I received a question from someone God is working with and opening ears to hear the truth. This man asked a very good question which I repeat here along with my answer to him. I hope this will edify others as this is a very common question, one I myself asked for a long time as I was slowly dragged into the truth.
QUESTION: I just do not feel worthy or that I can be God’s Elect. I am still struggling with some sin and I can’t seem to overcome it. Why would God choose me to be His witness and representative here on the earth when I have not overcome these sins.
ANSWER: Thank you for this question. This is a logical thought we all will ask ourselves as we are dragged to Christ. Having the breadth and depth of our sinful nature shown to us, is part of the process God has ordained that brings salvation in due time. I hope I can show some of that to you here in my reply. Let’s start out by remembering that all flesh is sin and that all of us come into this world in a marred vessel of clay and that vessel will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Mar 10:18And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Not even Christ said He was good in a body of sinful flesh. The fact is there is no one who is good, no one not even one!!!!
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Being chosen of God means we will be the first to be judged. Judgment begins at the House of God, the very Elect and this is bad news for the old man but good news for the new man. This process of judgment requires that our sinful nature and totally wretched being as carnal men walking in marred vessels of clay be exposed to us. God has a unique way of using evil for good and using our sinful nature to draw us close to Him.
Pro 24:16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.
The Elect of God will always question their worthiness to be God’s elect. The very sins that have beset us will cause us to think we are not worthy and this is true, we are not worthy. Yet being God’s elect has nothing to do with our own righteousness and none of it is based on merit of any kind. Being God’s Elect is solely based on God’s choosing us before the world was made. Being God’s Elect is based on the will of God and what He declared from the very beginning. God is not counting on or depending upon anything from any man.
Isa 46:9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
A second major point is to remember that no man is justified by our own works, or by our obedience. All is of faith and that too is a gift from God that we can do nothing to earn or merit.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Justified By Faith Not Works
And we have clear Scriptures that tell us it is not about us, it is all the work of God in us by this gift of faith. Yet few really believe.
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
The righteous shall walk by faith and not by sight. The only way anyone is going to be righteous in a sinful body of flesh is by them being implanted the precious gift of faith of Christ. This is given only to the very Elect that were chosen before the world was formed.
Isa 49:1 Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
So nobody anywhere is going to be justified by their obedience and outward appearance of holiness. Yet we see multitudes preaching a holiness message that don’t have one iota of truth in them. They know not even what salvation means much less what faith and grace are and therefore know another jesus and have a different gospel.
We Are Clay In The Potter’s Hands
All of those called by God thru Christ and chosen to be servants and prophet or disciples did not feel worthy. We could recount numerous stories here that impart of this message but I will show two that reaffirm the thoughts you have shared of feeling unworthy to be God’s Elect are simply words we as His Elect will live by. Isaiah when brought into the throne room immediately felt unworthy.
Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
Isa 6:6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
Isa 6:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
But you see, the fire of God’s word, which we hear by faith and believe by faith is what purges us of all sin. Moses also when called and given his commission was not worthy in his mind.
Exo 4:10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
And the Lord answered telling us that He is working all things as the Potter. He has made us who we are.
Exo 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
And the Scriptures declare that God’s ways are not our ways (ISA 55) and that those He chooses confounds the wisdom of the wise men who walk after the flesh. God is not going to pick witnesses and servants that conform to the wisdom of this world. He picked me which is just as dumb to the world’s view and God picking a man like Moses or a wicked man like Saul of Tarsus. But pick me He did which simply confounds the wisdom of the world and the carnal mind.
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
and why is that V______________? Here is why.
1Co 1:29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
Being chosen of God and being given ears to hear the true gospel is not based on merit. It is based as you know on God’s choosing, Him having predestinated a chosen few to know the truth in this life in the flesh.
Eph 1:4 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:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
God is Working Even the bad things
The battle we all have against sin is a battle that is given to us by God. He has worked those sins and trials and temptations into our lives. He is the Potter, we are the clay. Of course we are not to take the truth of God’s sovereignty and turn it into a license to sin. But also you must come to understand and to believe that God is working all things in your life, even the bad things, even the wicked things.
Pro 16:4 The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
Amo 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
Lam 3:37-38 Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?
Isa 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
So knowing this, I hope God will give you the ability to apply these words inwardly. The evil in the city is not just the evil out there in the world, it is the evil in there, in the cities and nations that make up the kingdom of God within you and me.
We don’t harden our own hearts based on our own initiative. God does!!! We of ourselves like Christ can do nothing on our own initiative and that includes both good and evil things. The Potter works us the clay.
Rom 9:15 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.
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Yet salvation is a process. Many are called and only a very few are even given to be judged in this life and to have salvation come to them now while still in these marred vessels of clay. Salvation comes to us only by the process of judgment against our old man and carnal nature. It is good news for the new man but affliction and great sorrow to the old man, but it is the way of the Lord.
1Pe 4:17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Rev 15:8 And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.
There is a time and season for everything in our lives as God teaches us and molds us via HIS process.
Ecc 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Ecc 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Ecc 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
Ecc 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Ecc 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Ecc 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
Ecc 3:7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
Ecc 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
These various times and seasons include us being overcome and snared into deep besetting sins. This is part of God’s way of humbling us and showing us that of ourselves we can do no good thing. The storms and trials of live are raised up by God and also calmed by God. He must bring us to our wits end, where we will give up on the flesh to save ourselves and have no place to go but to cry out to Him.
Psa 107:25 For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
Psa 107:26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble.
Psa 107:27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
Psa 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.
Psa 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
So please do not abuse the truth and sit back and relax and accept your sin. But know that it is the Lord doing it all.
Isa 63:17 O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants’ sake, the tribes of thine inheritance.
Isa 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Salvation is a two step process. Flesh and blood was never intended to enter the kingdom of God. The old sinful man, God created on purpose will be destroyed in His time and that is how the new man will come forth.
Jer 18:3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
Jer 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Being Aware of Our Sin is a BLESSING!!!
The fact that you feel unworthy and are aware of your sin is a very good thing V______. That is truly a work of grace in your life and you are very blessed. Consider here who is marked for God.
Eze 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Eze 9:5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity:
Eze 9:6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.
Eze 9:7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city.
When we are made aware of our sins and made to feel horrible about them, this too is all the work of God. He is bringing us to our wits end as we saw in Psalm 107 above. He must bring us to a place where we will have NO CONFIDENCE in our flesh and will have to be 100% reliant upon God for our salvation. That is the way it works V___________. But please do not make the mistake others make that get this truth, and they in turn turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. We must make every effort and attempt to depart from inequity.
2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
The old man will be slain by the judgment of God and the new man will be spared and raised up in power. That is the good news, the process of God bringing salvation to us. Christ spoke about this often and a key milestone of the process of salvation is the Lord revealing to us that we (the beast, the carnal man) is the abomination that is causing desolation in the temple of God. God has to first show us this…..WHEN YOU SEE said Christ, oh what a blessing your new man is in for.
Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
This is the same thing Paul wrote about here. Salvation does not come until first we fall away from our first love (get ensnared into sin) and then the man of sin (you and me, all men) is revealed to us.
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (YOU AND ME, all men are that man of sin)
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2Th 2:5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
The Scriptures tell us that we are both the old man and the new man. We are raised first in sinful bodies (marred in the hands of the potter) and then if we are so blessed in this life as God’s Elect, then the Lord begins destroying that old sinful man by opening our ears to hear His words. It is hearing those words that brings judgment and which over time destroys the old man. Remember it is a process.
1Co 15:42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:
1Co 15:43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:
1Co 15:44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
Getting Giants Off the Land
I mentioned to you in our chat that God does not deliver us of our sins all at once. It is a process. Getting the giants off the land takes time. God delivers us little by little as we grow in faith and knowledge of Christ and His grace.
Exo 23:27 I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.
Exo 23:28 And I will send hornets before thee, which shall drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before thee.
Exo 23:29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
Exo 23:30 By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.
Again we see this in Deuteronomy:
Deu 7:19 The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out: so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid.
Deu 7:20 Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.
Deu 7:21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible.
Deu 7:22 And the LORD thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
Deu 7:23 But the LORD thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed.
All men will be saved by fire in our appointed times. That fire is the word of God which will work its purposes in our lives.
1Co 3:15 If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.
Overcoming the law of Sin God put into us
All men will struggle in overcoming the flesh. It can only be done by the power of God. And it will be done in the times appointed us by God. Listen to Paul and heed these words. Twice Paul tells us what is causing us to sin.
Rom 7:15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
Rom 7:16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that [it is] good.
Rom 7:17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but [how] to perform that which is good I find not.
Rom 7:19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
Rom 7:21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
Who put that law of sin and death in us? God did. there is only one lawgiver says James. It is God who has made us subject to the law that causes us to sin when we would do otherwise. The fact that we have no free will is as applicable to our sins as it is to our righteousness. Both are the work of God in and through us.
Yes, we must repent of our sins, but ‘repent’ means ‘to change,’ and we are not repenting of doing things of ourselves. Even our repentance is the work of God in our lives. We simply change from doing the wrong thing to doing the right thing, and both are all of God. The apostle Paul actually separates himself from the law of sin and death, and acknowledges God’s sovereignty in all things. “All things” certainly includes our sins.
Be patient V_______, Trust in the Lord. So now you should have a much better understanding of the depth of this verse:
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
So be sober, and be vigilant, but also be patient. You are being delivered from the sin in your life, but it is taking place on God’s schedule.
Rom 8:20 For the creature (YOU, ME, ALL MEN) was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
We shall be delivered by the Lord in the appointed times. BELIEVE this gospel! Believe in the report of Isaiah and the salvation of all men.
Your brother who is dealing with the same issues in being molded into the image of Christ,
PETE
