Chosen by God - A study in Election
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Foreknowledge does not necessarily mean it was predetermined. Just saying...
I would think with God its all one work of his faith .According to the law of faith.
Faith "the will" cannot be separated from the work "to do" . He performs that which he appoints to us (Job 23) .He makes our hearts soft giving them his sabbath rest. .
Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
let there be ( to will) and (to do) what was determined. It was good. The will that worked in Jesus to accomplish the good purpose of one God working as if two. Some murmur,
Philippians' 2:12-13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
E
EleventhHour
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Scripture reference please...
Galatians 4:
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
Paul says, after that ye are known of God...why turn back to the bondage of the law?
God PLANNED our salvation
Jesus PURCHASED our salvation
The Holy Spirit ACTIVATES then perpetuates our salvation.
Correct, when applied to salvation. And because divine foreknowledge is abused, we have the false doctrine of unconditional election.
Election is indeed according to the foreknowledge of God (1 Pet 1:2). But to what end?
1. Glorification (Rom 8:29)
2. The perfection of the saints (Eph 1:4-6)
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption* of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
*Adoption in the NT is not the same as adoption as commonly understood. It has a very specific spiritual meaning. "Adoption" is a term involving the dignity of the relationship of believers as sons; it is not a putting into the family by spiritual birth, but a putting into the position of sons. (Vine's Expository Dictionary).
This relates to not only being "sons of God" but "heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ".
Election can NEVER be for salvation, since that violates God's offer of eternal life to "whosoever will".
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the Water of Life freely. (Rev 22:17).
All the elect (Christians) were CHOSEN for salvation in eternety past. They (and we) do not know who. Only God knows. Salvation BECOMES effective after sanctification by the Spirit. This we DO KNOW because it BECOMES manifest.
But as far as God is concerned, the ELECT have already been written in the Book of Life indelibly from eternity past. This due ONLY BECAUSE OF GOD'S SOVERIGN CHOICE and for NO other reason.
God knows the end from the beginning.
He set His eternal love on His elect sheep before the world was;
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
CHAPTER 2; OF GOD AND OF THE HOLY TRINITY
Paragraph 1. The Lord our God is but one only living and true God;1 whose subsistence is in and of Himself,2 infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself;3 a most pure spirit,4 invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto;5 who is immutable,6 immense,7 eternal,8 incomprehensible, almighty,9 every way infinite, most holy,10 most wise, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will,11 for His own glory;12 most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him,13 and withal most just and terrible in His judgments,14 hating all sin,15 and who will by no means clear the guilty.16
1 1 Cor. 8:4,6; Deut. 6:4
2 Jer. 10:10; Isa. 48:12
3 Exod. 3:14
4 John 4:24
5 1 Tim. 1:17; Deut. 4:15,16
6 Mal. 3:6
7 1 Kings 8:27; Jer. 23:23
8 Ps. 90:2
9 Gen. 17:1
10 Isa. 6:3
11 Ps. 115:3; Isa. 46:10
12 Prov. 16:4; Rom. 11:36
13 Exod. 34:6,7; Heb. 11:6
14 Neh. 9:32,33
15 Ps. 5:5,6
16 Exod. 34:7; Nahum 1:2,3
Paragraph 5. Those of mankind that are predestinated to life, God, before the foundation of the world was laid, according to His eternal and immutable purpose, and the secret counsel and good pleasure of His will, hath chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory, out of His mere free grace and love,11 without any other thing in the creature as a condition or cause moving Him thereunto.12
11 Eph. 1:4, 9, 11; Rom. 8:30; 2 Tim. 1:9; I Thess. 5:9
12 Rom. 9:13,16; Eph. 2:5,12
Paragraph 6. As God hath appointed the elect unto glory, so He hath, by the eternal and most free purpose of His will, foreordained all the means thereunto;13 wherefore they who are elected, being fallen in Adam, are redeemed by Christ,14 are effectually called unto faith in Christ, by His Spirit working in due season, are justified, adopted, sanctified,15 and kept by His power through faith unto salvation;16 neither are any other redeemed by Christ, or effectually called, justified, adopted, sanctified, and saved, but the elect only.17
13 1 Pet. 1:2; 2; Thess. 2:13
14 1 Thess. 5:9, 10
15 Rom. 8:30; 2 Thess. 2:13
16 1 Pet. 1:5
17 John 10:26, 17:9, 6:64
God knows the end from the beginning, but your interpretation if what this means is faulty. We know the end as well now that we have scripture that tells us. God has stated in His word the end and He will make sure it comes to pass as stated in Revelation.
Your second statement is not in Scripture.
Acts 15:6-10
Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Men do not believe in and of themselves! They have been brought to faith, brought to belief, purified and made holy by sanctification by a work of the Holy Spirit. This is an act of God alone....mere men are only the recipients of this grace of the Holy Spirit. This is being born of the Spirit this is the new birth, a creative work of God alone in which men do not nor cannot participate.
These are the elect, chosen by God from before the world began, before they were born, before they a will or a voice in this matter.
Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Men do not believe in and of themselves! They have been brought to faith, brought to belief, purified and made holy by sanctification by a work of the Holy Spirit. This is an act of God alone....mere men are only the recipients of this grace of the Holy Spirit. This is being born of the Spirit this is the new birth, a creative work of God alone in which men do not nor cannot participate.
These are the elect, chosen by God from before the world began, before they were born, before they a will or a voice in this matter.
Wrong question.
God isn't waiting to know who are His, as God already chose the elect from eternity past. God ALREADY knows who are His. He always has.
It is WE who are waiting to know who are His! And the ONLY way we know who are His is when a person comes to faith, when a person truly believes! Then and only then do WE know for a certainty that this person is elect. This belief itself has been graciously granted and is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Phil 1:29
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should [[[not only]]] believe in him but also suffer for his sake,
Good grief man do you want us to post Ephesians chapter 1 over and over and over again?
Eph 1:3-6
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
That, my confused friend is ironclad doctrine.
or maybe it is???
3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
God foreknows the elect, you ignore it to your own peril.
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