“The Blessing of God’s Election”
The Lord has been merciful to us in bringing us out of many deceptions and giving us greater revelation of the mystery of Christ. One such huge revelation by the Spirit was seeing God’s plans and purposes to save all men by the same process and seeing with clarity that there is no preferential treatment, greater rewards or lesser punishments given to any man.
Eph 3:4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ
Eph 3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
Eph 3:6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
The promises to Abram were that his descendants would be as infinite as the stars in heaven, symbolizing that ALL MEN are the Lord’s and will receive the same great reward (Gen 15:1) in the end.
Gen 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
Any man given the gift of faith, which will be all mankind in the appointed times, are the children of Abraham. This is true despite it also being true that today there are very few given the gift of faith and knowledge of the mysteries of God. Yet the Lord and the Scriptures speak in ways that declare the end from the beginning which means they speak of things that are not yet as if they already were. The righteousness by faith is coming to all men and that is how we as the Lord’s people need to see it with the end in mind.
Rom 4:17 As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations, before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Growing in grace and truth, we are being blessed and learning the mind of Christ in coming to see as the Lord sees it and act with the same mercy and compassion He exhibited to all of mankind.
Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
Gal 3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Our enlightening (coming out of darkness) is very sobering as the depth of deception and false doctrines that bound us for a season is becoming clearer. We have indeed been given a great escape from error and can now rebuild the holes that were in our doctrinal wall.
Ezr 9:8 And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.
Ezr 9:9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall [holy w/o doctrinal holes] in Judah and in Jerusalem.
The people of God are learning contentment and waiting on the Lord versus the ways of the flesh which has us pursuing knowledge to reap unrighteous gain in this life. We should take heed the Lord’s commands to continually pray that we be found faithful in the end and escape these errors that have led many disciples away from the living Christ.
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting [over eating/consumption], and drunkenness [knowledge/wine], and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Knowing the process, the punishments and the reward given all men is exactly the same, our commands are to be humble ourselves and wait on Him to bring the overcoming and exalt us to a place of greater spiritual maturity. We are to be watchful for the adversary within us who by the subtlety of deceit will lead all but the very Elect astray.
1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
It is a temptation of the devil and our flesh to seek disciples after ourselves and see ourselves exercising lordship and ruling over other men thinking that is a “special reward” for those first given the Lord’s precious gifts. We must be wary this negative side of an evangelizing spirit and a spirit that seeks followers and the establishment of preeminence.
Hab 2:5 Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:
Paul warns of this spirit and that it arises within the church from within the those we gather and fellowship with. Look within ourselves first!
Act 20:30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
The devil is always right there to play into our pride and take us up to show us that we can have dominion over men. It is a lie of Satan that has us believing we will be ruling over other men in outward rulership that is contrary to the Scriptures rightfully divided. Here is the origin of that spirit in the temptations of Christ which is the temptation of you and me as we are His Christ and on our way to becoming mature sons of God.
Luk 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. [not Satan and not our flesh and its lusts]
The pride of life present in all flesh makes for an alluring temptation because all flesh seeks its own gain and glory. It is very few who have had this pride squeezed out of them through heavy trials as Paul wrote to those in Philippi.
Php 2:20 For I have no one like-minded, who genuinely will care for the things about you.
Php 2:21 For all seek their own things, not the things of Christ Jesus.
Only Christ, working in us will guide us to please [love the Lord] God and deny ourselves and seek not our own glory (1Co 13:5).
Joh 8:50 And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.
God’s Love for Israel
We learned many things that are not true the way we learned them. For example, we would say things like the Scriptures are only written for us the chosen few in this age because we are a special class of people. While it’s true only those few given ears to hear can understand the Scriptures and that is whom they were written, an equally great truth is that all men will come to knowledge of the truth and be saved by those same Scriptures and the fiery experience they bring when one is given to read, hear and understand them.
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
It is Christ in us, the new man chosen to be ruler in Israel; King David in type and shadow who is the apple of His eye
Psa 17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
Yet the Lord loves all men and it is for the sake of all men that He was made a sacrifice for our sins.
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.
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
The saving of all men which is ALL Israel comes when we are born of the Spirit of God. This too is all His Work, it is nothing of ourselves and hence there is no special reward for being given a free gift with no merit involved. The simplicity in Christ has been spoiled by carnal inventions of men who have sought to exalt themselves among the people of God.
Eph 2:8 For by grace you are saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God;
Eph 2:9 not of works, that not anyone should boast;
It will be the new man coming forth from the destruction of the first man (the old man, the first Adam) to be given the inheritance and loved by the Lord.
Mal 1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob,
Mal 1:3 And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.
But as we saw, God sees the end from the beginning. It is all men, not just those chosen to be given the gifts in this age who will bear both experiences.
1Co 15:47 The first man [Esau] is of the earth, earthy: the second man [Jacob] is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
We are blessed first as those given the gifts now in this age and gathered in Christ by His predestination of our entire life before we were even born.
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11 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:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
The promises of God will come to all men as He loves all and is no respecter of any person. It will be the one and the same conclusion which is the result of coming through the one and same process of judgment that is the lake of fire resulting in a man conformed into the image of God in whom Christ is glorified.
Romans 8:30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
In this age, indeed few will be chosen and be given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. The resurrected Christ only appears to the witnesses chosen of the Lord in every age.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen
Act 10:40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;
Act 10:41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead.
But a few chosen now does not negate the truth that all will be chosen in the end and receive the same full reward and attain salvation by the one and same process the Elect experience earlier.
Isa 46:13 I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory.
Rom 11:26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
Who will be saved from their sins? ALL MEN
1Ti 4:10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe [now in this age, the receive the gift first].
Isa 66:16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
Luk 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
What is the advantage of being Elected or Chosen sooner?
Paul wrote about two temporary classes of people, the Jews and Gentiles extensively in Romans 2. Those scriptures showing that the Jews are first given the blessings that will come to all men and there is no difference and no respect of persons with the Lord.
Rom 2:9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
Rom 2:10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
Rom 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
Paul continues in Romans 3 and answers the logical question he as asked and that all inquiring carnal minds will ask.
Rom 3:1 What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of [spiritual – Col 2:11] circumcision?
Rom 3:2 Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed [BELIEF – FAITH in] the oracles of God.
It is much better to be in the truth now and have faith than to be separated from the Lord and abiding in spiritual darkness. Our advantage or superiority as some translations cite the word is that we receiving the blessing first. We are first given to read, hear and understand His Word and reap the blessings to the new man as Christ is formed in us and grows. Being delivered from bondage and set free from our sin is certainly an advantage I hope all of us are eager to hearken unto. There is great freedom in Christ as we are given the faith to abide (live and act) according to His Word and commands.
Joh 8:31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, If you continue in My Word, you are truly My disciples.
Joh 8:32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Being free in Christ versus remaining in slavery to our sin is the clear advantage to the Jew who is saved first. Being chosen of God, we become His witnesses and then spread the word of God (the fire) as His preachers and ministers and eventually all mankind comes into the kingdom. What a wonderful blessing to be the first to taste of His heavenly gift and be used of Him to work His work.
Joh 14:12 Indeed, I tell you truly, the one believing into Me, the works which I do, that one shall do also, and greater than these he will do, because I go to My Father
There are many warnings for us to not be puffed up and begin thinking of ourselves as superior to other men. Those admonitions are there for a reason. Because we will do such things before we learn not to do it.
Mat 23:12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Oba 1:3 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?
Oba 1:4 Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the LORD.
The truth is we are not better than other men, we are truly unworthy servants [Luk 10:17] chosen without merit by the Lord to bring about His will to His people which is all men beginning with ourselves. None of us is righteous or brought anything the Lord needed to the table.
Rom 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.
The whole premise of asking what greater pay is in it for us as the Elect is a carnal question. The better question and the focus of our heart is how can we serve our Lord and bring His glory to the Gentiles within and without ourselves. That glory is made manifest by judgment that comes by the Word that comes to us when given the Holy Spirit which is guiding us in all truths.
Isa 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
God’s people are first to go through the lake of Fire, experiencing the Second Death now in this age. This is the very thing that is making them holy as we die to death which is the carnal mind [Rom 8:6] and raises us up with Christ having His mind. There is no greater blessing any man can receive.
Deu 14:2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.
2Ti 1:9 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,
It is truly a blessing to be God’s Elect in this age. Being the firstfruits unto holiness and being set free from our sin is an advantage our possession of the oracles of God will bring to us if we endure to the end (Mat 24:13).