Leaves of Gold

A Call To Return To The Teaching Of The Bible

A ministry of Evangelist James A. Nelson   jan23@cox.net

Year III, No. 2                                      February   2008

 

Master Outline Number Twenty-Five

 

Taken from  "The Christian Life Bible", Porter L. Barrington

 

"The Christian Life"

 

"And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11 :26). I the year that Barnabas and Paul ministered to the church in Antioch when they were first called Christians. The name "Christian" began to spread as the gospel was preached in the world, and in time it became a title of honor. The name "Christian" is found only three times in the Bible: "

(1 ) "And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11 :26)

(2) "Then Agrippa said to Paul, 'You almost persuade me to become a Christian' " Acts 26:28..

(3) "If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed" (1 Pet. 4:16).   According to this verse it is evident that the name added to their persecution.      :

What is a Christian? A Christian is a miracle, unless he is a Christian in name only.  Remember Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord: shall enter the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 7:21-23). In other words, not everyone who claims to be a Christian is a believer. All Christians are miracles because:

(1) They have been born from above. They have been born into the family of God by a spiritual birth (John 3:1-8).         !

(2) They are a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

(3) They have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21l

(4) They have been declared just because they live by faith, Romans 5:1.

(5) They have accepted God's eternal life in Christ Jesus, and God has canceled their wages of sin, which is death, Romans 6:23.

(6) They have been immersed by the Holy Spirit (the new birth), John 3:6, 7.

(7) They are sons of God, 1 John 3:2.

(8) They are ambassadors for Jesus, 2 Corinthians 5:20. 

(9) They are strangers and pilgrims on the earth because heaven is their home, Hebrews 11:13.

 

            A Christian is all of these and much, much more.

 

15 A. The Christian Life is an Eternal life, Romans 6:23.  Christianity differs from all the religions of the world because it is infinitely more than mere religion.  It is the very life of God's Son, made to live in every believer.  If believers will commit themselves totally to Jesus, He will live His life through them.

(1) "For the wages of sin is death." Sin pays wages, and those wages are eternal. They are more than just physical death; they are eternal separation from the very mercy, grace, and love of God.

(2) "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." God gives man two choices:

(a) To reject the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Savior and remain in sin;

(b) To accept the Lord Jesus Christ by faith as personal Savior and receive everlasting life (John 3:36; 10:27, 28).

If you say "no" to God's gracious gift of eternal life through His Son, you will collect your wages of ­eternal separation from God. But thank God, you can accept His gift, which is eternal life. And when you do, the Lord Jesus Christ will come into your life, and His life within you will cancel the wages of sin which is death.     '

God has promised to

(1) cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Mic. 7:19);

(2) remove our transgressions from us, as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12);

 (3) cast all our sins behind His back (Is. 38:17);

(4) blot out our transgressions like a thick cloud (Is. 44:22);

(5) remember our sins no more (Jer. 31:34; cf. Heb. 8:12; 10:17).

God in His love offered His Son, the Messiah, to a nation Israel almost two thousand years ago. "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him" (John 1 :11). They rejected their Messiah. But God has promised that Israel, as a nation, will one day receive His gift of eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ-their Messiah (Rom. 11:25, 26). The prophecy of Jeremiah will be fulfilled, "Behold,' the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah [that new covenant is through the Lord Jesus Christ) ... For I will forgive their iniquity [their wages of sin], and their sin I will remember no more" (Jer. 31 :31,34). This is going to be a great day for God's people. But they don't have to wait individually. If they will come and receive the Lord Jesus Christ~ God's gift-  they can have that new covenant with God and know that all of their sins are cancelled; God will remember them no more-forever. When Jews or Gentiles accept God's wonderful gift, they have unending life.

It is most difficult for us, being creatures of time, to understand an eternal God. Jesus Christ was with the Father from eternity; He has no beginning and no ending (Rev. 1:8). He is with the Father now. God promises eternal life, and when we recognize that He is offering us the very life of Christ, it staggers our imagination. In the Gospel of John the Lord speaks of Himself as the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 27-30). He said:

(1) "The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep." "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" (Is. 53:5).

(2) "My sheep hear My voice." The Bible is the very Word of God. If you neglect to read God's Word, you will not hear the voice of the Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ (Heb. 3:7, 8)

 (3) "And I know them." If you are a sheep (born-again) you have eternal life. You will recognize the voice of God as you feed upon His Word.

(4) "And they follow Me." Are you a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you have eternal life you are one of His sheep, and when He speaks you follow. But remember, Jesus also said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 7:21). In other words, Jesus is saying that not everyone who professes to know Him as the Good Shepherd is one of His flock. If you have eternal life and know the Good Shepherd, you will want to follow Him and do His will.

(5) "And I give them eternal life." He gives this eternal life to all who will

(a) recognize His deity;

(b) recognize His voice;

(c) take up their cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34-38).

(6) "And they shall never perish [be lost]; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand." Why? Because He is the all-powerful Good Shepherd.

(7) "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all." He is their Good Shepherd to protect

them from the wolves of this world. He is greater than

(a) death or life;

(b) angels or demons;

(c) Satan;

(d) things past, present, or future.

"Neither ... height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:38, 39).

(8) "And no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one."

How safe are we in Christ? "The LORD [Jesus] is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Ps. 23:1). You can lie down in peace even though the world may hate you, because your Shepherd keeps you in the hollow of His hand.

Because one day you came to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, and accepted Him (God's gift of eternal life) as your personal Savior, the Lord-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-keeps you now, and will keep you forever.

 

Point 25-B: The Christian Life Is a Faith life. 1 Peter 5:5-9.  -Faith is a gift of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17,).

(1) We are saved by faith (Eph. 2:8).

(2) Faith helps us to steadfastly resist our adversary the Devil, who like a roaring lion walks around seeking to devour us (v. 8).

(3) We live by faith (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38).

(4) We walk by faith (Rom. 4:12).

(5) Faith moves mountains (Matt. 21:21).

(6) Faith builds us up (Jude 20).

(7) Faith quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked (Eph. 6:16).

(8) Faith helps us to overcome the world (1 John 5:4).

There are two things that the Bible requires of the Christian's faith (Heb. 11 :6):

(1) The Christian must believe that God is. None of the writers of the Bible argued for the existence of God; it was assumed. Even the Lord Jesus Christ, who came down from the Father, never tried to prove that He exists. To believe that there is a Creator is the first part of Christian faith. Only a fool says/There is no God" (Ps. 14:1).

(2) The Christian must believe that God is a "rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." The Christian faith is believing that God does exist, and that He rewards faith in this life and the life to come (Rev. 22:12, 13).           .

            The Christian's faith:

(1) Keeps the Christian saved by the power of God and ready for heaven anytime (1 Pet. 1 :5).

(2) Is of greater value than gold refined with fire. Your faith will be tested many times and in many ways, but it is more precious than gold that perishes. For the more it is tested the stronger it becomes (1 Pet. 1 :6, 7).

            Because you have Christian faith, you are sometimes "grieved by various trials ... yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:6, 8; cf. James 1:2-4). Job's faith was tested to the fullest. Then he took his case directly to God, and cried out, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him".   Then in unswerving faith he declared, "I know that I shall be vindicated" (Job -18). That is faith!

            "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11 :1). his abstract definition of faith, there are two spheres of operation:

(1) "Things hoped for." This is the realm of the material and the physical. When the Christian has a need in material or the physical, faith can hope for it. If it is a need that will glorify God, you can claim it by faith, standing upon promises found in the Word of God, such as:

(a) "My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus'; (Phil. 4:19).

(b) "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Ps. 23:1).     

(c) "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; 1 will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me" (Ps. 50:15).

(d) "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).

(e) "God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the ,temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).

I (2) "Things not seen." This is the realm of the spiritual, the invisible. We do not usually need faith to believe in things we can see.

 Faith believes in things that cannot be seen. It was reported of Moses, "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him [God] who is invisible" Heb. 11 :27). By faith Moses was conscious of the presence of God whom he could not see. That faith! I "But without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Heb. 11:6).

 

25 C.  The Christian Life Is A Service Life, Colosenses 3:16, 17.   In these verses, the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul , reveals four things that admonish and give direction to the Lord's servants:

 (1) "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly".  The words of Jesus are found in the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and Revelation, and are quoted in other N. T. books.  The Word of Jesus will make you rich in all spiritual wisdom and knowledge, Romans 11:13.

(2) 'In all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another." When the Holy Spirit makes you rich in the Word of Christ, you are to share it with others. The riches of His saving grace are to be shared with the lost (Matt. 28:19; cf. John 3:15, 18). When the Holy Spirit gives us a greater understanding of any part of God's Word we are to pass it on to other servants of Christ.

(3) "In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." This is worship. You are never qualified to serve until you first worship your Lord (see introduction to Master Outline 28, "Worship,").

(4) "And whatever you do":

(a) "In word"-preach a sermon, teach a Sunday school lesson, read the Bible to the sick and pray with them, hand out a gospel tract, share God's plan of salvation with a lost soul.

(b) "Or deed"-c1ean the house, cook a meal, mow the lawn, run a business. Do whatever your lot in life is.

(c) "Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus"-regardless of how meager the task, if you will do it to the glory of God you will be blessed rather than frustrated.

(d) "Giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (vv. 16, 17). We often miss the greatest spiritual blessing when we do a good deed and then think, "This is beneath me, I am too big to have to perform such a small task." Jesus said, "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward" (Mark 9:41).

Every born-again Christian is to serve his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Paul called himself "a bondservant of Jesus Christ" (Rom. 1:1). A bond servant was one sold into slavery for the rest of his life. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth reminding them of who they were in Christ (1 Cor. 6:19, 20).

(1) "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?" Every believer has the indwelling Holy Spirit.

(2) "You are not your own." You belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, body, soul, and spirit.

(3) "For you were bought at a price." His holy, sinless life was the price He paid for you.

            The life of service requires total commitment. "1 beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable [spiritual] service" (Rom. 12:1). Christian services are of and by the Holy Spirit; therefore, they are spiritually discerned. If you are not a born-again child of God, this lesson to you is foolishness. Paul said, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18).

            In the parable of the talents, the man who received five talents invested them and gained five more for His lord, who rewarded him saying, "Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord" (Matt. 25:21). Likewise, the man with two talents was rewarded because he was faithful in the small things. Someone said, "There is nothing little about God and nothing great apart from Him." You cannot do a little thing for God if you will do it to His glory.

            The Christian life is a life of service that will be rewarded here on earth and in heaven (see Master Outline 48, "Crowns for Christians,").

 

 25D. The Christian Life Is a Warring Life  (2 Corinthians 10,:3-5)- The Christian life is a spiritual warfare. Our enemy is Satan, the god of this humanistic world system (see Point 12-C, "Satan: The God of This world,"). In his army are legions of demons, who perform his will (see Point 13-A, "Demons: their Identity,"). There are only two families in this world (1 John 3:10):

(1) The family of Satan (John 8:44,).                '

 (2) The family of God (1 John 3:1, 2).

            Every human being, from Adam to the last person to live upon this earth, is or will be a member of the mily of Satan or the family of God.

             Satan hates the Lord Jesus Christ and the family of God because the Lord came into the world to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8)-this Jesus did on Calvary when He spoke the word of victory saying, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). Satan is a defeated foe and God will, at the end of the Millennium, cast him into hell-the eternal lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

            "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal" (v. 4). Even though we live and walk in a body of flesh, our weapons are not a product of man's ingenuity. We dare not war with Satan and his allies in the energy of our carnal nature, as Simon Peter attempted to do when the Roman soldiers came to arrest Jesus. Peter he drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. Jesus reached out and healed his ear, then rebuked Peter by ordering him to put up his sword. When we war in the energy of the flesh we fail and stand to be rebuked as Peter was. Our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against a satanic system that functions in the spiritual sphere of individuals, nations, cults, and false religions motivating them to rebel against God and His Word (Eph. 2:1-3). Therefore our weapons are not carnal, but spiritual.

            The only way that we can defeat Satan and his legions of demons is to "be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might," and to "put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the :wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:10-18). There are seven spiritual parts to the armor of God. In their function, each one is just as important as the other. Each is 'a source of power and protection to all of the vital parts of the Christian, There are three parts of this spiritual armor that require special attention to  prepare the Christian for a life of spiritual warfare:

 

 (1) "The shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one" (Eph. 6:16,). Satan and his demons have power but our God, Jesus Christ, has all authority. In His resurrected body, Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18). Our God has authority over all power. He is our shield of faith. When Abraham feared his enemies, God spoke to him saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield [defense], your exceedingly great I reward" (Gen. 15:1). David said, "For You, 0 LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will  surround him as with a shield" (Ps. 5:12; cf. 2 Sam. 22:2, 3). Our God is a shield to give us total protection in our spiritual warfare.     

(2) "The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to have personal combat with Satan, He was tempted (tested) in every point that we are, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15; see Point 12-E, "Satan: The Tempter,"). In the wilderness, Jesus, the God-Man, defeated Satan in every temptation by using "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Three times He drew the' all-powerful sword as He quoted from the book of , Deuteronomy; He said, "It is written" (Matt. 4:4-11; cf. Deut. 6:13, 16; 8:3). He used the inerrant Word of God as the offensive weapon and defeated Satan.

(3) "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (Eph. 6:18). Unceasing prayer must always accompany the spiritual warrior as he engages Satan and his allies in spiritual conflict (1 Thess. 5:17).   In the hour of our temptation, whether it be the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of ' life!" (1 John 2:15, 16), God has promised that He "will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to, bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13). We have that way of escape with "the shield of faith" and "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Keep your armor polished with "all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (Eph. 6:16-18), and God has promised that we will be "more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Rom. 8:37). Another promise on which we can stand when tempted by the Devil or his demons is found in Isaiah. "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD" (Is. 54:17).

 

Point 25-E: The Christian Life Is a Successful Life, Joshua  1:1-8. Paul tells us that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (both the Old and the New Testaments), and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness", 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.  The Scriptures were not given to you carelessly, but deliberately for your edification, and are "profitable" in that they build you up on Jesus.

            Success according to the Word of God is just the opposite of success according to the world.  Most  of the men and women of the Bible would be called failures today, by the standards of this world system; but they were successful according to God´s standard.  We have an example in Hebrews 11:36-39.

            (1) "Still others (Old Testament heroes of faith) had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes and of chains and imprisonment",----but they were successful.

            (2) "They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword.  They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented",...but they were successful.

            (3) "They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth", but they were successful.

            "And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise".  In other words, even though they remained faithful to God, they did not receive the promise, but they were successful in His eyes.

This does not necessarily mean that Christians who have accumulated great wealth are not in the wlll of God. Abraham was one of the wealthiest men of his day. David and Job also enjoyed great wealth. As you study the Bible, you will see that God has entrusted a comparative few of His children with the wealth of the world.

God gave Joshua a fourfold conditional promise:

(1) Prosperity. "Every place that the sale of your foot will tread upon I have given you" (v. 3).

(2) Victory in battle. "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life"(v ..

 (3) "Good success" (v. 8). He would be successful in all that God commanded him to do.

(4) A reward for obedience. "I will not leave you nor forsake you" (v. 5).

This fourfold promise was given to one man; however, you can claim that promise if you are willing to meet God's conditions and leave the choice to Him. He may choose to bless you with spiritual victories an success, but not prosper you in the wealth of this world. If you seek first the kingdom of God and HI righteousness, He has promised to:

(1) Supply all your needs (Matt. 6:25-34; cf. Phil. 4:19).

(2) Open the "windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be roan enough to receive it" (Mal. 3:10).

(3) Bless you in your spiritual and material needs. "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the 'same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38).

As you place God first in your life, He will supply all your needs. Therefore, you can concentrate on laying up treasures in heaven "where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:19-:24).

God promised Joshua all of this before he crossed the Jordan River. The Jordan separates Canaan (the Land of Promise) from the wilderness.

(1) Canaan is not a type of heaven. It is a type of the victorious Christian life; it is living in the will of God (Rom. 12:1, 2).

(2) The wilderness is a type of failure and defeat in which the carnal Christian dwells. It is living out of the will of God. The children of Israel wandered there for forty years because of their unbelief at Kadesh Barnea (Deut. 1:19-46).

Before Joshua could possess Canaan, he had to cross the Jordan and drive out "the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the jebusites" (Josh. 24:11).    Before we can experience success in the Christian life, we must drive out the forces of evil that draw us away from God, and declare war against the works of the flesh-"adultery, fornication, uncleanness,  lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like" (Gal. 5:19-21).

God gave Joshua a fourfold condition for a successful Christian life:

(1) Cross your Jordan. "Arise, go over this Jordan" (v. 2). God gave Canaan to Israel, but they had to cross over the Jordan and take it by faith. They had to "possess their possessions" (Obad. 17). If you are to know true spiritual success, you must cross your Jordan-put your faith into action (John 11 :40).

(2) Know God's Word. "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth" (v. 8). Joshua was to fill his mouth with God's Word. He was to be ready at all times to proclaim the Word of God. Like Paul, he was not ashamed of it (Rom. 1:15, 16). Joshua had only the first five books of the Bible. We have all sixty-six books-the complete Scripture. To fill your mouth with God's Word you must "be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15).

(3) Meditate on God's Word. "You shall meditate in it [God's Word] day and night" (v. 8). Joshua was to fill his mind with God's Word. He was to ponder it-turn it over and over in his mind. He was to chew it as a cow chews the cud. He was to meditate on it and keep it on his mind day and night. He was to hide it in his heart (Ps. 119:11). To be a successful Christian, you must fill your mind with God's Word and meditate (think) on it (Ps. 1 :2).

(4) Apply God's Word.  "That you may observe to do according to all that is written in it" (v. 8). Joshua was to fill his time by obeying God's Word. When King Saul was disobedient to God, Samuel said, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice" (1 Sam. 15:22). To be a successful Christian, you must fill your time with deeds to obey God's Word. You must apply His Word to your life in order to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).

To be a spiritual success, you must meet God's fourfold condition. As you live your life for Christ day by day, remember to claim the fruit of the Spirit, which is love. Love is manifested through joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22-25).   (These studies will continue each month)

 

XXII     Election and Free-will

(From the book: "Righty Dividing The Word" by Clarence Larkins

                                          

       There is no question but that the "Doctrine ot Election" is taught in the Scriptures, and that it applies not only to "service," but to "salvation." It is equally true that the "Doctrine of the Freedom of the Will" under certain conditions is also taught. We may not be able to reconcile the "Sovereign Will of God," with the "Free-will of Man," but that is no proof that they are not reconcilable.:. They are the corresponding halves of the Doctrine of Salvation, "Election" is the Godward side, and "Free-will" the man ward side. The perversion of the "Doctrine of Election" leads to the "Doctrine of Inability" or Fatalism, which denies the freedom of man's choice, and therefore his accountability or responsibility for his salvation. It was this Doctrine that the Rev. Charles G. Finney thundered against during all his evangelistic ministry.

            Election does not mean that God has chosen some to be saved and others to be lost. The Scriptures clearly teach that all men are lost. "For there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3: 22-23. Election simply means that God for some purpose best known to Him, and for which He can justify Himself, has chosen certain ones to be saved, but as we shall see He has not limited the number that shall be saved to those, for the door is left open for the "Who­soevers." The Election of God is seen all through the Scriptures. God chose Abel instead of Cain, Shem instead of Ham and J apheth, Abraham rather than Nahor, Jacob the crafty rather than Esau the generous ­hearted, Ephraim the younger is preferred before Manas­seh the elder, and so all down through the Old Testa­ment we see the selecting hand of God, not only in the choice of individuals but of nations. As proof texts we have "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. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Rom. 9: 15-16. "Therefore hath He mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He hardeneth." Rom. 9: 18. "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor?" Rom. 9: 21. "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." John 15: 16. "As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed," Acts 13: 48. "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world . . . having pre­destinated us unto the adoption of children . . . ac­cording to the good pleasure of His will." Eph. 1: 4-5. "God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit." 2 Thess. 2: 13. "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 was." 2 Tim. 1: 9.

       From these scriptures we see that God has "elected" some even before the foundation of the world. The passage in Acts 13: 48, "As many as were ordained to eternal life, BELIEVED," is most striking. It shows (1) that "Believing" is the consequence, and not the cause of God's decree. (2) That only a limited number are ordained to eternal life. (3) That this ordination is to salvation and not service. (4) That among those hearers all who were ordained believed, no more, no less.

            On the other hand we have the "Freedom of the Will" taught. "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." John 6: 37. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3: 16. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1: 12. "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." John 5: 40. The last call of the Bible is a general call. "And the Spirit (Holy Spirit) and the bride (the Church) 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.

       How are we to reconcile these apparently contra­dictory statements of Scripture? The "key" is the use of the word-

"FOREKNOWLEDGE."

            "Elect according to the FOREKNOWLEDGE of God." 1 Pet. I: 2. "For whom He did FOREKNOW, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the 'Image of His Son,' that He might be the first born among many brethren." And the Apostle goes on to add-"Moreover whom he did predestinate, them He also CALLED; and whom He called, them He also JUSTIFIED: and whom He justified, them He also GLORIFIED." Rom. 8: 29­30. One important step seems to be here omitted, that of SANCTIFIED, which belongs between the last two, but it is implied in the phrase "to be conformed to the Image of His Son" of the preceding verse, and is sup­plied in the first reference from Peter-"Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sancti­fication of the Spirit."

       In the Epistle to the Ephesians Paul uses three words: "Chosen," "Predestinated," "Foreordination" (before ordained). The word "Chosen" refers to our choice in the "Eternal Past" (Eph. I: 4), the word "Pre­destination" to our inheritance in the "Eternal Future" (Eph. 1: 11), and the word "Foreordination" to our "good works" in the "Living Present" (Eph. 2: 10), and links us with the first two, thus showing the co-ordination of "God's Will" and "Man's Will" in the actual process of salvation. All prophecy is based on God's Foreknowl­edge, but it does not predetermine human conduct or events. God's Foreknowledge of what men will do does not compel men to do those things. God foreknew that Adam would fall, and that Judas would betray Jesus, but His foreknowledge of what they would do did not compel them to do what they did. They did those things because they wanted to do those things, and God held them responsible for their choice.

           From what has been said it is clear that God's choice or predestination of individuals is based on His fore- knowledge or prescience of what they would do when the Gospel was unregenerate man cannot come to God until his will comes under the power of the Holy Spirit. When it does the man of his own free will will turn to God. In un­fallen Adam the will was free, free to choose good or evil. Adam was created in a state of innocence. He was neither holy nor unholy. His will was in a condition of "Moral Equipoise." There was no bias toward good or evil. But it is not so with fallen man-he has a bias toward evil, his will is not in a state of "Moral Equi­poise." His heart is "deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." Jer. 17: 9. The "will" of the "Last Adam" (Christ) was not like that of the First Adam, in a state of "Moral Equipoise," but it was the reverse of the will of the natural man, it had no bias toward evil, but only a bias toward "Holiness," therefore there was no possibility that the will of Christ would have per­mitted Him to sin.

           Because the choice of the human will, governed by a bad heart, is toward evil, nothing can prevent the Natural man from going to the bad but the "Grace of God." And by badness is not necessarily meant wickedness, but a hardening of his heart against all good influences and a yielding to the carnal desires of the flesh. The nature that is under the dominion of sin, cannot of itself origi­nate that which is holy. Jesus said-"No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him." John 6:44. And Paul said-"No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." 1 Cor. 12: 3. From this we see the impotency of the natural man. But this does not excuse the natural man from seeking salvation. For the moment he realizes that if he is to be saved it must be by a power outside of himself, it is his duty to inquire where that power may be found. That is why we are commanded to preach the Gospel, for it is the "POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION TO EVERY ONE THAT BELIEVETH." Rom. 1: 16. But as "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the WORD OF GOD" (Rom. 10: 17), a man cannot believe unless he knows what to believe. The instrument the Holy Spirit uses to convict a man of his need of salvation, and to produce a "New Nature" in him, is the "Word of God." John 3: 5.

      It is right here that a man may exert his "Free-will" by resisting the tender wooing of the Holy Spirit. Stephen's charge against his persecutors was-"Ye stiff­necked (stubborn) and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the HOLY GHOST." Acts 7: Sl. Therefore it is true that a man in the exercise of his "will," governed by a proud and stubborn heart, may refuse the pleadings of the Holy Spirit to his own de­struction. This refusal of some men to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit, shows that they cannot be saved against their will.

      If the "forgiveness of sins" is preached through Christ to all men (Acts 13: 38), and God now commands all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17: 30), and we are to beseech men to be reconciled to God (2 Cor. S: 18-20), surely the work of Christ on the Cross was not limited to the elect only. God does not mock men. When an offer of salvation is made to "whosoever will come" it is a "BONA-FIDE" offer. It is not true that because God has chosen a certain person to salvation that he will be saved whether he believes or not. He must be saved through the God-ordained method of salvation. You cannot be elected unless you are a candidate. As it has been well put-"The elect are the "whosoever wills," and the non-elect are the "whosoever won'ts."

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF ELECTION?

1.      A Consciousness of the New Birth.

2.      The Fruits of the Holy Spirit in the life.

3.      A progressive Sanctification.

4.      A consistent walk.

5.      A perseverance in the faith.   (These studies will continue each month)

 

Evangelist James A. Nelson and his wife of 57 years, Janet, are members of the Village Bible Church, Salina, Kansas.  This page is sponsored by David R. Pickett (dr_pickett@hotmail.com) and our Webmaster is Martin Gutzmer (mrgutzmer@gmail.com).