“ELECTION” Part Three
I never could completely trust God to secure my salvation, and could never be clearly convinced as I should have, that my salvation flowed from the foundation of His free mercy, until I became acquainted with the Doctrine of Eternal Election. My entire understanding of what God expected of me, changed at that time. As one of God’s Elect, I no longer have to worry about believing any wrong teachings if I hear them. I may dwell in some error for a period, but God will always lead me back into the truth. How do I know this? Jesus said in Matthew24:24, “There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; so as to lead astray, IF POSSIBLE, even the elect.” (However, it is NOT possible to lead the elect astray permanently.)
I, at first, wondered and asked, as others do today, “why does God save some and not others?” However, that answer belongs to His secret Councils. He does not tell us why. He long ago explained that He kept “some” secrets! “The secret things belong unto the Lord, our God, but those things which are revealed, belong unto us and to our children for ever.” ( Deut. 29:29).
We can only admire, wonder, and exclaim with Paul when he said, “O the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unreachable are His judgments, and His ways past tracing out!”
The reason God does not choose all to eternal life was not because He did not wish to save all, but would be consistent with His perfect righteousness. I rest my case on election at this point, and am just so very thankful that however the actual mechanics of MY responding to the Divine Call took place, I am glad that when He knocked, I opened! “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will supp with him, and he with Me.” (Revelations 3:20) I heard the call, opened my heart, and He certainly did come in, and has lived there every since.
Each of God’s Elect, are written in a “special Book” called the “Lamb’s Book of Life”, (Rev. 21:27) There are other books mentioned also, in the Book of Revelations and elsewhere in the Bible. All of the WORKS of those God does not save are written in books, and those books will be opened at the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the one thousand year reign of Christ when the reprobates will be judged according to their WORKS. (Revelations 20: 11,12; Rev. 22:12).
But, there is one special Book of Life which ONLY contains the role call of the Elect. This Book is mentioned in Revelations 20:12 in contrast to the “works” books of the reprobate. It is also mentioned by Jesus writing to the seven churches in Revelations. He challenges the Elect to heed the warning. He says in Revelations 3:5,6, “He that OVERCOMETH, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess this name before My Father, and before His angels. He that hath an ear, (the Elect who has a spiritual ear to hear), let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Jesus addresses those “overcomers” some more. “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the Temple of My God, and he shall go out no more.” (Revelations 3:12). “To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne.” (Rev. 3:21).
How can anyone be an overcomer? Do we “hang on” by our fingernails, or can any amount of good works make us an overcomer? John gives us that answer to the riddle in 1 John 5:5. “Who is he that overcometh the world, but that he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God.? Then, in 1 John 5:1, he said, “whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.”
There are many verses of Scripture throughout the Bible which, at the first glimpse, look like people can choose to be godly, and be obedient, and that salvation is conditional, but, after studying each verse, and especially the meaning of the words from the original languages of either Hebrew or Greek, will reveal that special call is only given to the Elect, where those verses with contingences connected with them are given so that the Elect will be clearly separated from the reprobate, as the wheat will be separated from the tares in the last day. Paul addresses the Elect in 1 Corinthians 12:13, when he said, “For BY one spirit are we, (the Elect) all baptized into one body, and have been all MADE to drink into one spirit.”
CONT.>>>>>>>>>>>
Blessings!
Marked Elect
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