Tag Archives: purpose

ELECTION AND PREDESTINATION

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ELECTION AND PREDESTINATION

“Not only that, but Rebekah’s children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad – in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by Him who calls – she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ Just as it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'” Romans 9:10-13.

This election thing is mighty confusing, isn’t it? It seems as though God is unfair. How can He choose some people to salvation and others to condemnation before they are even born? But wait a minute. Before we jump to such conclusions, we need to get rid of some assumptions.

Take predestination, for example. Does the Bible imply that God sits in heaven sorting people out and saying, “One for heaven, one for hell,” like a love-sick teenager picking petals off a daisy and chanting, “He loves me, he loves me not”? Not at all! What kind of God would He be to do that? What does the Bible say?

Predestination is not about eternal salvation but about destiny. So what’s the difference? Look at it this way. If I choose to make medicine my career, the moment I walk through the doors of the university and begin my studies, I am destined to be a doctor. I will study medicine and be trained in the skills and practices of a medical doctor and when I Ieave the university and go out to practice what I have learned, I will be able to give myself the title, Dr So-and-So because that is what I have been trained to do.

The only difference between what happens to me in my career which is earthly and temporary and my eternal destiny is that God pre-destined me, not to be a doctor but to be conformed to the image of His Son. Before the foundation of the world, He decided that those who believe in His Son will perfectly resemble Him when God has completed His work in them. Can you see the difference? It’s not about who will be saved and who will not be saved. It’s about who we will be like when we have followed Jesus and lived out this life.

What about election? Again, we must set aside our assumptions and read what the Bible actually says. Election is also not about salvation. It’s about God’s choice of what people will do with their lives. He chose Jacob to be the ancestor of the people through whom He would create a nation that would belong to Him. He wanted a group of people with whom He would be in a covenant relationship and through whom Messiah would come.

He chose Jacob over Esau before their birth, not because of anything they had done but because of His grace. It was about Him, not about them; about His purposes, not theirs. Why did Paul quote the verse, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated”? This is not about emotion but about intention. Jesus used the same idea to describe what a disciple’s attitude should be towards Him in comparison with his relationship to his closest relatives. Love – hate is about priorities, not attitudes.

God chose and focussed His attention on Jacob because He had chosen him to be a forefather of Jesus. That did not mean that Esau was chosen for hell. It meant that God had a different purpose for him and his descendants and it was up to him to obey God and fulfil his purpose in God’s scheme of things.

God’s purposes for us are all different, but that does not mean that we are not part of His big plan. If we obey Him, we are all part of what He is doing even if we are not in the limelight as His people were. What is most important to us is that we are accountable for our choices and for the way we live our lives, whether we fulfil our destiny or not.

So. let’s not misjudge God. Let’s check His word and see for ourselves that His dealings with us are always in love and grace. That we have any part in His plan is because of His mercy. When we are in Christ, we have a destiny to be like Jesus and to be part of God’s plan to reach others in whichever way He calls us and fits us for our calling. Our response should always be one of thanksgiving for His mercy and trust that He will perfect His will in us as we follow and obey Him.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

JUST TRUST

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JUST TRUST

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. 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. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30.

How rich with meaning and promise these words are for God’s children!

With confidence in the character and faithfulness of God, Paul declared, “We know!” How did Paul know? Revelation, faith and experience! That’s how we know anything about God and His ways. Some only have revelation knowledge. They read the information contained in God’s Word. lt lodges in their brain as something they remember but it makes no difference to their lives. This goes no further than knowing about what God has said about Himself and His ways.

Others may go a little further by believing what they have read and giving assent to it as the truth. However, until they act on it, it remains nothing more than information but, when belief becomes action and becomes personal experience, like Paul, they can say, “We know!”

Hardships and trouble come to all of us. They are unavoidable, but the way we interpret and respond to them makes all the difference between stress and rest. Paul rested in God because, through experience, he had learned that God was able to bring good out of the worst of situations. It all depended on his perspective on life. Like Joseph said of his brothers, Paul was able to say, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”

Of course, it all depends on our attitude to God. If we view Him as an enemy, we will blame Him for everything bad that happens to us. If we recognise Him as our loving Father, we will wait and look for the good that will eventually be revealed, even in the worst of circumstances and we will understand the motive behind the situations He allows us to go through. He’s got a plan.

So much of our old sinful nature still clings to us. It must be chiselled away through tough experiences which drive us onto God’s mercy. Like little children, we take shelter in Daddy’s lap. We learn that the temporal things of this life, possessions, activities, useless baubles and trinkets that decorate our lives and act as distractors, cannot support us when we are in physical or emotional pain. We need the comfort and love of our Abba to give us strength and reassurance in our suffering.

We learn to value the things that really matter – people, family, relationships, friendship, love, tolerance, forgiveness, patience, generosity, peace – and loosen our grip on the transient things of this world. God wants a family; sons and daughters who are like His Son Jesus. The raw material He has to work with, His new-born children, is not anything like His Son but, through the process of discipline and moulding, He slowly transforms us into the image of Jesus.

The outcome is sure because it is God, not people, who does the moulding. He shapes us according to His blueprint, His son, secure in the knowledge that, from His perspective, the work is already complete. When He predestined us, He had sons and daughters in mind. When He called us, He could see the end result. When He works on us, we are already innocent because He justified us through His Son’s death. As He crafts us, he can see Jesus mirrored in our faces.

What more can He do than He has already done? What does He want from you in return? Trust! Just trust! Instead of kicking and screaming, biting and scratching whenever life tightens its grip on you, just be still. He is at work in you. He will never do anything to hurt or destroy you. Since He loves you, He has a goal – to set you free from every destructive way so that you will become as beautiful and glorious as His own Son.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

CHOSEN AND PREDESTINED

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CHOSEN AND PREDESTINED

In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory (Eph. 1: 11-12).

Do you remember when you used to pick petals off a daisy? “He loves me, he loves me not,” you would say as you tossed each petal aside, hoping fervently that the last one would be ”He loves me!”

Some people think that God treats people like that. He sits in heaven, sorting people out, muttering, “One for heaven, one for hell,” while the angels look on. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple or as unlikely as that.

“Predestination” has puzzled and divided people into two theological camps since the days when Paul wrote his letters. One group adamantly champions the theological persuasion called “Calvinism” because John Calvin was the first to flesh out Paul’s teaching into a full-blown theological treatise.

“The five points of Calvinism can be summarized by the acronym TULIP. T stands for total depravity, U for unconditional election, L for limited atonement, I for irresistible grace, and P for perseverance of the saints . . . http://www.gotquestions.org/calvinism.html – retrieved December 2015.

Calvin’s teaching highlights the sovereignty of God. Let’s talk about the L and I in TULIP.

“Limited Atonement – Because God determined that certain ones should be saved as a result of God’s unconditional election, He determined that Christ should die for the elect alone. All whom God has elected and for whom Christ died will be saved (Matthew 1:21; John 10:11; 17:9; Acts 20:28; Romans 8:32; Ephesians 5:25).


“Irresistible Grace – Those whom God elected He draws to Himself through irresistible grace. God makes man willing to come to Him. When God calls, man responds (John 6:37, 44; 10:16) . . .

“While all these doctrines have a biblical basis, many people reject all or some of them. So-called “four-point Calvinists” accept Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints as biblical doctrines. Man is definitely sinful and incapable of believing in God on his own. God elects people based on His will alone – election is not based on any merit in the person chosen. All those whom God has chosen will come to faith. All those who are truly born-again will persevere in their faith. As for Limited Atonement, however, four-point Calvinists believe that atonement is unlimited, arguing that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, not just for the sins of the elect . . .”

http://www.gotquestions.org/calvinism.html – retrieved December 2015.

Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian who lived from 1560-1609, argued vigorously for the freedom of man to choose to believe in Jesus or not. While Calvin championed the sovereignty of God, Arminius stood for human responsibility.

“In general, Arminians believe there is an “intermediate” state between total depravity and salvation. In this state, made possible by prevenient grace, the sinner is being drawn to Christ and has the God-given ability to choose salvation . . .

“Calvinism sees the atonement as limited, while Arminianism sees it as unlimited. This is the most controversial of the five points. Limited atonement is the belief that Jesus only died for the elect. Unlimited atonement is the belief that Jesus died for all, but that His death is not effectual until a person receives Him by faith . . .

“So, in the Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate, who is correct? It is interesting to note that in the diversity of the body of Christ, there are all sorts of mixtures of Calvinism and Arminianism . . .  Many believers arrive at some sort of mixture of the two views. Ultimately, it is our view that both systems fail in that they attempt to explain the unexplainable. Human beings are incapable of fully grasping a concept such as this. Yes, God is absolutely sovereign and knows all. Yes, human beings are called to make a genuine decision to place faith in Christ unto salvation. These two facts seem contradictory to us, but in the mind of God they make perfect sense.”

http://www.gotquestions.org/Calvinism-vs-Arminianism.html – retrieved December 2105.

However, we must not lose sight of the fact that Paul was not so much presenting a doctrine as a reason to worship God for His grace and mercy to them. Against the background of the evils that went in in the city of Ephesus, he worshipped God for wonders of the mercy he had revealed to his readers who were part of those whom God has chosen to be His family of blessed people. He has done everything in Christ “to the praise of His glory.”

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Have you read my first book, Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing)? You’ll love it!

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3,                                                                              eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or Kindle version, on www.takealot.com  or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), a companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

Just Trust

Bible Study, , , , ,

JUST TRUST

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. 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. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30.

How rich with meaning and promise these words are for God’s children!

With confidence in the character and faithfulness of God, Paul declared, “We know!” How did Paul know? Revelation, faith and experience! That’s how we know anything about God and His ways. Some only have revelation knowledge. They read the information contained in God’s Word. It lodges in their brain as something they remember but it makes no difference to their lives. This goes no farther than knowing about what God has said about Himself and His ways.

Others may go a little farther by believing what they have read and giving assent to it as the truth. But, until they act on it, it remains nothing more than information. However, when belief becomes action and becomes personal experience, like Paul, they can say, “We know!”

Hardships and trouble come to all of us. They are unavoidable, but the way we interpret and respond to them makes all the difference between stress and rest. Paul rested in God because, through experience he had learned that God was able to bring good out of the worst of situations. It all depended on his perspective on life. Like Joseph said of his brothers, Paul was able to say, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.”

Of course it all depends on our attitude to God. If we view Him as an enemy, we will blame Him for everything bad that happens to us. If we recognise Him as our loving Father, we will wait and look for the good that will eventually be revealed, even in the worst of circumstances. And we will understand the motive behind the situations He allows us to go through. He’s got a plan.

So much of our old sinful nature still clings to us. It must be chiselled away through tough experiences which drive us onto God’s mercy. Like little children we take shelter in Daddy’s lap. We learn that the temporal things of this life, possessions, activities, useless baubles and trinkets that decorate our lives and act as distractors, cannot support us when we are in physical or emotional pain. We need the comfort and love of our Abba to give us strength and reassurance in our suffering.

We learn to value the things that really matter – people, family, relationships, friendship, love, tolerance, forgiveness, patience, generosity, peace – and loosen our grip on the transient things of this world. God wants a family; sons and daughters who are like His Son Jesus. The raw material He has to work with, His new-born children, is not anything like His Son but, through the process of discipline and moulding, He slowly transforms us into the image of Jesus.

The outcome is sure because it is God, not people, who does the moulding. He shapes us according to His blueprint, His son, secure in the knowledge that, from His perspective, the work is already complete. When He predestined us, He had sons and daughters in mind. When He called us, He could see the end result. When He worked on us we were already innocent because He justified us through His Son’s death. As He crafted us, he could see Jesus mirrored in our faces.

What more can He do than He has already done? What does He want from you in return? Trust! Just trust! Instead of kicking and screaming, biting and scratching whenever life tightens its grip on you, just be still. He is at work in you. He will never do anything to hurt or destroy you. Because He loves you, He has a goal – to set you free from every destructive way so that you will become as beautiful and glorious as His own Son.

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

In The Eye Of The Storm

Bible Study, , ,

IN THE EYE OF THE STORM

“And so, with the tearful goodbyes behind us, we were on our way. We made a straight run to Cos, the next day reached Rhodes and then Patara. There we found a ship going direct to Phoenicia, got on board, and set sail. Cyprus came into view on our left, but was soon out of sight as we kept on course for Syria, and eventually docked in the port of Tyre. While the cargo was being unloaded, we looked up local disciples and stayed with them seven days. Their message to Paul, from insight given them by the Spirit, was “Don’t go to Jerusalem.'” Acts 21:1-4 (The Message).

Was the Holy Spirit a bit mixed up? It looks like it at first reading. Did He give Paul one message and the believers in Tyre another? Since we know that the Holy Spirit would not do that, it is more likely that He was alerting Paul’s friends to pray for him, rather than stop him from going to Jerusalem.

As well-meaning as they were, they could not deter Paul from the course he had chosen, regardless of the cost. He knew that God wanted him to go to Jerusalem. He obeyed, not knowing then that it was the way to Rome, and Rome was his goal. It might seem a devious route but God knew the reasons and implications of that way. There was no other way for Paul to gain entrance to the household of Caesar but through imprisonment and, through it, to influence the entire palace guard for Jesus.

“Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of my brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the Word of the Lord more courageously and fearlessly.” Philippians 1:12-14 (NIV).

Paul did have to suffer hardship, danger and imprisonment but God was always with him, protecting him from the hatred of fanatical Jews and ensuring that he followed the right course for Rome. Plots to kill him were thwarted more than once and, strangely enough, it was the Roman government that protected him and gave him safe passage out of Jerusalem, offering him the benefits of a justice system that put the lid on the intentions of Jewish radicals.

Sometimes he was only a hairsbreadth from death, but he knew that, as long as he was in the hands of God, he was indestructible until he had fulfilled God’s purpose for him. A long life of living on a knife edge but secure in the hands of a loving Father, had taught him to rest in Him in spite of his circumstances.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 (NIV).

For Paul this was not theory, and there is no way he could have written these words had he not experienced the hard reality of the difficulties, suffering and trials that gave birth to such security in God. It is only a person, like Paul, who refuses to give credit to the devil for his circumstances and lives in the awareness of God’s love, that can emerge from the worst that life can produce and still declare: “I am convinced that nothing can separate me from the love of God.’

There is a place of calm in the eye of the storm. We can only find that place if we choose to rest in the perfect love of God regardless of the whispered lies of the devil to discredit the intentions of our Father God.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18 (NIV).