The Election of God
1 Peter 1:1-12
There has been much discussion of late, in SBC, circles about Calvinism. There are many that say that we need to return to "our Calvinist roots." In saying this they are saying that we need to return to a belief in election and predestination of God whereby God chose, before time, that some should be predestined to eternal life in heaven while others were predestined for eternal damnation in hell. This was a teaching of John Calvin.
According to this view, we have NO CHOICE in the matter since in Calvin's words "we can neither initiate nor resist' our salvation. It was God's choice, long before we were born, and what he chose will come to pass. You are either very lucky or very unlucky.
As we begin this book of 1 Peter, as soon as Peter has ended his salutation, he addresses his letter to "GOD'S ELECT ... "
But who are God's elect? Are they, as Calvin claims, those whom God has chosen for heaven? Or are they, as Baptists believe, those whom have responded in faith and repentance to the salvation of God?
There are many verses in the scriptures that are interpreted as Election or Predestination verses. Another example is Romans 8:29-30 READ.
Actually there are verses that are interpreted to teach election/predestination. But I think that the whole of scripture and 10 times as many specific verses teach that salvation is a free gift, made available to any and all, and that it is accepted or rejected as a matter of the individual's free will and that choice cannot be made by another... not even God.
John 3:16 says "For God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His only Begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish but have eternal life. "
And I believe that there is one verse that is the death knell to the whole idea of
predestination. Predestination says that our eternal destiny is the choice of God, long ago, and that we have no choice. It says that God chose some for heaven and SOME FOR HELL. ... in other words, it is by God's will and choosing that some go to hell. I would direct you to 2 Peter 3:9b "God is patient with you, not willing that any should perish but that all would come to repentance.
Did you hear that? God is not willing that any should perish but that all would be saved.
Does that sound like predestination? Does that sound like God has arbitrarily decided that some should go to hell, that it was His will for some to perish in hell?
NO! NO! A thousand times NO!
What of predestination then? Is it utter non-sense?
No! God has predestined certain things. The book of The Revelation is an example.
The coming of the Messiah, the Second coming of the Messiah, the judgment, the end of earthly time, Armageddon, etc.
These things are predestined, unchangeable, they will come to pass.
However, Salvation, forgiveness, redemption, eternal life ... these things are gifts offered by Grace.
Think of the absurdity of Jesus giving the great commission to His disciples if the salvation and damnation of souls was already determined and predestined.
Think of the uselessness of evangelism, witnessing, and preaching.
Predestination of eternal destiny is a teaching, a false teaching, a misunderstanding of the Word that comes straight out of HELL!
It is designed to cripple missions, evangelism and to cause persons to fail to make a personal decision thinking that the decision is already made for them.
Election is a two-way or two-part process .
God chooses us through Grace He has chosen ALL! ! ! ! ! !
We choose God through faith Not all have chosen Him!!!!!!!
The elect are those who have accepted His choosing, those who have accepted election.
Using this word, CHOSEN or ELECT, Peter was using a phrase that had once been reserved for the nation of Israel.
They were not God's chosen people JUST because God chose them.
It was an IF / THEN election ... IF they would accept the election {through obedience} THEN God would be their God and they his people ...
He HAD chosen to receive them ... BUT THEY HAD TO CHOOSE TO BE RECEIVED.
In Exodus 24 the covenant is validated by a sacrifice.
HOWEVER, BEFORE it is validated the people have to commit themselves to their part of the covenant... the obedience.
SO... THE CHOOSING IS FIRST GOD CHOOSING... THEN THE PEOPLE CHOOSING.
AS a matter of fact the covenant was nullified because they chose against receiving or obeying.
God's election in the New Testament is just the same...
God chooses to enter a covenant relationship with us
God chooses us to become his children
We can choose or reject
IT IS A PERSONAL CHOICE
Many have rejection the election
Once we have accepted His election, once we have become the elect, then.... we
become STRANGERS! SOJOURNERS in the world.
There is a song that says, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through."
Once we receive and accept His election, his salvation, we are citizens of another world ... heaven. And we are just passing through this world in order to get to the next world, our real home.
As such we are to live as sojourners, strangers, not residents. We are not to get too
wrapped up or too invested in this world. We are to have our sights and our desires set on our real home. The bible calls this "laying up treasurers in heaven."
Think of your investments ... time, money, desires, energy.
Where are you investing these?
House? Job? School? Family? Savings account? Land? Your spiritual life?
How about your money? How much did you spend last month on spiritual… worldly
How about your time?
How about your energy?
How about your desires?
When I visit another church and they pass the plate I act like most Christians .. I drop in a token gift... $10.00
But that is not my church, I don't invest in it. I bring my tithe back to MY CHURCH.
It is the same with our investments... we are not to invest in somebody else's land or house, we are to put it into ours.
Spirituall ... we are not to invest in a world not ours, but invest it in our home land.
"who have been chosen"
we are chosen .
1 CHOSEN: According to theforeknowledge of God the Father"
How were we chosen/elected by God? According to His Foreknowledge. What does that mean?
It means two things.
1. God knew who would and would not accept but he offered
anyway.
2. God chose us despite is foreknowledge of how bad we were.
He knew that we did not deserve it... that is the GRACE!
II CHOSEN: Through the sanctifying work of the Spirit
This is the Work of the Holy Spirit... to "awaken in people the longing for God, to
convict them of their sins and open them to the saving power of Jesus Christ. On our own there is nothing that draws us to God ... in fact we are aliens to God, through our sin.
But the Spirit works His work in us to soften our heart, to open our mind and cause a hunger in us for God.
Sanctification is an ongoing process that will lead to our being set apart to God and set apart from evil.
Following conversion the Holy Spirit brings us the power to overcome sin, He assures us of our salvation and forgiveness, opens our hearts to a new way of living, and brings us the fruits and gifts of the Spirit.
God chose us, but his means of choosing us, the vehicle he used to call us is the Holy Spirit.
III CHOSEN: for obedience to Jesus Christ.
This is what response God's election should bring about. .. this is what God wants to see in us.
We are not just chosen and then to live however we wish.
We are to live a life of OBEDIENCE to the commands and example of Jesus Christ.
IV. CHOSEN: for sprinkling by his blood.
The sprinkling reminded of the OT sacrifice where the blood was sprinkled on the altar and on the people as a sign of reconciliation. Exodus 24:4b-8
Our sprinkling in the blood brings a reconciliation with God, our Father, from whom we have been separated by our sin.
The sprinkling is also a washing, a ridding of certain things... old nature, old habits, old thought patterns, old sins, old guilt, old separation, old self.
V. CHOSEN: to receive the new birth.
We are not only to rid ourselves of certain things but also to receive other things.
BORN AGAIN... that means that we have received the new birth, been born spiritually from on high, have a new parent (God), a new inheritance (eternal life), a new family (Church), a new home (heaven), a new nature.
That is what God wants us to receive
To be baptized, call yourself a Christian ... is not to accept the election ... it is accepting the title, the office, but not the duties.
God expects us to receive the new birth.
VI. CHOSEN: to receive "a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
When we receive Jesus Christ we receive hope. Before him we are eternally lost,
doomed by our sin to spend eternity in Hell.
And we are without hope of ever escaping that hell or of ever being united with the
God that we so desperately need and miss.
There is no hope in our goodness, or our deeds, or our accomplishments
But, out of the blue, unexpectedly, undeservedly, God offers us hope.
That hope is a person ... Jesus Christ... THE way, THE truth, THE life.
Our hope is eternal, alive because Jesus is eternal and eternally alive ... being raised from the grave by His Father.
VII CHOSEN: into an inheritance
My inheritance is that I am a child of God and in his house I will be accorded all the privileges and honor of a prince.
I know there is a home, I know there IS life ... most of the inheritance I don't
understand ... but I know it is awesome.
And this inheritance is ... "kept in heaven for you. "
Our inheritance in this world, from our parents is temporary, it can decrease before we get it, it can run out.
IT WILL NOT LAST. .. IT WILL NOT REMAIN OUR'S
Not so our NEW inheritance... "that will never perish, spoil, or fade-- kept in heaven for you. "
I have an inheritance from my Heavenly Father that is safe and protected by Almighty God Himself, and it will be there for me when I get home ... no matter how long it is.
No mistake I make here can wipe out my inheritance...
No con man can take it from me...
No thief can break in and steal it...
It is KEPT... secured... held tight in the strong hand of the Almighty God.
Not only is my inheritance safe, secured, protected from thief or rust or dust, or time.
I TOO AM KEPT
"shielded, through faith, by the power of God "
Because of my faith to accept Him as Savior and Lord.... God has placed his power on me, his hand around me.
This is not protection from troubles, or trials ... as is seen in verse 6 .... "though now, for a little while, you may have to suffer you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. "
What I am kept from is HELL. ... I am kept, my name is securely written in the Lamb's book of life in the blood of Jesus Christ... and as John 10:28-30 says, "I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one."
So ... we have seen today that WE ARE CALLED ...
According to the Foreknowledge of God the Father
Through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit
For obedience to Jesus Christ
For the Sprinkling in His blood
To receive the new birth
To Receive a new living hope
To receive an inheritance that is kept
To be kept by the hand of God
The Main point is WE ARE CALLED
Rev. 3:20 says He knocks on your heart door and calls you
The call is assumed because He says, "if {the if/then} anyone {the universal call} hears my voice and opens the door, {THEN} I will come in and fellowship with him and him with me.
He is calling you ... today ... will you come?
Hymn # 169, Whosoever Meaneth Me
