What About Calvinism Part 3-Scriptural Explanations

What About Calvinism Part 3

Scriptural Explanations

“And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:48

There is a problem about this verse. It seems to indicate that these Gentiles were ordained to eternal life before they believed. This confusion may come simply from the word order. I have read many explanations of the definitions of the words, but the definitions simply give synonyms or possibly a better translation of the words but do nothing to explain what the verse means.

The Greek and English Word Order from the Greek Text

In the Greek the part of the verse in question appears:

“καὶ (and) ἐπίστευσαν (believed) ὅσοι (as many as) ἦσαν (were being) τεταγμένοι (ordained) εἰς (into) ζωὴ (life) ν αἰώνιον·” (eternal).

Parts of Speach

The main verb, which is the word “believed” is in the aorist (completed past action) tense. The subject is “as many as.” The rest of the sentence is a participial phrase that modifies the subject. Since a participle is an adjective, I assume we should consider this participial phrase a predicate adjective. As I studied sixteen Greek manuals to help me determine how this verse should be translated, I kept reading the recurring statement that the Greek participle behaves and should be translated like the English participle. So in the English the basic simple sentence would be “As many as believed.” The simple sentence lacks a complement to make sense, so a predicate adjective would be appropriate. Adding the predicate adjective in the English order and in the order in which it appears here in the Greek the sentence would naturally read: “As many as believed were ordained into eternal life.”

That seems pretty clear to me. But, whether this Greek interpretation is altogether accurate or not, it demonstrates the point that being placed into the group of those who have eternal life depends on whether you have believed, and it does not mean we have believed because we are ordained to eternal life.

So if you have believed in Jesus as your Savior, you have been placed into the group who has eternal life the moment you believed (not before.) All you must do is believe that Jesus is the eternal God the Father who came to earth to completely pay for all of your sins by His death, burial, and resurrection.

Dr. Jerry Lloyd

Scriptural Explanations

I-Matthew 22:1-14

A-Reason for _______________

B-_______________ of parables

C-____________ of this parable

II-Romans 10:18-Call went to ___________

A-I John 2:2 D-II Peter 3:9

B-Colossians 1:23 E-John 12:32

C-I Timothy 2:2 F-Titus 2:10-11

III-Romans 9

A-V4-All _________ blessings

B-V6-8-Jews were __________

C-V10-12-Firstborn ____________

D-V15-16-God will do it __________ way

E-V30-32-What is God’s ____________ ?

IV-Ephesians 1:3-12

A-V3-Blessings _____ Christ cf. Philippians 3:9

B-V4-Chosen _______________

C-V5

D-V6- cf. Isaiah 43:7

E-V7- ___________________

F-V9

G-V10-Jews and Gentiles

H-V11-Inheritance ______ Christ

I-V12-It all starts with ______________ in Christ

Conclusion

God predestinated a group to be joint heirs with Christ. He calls all men to join that group. Those who choose to respond to His call by faith are justified. All those who are justified by faith have the potential to become the elect of God, be a joint heir with Christ, and be a partaker of glory. But it all starts when we choose to trust Christ as our Savior.

______________________________________________________________________________

Scriptural Explanations

I-Matthew 22:1-14

A-Reason for parables

B-Interpretation of parables

C-Point of this parable

II-Romans 10:18-Call went to all

A-I John 2:2 D-II Peter 3:9

B-Colossians 1:23 E-John 12:32

C-I Timothy 2:2 F-Titus 2:10-11

III-Romans 9

A-V4-All temporal blessings

1-Adoption-Bar Mitzvah

2-Glory-Shekinah

B-V6-8-Jews were unworthy

C-V10-12-Firstborn replacement

D-V15-16-God will do it His way

E-V30-32-What is God’s way?

1-V30-What the Gentiles had to do to be included

2-V31-32-What Israel did to be excluded

IV-Ephesians 1:3-12

A-V3-Blessings in Christ cf. Philippians 3:9

B-V4-Chosen corporeally

C-V5

1-Predestinated to an elect position

2-Adopted in the firstborn

a-Colossians 1:15-Jesus-Firstborn of every creature

b-Galatians 4:1-7-Time of the adoption

c-Romans 8:15-17-Joint heirs with Jesus (Firstborn)

3-Good pleasure

a-Hebrews 10:38-39;-Good pleasure-Rom. 9:22-23

b-John 6:40-His will

D-V6

1-His glory (Isaiah 43:7)

2-In the Beloved

E-V7-Redemption

F-V9

1-Made known the mystery

2-Good pleasure

3-Purpose cf. Romans 4:20

G-V10-Jews and Gentiles

H-V11-Inheritance in Christ

I-V12-It all starts with trusting in Christ

Conclusion

Scriptural Explanations of Election

Chapter Three

We are going to address primarily two passages in this chapter that are very difficult for many to understand, because they have been twisted to form a doctrine that is extremely detrimental to understanding the plan of salvation, and the character and plan of God. This teaching, which is a type of fatalism is, usually, closely related to a works based approach to salvation called Lordship salvation. Some of those who believe in Lordship salvation would never agree that Lordship salvation is works based salvation. They will not teach that you must work to obtain salvation, but instead they will call the human works “discipleship” or “commitment.” And they say they believe in eternal security. However, they also say that, if you do not work after you are saved, or you fall into too much sin after you are saved, then you were never really saved to begin with. This type of heresy is called “back loading” works to the gospel. Most will embrace the term “saving faith” as if you can have faith yet not really be saved, because it was the wrong kind of faith. Thus a person can never really know if he has the right kind of faith, unless he examines his life and sees enough works and not too much sin. How much work must be done to be sure that you are saved is never defined clearly, and how much sin proves that you were never saved is also a mystery. This form of heresy is called “Calvinism” and the whole system is full of mystery.

The Mysterious View of Scriptures Through Calvinism

When we view certain Scriptures through these teachings, they become very difficult to understand, but if we understand the truths of the Bible on these issues, they become easy to understand, and cease to be mysterious.

Matthew 22:1-14-Parable of the Wedding Feast

Let us look at Matthew 22:1-14: “Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,

3: And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

4: Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

5: But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

6: And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

7: But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

8: Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

9: Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

10: So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

11: And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

12: And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

13: Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

14: For many are called, but few are chosen.’”

This passage is a parable.

The First Firstborn

Who was the first first-born? “It was Cain. Remember those who were in the position of the first-born would become the head of the clan and the high priest of the family after the father died. Usually, it would pass down to the first-born. But the first-born was Cain, and what kind of offering did Cain offer? He offered an offering of the works of his hands with which he tilled the ground and the fruit of his labors that the ground brought forth. In doing this, he offered the first false religion. It was not an organized religion until Babylon, but the first works based offering was offered by Cain. Therefore, what happened? He was rejected, and the birth-right passed to Seth.

First Born Who Were not First Born

Who was Abraham’s first-born? It was Ishmael, but Ishmael was rejected because he was of the flesh. So the birth-right passed to Isaac.

Who was Isaac’s first-born? It was Esau. Esau polluted the blood line of the Messiah by worldly marriages and became unworthy. So the birth-right passed to Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. Now Jacob was no angel, but at least he did not pollute the Messianic blood line.

Jacob’s first-born was Reuben, but because of immorality he was rejected and Joseph received the privileged position, although the bloodline would be established through Judah.

The Paradoxical Point

My point is this. The one who was chosen, originally, did not always become the elect. So being elect or chosen was not simply because of birth order, but there had to be other qualifications as well.

Reviewing The Christian Elect

Benefits of Faith Contrasted to Benefits of Faithfulness

For the Christian, the elect positions in the millennium are not received because of faith alone as salvation is, but it is also contingent upon faithfulness and service. All of mankind is called to be the elect or chosen. Many are called, but only those who respond in faith become a potential elect. Before they are eligible to be an elect, they must first respond to the call for salvation by trusting Christ as their Savior. When they believe, they have the opportunity to be one of the elect, and when they believe they receive the death benefit inheritance. All who trust Christ receive eternal life, and will go to heaven, but the elect are chosen to be the head of the clan, and some will serve him in the Kingdom. Then they have to choose to be obedient and faithful. If they do that, then they will receive the position in the Kingdom as a prophet, priest and king. Not all

believers are going to receive those things. In fact, very few are. They are available to all believers. These positions are not available for unbelievers at all, although God has called them to be the chosen. All of that is by our choice. We choose to trust Christ as our Savior, and become a child of God. As a child of God, we become eligible to earn rewards, but we must choose to serve God and be faithful. If we do that, we will be priests of God and rule with Him.

The Parable

Now, having read all that review and keeping that in mind, let us look at a parable.

Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables

Jesus spent a great deal of His ministry speaking in parables. Why did Jesus use parables? He used parables to hide a truth that He was preparing His disciples to receive while He was speaking to a mixed multitude.

The Illustration of the Good Samaritan

Let us consider for example the good Samaritan. The Scofield heading before that story tells us that it is the parable of the good Samaritan. However, this story is really an example or an illustration, but it is not a parable. Why is that important? Parables are not evangelistic. If you try to interpret a parable with an evangelistic mindset, you are likely to have all kinds of problems, because parables were not for the purpose of evangelism. They are not for the purpose of getting people to trust Christ as Savior. The error of works for salvation many times comes from the misinterpretations or parables.

What Truth Did Jesus Hide with Parables?

As I looked at the story of the good Samaritan, I noticed that it does not say that it is a parable, and that changes the way we look at the story.

Why did it change the way we look at the story? That is because Jesus used parables to hide truth that God would set aside the nation of Israel as being His chosen people to share the gospel with the Gentiles.

Why Was God Going to Set Aside His Chosen Nation?

Why was God going to set aside His chosen nation? Because the Jews had become unfruitful. Therefore, that privilege and responsibility would be given to the church which would soon become primarily Gentile. Therefore, the blessing and reward that comes with the fulfillment of that responsibility would pass from Israel to the Church. This was a corporeal shift, not a personal or individual shift, because the individual could still remain in this privileged position, if they would choose to trust Christ as their Savior, and thus become part of the church. However, after A.D. 70, when the temple and city of Jerusalem was destroyed, the church would become predominantly Gentile, and the Jews would become a less significant part of the church.

The Jews had become unfruitful, and exclusive from the Gentiles rather than trying to minister to the Gentiles, and they had become legalistic and works oriented for their own salvation instead of being faith oriented.

If the Jews really understood what Jesus was talking about in the parables, they would have stoned Him on the spot as a traitor.

That is the reason Jesus taught in parables, and that is, generally, what the subject of all the parables is.

Interpreting Parables

Since the purpose of parables was to hide truth, it is difficult and even doctrinally dangerous to try to get clear doctrine from parables. Usually, sometime later Jesus would explain His point of the parable to His disciples. Sometimes it would be right after the parable in the scriptural context, but after He was alone with His disciples. Occasionally, it was immediately afterward, but other parables were not explained until days later or even longer. Usually, each parable only had one point, although on occasion they might have multiple points as in the case of the sower, the seed, and the soil.

Point of the Passage

What was the point of this passage? The story tells of a king that orders his servants to call his neighbors to the marriage feast for his son. His neighbors would not come, so he orders his servants to go bring in any strangers that will come both bad and good. What was the point? Verse 14 tells us: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Now, the word that is translated “elect” is also translated “chosen.”

Romans 9-11

That brings us to the first passage of difficulty. In Romans chapter 9-11. These three chapters give a very comprehensive explanation of what we have been talking about, but these chapters are also where those who believe the false doctrines of five point Calvinism use some verses in the false doctrine of their TULIP.

Romans 10:18-All Received the Call?

In Romans 10:18 God says, “Have they not heard?” God is talking about giving the gospel. For about ten verses just before verse 18 God is talking about the Gentiles’ responsibility to give the gospel to their own people if they expect their people to get saved.

“But I say, ‘Have they not heard?’ Yes, verily their sound went into ALL the earth.”

Has all the earth received the gospel? That is what God said. “Their sound went into all the earth. And their works unto the end of the world.”

So the call went out to everybody.

I John 2:2-All Sins Have Been Paid For

In I John 2:2 God says, “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Jesus paid for everybody’s sins. There is not a person in hell today who has not has his sins completely paid for. They simply did not choose to receive the payment.

All Heard the Gospel

Colossians 1:23 says this: “The hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven.”

So, the gospel had been preached to every creature under heaven except, of course, those in the Americas. They had not received the gospel, right? Wrong! They had received the gospel! That is what God said, unless God was not aware that there were people in the New World that had not yet heard.

Of course, God was aware. So, Mark 16:15 where God commanded the apostles to preach the gospel to every creature had been fulfilled before the end the Apostolic Age and before the end of the animal sacrifices in the temple.

All Heard the Gospel Preached Before the End of the Apostolic Age

Matthew 24:14 says, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

It Is God’s Will That All Be Saved

So when we read in I Timothy 2:3-4 “God our Savior will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” It becomes obvious that God’s immutable will is that all men be saved, but will all men be saved? That sounds like it does it not?

The Heresy of Universalism

Universalism is an untrue doctrine, which teaches that everybody is going to be saved, whether they believe in Jesus or not. That is not taught anywhere in the Bible, therefore, it is not to be accepted as true, but God makes it very clear that it is His unchangeable will that all men be saved.

Can Man Thwart God’s Will?

What is God saying? God in His sovereignty has chosen to make His will conditional upon man’s response. So, what is the response that God requires for men to get saved? Ephesians 2:8 tells us that we are saved by grace through faith. So, men must choose to place their faith in Jesus for their salvation in order to be saved.

God Is not Willing That Any Perish

In II Peter 3:9 we find that it is not God’s will that any perish, therefore it is His will that none perish. Will there be men who perish and go to hell? Yes! Because God in His sovereignty has chosen to make His will conditional upon man’s response. What is the response we must have to keep from perishing in the Lake of Fire? John 3:16 tells us that “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

God Draws All Men

In John 12:32 God says, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

Some people believe that God only draws some, but this verse says that Christ draws all men. However, it is your choice whether you respond to that drawing by believing.

God’s Grace Has Appeared to All Men

In Titus 2:10-11 God says. “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.”

How many men have had the grace of God appear to them? All men have!

What grace has appeared to all men? The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

Then Why Do Some Men not Believe?

The gospel has been preached throughout the world, but where is the problem? Verse 12 tells us, “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

How Has the Grace of God Appeared to All Men?

So how has the grace of God appeared to all men? It has appeared to the lost by the Holy Spirit’s teaching of believers. What does the Holy Spirit teach us that causes the grace of God to appear to the lost? He teaches us to deny ungodliness, and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and Godly in this present world, but the problem is we, as believers, are not living godly lives. The lives of the believers who come in contact with the lost are not bringing conviction on the lost with their lives, because they are not “peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

What Tool Does God Use to Bring Conviction on the Lost

The way the Holy Spirit brings conviction on the lost is through the life of the believer. The Holy Spirit does not get inside the lost person and whisper to him that he needs to be saved, that his sin has separated him from God, and he is not good enough to get to heaven. The reason the Holy Spirit does not do that is because the Holy Spirit is not in the lost person. He lives in the saved person. So He whispers to the saved person that he needs to deny ungodliness and worldly lust, and to live soberly and righteously, and be anticipating the blessed hope of Jesus’ soon coming.

Two Manifestations in the Life of Believers

The conviction comes to the lost by two manifestations in the life of a believer. First conviction comes through the denying of ungodliness and worldly lusts and being zealous of good works. If that will not convict the lost, then the judgment of God also displays the grace of God. As Dr. M.R. DeHaan titled his book, we are Disciplined by Grace, and the lost will learn to fear. As Jude 22-23 says, “On some have compassion, making a difference: And other save with fear.”

The Biggest Problem of the Believers

The biggest problem in lack of conviction of the lost by the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer comes from the mouth of the believer. If believers keep their mouths shut about the gospel, our gospel will be hid. II Corinthians 4:3 says, “If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.”

It is the fault of believers that the unbelievers are not hearing the gospel and coming under conviction because of the lack of obedience and unfaithfulness of believers.

Two Primary Passages

Wait a minute! Isn’t that the reason God set the Jews aside and gave the ministry of the gospel of grace to the church?

Now, let us finally get to the two passages under consideration.

In Romans 9 beginning in verse four God says, “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises,

5: Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”

Israel under Law

What is God talking about? God is talking about the things the children of Israel did under the law in the Old Testament. The ministry of God was all taken care of by the Jews under the Levitical priesthood and the sacrifice and support of the other tribes of Israel. The glory was, actually, speaking of the Shekinah glory in the holy of holies that was in Israel. The LORD’s presence was, actually, in Israel at that time. All of the things mentioned in Romans 9:4-5 were part of the privilege of being the chosen of God under the law.

Adoption-Jewish Bar Mitzvah

What is the adoption in verse 4 talking about? That is talking about Bar Mitzvah. That was the time in the Jewish boy’s life when he would receive his living inheritance. When a boy reached twelve years of age, he would receive his living inheritance like the prodigal son did. The father divided unto him all of his living. If the boy was the first-born, then he would be designated as the crown prince or heir apparent at the Bar Mitzvah, somewhat like the President-elect. He did not receive his position yet, but he would at his father’s death. That is what God is talking about when He speaks of adoption.

Exchange of Resposibilities

The privilege, responsibility, and blessing that was the Jews’ in the Old Testament passed on to the Church in the Church Age. This is not replacement theology. But due to God’s immutability in that God cannot lie. Every promise that He made to the children of Israel will be fulfilled to the children of Israel in the millennium.

Why The Church Age?

However, in this age the job of reaching the world with the gospel has passed to the church, which includes believing Jews.

Verse 6 “Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.”

The point is that many of the Jews did not and will not receive the promises and the place of the chosen offered to the nation of Israel, because the Jews, as a whole, failed. So it would pass onto another entity which include believing Jews.

Verse 7-12 “Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

8: That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

9: For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.

10: And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;

11: (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)

12: It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.”

Foreknowledge and Predesination

Because of His foreknowledge, God knew the choices the children would make, and so He made the prediction. Then in verse 13 God said, “As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”

This was written about a thousand years after they both had died. That part of what He said was not a prophecy or even result of foreknowledge.

In verse 14 -16 God says, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.

15: For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

16: So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.”

God Reserves the Right to Do Things His Way

The point is: God is saying, “I can deal with man any way I want. I am sovereign. I can choose whoever I want. I can choose you, because you are beautiful, or I can choose you, because you are ugly. I can choose you, because you are strong. I can choose you, because you are a Jew or some other particular race. I can choose you, because you are rich, or because you work hard. I can choose you, because you run faster than other people. However, you can bet that God has a reason for choosing men the way He does. In fact, not only does He have a reasonable explanation of why He chooses who He chooses, but He has clearly explained exactly who he chose, and why He chose who He chose.

In essence God says, “I can choose you any way I want, and, therefore, I am going to show mercy to a particular group. You cannot tell Me what is right and wrong. I will save you according to My will.”

What Is God’s Will?

What is His will? How did God choose who would be His chosen elect?

Let us see what happened in verse 30 “What shall we say then? That the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness have attained to righteousness…”

Righteousness refers to the first step. You have to have a perfect righteousness before you can become a chosen elect. Just being saved is not enough, but if you are saved, then you can become a chosen elect. So what did the Gentiles do that made that choice available to them?

The Condition

They “…have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.” They followed not after the law of righteousness, but they received the righteousness to be a child of God, anyway, because they had faith.”

Where Did Israel Fail?

:31“But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness,” (They kept the law. They did the sacrifices.) “hath not attained to the law of righteousness.”

Why not? They were doing all of the rituals. Why did they not attain or remain as God’s chosen?

The next verse answers this question.

32: “Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.”

Man’s Religious Logic

Logically, most religions will teach you that you earn heaven by works. That is what the Jews were depending on, and they did not get it, because that was not the way God chose. God said, “I’m not going to go by works.” So, it is not by works. It is not what you or I do at all. It is through grace. It is through mercy, and, therefore, if you work for it, you will not get it, because that is not God’s chosen way.

How to Attain Righteousness

If you trust Christ for it, then you get it.

So what happened to the Jews? God tells us in Romans 10:3: “They being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.”

They tried to be righteous enough to get to heaven, so they did not receive God’s righteousness by faith. If they would have trusted Jesus for their righteousness, then they would have received it.

How Do We Obtain Rewards and Blessings

What did God say to us, Gentiles? In Ephesians 1:3 God said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us.” The chosen elect was for blessing. It is not for salvation. Blessings are poured out on us for service. Rewards are for service. This is not talking about the gift of God, but is talking about an additional blessing because of our service.

Where Do We Get Our Blessings?

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us in heavenly places.” Notice where we get these blessings. We get them in heavenly places. Heaven is a free gift. It is the death benefit which all believers will receive. When you trust Christ as your Savior, you become a child of God. You are born into His family, and at that moment inherit eternal life. You do not have to wait until you die to get eternal life.

How Does God Choose Us?

Verse 4 says, “According as He hath chosen us in Him,”

How does God choose us? “In Him before the foundation of the world.” Before the foundation of the world God chose us in Him. How did that take place? Picture on your left side all the people of all the world of all eternity. Initially, the whole group started out as lost, spiritually, but before the foundation of the world He chose a group out of all mankind to be His chosen vessels. Who did He choose? He chose all who would choose to believe. However, it is up to each individual whether or not he will get in that group. If you believe, at that point you are in that group, and you become chosen to salvation. You are not born chosen. Before the foundation of the world God chose all those who would choose to believe in Him. God said in effect, “I am going to choose all believers to go to heaven.”

What Is the Purpose of His Choosing Us?

What was the purpose of His choosing us? God went on to the end of verse five: “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.”

Biblical Predestination

Predestinated! Oh, no! There is predestination in the Bible! What about man’s free will?

Remember, the word “predestination” sounds like it is talking about a predetermined destination, and that is a by-product of predestination, I suppose. Predestination would be like that airplane that has a predetermined destination. It is the same thing with the predetermined destination of heaven. When you believe, it is as if you board a plane that is predetermined to go to heaven, but it is your choice which airplane you board. Just as when you board a plane you are not predetermined to go to that destination until you choose to board that plane, but the flight plan predetermined the destination of that airplane long before you ever thought of going to that destination. So God’s choice to predetermine all that chose to believe to go to heaven was made long before you made the choice to believe.

However, the meaning of predestinate has more to do with a predetermined position than a destination. What is that position? That position was that of the firstborn or the chosen elect who inherits the birthright.

What Is the Job of the Firstborn?

What is the job of the firstborn? Well, what is Jesus? According Colossians 1:15 Jesus is the first-born of every creature. He took the place of Adam. He took the place of Cain. In Him we inherit heaven, but also in Him we can be an heir of the blessings and rewards, which are poured out on the chosen elect.

Join Heirs

In Romans 8:16 God says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” The moment we trust Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit causes you to be a child of God. “And if children then heirs of God.” So we inherit eternal life the moment we trust Christ as our Savior.

“And joint heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with Him.” Do you have to suffer with Him to get to heaven? No, you do not, but if we suffer with Him in service, then we will inherit glory. You will inherit rewards in heaven. That is a different inheritance. That is being a joint heir of Christ.

So there are heirs of Christ that receive the death benefit, and there are joint heirs with Christ that inherit the blessings of His Kingdom. That is the glory we inherit.

Everybody will receive a glorified body, but there is also glory that can be earned.

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us.” To receive this additional glory, you must suffer for Christ’s sake. You have to work. You have to be faithful if you want that additional glory.

Heaven is free, but if you want to have the earned rewards and position in eternity, that takes effort.

The Purpose of the Living Benefit

In Ephesians 1:5 God says, “Having predestinated us (That is a predetermined position) unto the adoption (That is the living benefit).” At adoption (like Bar Mitzvah) you receive your living benefit, and you are supposed to invest that throughout your life on earth in order to gain eternal rewards in heaven. However, you could be a prodigal and waste your living inheritance that you receive in this life. God has given you everything you need to succeed in whatever He wants you to do, so you can receive the rewards and additional glory in heaven.

This will be reflected in our glorified bodies. As God says in I Corinthians 15:41-42, “As one star differeth from another in glory, So also is the resurrection of he dead.”

What Made Us Eligible for These Things?

“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.” Here He is going back to the beginning. What made us eligible for these things? It was the good pleasure of His will. What is the good pleasure of His will?

What Is the Good Pleasure of God?

God says in Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” What is it that pleases God or brings God pleasure? Faith is what pleases God. While there in chapter 11 we are talking about faith to serve Him, in Hebrews 10:38-39 God says, “Now the just shall live by faith, but if any man draw back (short of faith) My soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back into perdition: but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” The pleasure of God comes through faith.

What Is the Will of God?

What about God’s will? How do we get in His will? Considering the subject at hand, we might think of this as His last will and testament.

John 6:40 tells us how to get into God’s will. “This is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life.”

How Do We Become Eligible for Rewards

So we become eligible to earn these rewards for which we work in this life when we believe. That is how we bring God pleasure, and get into His will. However, that does not mean that we will get those rewards, that simply makes us eligible, because then you must invest your living or life wisely.

What Is the Purpose of This Whole Process?

In Ephesians 1:6 God goes on by saying what the purpose of all of this is: “To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted…” So we have been accepted where? “…in the beloved.”

How Do We Get into Christ

How do we get in the beloved? Philippians 3:9 tells us: “And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”

In Ephesians 1:7 God continues His explanation of the reasons behind His choice to be the predestined chosen elect. “ In whom (in Christ because we have chosen to believe) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

The Mystery Revealed

Have you ever heard someone say that the way God chooses who will be saved and who will not is a mystery? Well, in verse nine God denies that it is a mystery to us.

“Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself.” He made this “mystery” known so that it is no longer a mystery to us as it was in the Old Testament.

In verse 10 God tells us why He did all of this. “That (there is your purpose word) in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might gather together in one (the church) all things in Christ both which are in heaven (our eternal destiny and eternal reward,) and which are in earth (our living inheritance); even in Him (positionally).”

The Purpose of the Whole Thing

In Ephesians chapters 2 and 3 God explains that both the Gentiles and Jews are brought together in one body, which is the body of Christ (the church). So that was the purpose of this whole thing.

Verse 11 goes on: “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”

So what was the purpose? In Isaiah 43:7 God tells us His purpose for creating man. God created us to glorify Him. That is our purpose.

In Revelation 4:11 God says the reason for His creation is to give pleasure to God. How do we glorify God? How do we give pleasure to God? We do both of those things by faith. Romans 4:20 says that Abraham was strong in faith giving glory to God. So it is faith that brings glory to God.

Additional Glory

There are other ways we can give glory to God as well. In Romans chapter nine He tells us how. Romans 9:22 says, “What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction.”

We who believe demonstrate the mercy, love, grace, and longsuffering attributes of God’s glory, but what if God wants to show His justice, His wrath, His righteousness, and His judgment against sin?

How the Lost Will Glorify God

Those who do not trust Christ as their Savior will glorify God, also, but they are not going to glorify God’s grace, mercy, and love. They are going to glorify God’s wrath, righteousness, and justice. Oh, they will glorify God, but they will not glorify the attributes that believers will glorify, so they (the lost) will not bring pleasure to God.

In Romans 9:23 God says, “And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.”

Where Does this Process Begin?

So where does all of this begin? Look at Ephesians 1:12. “That…” There is that purpose word again. Why does all of this take place? What is the purpose of all of this? “That we should be to the praise of His glory.” There is our purpose.

“Who first trusted in Christ.” That is where this whole process begins for us, individually. It did not take place by some divine decree that each one of us who trusts Christ would trust Christ. To be sure God knew what was going to take place before the world began, and He had all of the details of redemption worked out and decreed as such, but it was not effective for us until we first trusted in Christ. The redemption, the adoption, the election, the predestination all began for us when we “first trusted in Christ.”

The Choice

So, it is your choice.

What Must We must Believe

What does it mean to trust Christ as Savior? That means that we understand who Jesus is and what He did. Then we believe it. We believe that Jesus is God the Father who took on flesh, and that His death, burial, and resurrection was enough to get us to heaven if we trust Him alone and completely. It is faith alone in Christ alone that saves us from an eventual eternity in the Lake of Fire.

If, for the first time, you now realize that you have sinned and that no sin can enter heaven, you see that for that reason the payment for sin is death, and you must be perfect to get to heaven, you understand that if sin were to enter heaven then there would be sin, sickness, sorrow, and death in heaven; and that you are hopelessly lost in view of what you have done and can ever do; you need someone to save you.

The good news, however, is Jesus died. He paid the penalty for sin, and the only thing He requires of us to get to heaven is that we trust His death payment that He as God made on the cross to save us from the penalty of sin. Then we can know that we have eternal life. God says in I John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.”

If you have never trusted Christ to save you from the Lake of Fire, why not trust Him, now? Maybe you could pray something like this, “God I don’t understand it all, but the best I know how I trust you to get me to heaven.

If you have done that sincerely, then on the authority of God’s Word you can know that you have eternal life.

Trust Him. He is trustworthy.

Dr. Jerry Lloyd

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Memory Verse

“Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises.” Romans 9:4

To whom were all of these wonderful things given?

“ ________________ ; to whom pertaineth “

List the things in the verse that are privileges for here on earth.

“The __________, and the ___________ , and the ________, and the giving of the __________ ,

and the _____________of God, and the ____________ .”

Adoption was the Bar Mitzvah. That is the time that the son came of age. It was also at this time that he would receive his living inheritance, and, if he were the firstborn, he would probably receive the designation as the future priest and head of the family who would, eventually, inherit the father’s property.

These privileged positions were given to Israel as a nation. However, just as Esau, Ishmael, and Reuben did not receive their birthright, but instead it passed to a more faithful son; so the Israelites as a nation became unbelieving, unfaithful, and, therefore, unworthy to hold these chosen positions.

Consequently, these positions of blessing and service were, eventually, taken away from Israel altogether and given to the church. The church was the body of believers, and was composed, initially, of Jews. However, after A.D 70 when the Jews were displaced by the Romans under Titus, as the Jews witnessed throughout the nations, eventually, the church became primarily Gentile.

This is how the Gentiles became part of the chosen kings and priests in the millennium. However, just as the Jews were displaced, because of their lack of faith and faithfulness, so can be the Gentiles.

“Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.” Romans 11:20-21 Pastor Jerry

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Memory Verse

“Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.” Romans 9:6

About whom is this verse speaking?

“For they are not all _________, which are of _________ .”

God chose the nation of Israel to be His elect vessel to reach the Gentiles with the gospel. They were given the tools of the temple, the sacrifices, the law, and the priesthood-all the things in Romans 9:4. However, the Jews failed to see their sinfulness, God’s substitutionary sacrifice, and their mission; but, instead, became self-righteous and exclusive rejecting the Gentiles rather than evangelizing them.

When Jesus came, He began to tell them their shortcomings, and warned that soon God would replace them with the church. If He had been clear with them they would have stoned Him on the spot, so He began to speak this truth to them in parables.

Memory Verse

“Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” Romans 9:24

What two groups did God call?

“Not of the ________ only, but also of the ____________.”

This should, actually, kind of be a no-brainer. God has called all people. To what has He called us? He called us to glory as one of the elect of God. However, there are things that must happen before we can be part of the elect. First, we must respond in faith in Christ as our Savior. Then we must be obedient and faithful.

The elect refers to a special position and is offered to all believers, but believers must respond in faithful obedience. If we are faithful, we will be given everything we need to accomplish His will on earth, and rewards, position, and glory when we get to heaven.

Memory Verse

“But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone.” Romans 9:30-31

Why was Israel temporarily removed from being the elect?

“Because they sought it not by _____________ .”

“ What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.” Romans 9:30

Why did God choose the Gentiles to be the elect?

“The Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to

righteousness, even the righteousness which is of ______________ .”

Memory Verse

“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.” Ephesians 1:4

When did God choose those whom would elect?

“Chosen us in him ______ ___ ________ __ ___ _______.”

How did God choose who would be the elect? “He hath chosen us ___ ______ .”

God chose that all who would be in Him (Christ) would be the elect. So how do we get “in Him?” Philippians 3:9 tells us:

“Be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is

through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by ____________________ .”

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Memory Verse

“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.” Ephesians 1:5

To what have we been predestinated”

“Predestinated us unto the _____________ of children.”

We are adopted based upon what?

According to the ___________ _____________of his will.”

According to Hebrews 10:38-39 & 11:6 it is faith that brings pleasure to God, and according to John 6:40 it is the will of God for us to believe. So, to receive the adoption by the good pleasure of His will we must believe. When we believe in Jesus, then we are placed “into Him,” positionally; and, since we are in Him, His position as the oldest heir and inheritor of all things is our position as well. We are joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

Memory Verse

“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.” Ephesians 1:12

What is the first step in the becoming one of the elect?

“Who first ___________________ in Christ.”

God chooses to call all of mankind to be an elect or chosen one. However, God chooses to make this position conditional. If we respond in faith in Christ for salvation, we become eligible to be one of the elect. That is all there is to becoming a child of God, but that is only the first step in becoming a mature son or joint heir with Christ. There is still much that must be accomplished in our life if we are going to rule and reign with Him. So, after we trust Christ to get us to heaven and thereby become a child of God, we must serve Him faithfully if we are going to reign with Him.