I�m trying to figure out what is wrong with you people if being elected or not is the only thing you all know about? I mean really who cares who is of Peter, Paul, or Apollo!!!!
Which leads me to my question how much time do you spend witnessing and bring people into the kingdom? Or do you think sense people are elected they will get there anyway and you don�t have to bother?
Preach the Gospel to everyone living -- that is the command. The elect will believe it and repent because they have been ordained to eternal life. Simple as that.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48 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
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Mark 1:15
All of the rest of the debating and strife comes from those who reject the plain teaching of the Word on the matter.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
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:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
Eph. 1
4 Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.and also how well he was persuaded of the truth and sincerity of their faith and conversion to God
5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.
6 And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost
1 Thess. 1
29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 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.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
Romans 8
4 For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me. Isa. 45
Who are Israel?
Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.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. Romans 9
And again, for whom did Christ die?
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5:31
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ Gal. 3
Who is the seed?? Christ
Who are the seed? Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.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. Romans 9
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.
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Romans 9
Who is a true Jew?
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Matt 1:21
Who are his people? Is he saving all or only his people according to this verse?
And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Matt 25:32-34
For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both SEARCH MY SHEEP, and seek them out As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I SEEK OUT MY SHEEP, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day!� Ezek 34;11,12
"I lay down My life FOR THE SHEEP�! John 10:15 NOT FOR THE GOATS.
And other sheep I HAVE, which are not of this fold: THEM ALSO I must bring, and they SHALL hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd! (referring to the Gentiles) Here notice.....He already HAS these sheep and because they are His sheep they SHALL hear His voice.
This said Caiaphas not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one THE CHILDREN OF GOD THAT WERE SCATTERED ABROAD!� John 11:51-52
The �Children of God scattered abroad� are NOT GOATS who transform into sheep by accepting Christ, but SHEEP who hear HIS voice and follow! John 10:27
He that is OF GOD heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, BECAUSE ye are not of God! John 8:47 They do not hear because they are NOT sheep. They are goats.
What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? Luke 15:4
The Shepherd sought after that which was ALREADY his - a sheep. He did not go out and turn goats into sheep or call out to all the goats and invite them to become sheep.
Oh but God would never choose some people and not others... that's just not Biblical.
6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
10 And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face Deut. 7
Get it?
We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
So, why do some hate Him? Because he first hated them.
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.
13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Romans 9
Jacob and by extension Israel (of the promise)
Esau and by extension Edom. ( of the flesh)
The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Ps. 5:5
There are the workers of iniquity fallen: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise. Ps 36:12
64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
John 17
THESE words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
Who does he give eternal life to? As many as the Father gave to him. Not a single person more.
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.
To who? the men that the Father had given Him. NOT TO ALL.
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.
10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them
Who believed him? The men which the Father had given to him -- THE ELECT. Who did he pray for? Only those -- not for the world.
11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
Who? Those whom the Father gave to him. Anyone else? NO
19. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.
For whom did he sanctify himself? Those that the Father had given him and for those that will believe on him. In other words, believers that he already knew and believers that he didn't know. He did not pray for EVERYONE ... only existing and future believers.
Why do some believe and others not? I've covered this is numerous other posts.
1 PETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. 1 Peter 1
"I�m trying to figure out what is wrong with you people if being elected or not is the only thing you all know about? I mean really who cares who is of Peter, Paul, or Apollo!!!! "
The Bible teaches Election. This is a doctrine of Jesus Christ. It is not specific to Peter, Paul or Apollos. Jesus preached it, Paul preached it, John preached it, and Peter preached it as I have now shown. I preach it, too among many other things.
Romans 13:1�Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.�
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.�
****
If I resist the power of God, I will receive damnation...so if I can resist, I must also be able to accept...not resist.
But this is clear that I can resist...
IWA in your interpretation I am either elect or not. What difference does it make if I think I have to repent and ask for the gift of salvation....or just wait for it to drop on me? If I am elect I will be saved in your opinion. If I am not elect, I am lost anyways...
Far better to ask for Christ's forgiveness and be wrong than to think I am elect, go about life thinking I'm saved because I'm chosen, and find out I was wrong. It is a matter of where I will spend eternity. I will rest assured in the promises that if I call on His name, believe in my heart, that He has saved me from eternal separation from Him. The price is too great not to!
