Grace How I Love To Proclaim It!

Grace How I Love To Proclaim It !


Total Depravity - Man is completely touched by sin in all that he is, but is not as bad as he could be. Furthermore, this total depravity means that the unregenerate will not, of their own free will, choose to receive Christ.

It is man who is deceitful (Jer. 17:9), full of evil (Mark 7:21-23), loves darkness (John 3:19), does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12), is ungodly (Rom. 5:6), dead in his sins (Eph. 2:1), by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3), cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14), and a slave of sin (Rom. 6:16-20).

The unbeliever CAN respond to God. His response will be in accordance to scripture that says he cannot do good, is a hater of God, is full of evil, etc., Therefore, we conclude that his free will response will be to reject God, according to the limits described by scripture itself..How is it possible that an unbeliever who cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14), who does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12), and who is a slave of sin (Rom. 6:14-20), simply "chooses" God?
It is God who appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48), chooses who is to be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4), calls according to His purpose (2 Tim. 1:9), chooses us for salvation (2 Thess. 2:13-14), grants the act of believing (Phil. 1:29), grants repentance (2 Tim. 2:24-26),
It is God who causes us to be born again (1 Pet. 1:3), draws people to Himself (John 6:44,65), predestines us to salvation (Rom. 8:29-30) and adoption (Eph. 1:5) according to His purpose (Eph. 1:11), makes us born again not by our will but by His will (John 1:12-13), and works faith in the believer (John 6:28-29).

Unconditional Election - God elects a person based upon nothing in that person because there is nothing in him that would make him worthy of being chosen; rather, God's election is based on what is in God. God chose us because he decided to bestow his love and grace upon us, not because we are worthy, in and of ourselves, of being saved.


Partiality?

There is no partiality with God (Rom. 2:11; Acts 10:34). If God elected someone based on what was in him\her, that would be showing partiality. It would mean that God was judging a person worthy of salvation because of what is in him. God does not show such partiality. "So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy," (Rom. 9:16)..

Partiality means to look into the future to see who's good enough to pick God and then God chooses them. THAT is God showing partiality because it has God picking someone because of something in THEM!.

Gal. 2:3, "But from those who were of high reputation (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)—well, those who were of reputation contributed nothing to me."

Eph. 6:9, "And, masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him."

James 2:8-9, "If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors."

Rom. 9:16, "So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.".

Rom. 9:21, "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?" (The difference is not in the clay, but in the one who made vessels).

John 1:12-13, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

James 1:18, "In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we might be, as it were, the first fruits among His creatures."Eph. 2:4-7, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus."

Titus 2:13-14, "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. 14 And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ"


Limited Atonement - Christ died only for the whole world, not just the Israelites, and that he specifically bore the sin of the elect only.

A. "Now if we have died with Christ..." (Rom. 6:8); "If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world..." (Col. 2:20); "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God," (Col. 3:3); "It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him," (2 Tim. 2:11).

2 Cor. 5:14-15, "For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Rom. 5:18, "So, as through one offense, there resulted condemnation to all men, so also, through one righteous deed, there resulted justification of life to all men."

Arminians have the sinner be held accountable for sins that Jesus paid for thereby making Christ's blood weak. And they bring God's justice into question!

If rejection/unbelief is paid for then why are the sinners held accountable for a sin that Jesus paid for? To hold them accountable is to weaken the very blood of Christ by making its effectiveness dependent upon what the "sinner does."

Objections

1 John 2:2, "and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." Calvinists say that the "world" is referring to all nations, both Jew AND Gentiles, not just the Jewish nation. Jesus was sent to Israel, not to the Gentiles (Matt. 15:24), but later grafted in the gentiles. Therefore, John is saying that Jesus is for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.

2. John 3:16, "For God so love the world..." God loves all people, Jews and Gentiles.


Irresistible Grace -- the term unfortunately suggests a mechanical and coercive force upon an unwilling subject. This is not the case. Instead, it is the act of God making the person willing to receive him.

Ezek. 36:26-27, "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.".

Ezek. 11:19-20, "And I shall give them one heart, and shall put a new spirit within them. And I shall take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God."

John 6:44, "No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day."

John 6:65, "...no one can come to Me, unless it has been granted him from the Father."

Phil. 2:13, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
God hardens and softens hearts

God is sovereign and does all things that please Him according to His holy will. For his purposes and divine pleasure, with the hearts of men being in Hid hand God both softens and harden men's hearts. He soes this without being sinful nor being the author if sin. Note the following passages:

Prov. 21:1, The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes."

Deut. 2:30, "But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing for us to pass through his land; for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, in order to deliver him into your hand, as he is today."

Exod. 4:21, "And the Lord said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go."

Rom. 9:18, "So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires."

Josh. 11:20, "For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses."

2 Thess. 2:11, "And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false."

In 2 Sam 24:1, God incited David to number Israel and Judah. Yet, in 2 Sam. 24:10 David admitted that he sinned in doing this and God sent punishment on the land for David's sin (2 Sam. 24:12-17). But, it was Satan who incited David to number Israel in (1 Chron. 21:1). There were three influence on David's heart: God, David, and the devil, yet David is responsible for what he did.

Perseverance of the Saints - That we are so secure in Christ, that we cannot fall away..John 10:28, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand." Can a Christian perish? If you can lose your salvation, then the Christian, the sheep can perish. But, Jesus said that the sheep will never perish.

1 John 2:19, "They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us."

And I am going to go there no matter what we do? That is not what we say?

2 Cor. 5:17, "Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."


Understanding and Answering Responses Concerning The Will

At this point in reading and defining grace through the work God doea in callging men to salvation questions arise about the will of man both its abilities, inabilities and liminations.Therefore this section seeks to biblically set forth any anxieties folks may have regarding this!

Free will - the ability to make willing choices.

Why is one person different than another person? Why does one choose God and the other does not? Didn't God make that person (Ps. 33:14-15) and put him in that place and that time? Did God make one person's free will to choose God and the other person's free will not to choose God?

A. If you say that free will is independent of God, then how can that be? How can free will be something God is not sovereign over?

We are only as free as our nature permits us to be free. If the Bible says the unbeliever is not "free" then he does not have "free will." The Bible says the unbeliever is a slave of sin, dead, full of evil, cannot understand spiritual things, etc. How then is the unbeliever the possessor of "free will"?

We don't deny free will. Calvinists teach that a person is free only as far as his nature permits him to be free. Therefore, what are the limits on the unbelievers freedom according to scripture?

The unregenerate is deceitful and sick (Jer. 17:9), full of evil (Mk 7:21-23), loves darkness rather than light (John 3:19), does not understand, does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12), is dead in his trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1), is by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3), cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14).

If Adam and Eve who were not slaves to sin but chose to sin, what makes you think that the unsaved, who are slaves of sin, are going to choose to not sin by choosing God when the Bible says they cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor 2:14) and are haters of God (Rom. 3:10-12)?

Why does one person choose to fear God and the other does not? Didn't God make their free will? What is it that God did differently to them that one would choose to fear God and the other wouldn't?.

If you say it is because of different circumstances, then didn't God know what their choice be with those circumstances? Then why did God put them there so that one would not choose God?

A. If you say because it is simply that one chooses and one doesn't, then again, why does one choose and the other doesn't since it is God who made their free wills, put them with those parents, in that culture, etc.? What did God do differently to them that one would choose and the other didn't?

B. If you say that it is simply the nature of free will, that it is independent of circumstances and that choice is completely up to the person, independent of circumstances, then how can that be so since it would mean that it was independent of God?

C. If you say that it is because God looks into the future to see who'll pick Him, then the question still stands, WHY did one pick Him and the other didn't since it was God who made their free wills and gave it to them. WHY are their choices different?

D. If God looks into the future to see who will pick Him, then what is it about their ability, their free will (in the future) that enabled one to believe any other one not to?

E. If you say it is because some humble themselves, why is it that they do that? Why does one humble himself and another one does not? Did not God make their personalities, their free wills, there abilities and disabilities?

F. Why is it that one person will choose God and the other one will not when it is God who made them and gave the ability for them to choose? What is different about them? Why are they different? Why does one choose any other one does not? Remember, it is God who gave them their free will's. It is God who designed their free wills and put them in them. God put them in the circumstances with their abilities and disabilities, their tendencies, their likes and dislikes, etc. God is the one who has done this. So please tell me why, even if God looks into the future, why is it that one person would pick God and the other one would not? What is different about their free wills?

G. To say that is simply that God knows their free will choices does not answer the question. Yes, God knows their free will choices. The question is why is one person making the choice and the other one is not when it is God who both gave them the same free will?

Free will is of two theological viewpoints: Compatibilist and Libertarian. Compatibilism is the position that a person is only as free as his nature permits him to be free and that his sinfulness prevents him from feely choosing God (1 Cor. 2:14; Rom. 3:10-12; Rom. 6:14-20). Libertarian free will is the position that an unsaved sinner is still able to freely choose God in spite of his sinful nature (John 3:16; 3:36).

Would Paul the one who was against the Lord have freely chosen Christ? of his own free will? No, since he was persecuting Christ..Gal. 1:15, "But when He who had set me apart, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles."


The Sovereignity, Decreetive, and Predestinarian Nature of God.

A. God Is Sovereign:

That God is Sovereign cannot be denied. These passages establish this most basic truth about God Almighty!

Rom. 9:16-17, "So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.".A. Rom. 9:18, "So then He has mercy on whom [Gk, singular] He desires, and He hardens whom [Gk, singular] He desires."

John 12:37,38,40, "But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him; 38 that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke...40 "He has blinded their eyes, and He hardened their heart; lest they see with their eyes, and perceive with their heart, and be converted, and I heal them."

Mark 4:11-12, "To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables, 12 in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return and be forgiven."

Note: God being sovereign in these many different ways and areas in His world.

1. God works all things according to all His holy will - Eph. 1:11, "also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works [energeo] all things after the counsel of His will." This says that God brings about all things according to his own will..

2. God is sovereign even over the weather, Job. 37:6-13, “For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’ 7 “He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work. 8 “Then the beast goes into its lair, and remains in its den. 9 “Out of the south comes the storm, And out of the north the cold. 10 “From the breath of God ice is made, and the expanse of the waters is frozen. 11 “Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the cloud of His lightning. 12 “And it changes direction, turning around by His guidance, that it may do whatever He commands it on the face of the inhabited earth. 13 “Whether for correction, or for His world, or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen."

3. He does all that pleases Him - Psalm 1 :6, "Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps." And then a couple more verses to seal the evidence - Dan. 4:35, "And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand. Or say to Him, ‘What hast Thou done?"; Acts 17:26, "and He [God] made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation,.

4. What is from the Sovereign Lord? - Prov. 16:1, "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.". And then Prov. 16:33, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord." Here? Jer. 10:23, "I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself; nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps."

5. He is sovereign even in His revealing Jesus Christ in those whom He desires to even if they had the habit of persecuting the Church. Gal. 1:15, "But when He who had set me apart, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through His grace, was pleased 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles.".


Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility:

Divine Sovereignity does not throw away nor do away with human responsibilty in any form nor manner. Note men are not excused from making plans but ut us the sovereign Lord that deliveres the answers! Prov. 16:1, "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord." Other passages

Prov. 16:33, "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord."B. Prov. 21:1, The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes."

Jonah 1:15 is where the shipmates threw Jonah into the sea: "So they picked up Jonah, threw him into the sea, and the sea stopped its raging; but in Jonah 2:3 Jonah says, "For Thou hadst cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas..." We see that both human and God are said to do the very same thing. God brought about His plan through human free will.

Acts 4:27-28, "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur." The evil deeds were predestined by God.

God Soverignly Calls Men to The Human Responsibility of Repentance and Belief in the Gospel
Acts 17:30, "Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent."

Rom 10:6-13 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) (7) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) (8) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; (9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (10) For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (11) For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (12) For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. (13) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

2Co 5:17-21 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (18) And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; (19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Hyper- Calvinists

Hyper Calvinism is the thinking that goes far beyond the scriptures and becomes almost fatalistic. The hyper-calvinists deny many things concerning basic evangelical Christianity. Hyper-Calvinist thinking:

1. Denies that the gospel call applies to all who hear, and/or
2. Denies that faith is the duty of every sinner, and/or
3. Denies that the gospel makes any "offer" of Christ, salvation, or mercy to the non-elect (or denies that the offer of divine mercy is free and universal), and/or
4. Denies that there is such a thing as "common grace," and/or
5. Denies that God has any sort of love for the non-elect.
6. "Don't worry about evangelizing, or sinning, or praying, because what you do doesn't matter."

That is not what Calvinism or the doctrines of grace teach. The Bible is clear thta Satan is tethered and that we are to go forth in all the worldmaking disciples and baptizing. The hyper Calvinist denies the gospel call is to be proclaimed to all.

God's Sovereign Grace Gives Faith and Grants Men Repentance Unto Salvation

It is man who is deceitful (Jer. 17:9), full of evil (Mark 7:21-23), loves darkness (John 3:19), does not seek for God (Rom. 3:10-12), is ungodly (Rom. 5:6), dead in his sins (Eph. 2:1), by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:3), cannot understand spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14), and a slave of sin (Rom. 6:16-20).

It is God who appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48), chooses who is to be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4), chooses us for salvation (2 Thess. 2:13-14), grants the act of believing (Phil. 1:29), grants repentance (2 Tim. 2:24-26), causes us to be born again (1 Pet. 1:3), predestines us to salvation (Rom. 8:29-30), makes us born again not by our will but by His will (John 1:12-13).
It is God who draws people to Himself (John 6:44,65), appoints people to believe (Acts 13:48), works faith in the believer (John 6:28-29), chooses who is to be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4), chooses us for salvation (2 Thess. 2:13-14)..B. It is God who grants the act of believing (Phil. 1:29), grants repentance (2 Tim. 2:24-26), calls according to His purpose (2 Tim. 1:9), causes us to be born again (1 Pet. 1:3), predestines us to salvation (Rom. 8:29-30) and adoption (Eph. 1:5). according to His purpose (Eph. 1:11), and makes us born again not by our will but by His will (John 1:12-13).God is the author and finisher our faith for God draws sinful men unto salvation, through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, thereby saving them by His marvelous grace.

B. God Sovereignly Decrees and Ordains all Things

God is infinitely intelligent, eternal, and unchangeable. God's knowledge is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable. God's plan and purpose in all its elements must also be eternal and unchangeable since they must partake of his infinitely perfect nature and attributes. Therefore, his plan in the world is all encompassing and includes the means and the ends to his purpose.

Verses Proclaimimg God's Decreetive Character:

John 20:29, "This is the wicked man’s portion from God, even the heritage decreed to him by God."

Isaiah 10:23, "For a complete destruction, one that is decreed, the Lord God of hosts will execute in the midst of the whole land."

Daniel 4:24, "this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 25 that you be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whomever He wishes."

Psalm 2:7, "I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee.

Rom. 11:33, "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.".E. Heb. 6:17, "In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath."

What About When Sinful Things Happens? Has he decreed the evil?

Men are responsible for the sin and evil they do. God decrees His will so that all things pertaining to our salvation, good and His glory come to pass. God uses the evil of men to carry out his purposes as needed. Notice concerni Joseph's brothers God let Joesph know - Gen. 50:20, "And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." It was evil deeds brought about by sinful men, yet God meant it for good."

Also who incited David to number the people of Isreal and Judah? David, Satan Or God? The scriptures answer that there were three influences, one being God, one Satan and one David. Now who was responsible for the sin of David? God? NO, Satan? No. David? YES!

In 2 Sam 24:1, God incited David to number Israel and Judah. Yet, in 2 Sam. 24:10 David admitted that he sinned in doing this and God sent punishment on the land for David's sin. (2Sam. 24:12-17). But, it was Satan who incited David to number Israel in (1 Chron. 21:1). There were three influence on David's heart: God, David, and the devil, yet David is responsible for what he did.

Lam. 3:38, "Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both good and ill go forth?".
Isa. 63:17, "Why, O Lord, dost Thou cause us to stray from Thy ways, and harden our heart from fearing Thee?".

God's decrees / arrangements, from all eternity, of all circumstances is what is meant by God ordaining whatsoever comes to pass. God is pure and tempts no one. James 1:13, "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone." God does know all things that can and will occur for whatever occurs, does so because God has decreed them to carry out His will for His glory and the good of His people. In His decrees He predestines all things including the variables and circumstances that bring about the results and purposes He desires.

Since God creates/arranges the circumstances and knows the result of the variables within thepeople and the circumstances, then he is ordaining what occurs in those circumstances without being the author of sin.

Our Lord's Sovereign decree and plan for our salvation is the number one example of God Decreeing all things that come to pass.

Acts 4:27-28, “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur."

a. Who did the gathering? God.

b. Who gathered them together to crucify Jesus? God did.

c. Who predestined that it occur? God!

Then God decreed that the death of Christ would occur. How? Through sinful men. That was an important part of the decree. So sinful men would sin in order to crucify Christ. What did God decree? Christ to die on the cross. By whose hands? Those of sinful men to crucify Christ. God
predestined it. He decreed that they would do sinful things.

Our Sovereign Lord Predestined Us To Sonship Before the Foundation of the World

Our Salvation was predestined before the foundation of the world. This predestination included Christ’s redemptive work on the cross as well as our personal calling. God’s people have been predestined and elected before the foundation of the world to salvation and sonship through the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, being predestined to salvation we will be glorified and be with our God forever, God be praised!

Acts 4:27-28, "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur."

Acts 2:23, "this Man, delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you
nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death."

WE, God’s people have been predestined and elected before the foundation of the world unto sonship through the Lord Jesus Christ. And being predestined to salvation we will be glorified and be with our God forever. God be praised!

Romans 8:29-30, "For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

Eph. 1:4-5, "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will. "........ Eph. 1:11, "also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will."

In conclusion lets praise our God in that he has called us unto salvation by His grace which is far deeper and broader and bigger than we canever imagine nor explain. Our salvation is nothing that we have done nor ever could do in and of ourselves. Therefore, may we never become complacent in it and may we never be as the hypers and fail to proclaim the wonderful grace of our loving Lord.

While it is true that the Lord hardens and softens the hearts of whom He wills ( Deut. 2:30; Ex 4:21; Rom 9:18; Josh. 11:20; 2 Thess 2:11) and that He also has hidden information from men (Mark 4:11-12), We do not know whom He is calling to salvation so therefore let's go forth knowing that we are to share the gospel and that our ministers are to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ to the world!

I am greatly indebited to Mat Slick and C.A.R.M. for much of this writing today. Please continue to pray for that ministry and MAtt has he continues his labor of love in Christ's kingdom!