Sunday, December 30, 2018

Chosen

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 

I understand this to say that we, who have confessed Jesus as our Lord and Savior are the chosen of God. How he chose us, I do not know, but he did know that the believers would believe in the Son of God, because that was His will from the beginning of creation. Jesus was the Son of God in the beginning and in the fullness of time he came as a baby human to make the way for us to live with God forever. He is both God and a man. He took the form of a human to pay the legal price for our sins. He is risen in glory at the right hand of the Father in heaven.

Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 

Predestined is  big word that the Calvinist use to explain that God had chosen those who will be saved before they were born. How do we know who were chosen? One explanation is that in John 3:16 it says "whosoever will", they are the chosen. John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

We responded to God's calling, his drawing us to himself. We received Jesus as our Lord and Savior, wherein "he hath made us accepted in the beloved." We may say, is it fair that some were chosen and others were not before they had a chance to respond to the calling of God?  A good question and there is the scripture where Jesus wept over Jerusalem.  This looks to me  like all may choose to respond to God's calling. No one is purposely kept away before they were born. 

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 

It appears to me that Jesus was concerned for the lost people of Jerusalem. 

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

The workings of God are for him to know. He is absolutely just and true. I trust him and his revealed word and I know my understanding is limited. There are some things we will not understand until we are with Him.




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