It Is Better To Be Known By God

I'll lead into Galatians 4:9 with an inclusion of verse 8 :

Previously , however , when you did not know God , you were enslaved to gods that essentially are not gods .But now , when you know God , or better yet , are known by God , how is it that you are turning back again to those weak and beggarly rudiments to which you want to be enslaved all over again ?

To be "known by God" is indeed better yet . The Lord is , of course , omnicient -- He knows everything and everyone minutely to say the least . But He has a special intimate love for His beloved ones -- His saints -- the elect . There is nothing general about his knowlege of His own , it is particular , distinct and complete . With His everlasting love He draws them and them only to Himself .

1 Corinthians 8:2,3 :

If anyone fancies he knows anything , he does not yet understand as he should ; but if anyone loves God , that person is known by Him .

Of course for one to love God , the Lord had to first love that individual . God does not know -- with that special knowledge -- millions past present and future . " I have never known you " are sobering words .

I have read many on the BB insisting that God loves everyone , draws everyone and calls everyone . One has even said that God has predestinated everyone ( to glory I suppose he thinks ) . B.B. Warfield used to say something about the fact that salvation is all about particularism . I agree . We as believers are to witness to everyone we are given the opportunity -- but God is particular . He was particular with His choice of Israel alone out of all the nations of the earth . (We understand that all Israel is not Israel .) .

We have no merit which gives us some favor in His eyes . It is really His good pleasure . His particular love is not capricious either as some have accused Calvinists of believing . He is just and yet merciful . I will take mercy any day -- His justness or fairness would condemn me to perdition .

I am expressing too many thoughts here for a good OP . Any comments on the verses I quoted ?

( All passages are from the MLB )

 

Jeremiah 31:3 ___ I have loved you with an everlasting love ; therefore I have prolonged kindness to you .

God's eternal love for His possession is explicit in the Bible . The Lord has an everlasting intimacy with , and affection for , certain ones . God's choice , His elective choice and predestinating purpose can be found in Romans 8:29 :

... for those called in agreement with His purpose ...

Those , not each and every . Those -- from among the rest .

And this truth is found in 1 Peter 1:2 :

chosen in accordance with the foreknowledge of God the Father ...

The Lord's special , discriminating and particular love was evidenced in Christ . He is the One that was " foreknown to be sure , before the foundation of the world ... ( 1 Peter 1:20 ) . As it was for Christ , so it is for His bride . In Ephesians 1:4 "He has chosen us in Him before the world was founded ...".

In Romans 8:39 the Bible says that nothing will separate us from His love .

The elect are redeemed from out of all the people . See Revelation 5:9 : ... "Thou wast sacrificed and hast bought them for God with Thy blood , out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation . " Or what about Revelation 7:9 : " [ taken] out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation ... "

In the KJV it refers to the elect as " the purchase of His blood " and " the travail of His soul " . Some hymns of the Faith reflect that as well . Why have professed believers fought against these truths ?

Some think that the matters I have mentioned here are too restrictive in speaking of God's love . They are more comfortable with a universalistic message . But to honor His Word is not to hide what His Word emphasizes .


( Except where I noted , all Scripture is from the MLB )