Thankful, Not Prideful

Being chosen when we are not even born yet.

Having Jesus Christ die on that old rugged cross to pay for our sins; that we were born with; even before being thought of by our parents.

Having a plan that a chosen few would experience His everlasting love and presence.

A plan to send Himself in human form to suffer and die with the punishment we would have to endure for the wickedness we were born with.

This plan, election, is not a prideful boast but a thanksgiving, and yet a sorrow for those who were not chosen. Before I understood, I viewed this as boastful, and a high-minded attitude. Now it is an honor because I, in myself, am nothing, a worthless worm deserving of hell from the very beginning. I understand my depravity; I make no excuses for what I had done throughout my life. And yet, He had died for His own, for me, a very thankful servant who will thank Him by obedience.

He gives us understanding, He opens our eyes, He opens our ears and our hearts to receive Him by the Spirit's illumination. Without that illumination in all our senses we’d still be depraved.

So it is by election that we are saved for eternal life with Him.

The Scars are Beautiful

The scars are beautiful, and full of meaning to His sheep.

They mean sacrifice, absolute love, forgiveness, redemption, justice for those who don’t deserve it, a bridge to God Who was unapproachable because of His holiness and our sin, a Lamb Who was led to slaughter even though sinless, and the Sin-bearer Who took all our sins, past, present and future on Himself to keep us from having to bear the penalty of ever-lasting hell.

The scars are beautiful, and full of meaning to me!

“Salt Doesn’t Belong In the Saltshaker”

Let me first begin by saying that I am not speaking against Christian corporate worship or fellowship. With that said, I will begin. In the fifth chapter, verses thirteen through sixteen, of Matthew’s gospel account, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp-stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” If then, we are to be “salt” and “light” to the world,  we must be out in the world, among those in need of that salt and light. Certainly we are not to be “of the world.” Yet, it is the “world,” nonetheless, that we are to be seen in. So where am I going with all of this?

 The “church,” in the original Greek , “ekklesia,” means a calling out; “ek,” is “out of,” and “klesis,” is “a calling,” ergo, “ones’ who are called out of.” Therefore, the “church,” while inclusive of believers, collectively, is also true of the individual believer. It is not a building, a denomination, or a special conclave, per se. We, as true regenerated followers of Jesus Christ, are the “church.” And, as such, make up the body of Christ.

In the fourth chapter of the gospel account of John, we see Jesus bringing the truth of salvation and worship to an immoral Samaritan women, who was looking for love and acceptance through the “world’s way. And in the account, verses sixteen through twenty-four, this exchange takes place; “Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ “For you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Now there are two, critical, principles nailed down here by Jesus, God, in human flesh. The first one is that, living together does NOT make a marriage! Jesus first needed the woman to confront her sin. The second, and the one most closely connected to the point of this article is that, God is NOT  looking for true worshipers to come together in a building!

Far too often, Christians are more concerned with, ”going to ‘church,’” rather than developing the relationship with God, and displaying that relationship to the world. They become more focused on “fellowshipping” with other Christians than reflecting the truth of Christ to a bland and blind world.

What good is salt while only remaining in the saltshaker?

Or, for that matter, what good is a light that is hidden?

Salt, that only remains in the saltshaker, is only flavoring salt!

And salt, that is only flavoring salt, is as good for nothing as salt that has lost its flavor.

For us to be effective disciples of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we must reflect Him to a bland and blind world. We must be more concerned with flavoring the “world,” outside the saltshaker, with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, displayed through a life of holiness and obedience to His Word.

This exchange, recorded in the fourth chapter of John’s gospel account, would have been the quintessential opportunity for Jesus, God, in human flesh, to validate, not only, cohabitation, as marriage, but to emphasize the need to gather together with other, like-minded, folks for true worship; and the place most crucial for being, “salt,” and “light.” 

While there is nothing wrong with gathering together with other, “true,” believers, and followers of Jesus Christ; to be edified and encouraged, Jesus, Himself, commanded that our purpose, as His disciples, is to reflect Him to those who are, not, “like-minded.” To those who are a part of a bland and blind world.

And, it is certainly understandable that it would be antithetical to, “job security,” for a pastor of a congregation to preach such a message, it is far more important for this message to be preached.

Heaven, is where true and pure, undefiled, worship will occur. But, our purpose for remaining in this world, after being regenerated, is to be salt and light to this world. For then, our true purpose will be fulfilled, when those, who have willfully rejected the gospel of salvation, through the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, are brought into judgment, they will have no excuse. For they will be reminded that even when salvation was freely reflected to them, they willingly chose, the “world,” in all of its fleetingness, rather than the gift of eternal life, through Jesus Christ. And then, we will have flavored, and illuminated, by reflection, this “world,” thus, fulfilling our purpose, and serving our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Salt doesn’t belong in the saltshaker; neither does a light belong under a basket. Rather, the disciples of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, belong, far more, in this world, rather than of this world; nevertheless, in this world, as opposed to cloistered in a building, with like-minded folks!

The Sinfulness of Sinlessness

Sin: A deed, word, or thought, done against what God says is right or wrong. Many today are not told of the “little” sins but believe themselves to be “pretty good.” But did you realize that even doing what you know is wrong or even not doing what you know you should be doing is a sin? How about seeing a brother or sister sin and letting it go? Or even betraying a trust? Give account of your motives, are they for selfish reasons, or to be put in the spotlight? So many see sin as murder, smoking, drinking, rape, etc. But all sin is alike to God. He is holy, and sin is sin to Him. Saying you are sinless calls God a liar. Are we so pious that we see ourselves better than He? No, humbly see yourself as worthless, one who has sinned above any other. Like I said, “Look closely.” How are you compared to God? Don’t dupe yourself into believing you are closely like Him! He is so holy that He had to send a Mediator for us just to bridge that gap that Adam and Eve put between us. You’d be trusting in yourself if you believe that you are almost sinless. We have nothing to show for our eternity except for obedience. Do we obey, or do we disobey? Where do you want to be in the end? Do you long to hear Him say, “Well done good and faithful servant?” Even I, as a Christian still fail. Yesterday, legalism got me; today beating myself over that sin had me. How do I not sin? You can’t! But Jesus has already paid for it and He doesn’t love you less, but He does want you to grow from it and learn. So don’t say you are sinless because you are born again or feel you are a “good moral person,” or you go to a “church” building every time it opens, or that you read His word and pray every day, but realize you are going to sin, but He wants us to repent and go on to grow.

History of His-story

In the beginning God created man - body, soul, and spirit.  All three parts were originally created to live forever with God.  But then, the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, sinned; by disobeying the one command God had given them.  They chose to believe the Devil’s lie that they could be like God. When they sinned, the body began dying, the spirit died, separating from the relationship with God, and the soul was left to live forever, apart from God. You see, once a person has been born, they will live forever. The question is, where?

Adam and Eve were awakened to now know both, good, and evil. And along with this knowledge, they felt great shame.  Part of this shame was the fact that they now recognized that they were without clothing. So God, in His mercy, slew two animals to make clothing, to cover their shame.

Every one of us, born into this world after that first sin, is born with that spiritually dead, fallen, condition.  None of us can live good enough to earn our way to Heaven.  Because, when measured by God’s standards of perfection, mankind always falls short. When we judge ourselves according to other human beings, we see that some of us are better than others. Yet, again, God, Who is perfect, and Holy, will judge us against Himself. So, in our imperfect condition, we are all left to face the same punishment that God prepared for the fallen angel Lucifer (Satan), and his evil angels. Hell. And, eternal separation from the love of God. 

But, God so loved the mankind He created, that He knew if a perfect man could live a sinless life, and take the punishment for all mankind, and then God could allow mankind to live with Him, forever, once again. And since God had to shed the blood of two innocent animals to cover that first sin’s shame, the punishment would have to include the shedding of blood, because God said that the life is in the blood. However, there was one problem… None of mankind could live perfectly! So God decided that He, Himself, would be born as a Man, Jesus, live a sinless life, and then take His own punishment, to pay the penalty for us. 

Jesus, God incarnate, took what we deserve upon Himself, becoming our sins - past, present, and future, died, suffering, on the cross, and shedding His blood, and was raised from the dead, so that if we believe, with all of our heart that this is true, and ask for His mercy and forgiveness, giving over our lives to Him, we can be made new, our spirit born-again, and once more be able to live with God forever. 

As Sovereign Creator, God must judge sin. Yet, as a Loving Creator, He paid the penalty for us! There is nothing we can add. 

In other words, unless a person believes, with all of their mind, will, and emotion, that Jesus is God, that He paid their sin penalty by death, and was raised again… Then giving over their life, to live for Jesus, and not for the world, they will not enter Heaven when they die!

You cannot get into Heaven by, just believing in God or Jesus, trying to be good, doing good deeds, or joining a church… And, not all religions lead to God… Jesus said; “…I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me…” God does not weigh our good deeds verses our bad deeds… We cannot earn our way into Heaven!  

We must have our hearts purified, by the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit; our spirits made alive through Jesus being raised from the dead; and receive the faith from God to accept our accountability, then, and only then, can we be made right with God, and be able to enter Heaven.  And once we are spiritually born-again, we can have peace within our soul, because we know that we are forgiven. God does it all!

It is when we sense the drawing of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that we must call upon Jesus to save us, grant us mercy and forgiveness, and make us new in Him. Only then, are we enabled to live according to the standards of Scripture. And, only then, will we have the true desire to do so!

The Wisdom of Fools

Why are we so unwilling to surrender to the One Who made us? Why are we so hardheaded and hard-hearted to see His goodness and the blessings He wants to give us? How can something He make, make the wrong choices when the answers are already right there in our conscience? He gave us a conscience to know what is right and what is wrong but the nature in us chooses to shut Him out and do what we ought not to do. It makes no sense in going against His will to live our lives for ourselves when He made us for a reason. We can choose to live for Him or choose to live without Him. Do we choose to be fools or wise? A person who believes themselves to be wise, is a fool; one who knows they are a fool, are seen as wise in God’s eyes. For when we see ourselves as fools, without Christ, that is when we are really smart.

What would I do, without You Lord?

Where would my cries go to, if not to You?

What would my days be filled with, if not with You?

Who would I ask for guidance, but You?

Where would I find love, if not in You?

Who would my soul converse with, if not with You?

What would make me content, if not You?

Where would I go when I die, if not to You?

I shudder to think of a life without You Lord because You are my absolute all!

A Wife

A wife is one who is called by God to love her husband, and to submit to him. Eve was the one who needed Adam's council when being tempted with the fruit, but chose what she wanted to do. It was Adam, (Man), and his sons after him, who were appointed to be the, "leaders" of the family. Therefore, we are to willingly submit. Submission is not a bad word, it doesn’t mean to be dictated to, but to be led, like in the knowledge of right and wrong. When we, as women, take over that role, and men, cower under that, it is a sin. It is going against what God’s wisdom said.

A wife is to be a partner with her husband. Not to stand behind, or to be in front of, but side-by-side. We both make decisions and listen to one another’s ideas and concerns. We don’t bully each other, and we don’t try to get our own way. Like in a business deal, a partner is one with you.

Speaking of that, being one is definitely not what the world is being in todays marriages. It’s more marriage, with loose ties. No bonding, a fond affection, at times. I have learned that it is a sacred bonding, a dying to ones self, and giving to the other with a whole heart. As it is to be for Christ, we need to die to self and give all to Him. Marriage is a depiction of our relationship with Him, as with our husband.

Let’s look at our marriages: do we fight or quarrel over anything, or is it a talking through, a trying to understand the other's point of view? Do we love only as much as we want to be loved, or do you just give yourself over completely to be loved, and to love? Are we giving, expecting to be rewarded with something in return, or do we give for the sake of loving to give? Do we live for ourselves only, or do we care for the other more than ourselves? Or, is it more that, we do our duties and that’s the extent of our giving, or do we go way beyond our duty, and not see it as duty, but as love? Do we enjoy being away from the other, or is it a bonding so strong that your heart longs to be close to him all day long?

Sure, it doesn’t mean our flesh doesn't get in the way, at times, to dishonor our calling and our love for him, but its more a rarity, than  the norm.

If it is to be an example of a relationship with Christ, then a lot of us are lacking. If you don’t like spending continual times with your husband, how are you ever going to want to spend time with our heavenly Groom? If we don’t want to give intimately to our husbands, we’ll never be willing to give spiritual intimacy to Him. If we rarely talk with our husbands, how much less do we talk with Him? If we try to get what we can from our husbands, and don’t give in return, we certainly aren’t going to give freely to our ultimate Groom.

Think about it, whatever you are to your husbands, you are being and doing to Christ.

Imagination is Reality

Have you ever thought of how big God's mind is? I have and it boggles my finite brain.

Can you imagine thinking up every animal on earth, with different abilities, different characteristics, different insides, different sounds, etc.? Look at the birds, how many different species are there? Look at the sizes, whether they fly or not, what foods they eat, where they nest, where and if they migrate, how they court each other, etc.

Look at us even, we all have different fingerprints, none are the same. Our characteristics are different, our goals are different, and our DNA is very unique, like our fingerprints. He even gave us a will to choose between right and wrong, the beasts just react from instinct. Look how intricate our bodies are made, there is a purpose for all of it, not that all parts are urgently needed, and our systems can even live without some parts, such as the gallbladder.

How big is God,s mind when it came to making the many different flowers? Some smell sweet, some smell strong, some are only nice to look at, and others are odd. Look under the microscope to see the essence of beauty, the spectacular pattern, the most unique colors ever seen. And yet, the flowers have purpose, for us to appreciate His creation, for scents, for medicinal purposes, for decoration, for giving, etc.

How about the heavens, where it is unlimited in its expanse? How far does the universe really go? Look at the stars, can you count them? Look at the many different planets, all uninhabitable, but one. Look at the many different colors of the sky, pinks, blues, purples, yellows and grays. Isn’t it awesome to try to comprehend His imagination that He made a reality?

Let us see the oceans, and what He has made within them… How many fish species are there? How deep is the deepest ocean? And can anyone tell me why the sea doesn’t just fill the earth? It stops at a point. And the sea level in some areas is higher than the land? How can clown fish live in the anemones, while other fish can be stung? Why is there both fresh and salt water?

Let me just say this: He made everything unique to its kind, and He created everything to bring joy. Enjoy the awesomeness of His imagination and accept the reality that none of it was made by an explosion!

Jesus?

How utterly amazing…  Ask the average person, male or female, young or old, if they believe in God, and in most cases you will get a resounding yes.  Then ask if they believe in Jesus Christ…  It is then that you will discover their hostility.  They may say something like; “…I believe in God, but, ah, Jesus…  I don’t want to talk about Jesus…  You didn’t say anything about Jesus…”  And they quickly want to change the subject, or make some excuse to leave…  Or…  They become argumentative, and can even get down right angry…  Why? What is it about Jesus that frightens them so?

I believe that the basic answer lies in the fact that Jesus was and is, God, incarnate…  God, in human flesh!  And with this revelation comes the fact that if “God,” can come down in the person of a man, then “God,” must really exist, and that means that we will have to face accountability, and quite possibly, a judgement!  Further…  If Jesus is God, then the Bible must be true, and this presents a whole other set of issues.  But if “God,” is kept way out there, somewhere in space, then I can believe in whatever I believe “God” is, based on my creation of “God,” and shape Him to suit my acceptability.  And so…  The argument becomes; “…I think that “God,” is what ever you believe him to be…” 

One of the biggest problems with these theories is that they all possess the word; “I”…  “I believe”…  “I think”…  It doesn’t matter what you think, because when confronted by the one true God, all of your suppositions, opinions, and theories, will pale in comparison.  When we come to the end of our earthly existence, our refusal to believe in things such as “God,” the “devil,” and “hell,” will quickly change.  You see, we who are truly regenerated, awakened spiritually, know intrinsically, instinctively, and beyond any doubt, that the things of the spiritual realm do exist!  Our eyes have been opened to them.  Our blinders have been removed.  And from that point on, we walk through this life by faith and not by human senses.  To doubt it would be like an infant opening their eyes at birth and refusing to see. 

And what is it that we’re asked to see?  That Almighty God, condescended Himself to come among the creations, as one of them, all man, yet all Deity, in order that we may know Him, and that He may suffer the wrath of God that we were destined to incur.  Because God is just, a penalty for rebellion, for exercising our limited free will contrary to the will of God, sin, was necessary.  And that penalty was death.  But because God is also a God of love, He devised a way for the penalty to be paid by Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ.  So that now, all those who accept by faith, the truth of the cross, can be reconciled through repentance, to a relationship with God, and thereby eternal salvation and life with God.  Because the first rebellion, sin, came through God’s perfect creation, Adam, the penalty had to be paid by another man, a perfect Man.  And since it was impossible for any man already existing, past, present, and future, God devised a way through God/Man, Jesus Christ.  A Man, able to live a sinless life.  Sufficiently Man to qualify, yet, all Deity to be perfect, and to fulfill a godly justice.  What a beautiful gift God has given us!  How then can we ask; Jesus?                       

Listen to Your Heart…”Crucify Him!”

Can you hear it? Do you hear it? The yelling, the shouting, anger and rage? Is that your voice in the midst of the yelling? Yes, it is all of us, hearing ourselves yelling, “Crucify Him!” Yes, we all have shouted that from our hearts. We may have always criticized the Jews for turning against Him, but how about you? I had shouted that every time I rebelled against Him, or "shoved" Him aside to do my own thing. Every one of us  have yelled it from our hearts, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Can you hear it? Your voice is crying those horrific and gut-wrenching words, “Crucify! Crucify!” Do you hear it? Can you hear yourself? Listen, hear your heart! Please listen and fall to your knees and ask Him to forgive you for yelling, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” Do you hear it?

Not Total Freedom, Not Legalism, Just Obedience.

What holds us back from letting go? When God wants to take us and mold us into something better, why don’t we just submit, and let go of our old lives? Is the life that we are living so fun and exciting, that we think nothing can top it? Is that what held me back from submitting my whole self? I think for me, it was the same old rebellion that I’ve always had that kept me from wanting to just obey. The only reason I see is that of legalism. I  grew up with it, and was both legalistic, and freely living the way I wanted to. So being under submission to anyone was nothing short of aggravating to me. I wanted to be able to do what I wanted to, when I wanted to, and wherever I wanted to... And, I did not want to hear, “You can’t do that,” or, "You must go here." I regret and wish my rebellion was not a part of me, and so strong. But, I truly thank and praise my LORD and Savior for changing that rebellion into submission (not perfect mind you, but better everyday). So why, my brothers and sisters in the LORD, do we fight against or dismiss His words, and do what our flesh wants to do? The flesh will send us to hell; the Spirit of God will lead us to heaven, if we would only listen and obey. If we are too legalistic then we fall, because we see everyone else’s faults. If we are too free with our flesh, then we fall because we are not minding what God says. So what do we do? We obey His words, no changing them to say what we want them to say, or embellishing His words or even neglecting to hear what He tells us. Just obey!

Man Centered vs. God Centered

Contrary to the words of Scripture, and the approach of the Apostles themselves, the Gospel, if it is truly preached at all, has been reduced to a, man-centered, message that maligns the very sovereignty of God.

We have been left with a picture of a pleading Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, pathetically pandering to get man to accept Him, when in all reality; it is we who should be crying out for mercy and for Christ to accept us.

Lest we actually show people for whom they really are, sinners, and risk loosing congregations, we instead compromise the true message in Scripture and replace it with a feel-good fallacy of easy- believism that manufactures nothing but false converts. 

Regeneration and repentance are conveniently omitted, and replaced with a non-committal cafeteria-style Christianity, where we can have some free grace but skip the self-denial, take a little blessing, but avoid the sacrifice, and ultimately believe that we can gain a crown without a cross. 

And all the while Scripture remains quite clear in that, “…Many are called but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14

The man-centered Gospel is much more appealing because it places the choice in the hands of man and gives man the power and control over his/her own destiny. In other words, it makes man god. 

But the God-centered Gospel of Scripture paints an altogether different picture. It tells us that God is God, and man is a created being, created by God.  And God has the sovereign right to do with His creation whatever He chooses. And that man does not have the right to question God. If you doubt that just read Job, and the ninth chapter of Romans.

Now at first glance, the God-centered Gospel does not appear to be a gospel of love, but as will be seen, it is more a gospel of love than the man-centered gospel can ever be. And the true God-centered Gospel reconciles Scripture perfectly, and beautifully, attesting to the awesome sovereignty of Almighty God. Additionally, the true Gospel message does not make one arrogant and prideful, but rather leaves one with a sense of humble hopefulness, and a peaceful humility to rest in.

The concept that it is God Who chooses confounds the greatest of minds. That’s because the Apostle Paul wrote, “…but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise…” 1Corinthians 1:27

When we attempt to comprehend the wisdom of God through human logic and reason it will always seem foolish to us. That is because, “…unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven…” Matthew 18:3  in other words, unless one becomes trusting and unpretentious, understanding that our human intellect is limited and can only perceive spiritual concepts through illumination by the Holy Spirit, and faith, one can never fully embrace the truths of Scripture.

The first man, Adam, was created in triune perfection, having body, soul, and spirit, and did not have a sin nature, but only knew good. God gave Adam a command, and told him, “…for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:17.  Adam lived nine hundred thirty years. God was not speaking of physical death, but of spiritual death.  In the day that Adam, willfully, chose to disobey God’s command he died spiritually. Therefore, all of us conceived and born after Adam were born with a dead spirit. And once reaching an age of accountability, all willfully choose to sin. The spirit is the part of our being which relates with God; “…And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…” Ephesians 2:1 A dead person does not have the capacity to respond to anything! 

Like Lazarus, we must be brought to life in order to respond. “…The man who had died came fourth…” John 11:44. Jesus said, “…No one can come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me draws him…” John 6:44 and this is evidenced by a seeking heart. Jesus further confirmed this when He said, “…The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” John 3:8.  The Apostle Paul drives this home when he wrote, “…So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God Who has mercy…” Romans 9:16. 

Rebirth is a change wrought within us, not an act by us. The will is the act of the mind choosing.  The heart controls the will. An unregenerate heart does not seek or desire Christ. “…There is none who seeks for God…” Romans 3:11b.  All people are condemned by their own willful sin and unbelief. The whole human race was doomed to destruction by its own choice. If left alone, all men would be lost. God has elected or chosen certain individuals to belong to Him. He (God) sovereignly selects a handful of sinners, saves them by His grace, and conforms them to the image of His Son. “…Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” Romans 9:21. 

It is also true that they must choose to be saved by a definite act of the will; however, God can choose individuals to belong to Himself and at the same time make a bona fide offer of salvation to all people, everywhere. He (God) predetermines this result by drawing certain individuals to Himself.  “…For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined…” “…and these whom He predestined, He also called…” Romans 8:29a,30a. And, “…All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out…” John 6:37.

Man either receives or disbelieves God’s provision in Christ. Only God knows who the elect are. Hence the reason for the command in Matthew 28:19, and the desire within every true believer to evangelize. Every man may not only accept Christ as Savior and Lord, but is urged and invited to do so.  If people are lost, it is because of their own sin and rebellion; if people are saved, it is because of the sovereign, electing grace of God. The believer looks around and sees people with better characters, better personalities, and better dispositions, than his own and asks, “Why did the Lord choose me?” People can know whether they are elect simply by their response to the Gospel – those who believe it are elect!                  

In truth, God does offer salvation and eternal life to all, through the Gospel, but only the elect receive the saving faith to willingly accept. The gift of the Gospel message – eternal life – is made available to all, however, this is to clearly demonstrate that, even if given the choice, man will, of his/her own volition, willingly and freely choose their sin over salvation. “…the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light…” John 3:19b. And those chosen will willingly and freely choose the Lord’s gift of eternal life, through special grace.

God chooses to save some out of a world where all are guilty. He (God) does not elect some to Heaven and some to hell. All are given the choice to freely choose. God simply involves Himself actively in the lives of those He elected to assure their coming to completion. And God, in the lives of the non-elect, simply chooses to remain passive, and leaves them to their own choices, (sin). All experience the common grace that God bestows upon the world; however, it is only the elect who receive special grace/saving faith, that internal call, which enables them to affirmatively respond to the Gospel.

The non-elect have the free choice to accept Christ, but because they are spiritually dead, they have not the ability to respond with saving faith.  They may respond intellectually, or emotionally, or out of the sense to do good, or to live a good life, but apart from Christ enabling them, they will remain eternally lost. Superficial responses, without the change in lifestyle, behaviors, and desires, fail to display the spiritual life, wrought through saving faith, necessary to make Christ, Lord and Savior, as well as, gain eternal life.

True saving faith is not a general belief, not the faith that demons have (more than general belief but without repentance), not even the faith the Apostles had (just doing the work of the Lord). True saving faith is more than head knowledge. It is a faith that comes with a changed life. True saving faith causes one to see their sin as an offense against God; acknowledges the necessity of Christ’s death on the cross; trusts solely in His death as payment for their debt to God. True saving faith creates holiness, makes one humble with a reverent fear, makes one less sinful, shows one’s own works as inadequate, and points to Christ alone for His mercy. 

Scripture strongly and clearly supports this view.  “…We know that God does not hear sinners…” John 9:31.  Jesus Christ did not die for all mankind! “…He calls His own sheep by name…” John 10:3b. The Shepherd does not call sheep randomly, but only those that belong to Him. “…But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep…” “…My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them…” John 10:26,27. “…I lay down My life for the sheep…” John 10:15b. 

It is our poor choices, and our running to seek our own way, that hinders and delays our calling and election. It is not our choosing that is the factor in salvation, but rather our running that affects the timing of God’s action. It is not us choosing to accept Christ; it is us ceasing our foolish running, and yielding to our calling and election.  Our election, and our destiny, will come to pass according to God’s plan. And God will even apply a degree of pressure to move our circumstances toward leading us in the direction of that election.  Nevertheless, our limited freewill, and rebellious nature, necessitates, at times, us being brought to complete brokenness before we are prepared and ready to see and hear the truth. It is not us who choose Christ; it is Christ Who chooses us!

The sequence of Salvation is: Election (God choosing us), Calling (outward & inner), Regeneration (spirit made alive), Conversion (faith & repentance), Justification (legal declaration), Adoption (made God’s children), Sanctification (progressive work of God), Perseverance (keeping in Christ), Death (temporary cessation of bodily life & separation of soul from the body), and Glorification (receiving the resurrected body). 

Faith and repentance only come after being made alive. Like Lazarus, a dead man cannot respond.  And apart from the intervening work of the Holy Spirit, we do not seek God, nor desire to respond.