The Relevance of God's Word


Sunday, February 5, 2012

God Indeed does intiate Salvation! Ephesians 2:1-10


First, God is the Initiator! God indeed does initiate Salvation,
As the Apostle Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:1-10, “when we were dead in our trespasses and sin, he made His Elect alive to Him, 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved"

Second, once the Holy Spirit quickens the dead sinner, and makes Him alive in Christ, then and only then, does the Elect child of God respond in Faith that was given to him at regeneration; indeed, his will was set free to believe on Christ and respond to God's grace in his heart. Apart from God's initiative, no man’s will is free to choose, because his will is in bondage and he is dead to God.

Remember, also, the Apostle Paul's words, that it is God who made the believer alive in Christ,
"6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6-7

Third, Salvation is offered to the whole world, but Christ's atonement was limited to God's chosen and elect before the foundation of the world!

Ephesians 1:3-5 3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will”

Therefore, since God chose His elect before the foundation of the world to be Holy and blameless; then it goes without even stating it, that His chosen cannot fall away from Grace.

Jesus testified of His relationship to God The Father before the foundation of the world, that there was a harmonious discourse in the Godhead between God the Father and God the Son which involved a transaction of God the Father "giving" to God the Son before the foundation of the world, "all those whom the God the Father gave to God the Son", and this act of "giving" by God the Father was established before the foundation of the world:

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.” John 6:37-39

What was the Will of the Father? But that Jesus would loose none of all those the Father has given Him, but raise them up at the last day!
Hence it follows that when you are God's chosen, you will not fall away because His Grace is irresistible and His calling is effectual unto Salvation.

It is not up to the merits of man and their good works unto Salvation, but Salvation is based solely on Christ's redemptive work on the cross and His blood is sufficient unto salvation, I cannot add anything to what Christ has done on the cross. And His blood is sufficient to cleanse me; I do not have to go to purgatory to burn off sins for cleansing.

Furthermore, it is imperative that once a believer is touched by God's grace, that his life of Sanctification will persevere in a life of living worthy of their calling and pleasing the Lord in every way; bearing fruit in every good deed; growing in the Knowledge of God; being strengthened with power according to His glorious might, so that we may have great endurance and patience joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of light Colossians 1:10-13

The proper framework to understand predestination is to surrender to the Sovereignty of God and to know that it is according to His Good pleasure and will not bound by the will of man, that He made some to become vessels of Honor and some become vessels destined for destruction.

Thus, and God in predestination indeed foreloved those to believe in His Son before the foundation of the world that they may share in the blessed fellowship with the Trinity in the perpetual, eternal communion of God's Love in His only begotten Son.

Furthermore, no person is capable of loving God in their own strength apart from God's Grace. Apart from God's grace we are alienated and enemies in our minds because of our Evil behavior Colossians 1:19-21. In and of our self, we will not love God from our own initiative or efforts, but we are in rebellion against God and indeed dead to the life of God.

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7

And again the Apostle Paul says in Romans 5:10 “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.









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