Understanding God’s election
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Then it's pretty likely you have a very serious spiritual problem, for the Messiah certainly did!
Isa 11:1-3
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him —
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD —
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
NIV
It's no wonder at all that you believe a true believer can lose his salvation.
Neither am I surprised that you, evidently, believe you're better than Christ and can't be bothered with fearing the Lord. And given the fact that the Fear of the Lord is a major biblical theme, I'm not surprised either that the Son of God also feared the Lord. Unlike you, Jesus took the Word of God seriously and refused to play games with it.
And I suppose the next thing you will tell us that you have loved the Lord without him ever circumcising your heart?
And here are the two most serious implications to you categorically rejecting God's truth:
Isa 5:20-21
20 Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.
NIV
When anyone denies the efficacious nature of God's grace, most especially by offering lame excuses that are the products of their finite, carnal minds from which spring blasphemous thoughts about God, they are essentially calling his precious, saving, powerful grace EVIL and their own depraved, corrupt volition GOOD! I certainly would not want to be you on the last day!
Secondly, only those who actually believe God will be justified!
Rom 4:3
3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God , and it was credited to him as righteousness."
NIV
And you might think this is a trivial passage, as well, that you're free to dismiss or ignore, but this truth is expressed in two other places as well (Gal 3:6; Jas 2:23). When a truth is repeated three times in scripture, I think God might be trying to tell readers something of upmost importance.
Isa 11:1-3
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him —
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD —
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
NIV
It's no wonder at all that you believe a true believer can lose his salvation.
Neither am I surprised that you, evidently, believe you're better than Christ and can't be bothered with fearing the Lord. And given the fact that the Fear of the Lord is a major biblical theme, I'm not surprised either that the Son of God also feared the Lord. Unlike you, Jesus took the Word of God seriously and refused to play games with it.
And I suppose the next thing you will tell us that you have loved the Lord without him ever circumcising your heart?
And here are the two most serious implications to you categorically rejecting God's truth:
Isa 5:20-21
20 Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter.
21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
and clever in their own sight.
NIV
When anyone denies the efficacious nature of God's grace, most especially by offering lame excuses that are the products of their finite, carnal minds from which spring blasphemous thoughts about God, they are essentially calling his precious, saving, powerful grace EVIL and their own depraved, corrupt volition GOOD! I certainly would not want to be you on the last day!
Secondly, only those who actually believe God will be justified!
Rom 4:3
3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God , and it was credited to him as righteousness."
NIV
And you might think this is a trivial passage, as well, that you're free to dismiss or ignore, but this truth is expressed in two other places as well (Gal 3:6; Jas 2:23). When a truth is repeated three times in scripture, I think God might be trying to tell readers something of upmost importance.
Jesus also said through the Holy Spirit:
Acts 10:35
35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
ESV
So...since you boast about how superior love is to the grace of the Fear of the Lord, I can only surmise the God has not accepted you. Your own words condemn you!
And since you despise the Fear of the Lord and refuse to follow the Master's delight in the Fear of God, then this indicates you don't love him either; for He also taught that if you love him you will keep his commandments (Jn 14:15), and one of those often repeated commands is to follow/emulate him (Mat 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21; Jn 10:27; 12:26; 2122, etc.). Yet, you're too stubborn, proud and arrogant to humble yourself to have worshipful reverence and awe of God (2Cor 7:1; Eph 5:21). Don't you know that God resists the proud but gives his precious grace to the humble (Jas 4:6; 1Pet 5:5)? In fact, you're so full of yourself, so proud, so defiant you can't even bring yourself to confess that the only reason anyone can truly love God is because God first loved them (1Jn 4:19) which moved him to circumcise their hearts (Deut 30:6) and to shed his own love abroad in their hearts (Rom 5:5). Instead, you bow down low at the altar to your idol Human Volition, believing in your heart that this is the Key to your god's salvation, wisdom and knowledge.
You are one huge spiritual mess but you're so self-deceived you cannot see it!
Acts 10:35
35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
ESV
So...since you boast about how superior love is to the grace of the Fear of the Lord, I can only surmise the God has not accepted you. Your own words condemn you!
And since you despise the Fear of the Lord and refuse to follow the Master's delight in the Fear of God, then this indicates you don't love him either; for He also taught that if you love him you will keep his commandments (Jn 14:15), and one of those often repeated commands is to follow/emulate him (Mat 4:19; 8:22; 9:9; 10:38; 16:24; 19:21; Jn 10:27; 12:26; 2122, etc.). Yet, you're too stubborn, proud and arrogant to humble yourself to have worshipful reverence and awe of God (2Cor 7:1; Eph 5:21). Don't you know that God resists the proud but gives his precious grace to the humble (Jas 4:6; 1Pet 5:5)? In fact, you're so full of yourself, so proud, so defiant you can't even bring yourself to confess that the only reason anyone can truly love God is because God first loved them (1Jn 4:19) which moved him to circumcise their hearts (Deut 30:6) and to shed his own love abroad in their hearts (Rom 5:5). Instead, you bow down low at the altar to your idol Human Volition, believing in your heart that this is the Key to your god's salvation, wisdom and knowledge.
You are one huge spiritual mess but you're so self-deceived you cannot see it!
Not the Fear of the Lord it doesn't, since it is a God-given gift promised in the New Covenant! The Son of God is love, yet he feared the Lord and not only feared him but rejoiced in it! The Fear of the Lord is what kept Him Faithful and True and on the straight and narrow path of righteousness. But hey...why would you want to emulate him? Your love is for your god Human Volition.