Ah yes, the last shall be first and the first shall be last – God says so.
"For God hath shut up all men unto disobedience, that He might have mercy upon all." Rom. 11:32
"For all shall know Me from the least to the greatest..." Heb. 8:11
As I’ve stated before on these boards - I believe that all are chosen - some vessels for noble use, some for ignoble use. Those vessels of wrath have a place in the plan. Chosen by God, I believe, to bring about the purpose of His will by His Spirit through those whom HE HAS PREPARED to receive it or those such as us who KNOW HIM. Scripture speaks of God creating good and evil. And this for the ecclesia (which was chosen before the foundations of the earth were laid, chosen before God created good, evil or the Adversary) - the church - to sanctify her. God has set her apart for His special work, but does this mean that the unchosen are unloved by God? If He commands us to love our enemies - how can it be that He would hate His, especially since He created them that way? Am I more loving than God? Ask yourself the same question.
Rom 9:13 Just as it is written: "Jacob (the chosen?) I loved, but Esau (the unchosen?) I hated." What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy (the chosen?), and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion (the unchosen?)." Then it goes on to say that God will have mercy on whom He wants to have mercy, and He HARDENS whom HE WANTS to harden.
Romans which I had read a thousand times and never saw the fullness of those verses about all dead in Adam, all alive in Christ (more than four times Paul says it in chapter 5). Powerful, very powerful to me. Wait a minute here, I ask myself, I ask my Lord. ALL are made alive in Christ? Suddenly I knew that it meant all. The end of our faith, which in reality is the FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD expressed in our lives by His grace, is only part of the equation, for our Lord is the Savior of all men, "especially those", or in particular, those who place their faith in Him by HIS WILL.
Salvation flows as far as the curse is found and is expressed as "all the more" in Romans chapter 5, among other scripture verses. John also declares that Christ has made a propitiation for our sins. And, in the same breath declares that the atoning sacrifice is "not for our sins only" BUT ALSO.... for the sins of the whole world." ("but for those of the rest of the world as well.")
Rom. 11:32 For God locks up all together in stubbornness, that He should be merciful to all. 33 O, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! 34 For, who knew the mind of the Lord? or, who became His adviser? 35 or, who gives to Him first, and it will be repaid him? 36 seeing that out of Him and through Him and for Him is all,” - who is going to talk back to that verse? Not me.
There is only one way to God; it flows to us by His grace. He is the Lord, that which is closed, He opens. "He will take of the things of mine and reveal them unto you," Jesus said. Paul speaks of being instructed by the Father by the giving of a "spirit of wisdom and insight into mysteries through a knowledge of Him, the eyes of your heart being enlightened that you may know what is the hope His call to you inspires." Eph. 1.
THAT WE MAY KNOW HIM.
"...when it PLEASED God, who separated me from my mothers womb, and called me by His grace..." Like Paul, we've been chosen and called by His grace. The way is open for us, by His grace. But…… "God will have all mankind to be saved" (1Tim.2:4).
Rom 5:18 Consequently, then, as it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation, thus also it is through one just award for all mankind for life's justifying. 19 For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just.
"8 and, being found in fashion as a human, He humbles Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore, also, God highly exalts Him, and graces Him with the name that is above every name, 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should be bowing, celestial and terrestrial and subterranean, 11 and every tongue should be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, for the glory of God, the Father" (Phil.2:8-11).
"But WHO may abide the day of His coming? and WHO shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner's fire and like a fuller's soap.”
WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.
Those of us who, by His grace for we can do nothing without Him, have tasted of His goodness and know His everlasting love spend so much time shooting each other in the foot – infighting about the minute details of the “Christian” laws that have evolved over the past two thousand years and basing their beliefs on the doctrines of men…….we’ve left the simplicity of the gospel behind.
Oh well, this too must be in His plan for there is none like Him - for He will have all men to be saved.
All Glory, Praise and Honor to YOU Almighty Father!! \o/
Peace, GH
