Category Archives: Bible Study

BROUGHT NEAR BY THE BLOOD-6

Bible Study,

Ephesians 2:12-13 NLT‬
[12] “In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. [13] But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.”

Although God chose the Jews as His own personal possession, His plan of salvation was far wider than just one nation. He would stop at nothing until He had brought the whole world together into His family, under one head, His Son, Jesus.

Before the nation of Israel ever came to be, God told Abraham that, through his descendants, the whole world would be blessed.

‭Genesis 12:3 NLT‬
[3] “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

God’s plan was particularly distasteful to the Jews. They hated and despised the Gentiles. They called them “dogs”, distanced themselves from them in every possible way, and, of course, refused to believe that Gentiles had a part in God’s salvation.

They even tried to kill Paul for daring to preach to Gentiles about “their” God. The entire hullabaloo in Jerusalem (Acts 21,22), was triggered by Paul’s testimony to his conversion and God’s plan to send him to the Gentiles.

‭Acts of the Apostles 22:21 NLT‬
[21] “But the Lord said to me, ‘Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!’”

That statement set off a frenzy of rage in the Jewish people.

‭Acts of the Apostles 22:22 NLT‬
[22] “The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, “Away with such a fellow! He isn’t fit to live!”

Despite serious opposition and severe persecution from his own people across Asia Minor and Europe, Paul obeyed God’s instructions. He preached to the Gentiles the good news of Jesus, resulting in many small groups of believers forming churches across the Roman empire.

Paul’s motivation for going to the Gentiles was fueled by the revelation of God’s plan. He knew the Scriptures. He already understood that God’s Messiah would be given as a covenant to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews.

‭Isaiah 42:6, 9 NLT‬
[6] “I, the Lord, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations….
[9] Everything I prophesied has come true, and now I will prophesy again. I will tell you the future before it happens.”…

Isaiah 60:3 NLT‬
[3] “All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.”

So, when the Jews rejected his message, he turned to the Gentiles, receiving from them a glad response.

Acts of the Apostles 13:46-49 NLT
[46] “Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. [47] For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’”
[48]When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. [49] So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.”

As Paul writes to Gentile believers, then, he reassures them that their inclusion in salvation was God’s plan from the beginning.

Despite what they were before they heard the message of Jesus – dead, outsiders, uncircumcised, excluded from citizenship in Israel, apart from Christ, without God, and without hope – now it was different. They had been brought near by the through the blood of Christ. Through His death, they were reconciled to God and reunited with Israel into one new race.

‭Ephesians 2:14-16 NLT‬
[14] “For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. [15] He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. [16] Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.”

What a glorious plan, and even more! Since the Jews rejected Jesus, God extended His mercy to the Gentiles. Their inclusion in all the blessings of salvation, would make the Jews jealous and they, in turn, would turn to the Lord.

And so God’s mercy would be revealed to the whole world!

Paul explains, in the entire chapter of Romans 11, how He would achieve His purpose.

‭Romans 11:2, 11, 28-29 NLT‬
[2] “No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning….
[11] Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves….
[28] Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [29] For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn”…

‭Romans 11:25-27, 30-32 NLT‬
[25] “I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. [26] And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, “The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness. [27] And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”…
[30] Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. [31] Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. [32] For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.”

Paul calls this plan God’s “mystery”, something God hid from His people in the past but has now revealed through His apostles and prophets.

‭Ephesians 3:3-6 NLT‬
[3] As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. [4] As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. [5] God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. [6] And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.”

‭Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV‬
[19]” Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. [21] In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. [22] And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

WOW! What a glorious plan! Enough to make Paul burst out in praise!

‭Romans 11:33-36 NLT‬
[33]” Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! [34] For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? [35] And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? [36] For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”

GOD’S POEMS – 5

Bible Study, ,

Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT‬
[8] “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. [9] Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. [10] For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

God never does anything without a purpose. There are no happenstances in His thinking. He created and chose people to put Himself on display and they were, first, chosen because of His grace.

What is grace?

Grace, like many other of God’s attributes, is difficult to define. Grace is God’s favour shown to us when we don’t deserve it. Grace is God’s goodness showered on us when we didn’t earn it. Grace is God’s mercy that saves us from eternal death. Graces is God’s way to change us from what we are, sinners, into saints, holy and righteous in His sight.

My thinking has led me to believe that grace is the motive that releases God’s power to work in us. Grace, God’s attitude towards us despite who we are and what we have done, underpins all His dealings with us. Grace guarantees the finished product.

God’s love, in turn, underwrites His grace. God’s essential nature, pure love, motivates Him to treat sinners with kindness and compassion rather than with the wrath we deserve. He acts graciously towards us, lavishing on us every blessing He can muster so that we become the children He designed us to be from the beginning.

Grace turned God from acting in wrath and judgment. Grace motivated Him to prepare a rescue plan. Grace sent Jesus into the world to carry out God’s plan. Grace gave Jesus the reason to obey and submit to the Father’s will. Grace moves the Holy Spirit, in tandem with the Father and the Son, to work out God’s plan in us.

As, John Newton sang,

“Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.”

(Amazing Grace
John Newton, pub.1779
v. 7 by Anonymous/Unknown, pub.1829)

Since God is always gracious to us, He provides the power and strength that enables us to do His will despite our weakness. In fact, the weaker we are, the better because His strength is perfected in our weakness.

Paul cried out to God to take away the issues that he could not overcome in his weakness. God had another solution.

‭2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT‬
[8] “Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. [9] Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. [10] That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Grace again, grace makes a way possible in impossible situations!

Why does God lavish on us so much blessing and help on our journey through life. Again, He has a purpose.

The Greek word “poema”, (Ephesians 2:10), translated “workmanship” or “masterpiece”, really means God’s poem.

What is a poem?

“A piece of writing in which the expression of feelings and ideas is given intensity by particular attention to diction (sometimes involving rhyme), rhythm, and imagery.”
(Definitions from Oxford Languages)

A poem lifts ideas or descriptions from the ordinary to the sublime by using carefully chosen words and language skillfully arranged, to convey meaning, colour, and beauty.

Consider these words…the first verse of a poem by William Wordsworth – “Daffodils”.

“I wandered, lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

A word picture that arouses the imagination to see a field of daffodils in live movement and colour.

Now, according to Paul, God created us, by His grace, to be vivid expressions of God’s grace by the way we treat other people.

Imagine that! We, who were, by nature selfish, self-centred, greedy, hostile, and in competition with other people to get our own way, are now delivered from that nature and lifestyle by God’s grace. Instead, we are poems of God’s grace to others, treating them like He treats us, with love, mercy, and compassion.

And so, God is composing His poems and writing them into the big story He has already written. His poems add colour and beauty to His story. His peoms inspire the imagination of the people around us to read God into what they see and hear.

Paul called te Corinthians Church, God’s “letter” written to the world…

‭2 Corinthians 3:3 NLT‬
[3] “Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.”

The call to us, then, is to BE that poem, that letter, that the world can read. He wants the people who do not know Him to hear His voice calling them also to become poems for Him by His grace.

PRAYER – THE WAY TO GO – 4

Bible Study,

Ephesians 1:15-16 NLT‬
[15] “Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, [16] I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,…”

When I read Paul’s prayers, I am ashamed to think of the way I have prayed on the past. My prayers were mostly about me, my, and mine, and… about needs and wants. After all, I thought prayer was not prayer unless I was asking for something for myself or someone near to me!

How different were Paul’s recorded prayers! Thinking about God’s blessings in Christ led him to burst out in praise to the Father. Praise, in turn, made him realise how much God’s people need to understand what God has done for us.

Our ignorance of what God’s salvation means to us in the New Covenant cripples our prayers. We are confused between Old and New Covenants, thinking that God still wants our obedience to His commands to make us righteous. When we fail, we try harder, but that is not the way that God accepts us as righteous.

He gave us Christ’s righteousness when we believed in Jesus as the Son of God, and received Him as our Lord. In the New Covenant, God has exchanged “believe” for “obey” and “done” for “do”. Our salvation, our wholeness as new people, now depends on what Jesus did, not on what we try to do.

Paul exults in all the marvellous ways in which God reveals His love for people…chosen, adopted, set free from slavery to sin, forgiven.

‭Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT‬
[4] “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. [5] God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure….
[7] He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.”

… And all this happened before He breathed out one creative word! This means that God knew what would happen through Adam’s rebellion and what He would do to fix it before He created anything.

Not only did God bless us with these spiritual blessings but He also gave us His Spirit to enable us to understand what God has done. .

‭Ephesians 1:8 NLT‬
[8] “He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”

Paul knew that we struggle with issues in our lives, not because we don’t try harder, but because we don’t know or understand what God has already done for us through Jesus.

So, Paul prayed, not the “Please-gimme, please-do-this-or-that-for-me” prayers we so often pray but prayers of affirmation. God has done everything He needed to do to provide for us in this life and the next. “Open their spiritual eyes, Father, to see what you have done!”

‭Ephesians 1:16bn-20 NLT‬
[16] “I pray for you constantly, [17] asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your KNOWLEDGE of God. [18] I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can UNDERSTAND the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. [19] I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power [20] that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”

What do we, God’s children, need to navigate, safely, this treacherous world? First, we need confident HOPE . We need to see what the finished product will look like while we are still incomplete.

Hope is like the picture we look at of something we want to copy, for example, a garment we want to make. As we work on our garment, we keep looking at the picture to ensure that we are making an accurate replica. The picture helps us to stay on track.

So it is with our hope. God’s promises are the picture we look at, and faith in God keeps us on track.

‭‭Hebrews 11:1 CEV‬
[1] “Faith makes us sure of what we hope for and gives us proof of what we cannot see.”

Second, we need God’s mighty POWER to enable us to become what we cannot become under our own steam. What are we to become? Perfect replicas of Jesus! What an impossible hope without God’s power!

God uses everything, good or bad, to help us become like Jesus. Check this out!

‭Romans 8:28-29 NLT‬
[28]” And we know that God causes EVERYTHING to work together for the GOOD of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [29] For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become LIKE his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Prayer, then, is no longer please-give-me begging but thank-you affirmation that God will do what He promised.

‭Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT‬
[19]”I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power [20] that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”

Psul doesn’t pray that God will GIVE us His power – He already has – but that we will UNDERSTAND that the power available to us is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

God has already raised us from death.

‭Ephesians 2:1 NLT‬
[1] Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins….
[4] But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, [5] that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) [6] For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus…

Wow! Did you get that?! God isn’t telling us to BEG for His power. He’s telling us to USE His power by faith, understanding what He has done and by saying “thank you” and believing His promise.

You see, God gave Jesus all authority over everything, including everything that happens in our lives.

‭Ephesians 1:22-23 NLT‬
[22] “God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. [23] And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”

Since the church is made up of all of us, Jesus is in charge of all of us. His will, in sync with the Father, is that we become like Him. Therefore, He will do everything He promised to do, through His power, to transform us from selfish, self-centred sinners to new creations in Christ, increasingly resembling Him on our journey to the Father. He will work in everything in our ordinary, daily lives, to move us towards that goal.

God, the three-in-one, is constantly at work in us, changing us according to the blueprint, Jesus, He designed before He created the universe and every one of us.

‭Ephesians 2:7 NLT‬
[7] “So, God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”

Andso, He’s done it all already and
… it’s all for His glory!!!

GOD’S “ENGAGEMENT RING” – 3

Bible Study, ,

Ephesians 1:13-14 NLT‬
[13]”And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. [14] The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

How happy Paul was to explain to his readers that they, the Gentiles, had been given an equal share in the benefits of the gospel! However, could they be sure that they, as well as the Jews, were included in God’s salvation plan?

Yes! God has also given the Gentiles a pledge (Greek – arrabon), a downpayment, like an engagement ring, His Holy Spirit, to guarantee that He will complete the transaction.

History and the Bible tell us that God chose Abraham and his descendants from among all the nations to belong to Him. He redeemed them from slavery, led and protected them on their journey from Egypt, and settled them in the Promised Land by many miracles.

God promised them a Saviour, His Messiah, who would come in person to redeem them from sin. However, when He came, they rejected Him because they refused to accept His credentials or believe the evidence of His power and authority.

So, according to His plan, God gave Paul the task of taking the good news of salvation to the Gentiles.

‭Acts of the Apostles 9:10-11 NLT‬
[10] “Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord!” he replied. [11] The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now….
[15] But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.”

His plan from the beginning was to include the whole world in His salvation, prophesied many times through His Old Covenant prophets…

‭Isaiah 49:6 NLT‬
[6] “He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

So, on his first missionary journey, when the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia refused to listen to him, Paul turned to the Gentiles.

‭Acts of the Apostles 13:44-48 NLT‬
[44] “The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord. [45] But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said. [46] Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. [47] For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’” [48] When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers.”

Paul reasoned that the refusal of the Jews to believe in Jesus triggered the next phase of God’s plan – the inclusion of Gentiles in His merciful offer of salvation.

‭Romans 11:11-16 NLT‬
[11] Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. [12] Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. [13] I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, [14] for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. [15] For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! [16] And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy—just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too.”

God’s plan came together, piece by piece, until the gospel message of salvation was carried to every part of the civilised world.

Jew and Gentile, reconciled through the cross to become God’s new nation, which God secured and guaranteed by the gift of His Spirit, was God’s great purpose from the beginning.

‭Ephesians 2:11-14 NLT‬
[11] “Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. [12] In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. [13] But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. [14] For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.”

Through His death, Jesus opened the door to Jew and Gentile alike. He obliterated the hatred between them by removing the” wall” – the law that separated them, replacing law with grace, including all who believe in Him in the New Covenant.

The Jews’ refusal to receive God’s grace meant that the Gentiles who believed Paul’s message, were welcomed into God’s kingdom.

‭Romans 11:28-32 NLT‬
[28] “Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. [29] For God’s gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. [30] Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against him, God was merciful to you instead. [31] Now they are the rebels, and God’s mercy has come to you so that they, too, will share in God’s mercy. [32] For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.”

For Peter, preaching to Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, and his household, the matter was forever settled when the Holy Spirit fell on these Gentile believers as He fell on the disciples on the day of Pentecost.

‭Acts of the Apostles 10:34-35 NLT‬
[34] Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favoritism. [35] In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.
[44] Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. [45] The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. [46] For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked, [47] “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”

And the Spirit in us testifies to our sonship, both Jew and Gentile.

‭Romans 8:15-16 NLT‬
[15] “So, you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” [16] For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”

Jew and Gentile, then, share equally in the gracious gift of God’s Spirit as His down payment, guaranteeing the completed transaction, eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ.

CHOSEN AND PREDESTINED – 2b

Bible Study, ,

Now that we have a better understanding of “chosen”, let’s take a closer look at “predestination”.

‭Romans 8:29 NIV‬
[29] “For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

‭Ephesians 1:12-14 NLT‬
[12] “God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. [13] And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. [14] The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”

I have decided to present an entire quote from “gotquestions.com” because I cannot explain predestination any better than this.

“Many people have a strong hostility to the doctrine of predestination. However, predestination is a biblical doctrine. The key is understanding what predestination means, biblically.

“The words translated “predestined” in the Scriptures referenced above are from the Greek word proorizo, which carries the meaning of “determining beforehand,” “ordaining,” “deciding ahead of time.” So, predestination is God determining certain things to occur ahead of time. What did God determine ahead of time? According to Romans 8:29-30, God predetermined that certain individuals would be conformed to the likeness of His Son, be called, justified, and glorified. Numerous scriptures refer to believers in Christ being chosen (Matthew 24:22, 31; Mark 13:20, 27; Romans 8:33, 9:11, 11:5-7, 28; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1-2, 2:9; 2 Peter 1:10). Predestination is the biblical doctrine that God in His sovereignty chooses certain individuals to be saved.

“Predestination is an explicitly biblical doctrine. Yet the determination of predestination is not disconnected from the rest of God’s unchanging character (Malachi 3:6). It is connected to His foreknowledge (Romans 8:29, 11:2), His love (Ephesians 1:4-5), and His plan and pleasure (Ephesians 1:5). God’s desire is that all would be saved and come to repentance (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). Predestination is personal and relational, not capricious.

“The most common objection to the doctrine of predestination is that it is unfair. Why would God choose certain individuals and not others? We must remember that no one deserves to be saved. We have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and are all worthy of eternal punishment (Romans 6:23). As a result, God would be perfectly just in allowing all of us to spend eternity in hell. However, God chooses to save some of us. He is not being unfair to those who are not chosen, because they are receiving what they deserve. God’s choosing to be gracious to some is not unfair to the others. No one deserves anything from God; therefore, no one can object if he does not receive anything from God.

An illustration would be a man randomly handing out money to five people in a crowd of twenty. Would the fifteen people who did not receive money be upset? Probably so. Do they have a right to be upset? No, they do not. Why? Because the man did not owe anyone money. He simply decided to be gracious to some.

“If God is choosing who is saved, doesn’t that undermine our free will to choose and believe in Christ? The Bible says that we have the choice—all who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10). The Bible never describes God rejecting anyone who believes in Him or turning away anyone who is seeking Him (Deuteronomy 4:29). The truths of God’s sovereign predestination and also man’s responsibility are not mutually exclusive. Somehow, in the mystery of God, predestination works hand-in-hand with a person being drawn by God (John 6:44) and believing unto salvation (Romans 1:16). God predestines who will be saved, and we must choose Christ in order to be saved. Both facts are equally true.

Romans 11:33 proclaims, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
(got questions.com, article “What is predestination?”)

For the Apostle Paul, then, predestination is not about God being unfair but merciful. Without His mercy, no one has a chance. His mercy provides the motive for everything that Jesus made available to us through His death. Those God chose to be conformed to the image of Jesus form the forever family God wanted He saved because of His mercy.

‭Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT‬
[4] But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, [5] that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”

So, predestination has to do with the DESTINATION of those He CHOSE – to be recreated in the image of His Son.

‭Colossians 3:9-10 NIV‬
[9] “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

https://bible.com/bible/111/col.3.9-10.

However, we have not reached the pinnacle of God’s purpose for election and predestination until we realise that it’s all about shining the light on God Himself. Only when God’s glory fills the horison of our thoughts and actions can we understand more clearly what God is about when He acts so graciously towards us.

How can we ever fathom the depths of who God is unless He does what is unfathomable to reveal the measure of His love? All He has done should lead us, first to an outburst of praise….

‭Romans 11:33-36 NLT‬
[33] “Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways! [34] For who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to give him advice? [35] And who has given him so much that he needs to pay it back? [36] For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.”

… And then to a prayer…

‭Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT‬
[14]”When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, [15] the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. [16] I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. [17] Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. [18] And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. [19] May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”