Featured The Doctrine of Election in a Nutshell

The instruction we read in Mark 16: 15-16 is given to the apostles of Jesus Christ. Here is what he told them to do just before he ascended to heaven to sit on the right hand of The Father on his throne, where he is now.

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

From that day and for the next 35 years the history is recorded in the book of Acts. I have to ask myself, how did the apostles understand Jesus Christ when he said that to them? Can I make a determination by reading about what they did? I think so. What did they do? Well, they preached the gospel for the next 7 years, from Acts 2-7 to no one but to the house of Israel. They did exactly what Jesus told them to do, beginning 10 days after his ascension to heaven and his sending the Holy Spirit to Israel in such abundance that he called it a baptism, meaning Israel was immersed with the Holy Ghost. But, he was on the outside and he must be on the inside of Israel. So, Peter, in the beginning, called on Israel to repent (a sinner will not believe without repenting and he will not repent without believing). So, After Peter preached his first sermon in this present age and after the Holy Ghost was sent to Israel, they, the men of Judah, asked him a question in Acts 2:37, what must we do, and it should not be a surprise to anyone when he told them the exact thing That Jesus told them 10 days earlier. Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost. Receiving the Holy Ghost on the inside is salvation and although Israel is now immersed in the Holy Ghost, he is on the outside, but it is the responsibility of individual Israelites to believe and obey the gospel they were given and receive the Holy ghost at their baptism.

I am not sure why this logical progression of history and the obedience of the apostles is not noted and accepted by modern Christianity. The "principle" upon which the Holy Ghost is given to Israel is based upon the "promise" of God to give him to them and to write his laws upon their hearts as a collective. (see Jer 31:31-34). Later, when the door of faith is opened to the gentiles, because Israel as a people rejected the promise and insisted on remaining under the law of Moses for righteousness, God did not require baptism in water but faith only. Why the difference? Because he had made no promises or no covenants of promise to gentiles and therefore he dealt with us under a different principle. The principle is "grace."

It was the grace of God, after the rejection of his promise by his people, that he included us to fulfill his purpose in this age. Now, to those readers who are familiar with the ministry of Jesus Christ to Israel in the gospels, you will understand that he as a prophet foretold us of the events that would unfold in this age after his resurrection. But I am going to quote a couple of passages to you to help you put things into perspective and help you with this election doctrine.

Rom 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

Acts 3:25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

God will not establish his physical kingdom on earth until every one going into that kingdom is saved. Because Israel rejected his promise he established a spiritual kingdom and built his house with gentiles.

Jn 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Luke 14:15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
16 Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.
18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

I bet some will be able to make the application.

This parable spoken 1 week before the crucifixion.
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.
12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds.
19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:
21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.
25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)
26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.
27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
28 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

Rom 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:
Rom 11:
11 I say then, Have they (Israel) stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (until the house is full)

This purpose of God in this age is prophesied in parables of our Lord after the Jews decided to put him to death. The election of gentiles and Jews together as one would be "in Christ" and is the mystery of Christ in this age. There are more parables that gives s light on this truth.

 

Where do you think I got the word "ages?" If you ignore the words of scriptures you can have it saying anything you want it to say. You want it to say God had some sort of special affinity to you that he had for very few others on this planet. You are deceived and you are attempting to deceive others.

No, but our Lord Jesus was.

You have completely ignored my previous argument. You do not want to learn, it seems.

 

God saves sinners under the new covenant. Salvation comes after God justifies a sinner. God justifies any sinner and all sinners who believes what he says to them. Justification is by faith in God, what he says, in any and all ages. Today, sinners who are justified are saved because salvation is defined by having one's sins washed away by the blood of Christ and the Spirit of Life, the Holy Ghost, given to them as his gift to indwell their bodies WHEN THEY BELIEVE. It is the blood that washes away the sin.

Re 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

Hebrews 9:22
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

As a for instance. The disciple of Jesus Christ were justified men before the cross and resurrection but none of them believed Jesus Christ would die and then rise from the dead. When he did, none of them believed it and the women did not go to the tomb because they wanted to watch him rise from the dead, but to anoint his dead body.

What they did believe is what was required they believe about Jesus Christ. What was that? They must believe that he is the Son of God.

Matt 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.


Jn 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

What did they believe about his resurrection?

Mark 16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.
11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

You, AustinC, are believing wrong things and are following the wrong men who are teaching you wrong things. You are not believing the words of the scriptures in their context.

There is much to know and the Lord will teach us if we will believe him.

Today, sinners must believe the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to be saved. The "gospel" is the power of God unto salvation. It will come when we believe.

 

AustinC, you are not believing the words written in the scriptures. You are believing some kind of religious teaching that has been developed by some man or group of men. Much of your statements are illogical. You reasoning is senseless given the information in the scriptures. A for instance here; if sinners could be saved before the cross of Christ and the shedding of his blood, it would have been senseless for him to endure the suffering of the cross.

Ga 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

The promise he is mentioning has been identified already as the Spirit. One must believe the gospel of Jesus Christ to receive him.Remember what Romans 8:9 said, "Now if any man hath not the Spirit, he is none of his (God's).

God justifies all who believes in Jesus Christ for their salvation. Sinners must believe the gospel of Christ. To teach that one cannot, or need not, believe to be saved is to preach another gospel and to deny hundreds of statements in the scriptures.

Ga 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

1 Corinthians 1:21
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

There are no statements in the scriptures that matches your theology of salvation.

 

Grace is the operative principle of God's divine dealing with gentiles during the apostolic era, which ended in AD 70, and is the principle of divine dealing with Jews and gentiles since then. Does this mean God had no grace for Israel and the Jews during OT times. No, it does not mean that because God is a gracious God at all times, but during the OT, after the Mosaic law was given to Israel through Moses, the operative principle of divine dealing with them was "Law." Jesus Christ brought the Law to an end as the operative principle of dealing with them by his death. Does that mean there is no law any longer. No, it does not mean that but it does mean the saints are motivated to keep the law for a different reason now. It is inward, not outward. It is by the power of the Spirit of Christ, not by the power of the flesh. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth Rom 10:4.

Now, Jesus Christ said he came to fulfill all that was written in the law and the psalms and the prophets concerning him. This means he is keeping his promises to Israel. Even the promise of gentile salvation was a promise to Abraham and not to gentiles. Salvation is of the Jews, Jesus said in John 4 to the Samaritan woman.

One should understand from all the scriptures I have quoted already in this thread that God is dealing with the Jews first. This Romans passage from chapter 7, verse one, through chapter 11 is an explanation to them and about them as it relates to the history that is unfolding in these very early days of the church age when they look around and see gentiles accepted as equal with Israel in the body of Christ in spite of the fact God has made all these promises in immutable covenants with them. Remember, this Roman epistle was written in 58 AD. All the NT history from Acts 1 through Acts 18 had passed when Paul wrote this letter. There had been 28 years of church history for Israel and 18 years of church history for gentiles when this epistle was written. The Jews had a need to understand what God was doing during this time of national blindness of Israel that resulted in the unpardonable sin of that generation because of their national rejection of Jesus Christ.

Matt 13:13 Therefore speak I to them (Israel) in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

John 10:24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

Now I have quoted a parable from Luke, a prophesy of Jesus Christ in a metaphor, that describes this whole age. Jesus Christ has prepared a supper and he has guests who have been previously invited. It was not a breakfast, nor was it a lunch, but it was a supper. A supper comes at the end of the day when the work is over (Jesus said on the cross, it is finished, meaning the work is done). Those who were bidden would not come. Prophetically, this was Jerusalem and Judaea. Afterwards he sent them out to Samaria and Galilee and compelled them to come because their was yet room. Still later he sent them farther out to suspect characters, gentiles. What was the objective according to the wording of the prophesy, the purpose. It was so his house (family) might be FULL.

So, in Romans, the chapters I have mentioned already, we are going to read about the offspring of Abraham, who was the father of the people of Israel through Isaac after the flesh. This put them into the family of Abraham but it did not put them into the family of God. We read the story and find that God is intent on building this family and so he received them who would hear the invitation and come, just a remnant, but because there was not enough of them for his family, He invited others who were not of the family of Abraham and he was going to receive them as long as they would come. When they will no longer come, because of unbelief, his house will be full. It would be after that that he will save Israel and keep all those covenants that were made with Abraham's family alone.

The scriptures makes sense to those who will believe the words and will understand that one must be born again through faith in Jesus Christ before he will give the light of his glorious person and his ways. One must be sure of this above all else. A man who will teach others that he cannot believe is not going to help anybody when that is exactly what men must do to be born again.

I will be back to show some interesting things about Ephesians and election later, not because I think it will help you, but it will help someone who has a thirst for truth.