JOHN 17 6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. This is from the Wikipedia concerning election and predestination. Fourth-century Church Father Augustine of Hippo taught that saving grace is sovereignly bestowed by God without any consideration of individual merit. God chose some men for salvation in an eternal, hidden decree. Few later theologians prior to the Reformation would take up this idea.[5] In Calvinist theology, election is considered to be one aspect of predestination in which God selects certain individuals to be saved. Those elected receive mercy, while those not elected, the reprobates, receive justice without condition. This unconditional election is essentially related to the rest of the TULIP hinged upon the supreme basic belief in the sovereignty of God. Unconditional election is Gods choice to save people regardless of their sin or any condition. This basically means, Gods act of saving is not based on what man can do or choose to will, but man is loved by God without any conditions or mans action or deeds but solely by Gods grace, thus unconditional election. In Calvinist and some other churches (Waldensians, Katharoi, Anabaptists, Particular Baptists, etc.) this election has been called unconditional because his choice to save someone does not hinge on anything inherent in the person or on any act that the person performs or belief that the person exercises. Indeed, according to the doctrine of total depravity (the first of the five points of Calvinism), the influence of sin has so inhibited the individuals volition that no one is willing or able to come to or follow God apart from God first regenerating the persons soul to give them the ability to love him. Hence, God’s choice in election is and can only be based solely on Gods own independent and sovereign will and [not] upon the foreseen actions of man. Scholastic Calvinists have sometimes debated precisely when, relative to the decree for the Fall of man, God did his electing – see supralapsarianism and infralapsarianism – though such distinctions are not often emphasized in modern Calvinism. The Reformed position is frequently contrasted with the Arminian doctrine of conditional election in which Gods eternal choice to save a person is conditioned on God’s certain foreknowledge of future events, namely, that certain individuals would exercise faith and trust in response to Gods [offer] of salvation. The Wikipedia hopefully has explained this doctrine of election for you. It is one that causes great problems because it deals with the foreknowledge and all knowing attribute of our heavenly Father. Yet, when we open the door after hearing the knock of Jesus and chose to let Him in, HE declares to us, you havent chosen Me but I have chosen you before the foundations of the earth were formed and knew you. The word of God reveals an selection of chosen people by the election of God the Father. This selection began with Cain and Able. Cain and Abel were the first humans born in the natural way. Their father Adam, was created from the red clay of the earth, while Eve their mother from a part of Adam. Cain was the older of the two, although perhaps not by much. Some students of the Bible interpret the verse which describes their birth as meaning that they were twins. A number of other children were also born to Adam and Eve later. Their conception came after their parents had been put out of the Garden of Eden. Cain became a worker of the soil, while Abel became a Shepherd. Back then, there were two choices for a career - you either worked with plants growing and harvesting or animals by raising or hunting them. Millions of people today continue in these two vital professions and we could not survive without them. When the day came to make an offering to God, Cain and Abel brought their tribute. Abel brought some of the very finest from his flocks, while Cain deliberately brought an average-quality offering from his crops. Cain could have done better, but he chose not to for some reason. Perhaps he wanted to keep the best for himself. God accepted Abels offering with favor, but He rejected Cains offering. It wasnt due to a preference of meat over vegetables, but rather that Abel had brought the best that he possibly could, and had done it willingly. Cain knowingly brought not his best, and even then brought it grudgingly. The very same offering would have been accepted if it had been the best that he could do, and if he had offered it with the right attitude. Abel was cooperative and generous; Cain was selfish and desired to hoard what he had. Even though the rejection was his own fault, the incident made Cain very jealous and angry with Abel, entirely without cause. Abel had merely done what God expected of him. The rest of the tragedy is well known. Cain allowed his jealousy to turn to anger, and then his anger to hate. Instead of bringing himself up by doing better next time as God plainly explained to him in Genesis 4:7, he chose to take Abel down - he committed the premeditated murder of his own righteous brother. Abel is described as righteous in the New Testament. He didnt live very long in this life, but he will more than make up for it in the next. With whatever he had to work with, he had simply made his best possible effort - exactly what God expects of us today. Jesus makes clear this division of those who are saved and those who are not. In many of the parables this true is told as in the talents, the servant who built bigger barns, the prodigal son to name a few. This always causes jealousy, anger and hate as told between Jacob and Esau. Jesus explains why we will be hated. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. John continued this theme and method of teaching and preaching as seen in 1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. As with Cain. Esau and the son who stayed home, the servant who built bigger barns lived for themselves and worked only for their personal comfort hates the elect of God. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, A slave is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My names sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. MARANATHA
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 15:11:57 +0000
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