s elect fell in Adam just as all his natural descendants. God judged the
elect just as condemned, and under wrath for sin, as the reprobate, Adam
having represented ALL men under the covenant of works [Rom 3:9; 5:12-
21]. All men whom Adam represented were made, or ‘legally constituted’
sinners, consequent to the fall. Ever since, none by nature seeks after the true
and living God; none by nature has any fear of God before their eyes! You
say, “What about the elect”? “No, not one” is excluded!
God’s wrath abides on all who do not believe the gospel, and there it shall
remain, so long as unbelief is continued; but upon belief of the truth,
declared by the gospel, and not until then, God’s wrath is actually removed
from the person upon whom it was. “He that believeth not the Son, the wrath
of God abideth on him” [John 3:36]. There the wrath was and there it shall
remain indefinitely, but for the belief of the Son. This presupposes that
God’s wrath was at one time, before faith, abiding on all those who would
believe, and since those who believe are only and always the elect, it
follows that the elect were under God’s one and same wrath until the gospel
found them, and they believed. What more wrath are the reprobates under
that the elect are not so? Not one whit. So unless the elect are born into this
world believing the Gospel, God’s wrath abides even upon them, and the
elect are not justified from the Law, until they believe the Gospel: “by the
righteousness of God which is by the faith of Jesus Christ unto them”
[Rom 3:22]; for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness….” [Rom
10:10].
God’s eternal decrees do not distinguish the elect from the reprobate, in
respect of their state and condition, while unregenerate, but Gods actual
grace. Otherwise we overthrow the merits of Christ for God’s eternal decree,
opposing the one against the other, the Father against the Son, and thus
make a non-necessity of Christ’s satisfaction. For His satisfaction is the very
vehicle, and faith the means, through which God’s decree concerning the
salvation of the elect is carried into execution, and reaches fruition.

John Owen writes:

The Scripture is exceeding clear in making all men, before actual
reconciliation, to be in the like state and condition, without any real
difference at all, the Lord reserving to himself his distinguishing purpose of
the alteration he will afterward by his free grace effect: "There is none that
doeth good, no, not one," Rom. 3:12; for " we have proved both Jews and
Gentiles that they are all under sin," verse 9. All mankind are in the same
condition, in respect of themselves and their own real state: which truth is
not at all prejudiced by the relation they are in to the eternal decrees; for
"every mouth is stopped, and all the world is become guilty before God,"
Rom. 3:19, — obnoxious to his judgment. "Who maketh thee to differ from
another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" 1Cor 4: 7. All
distinguishment, in respect of state and condition, is by God's actual grace;
for even believers are "by nature children of wrath, even as others," Eph. 2:
3. The condition, then, of all men, during their unregeneracy, is one and the
same, the purpose of God concerning the difference that shall be being
referred to himself. Now, I ask whether reprobates in that condition lie
under the effects of God's wrath, or no? If ye say "No," who will believe
you? If so, why not the elect also? The same condition hath the same
qualifications; an actual distinguishment we have proved there is not.
Produce some difference that hath a real existence, or the cause is lost.

Consider what it is to lie under the effects of God's wrath, according to the
declaration of the Scripture, and then see how the elect are delivered there
from, before their actual calling. Now, this consists in divers things; as, —
(1.) To be in such a state of alienation from God as that none of their
services are acceptable to him: " The prayer of the wicked is an abomination
to the Lord," Prov 28: 9. (2.) To have no outward enjoyment sanctified, but
to have all things unclean unto them. Tit.1:15. (3.) To be under the power of
Satan, 'who rules at his pleasure in the children of disobedience, Eph. 2: 2.
(4.) To be in bondage unto death, Heb. 2:15. (5.) To be under the
curse and condemning power of the law. Gal 3:1,3. (6.) To be ob-
noxious to the judgment of God, and to be guilty of eternal death and
damnation, Rom.3:19. (7.) To be under the power and dominion of sin,
reigning in them, Rom. 6:19. These and such like are those which we call
the effects of God's anger.

Let now any one tell me what the reprobates, in this life, lie more
under?

And do not all the elect, until their actual reconciliation, in and by Christ, lie
under the very same? for, — (1.) Are not their prayers an abomination to the
Lord ? Can they without faith please God ? Heb 11: 6. And faith we suppose
them not to have; for if they have, they are actually reconciled. (2.) Are their
enjoyments sanctified unto them? hath anything a sanctified relation without
faith? See 1 Cor. 7:14. (3.) Are they not under the power of Satan? If not,
how comes Christ, in and for them, to destroy the works of the devil? Did
not he come to deliver his from him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil? Heb. 2:14; Eph. 2:2, (4.) Are they not under bondage unto death? The
apostle affirms plainly that they are so all their lives, until they are actually
freed by Jesus Christ, Heb. 2:14,15. (5.) Are they not under the curse of the
law? How are they freed from it? By Christ being made a curse for them.
Gal. 3:13. (6.) Are they not obnoxious unto judgment, and guilty of eternal
death? How is it, then, that Paul says that there is no difference, but that all
are subject to the judgment of God, and are guilty before him? Rom. 3: 9 ;
and that Christ saves them from this wrath, which, in respect of merit, was to
come upon them? Rom 5: 9; 1Thess. 1:10. (7.) Are they not under the
dominion of sin? "God be thanked," says Paul, "that ye were the servants of
sin, but ye have obeyed," etc., Rom. 6:17. In brief, the Scripture is in nothing
more plentiful than in laying and charging all the misery and wrath of and
due to an unreconciled condition upon the elect of God, until they actually
partake in the deliverance by Christ. [Death of Death, Book 3, Chapter 8]

The elect cannot be said to have been “saved” in any actual sense before
justifying faith; otherwise, and seeing as there is no salvation but by
justification, and there is no justification but by righteousness imputed, and
there is no righteousness imputed but attended by faith exercised to receive
it, this would countermine the apostle, “For with the heart man believeth
unto [or ‘believes by God given faith in order to attain’] righteousness”
[Rom 10:10]. What then? Are the elect somehow righteous (saved)
before faith, yet not righteous (saved) until and but by faith? Where does
God’s book teach this? It cannot be both ways! There is no in-between
condition of saved and unsaved. If ‘election’ saves, in any sense, then to that
degree righteousness imputed is not necessary for entitlement to all of
salvation. This is opposed to the Gospel! In what sense then, may we be
saved without righteousness imputed and received by faith? This is truly
absurd.
Consider the scripture –
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shall call his name JESUS: for he
shall save his people from their sins [Mat 1:21].
Christ shall save the elect from their sins. So the elect were not saved from
their sins before time, or before they personally existed to comply with the
terms, and since God’s wrath, abides upon all who are not free from their
sins, it follows that all the elect were yet made under God’s wrath in time, in
their own persons, and remain so until they are saved in time from their sins,
upon believing.
Again –
Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. [John 8:32]
Notice – ‘Ye ‘shall know’ the truth. Now all who do not know the truth are
not free from sin, and all who are not free from sin are still under God’s
wrath. God’s wrath, because His judgments are according to truth,
respecting the actual state and condition of all lost men and women until
actual reconciliation.
Much more could be written on this subject, but in conclusion let us make
one point clear: Those eternally decreed (to be saved) were not saved, not
justified, not adopted, not united to Christ, hence not possibly saved in any
actual sense whatsoever before the world began, nor so in time prior to
justifying faith given in conversion, because of Adam’s fall, albeit saved in
the intensions of God excepted (2Tim 1:9).
But you will say, does not Paul say – “Who hath saved us, and called us with
an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world
began [2Tim 1:9]. This does not mean that the elect were in any actual sense
‘saved’ before the world began, or somehow made to be regarded ‘less lost’
than reprobates in time. It simply mans that God purposed that the elect
would be saved, but also the manner in which they should be saved. The
grace given to the elect before the world began was not the grace of
salvation, let alone justification, but the initial grace of election, purposed
towards them ‘in Christ,’ their Representative, who would come and
establish righteousness for them in time; and, based on such righteousness,
entitle them to that faith through means of which God purposed they should
be saved in time.

John Gill wrote –

“And were by nature children of wrath , even as others: by which is meant,
not only that they were wrathful persons, living in malice, hateful, and
hating one another; but that they were deserving of the wrath of God, which
comes upon the children of disobedience, among whom they had their
conversation” [John Gill Commentary]

Matthew Henry wrote –

“The Jews were so, as well as the Gentiles; and one man is as much so as
another by nature, not only by custom and imitation, but from the time when
we began to exist, and by reason of our natural inclinations and appetites.
All men, being naturally children of disobedience, are also by nature
children of wrath: God is angry with the wicked every day. Our state and
course are such as deserve wrath, and would end in eternal wrath, if divine
grace did not interpose.” [Matthew Henry Bible Commentary].

A.W. Pink wrote –

“And were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:3).
That statement is, if possible, even more awful and solemn than Psalm 58:3.
It signifies much more than that we are born into the world with a defiled
constitution, for it speaks of not simply “children of corruption,” but
“children of wrath”—obnoxious to God, criminals in His sight. Depravity of
our natures is no mere misfortune; if it were, it would evoke pity, not anger.
The expression “children of wrath” is a Hebraism, a very strong and
emphatic one. The original rendering of 1 Samuel 20:30 and 2 Samuel 12:5
mentions “the son of death,” that is, one deserving death. In Matthew 23:15
Christ used the fearful term “the child of hell”—one whose sure portion is
hell; while in John 17:12 He designated Judas “the son of perdition.” Thus
“children of wrath” connotes those who are deserving of wrath, heirs of
wrath, fit for it. They are born to wrath, and under it, as their heritage. They
are not only defiled and corrupt creatures, but the objects of God’s judicial
indignation. Why? Because the sin of Adam is imputed to them, and
therefore they are regarded as guilty of having broken God’s law. [Man’s
Total Depravity]