Romans 8:28-30
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Message: Predestination and Foreknowledge
Time: This book was probably written between 56 and 57 B.C. Paul was in
Greece, probably Corinth when he wrote. It was sent to Gentile
believers, but also believers with a strong Jewish element.
What the Lord is Saying:
Another distinction
I noticed something about these verses that I had not noticed before and that is Paul is writing to the church and stating that "all things work together....to those who are called." All things work together for those that are called. So, he is not saying that all things work together for everyone, but only for those that are called. And he predestined those to conform to the image of His Son. Could it be that God chooses people and conforms their lives to His Son and plans their future, but allows those who are not his to live more freely? He doesn't therefore plan sin in the lives of those that are not called. People are always asking, "why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" First of all, no one is good so the question is stated incorrectly. So, why then does God allow bad things to happen? This is more simple because we can see throughout history how bad things have helped us. Why does God allow atrocious things to happen? He wants all to be saved but he saves only a few based upon his foreknowledge so he allows many to not be saved and their lives are lived according to their own devices. He sets apart his called ones.
According to TableTalk
This idea of predestination or God predetermining who will be saved branches off into two choices. One is whether God knows in advance what man will choose, thus having foreknowledge of future events and second, is whether God predetermines in advance who will be his children. In the first view or prescient view the ultimate deciding factor is man; in the latter view, the deciding factor is God. Verse 29 is stating, "those whom He foreknew" or those whom he had set apart for His kingdom before the foundation of the world. "Our Lord's choice of men and women for salvation is based on His decision to set His love upon them, not His knowledge of what they will do."
Promise: God works all for good - FOR THOSE he calls.
Showing posts with label Foreknew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Foreknew. Show all posts
Monday, October 17, 2016
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Psalm 139:13-24 - God's Loving, Personal Knowledge
Psalm 139:13-24
For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.
O that You would slay the wicked, O God; depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You.
O that You would slay the wicked, O God; depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. For they speak against You wickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain. Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
Message: God knows me, the wicked should be far from me and I need to be careful of who I am
Time: The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.
What the Lord is Saying:
My reading for 12/15/15, what stood out to me was how near the Psalmist was to God. And then how the Lord was not simply near but also desired to lead. And now as I turn to the rest of Psalm 139, I see further the intimacy the Lord has with the Psalmist, and me.
For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I notice the words here. This isn't simply knowledge of us, but this is forming of us. Every person is fearfully and wonderfully made. How sad that some people won't to make a change to what God has done, calling it a mistake. And yet I suppose there are defects that may occur, but even in this, there is a struggle in identifying what is a defect. I guess when I think defect, I think born with a cleft palate. And yet many now are saying they were born the wrong gender. The bottom line is we are each fearfully and wonderfully made and I can take that to mean that I am not a mistake. I am valuable.
In Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me. This is most interesting. God has ordained days for me. He knows the time of my beginning and when I will depart this earth. Do I really walk around in life realizing that this is His knowledge? It may not change my day to day behavior, but I can trust in Him.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. Again here is that reminder of how valuable I am to God. He thinks of me. He has thoughts of me. I try so hard to remember God and yet, it says, He remembers me. That is so wonderful. I am valuable.
O that You would slay the wicked, O God. To see others that want to do nothing with God is a mystery. My atheist friend actually just became an agnostic because he thought that God was possible, but he didn't believe in any of the religions then defining God. It is one thing for there to be a God, but no man gets to carve out and decide how that God is defined. But, the Psalmist clearly says that those that hate God are our enemies. I am to avoid them.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. On the heels of talking about those that are enemies of God, I need to make sure that my life does not mirror that persona in any way shape, form, or way. I am to be led in the everlasting way.
Promise: God has loving and personal knowledge of me.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Romans 11:7-10 - Who is Israel?
Romans 11:7-10 - 7 What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened; 8 just as it is written,
Message: The definition and description of those that are hardened to God.
Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.
What the Lord is Saying:
God's perspective and Man's perspective
This is what these verses seem to be saying at first glance. They appear to be saying that when we look at God's work from His perspective, He chooses. When we look at it from man's perspective, man chooses or man does not choose. The chosen chose. And the rest were hardened. What it doesn't say? It doesn't say that people didn't choose. It says that people had hard hearts. He had foreknowledge of the chosen, we learned previously. But, does it mean he predetermined the chosen ones? I don't think so. To say that, I think, would mean that God orchestrated the entire history of mankind all at once, in one instant and now simply is watching it unfold. Again, that seems unlikely.
Israel
The beginning of verse 7 mentions Israel. In my reading of Table Talk on August 18, 2014, it describes four different ways Paul uses the word Israel. I thought it was interesting.
More to this life
Hardness of the heart I think is something very interesting. To me, it expresses comfort. To me, it says that a person is comfortable where they are at. And to me, this is one of the biggest dangers of life, yes we need to be content, but I don't think we need to never be comfortable. I am not talking materially speaking, but I am talking spiritually.
There is always more to this life, as Steven Curtis Chapman sung.
Today I watched in silence as people passed me by,
And I strained to see if there was something hidden in their eyes;
But they all looked back at me as if to say
Life just goes on.
The old familiar story told in different ways,
Make the most of your own journey from the cradle to the grave;
Dream your dreams tomorrow because today
Life must go on.
But there's more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there's more than this life alone can be.
Tonight he lies in silence staring into space,
And looks for ways to make tomorrow better than today,
But in the morning light it looks the same;
Life just goes on.
He takes care of his family, he takes care of his work,
And every Sunday morning he takes his place at the church;
And somehow he still feels a need to search,
But life just goes on.
But there's more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there's more than this life alone can be.
So where do we start to find every part
Of what makes this life complete;
If we turn our eyes to Jesus we'll find
Life's true beginning is there at the cross where He died.
He died to bring us...
But there's more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there's more than this life alone can be.
I like that line: There is more than just trying to make it through the day. There is more than just being content.
Chosen and Hardened
Verse 7 states that Israel has not yet obtained what they are seeking. This shows me that people are seeking. People of many different faiths are seeking the answer. They are trying to find the answer. Most think that they have arrived. And where they stand now is in the doing. There is clearly a contrast here between two different types of people: chosen and hardened.
The chosen was talked about previously in verse 5 as the remnant: "there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice." God chose, man responded. God reached down, man grabbed a hold of.
The Hardened Defined
Verse 8 is a combination of Isaiah 29:10 and Deuteronomy 29:4.
Isaiah 29:10a
For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep,
Deuteronomy 29:4
Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.
Grace means some are chosen, some are hardened. Never for a moment do we think we are better than anyone else because we are chosen because in being chosen we have done nothing to deserve this. And so throughout life we continue to look to the Lord and ask Him to choose.
Sometimes I wonder if I should wrestle so much with those people that are so bent in a different direction. They are not supple or teachable, but instead they are stiff necked, thinking they have arrived. What is clear is I should never parade myself around as being better than others. In my friend Derek, the atheist, I believe this is something he thinks Christian are, is people that think they are better than others. Maybe it is because of the priest or leader of the faith and how much reverence they give that individual. He sees that there is a clear dividing line between the leader and the adherents or congregation. But, that is really a misunderstanding. God is clear that no one is better than anyone else. He has simply called different people to different functions. He has gifted people differently.
The Hardened Described
Verses 9 and 10 show the picture of what hardening looks like. Romans 1 is also a picture of hardening that Paul describes. "They knew God, but they did not give thanks." And Romans 1 shows the falling away from the things of God and the result, God gave them over to that which they wanted.
And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 “Let their eyes be darkened to see not,
And bend their backs forever.
Psalm 69:22-23
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,
Down to this very day.”
Eyes to see not and ears to hear not,
Down to this very day.”
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 “Let their eyes be darkened to see not,
And bend their backs forever.”
And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 “Let their eyes be darkened to see not,
And bend their backs forever.”
Message: The definition and description of those that are hardened to God.
Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.
What the Lord is Saying:
God's perspective and Man's perspective
This is what these verses seem to be saying at first glance. They appear to be saying that when we look at God's work from His perspective, He chooses. When we look at it from man's perspective, man chooses or man does not choose. The chosen chose. And the rest were hardened. What it doesn't say? It doesn't say that people didn't choose. It says that people had hard hearts. He had foreknowledge of the chosen, we learned previously. But, does it mean he predetermined the chosen ones? I don't think so. To say that, I think, would mean that God orchestrated the entire history of mankind all at once, in one instant and now simply is watching it unfold. Again, that seems unlikely.
Israel
The beginning of verse 7 mentions Israel. In my reading of Table Talk on August 18, 2014, it describes four different ways Paul uses the word Israel. I thought it was interesting.
- Ethnic Jews - True Faith (Romans 9:6)
- All Ethnic Jews (Romans 9:2)
- Ethnic Jews - No True Faith (Romans 9:31-32; Romans 10:21; Romans 11:7-10)
- Believers - All Ethnic Jews and All Gentiles or non-Jews (Galatians 6:16; Romans 11:11-24)
More to this life
Hardness of the heart I think is something very interesting. To me, it expresses comfort. To me, it says that a person is comfortable where they are at. And to me, this is one of the biggest dangers of life, yes we need to be content, but I don't think we need to never be comfortable. I am not talking materially speaking, but I am talking spiritually.
There is always more to this life, as Steven Curtis Chapman sung.
Today I watched in silence as people passed me by,
And I strained to see if there was something hidden in their eyes;
But they all looked back at me as if to say
Life just goes on.
The old familiar story told in different ways,
Make the most of your own journey from the cradle to the grave;
Dream your dreams tomorrow because today
Life must go on.
But there's more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there's more than this life alone can be.
Tonight he lies in silence staring into space,
And looks for ways to make tomorrow better than today,
But in the morning light it looks the same;
Life just goes on.
He takes care of his family, he takes care of his work,
And every Sunday morning he takes his place at the church;
And somehow he still feels a need to search,
But life just goes on.
But there's more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there's more than this life alone can be.
So where do we start to find every part
Of what makes this life complete;
If we turn our eyes to Jesus we'll find
Life's true beginning is there at the cross where He died.
He died to bring us...
But there's more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there's more than this life alone can be.
I like that line: There is more than just trying to make it through the day. There is more than just being content.
Chosen and Hardened
Verse 7 states that Israel has not yet obtained what they are seeking. This shows me that people are seeking. People of many different faiths are seeking the answer. They are trying to find the answer. Most think that they have arrived. And where they stand now is in the doing. There is clearly a contrast here between two different types of people: chosen and hardened.
The chosen was talked about previously in verse 5 as the remnant: "there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice." God chose, man responded. God reached down, man grabbed a hold of.
The Hardened Defined
Verse 8 is a combination of Isaiah 29:10 and Deuteronomy 29:4.
Isaiah 29:10a
For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep sleep,
Deuteronomy 29:4
Yet to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear.
Grace means some are chosen, some are hardened. Never for a moment do we think we are better than anyone else because we are chosen because in being chosen we have done nothing to deserve this. And so throughout life we continue to look to the Lord and ask Him to choose.
Sometimes I wonder if I should wrestle so much with those people that are so bent in a different direction. They are not supple or teachable, but instead they are stiff necked, thinking they have arrived. What is clear is I should never parade myself around as being better than others. In my friend Derek, the atheist, I believe this is something he thinks Christian are, is people that think they are better than others. Maybe it is because of the priest or leader of the faith and how much reverence they give that individual. He sees that there is a clear dividing line between the leader and the adherents or congregation. But, that is really a misunderstanding. God is clear that no one is better than anyone else. He has simply called different people to different functions. He has gifted people differently.
The Hardened Described
Verses 9 and 10 show the picture of what hardening looks like. Romans 1 is also a picture of hardening that Paul describes. "They knew God, but they did not give thanks." And Romans 1 shows the falling away from the things of God and the result, God gave them over to that which they wanted.
9 And David says,
“Let their table become a snare and a trap,And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
10 “Let their eyes be darkened to see not,
And bend their backs forever.
Psalm 69:22-23
May their table before them become a snare;
And when they are in peace, may it become a trap.
And when they are in peace, may it become a trap.
May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,
And make their loins shake continually.
And make their loins shake continually.
This is the picture of the hardened person. The place where they eat and what they see, it is all a stumbling block to them. There eating and their perspective is away from God. They are consumed with other things. This is the danger of the hardened for they have replaced the joys of God's providence with abusing things before them. May I always have compassion on people.
Promise: Unbelief is real and it is not a surprise; There are hardened hearts.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Romans 11:1-5 - God's Chosen Remnant
Romans 11:1-5 - 1 I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? 3 "Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” 4 But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice.
Message: There is no rejection of God's people. God foreknew His people. Many, seemingly, of the faith, will not follow God in the proper way, but God will save a remnant.
Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.
What the Lord is Saying:
Background
Again, this is a fitting next thought by Paul. He has just basically said that the Jews have been given opportunity to be accepted by God. It is true that they created their own version of righteousness, by the Law, rather than a righteousness of faith. And they rejected God. They tried to make God jealous by serving other gods and God turned the tables on them, grafting in a previous rebellious people, the Gentiles. They were presented the gospel message and they received it.
But, even in this explanation, Paul clarifies a message or principle from God, that he shows was consistent throughout the Old Testament: God saves whom He saves. He is sovereign and He calls His people to be His. And this calling isn't necessarily based upon certain good behavior or people being faithful. In fact, Israel served other gods and provoked God to anger, and yet He still called them His people.
But, the message now to the Jews is each Jew cannot necessarily think that they are all accepted by God, just because they are a Jew. It is not through keeping the commandments or through being circumcised or through being a caretaker of the oracles of God or by being God's original chosen people that will then always merit God's favor. People must see that Jesus is the ransom. Jesus is the one to be followed. Jesus is the one to trust and they are to trust Him as Lord and Savior. They are to accept His dying once and for all for sin. Just as sin entered the world through one man, through One Man sin can be vanquished from a person's life by having faith. God will impute or transfer the righteousness of the perfect Lamb to the believer through the faith that person states, not in that person's goodness, but in God's greatness in providing a ransom.
This is the Gospel that Jesus lived and died. Man is a sinner. God must deal with sin. He dealt with sin in His Son. Will we follow Him? Will we have faith in Him and trust Him with our entire life? By doing so God grafts us in so that we are now God's chosen people. This is our creed.
No rejection
Don't think for a moment that God rejects His people (Absolutely not), rather people reject God. Paul is an Israelite. Paul is a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. Paul is a "people of God."
I Samuel 12:22 - “For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself."
But, we can't think that God rejecting some people means that God will always and forever now reject Israel.
Hosea 9:17 says, "My God will cast them away because they have not listened to Him; And they will be wanderers among the nations." They will wander, but they will return. God still holds a special place for the Israelites and will come back. The church has not replaced them.
God foreknew His people
Here is the crux of the message. We can be so focused on the thought that we determine our life. We simply wave the white flag and surrender. We tell God it isn't about us, but it's all about him. We aren't out there trying to do our best, trying to make ourselves worthy in order to earn salvation. Salvation is a gift. And there is a giver. We are simply to come to God with open hands; receive the gift. God doesn't reject people because God foreknew people.
Foreknew is a difficult word because its use negates the idea of personal responsibility. To use this word is not to mean that God simply knew in advance who would surrender their lives to Him, but rather he pre-planned His descendants, is a challenging thought. Yet, it is not something new in Scripture, for Moses spoke of this often in recording the words of God. God has set apart a people for himself.
Yet, we can never stop here. I can never look at this doctrine and then close my Bible. I must look at all the truths and commands of Scripture and hold close to all of them. I must continue to speak the truth of God and continue to uphold His name and be an ambassador for truth. The one problem I see is there has been such a huge focus on getting people to the Gospel when it seems rather that what Jesus wanted was for us to bring people to be a follower or disciple. I think at times we place too much emphasis on the confession and not enough on the transformation.
I think the focus is too much on whether God foreknew or not. Our focus should be on helping Christians live a complete life in Christ. And this means upholding all of the commands of the Bible.
Elijah pleads against Israel, not for Israel
I Kings 19:10, He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” And this same thought is repeated in verse 14 of the same chapter.
Elijah pleads to God, for his life to be saved. He is watching the sons of Israel not being true to their faith. And in this rejection of their true north position with God, they are wanting to permanently shut up Elijah. Elijah is pleading to the Lord to save him. And the Lord lets Elijah know that their will be a remnant among the people of Israel, 7,000 to be exact (I Kings 19:18). Elijah felt like he was alone and that there was no one else. God wanted to show him that he was not alone. The world seems so dark at times and it does seem like the Christian has a target on their back. But, God is faithful and He has a remnant. We are to remain a voice, though, and not simply huddle together.
Remnants
In all people groups, Jewish and Gentile, there is "a remnant according to God's gracious choice."
God saves us not because of our good doing or good behavior, but because of His grace.
Deuteronomy 7:7-8 - 7 “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
It is by grace we have been saved. - Ephesians 2:8
Promise: God does not reject His people, He saves them by His grace. It is not everyone He saves, but a remnant.
Message: There is no rejection of God's people. God foreknew His people. Many, seemingly, of the faith, will not follow God in the proper way, but God will save a remnant.
Time: Written in AD 57 from Greece, to the Christians, both Gentile and Jewish in Rome.
What the Lord is Saying:
Background
Again, this is a fitting next thought by Paul. He has just basically said that the Jews have been given opportunity to be accepted by God. It is true that they created their own version of righteousness, by the Law, rather than a righteousness of faith. And they rejected God. They tried to make God jealous by serving other gods and God turned the tables on them, grafting in a previous rebellious people, the Gentiles. They were presented the gospel message and they received it.
But, even in this explanation, Paul clarifies a message or principle from God, that he shows was consistent throughout the Old Testament: God saves whom He saves. He is sovereign and He calls His people to be His. And this calling isn't necessarily based upon certain good behavior or people being faithful. In fact, Israel served other gods and provoked God to anger, and yet He still called them His people.
But, the message now to the Jews is each Jew cannot necessarily think that they are all accepted by God, just because they are a Jew. It is not through keeping the commandments or through being circumcised or through being a caretaker of the oracles of God or by being God's original chosen people that will then always merit God's favor. People must see that Jesus is the ransom. Jesus is the one to be followed. Jesus is the one to trust and they are to trust Him as Lord and Savior. They are to accept His dying once and for all for sin. Just as sin entered the world through one man, through One Man sin can be vanquished from a person's life by having faith. God will impute or transfer the righteousness of the perfect Lamb to the believer through the faith that person states, not in that person's goodness, but in God's greatness in providing a ransom.
This is the Gospel that Jesus lived and died. Man is a sinner. God must deal with sin. He dealt with sin in His Son. Will we follow Him? Will we have faith in Him and trust Him with our entire life? By doing so God grafts us in so that we are now God's chosen people. This is our creed.
No rejection
Don't think for a moment that God rejects His people (Absolutely not), rather people reject God. Paul is an Israelite. Paul is a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. Paul is a "people of God."
I Samuel 12:22 - “For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself."
But, we can't think that God rejecting some people means that God will always and forever now reject Israel.
Hosea 9:17 says, "My God will cast them away because they have not listened to Him; And they will be wanderers among the nations." They will wander, but they will return. God still holds a special place for the Israelites and will come back. The church has not replaced them.
God foreknew His people
Here is the crux of the message. We can be so focused on the thought that we determine our life. We simply wave the white flag and surrender. We tell God it isn't about us, but it's all about him. We aren't out there trying to do our best, trying to make ourselves worthy in order to earn salvation. Salvation is a gift. And there is a giver. We are simply to come to God with open hands; receive the gift. God doesn't reject people because God foreknew people.
Foreknew is a difficult word because its use negates the idea of personal responsibility. To use this word is not to mean that God simply knew in advance who would surrender their lives to Him, but rather he pre-planned His descendants, is a challenging thought. Yet, it is not something new in Scripture, for Moses spoke of this often in recording the words of God. God has set apart a people for himself.
Yet, we can never stop here. I can never look at this doctrine and then close my Bible. I must look at all the truths and commands of Scripture and hold close to all of them. I must continue to speak the truth of God and continue to uphold His name and be an ambassador for truth. The one problem I see is there has been such a huge focus on getting people to the Gospel when it seems rather that what Jesus wanted was for us to bring people to be a follower or disciple. I think at times we place too much emphasis on the confession and not enough on the transformation.
I think the focus is too much on whether God foreknew or not. Our focus should be on helping Christians live a complete life in Christ. And this means upholding all of the commands of the Bible.
Elijah pleads against Israel, not for Israel
I Kings 19:10, He said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” And this same thought is repeated in verse 14 of the same chapter.
Elijah pleads to God, for his life to be saved. He is watching the sons of Israel not being true to their faith. And in this rejection of their true north position with God, they are wanting to permanently shut up Elijah. Elijah is pleading to the Lord to save him. And the Lord lets Elijah know that their will be a remnant among the people of Israel, 7,000 to be exact (I Kings 19:18). Elijah felt like he was alone and that there was no one else. God wanted to show him that he was not alone. The world seems so dark at times and it does seem like the Christian has a target on their back. But, God is faithful and He has a remnant. We are to remain a voice, though, and not simply huddle together.
Remnants
In all people groups, Jewish and Gentile, there is "a remnant according to God's gracious choice."
God saves us not because of our good doing or good behavior, but because of His grace.
Deuteronomy 7:7-8 - 7 “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
It is by grace we have been saved. - Ephesians 2:8
Promise: God does not reject His people, He saves them by His grace. It is not everyone He saves, but a remnant.
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