Election

Calling (kleesis [2821])

(4/8/03-4/12/03)

a calling, an invitation as to a feast. The divine invitation to embrace salvation in God's kingdom. One shown worthy of his calling.

The calling, then, is an invitation given to us by God. We are the invitees. So, what is said of this invitation? It is irrevocable (Romans 11:29), as are those gifts which are conjoined with it. The calling is an upward call (Philippians 3:14), a heavenly call (Hebrews 3:1). The calling invites us to a feast of hope, a hope which knows its inheritance lies with God (Ephesians 1:18), and knowing that inheritance which awaits us, we should be content in the place he has called us to for the present (1Corinthians 7:20). That same hope is the hope of all who are invited (Ephesians 4:4).

Why has this invitation come to us? Consider, Paul tells us in 1Corinthians 1:26: Most of you are not such as would be considered impressive by man's standards. You don't possess great wisdom or might or riches, such that people would be inclined to seek you out. People seek that which they deem will increase their own prestige, thus they seek to associate with those greater than themselves that they may seem the greater by association. God shows His true greatness in not playing that kind of a game. His is a different approach. He associates Himself with the lowly, and, by imparting from His own greatness, makes them greater than they were! We were not such as would be invited to state dinners, to gatherings of the elite, yet it is we who have received this invitation from the King of kings! The King has invited us, and this is clearly not because of anything we have done (2Timothy 1:11), it is because He has purposed to show His grace upon us and in us through Christ. This, He has had planned longer than there has been a creation in which to play it out! That is planning! That is unchanging faithfulness!

There is a harder side to this invitation, though. We hear whispers of it in the very fact that we have not earned the right to this invitation, it has been given to us in spite of our lack of worth. How are we going to react to that? Some might refuse the invitation out of embarrassment, recognizing only that they would be out of their class, as it were. Others might slip into presumption, assuming that if He considered us worthy of inviting as we are, there's no call to clean up, to make ourselves presentable before coming to the feast He has prepared. Neither of these reactions, though, would be right. There is, however, a proper reaction to have. That reaction will display gratitude for the consideration He has shown towards us, it will display a love for Him who has loved us enough to send this invitation. How can we show this? By seeking to show ourselves worthy of what He has already done!

This is not a works based salvation by any stretch. It is a display of heartfelt gratitude. Over and over we come across this thought. I beg you, Paul wrote, to live in a way that is worthy of the invitation (Ephesians 4:1), I have to work hard towards that goal myself (Philippians 3:14). We pray constantly that He will consider you worthy of that invitation, as He considers your desire to do good things, to show your faith with the power of His presence (2Thessalonians 1:11). Peter joins in the chorus of concern. Look, he says, you want to be certain that this invitation is truly yours, so make every effort to have in yourself that certainty. How am I to do that, Peter? The way is simple: Practice moral excellence (2Peter 1:10). Your hunger after such things is the stamp of authenticity upon your invitation.

Before we leave this first word, this matter of the calling, I want to look at these verses where the invitation appears in conjunction with others of our words of interest. In this, I may be getting a bit ahead of myself, but so be it. In Ephesians 4:1, Paul implores us to show ourselves worthy of this invitation to which we have been called. In v4 of the same chapter, he reminds us that we were all called in one hope of this invitation. Interesting that. There is a hope of this invitation. We have the invitation, and yet it remains a matter of hope. The invitation is as certain as the God who sends it, and yet it is a matter still unseen. The feast is not yet. We must remember that hope is not a matter of uncertainty. No! The hope of the Christian is certain. It simply looks forward to that which has not yet come to pass. Now, both of these passages speak of having been called. In the first verse, he reminds us that it is through this invitation that we were called. In the fourth, he tells us that we were called in the hope of this invitation. Is it in the hope of receiving that invitation? That cannot be, for it is through that invitation that we have been called. I think it must rather be that the invitation by which we have been called has given us hope.

So, the invitation has delivered His call to us, but what is this second word? It is tightly related, coming back to the same root, but now the word takes on a stronger force. Now, the invitation is strengthened to the power of summons. There are some other aspects of that word which, in this present consideration, could be seen as rather exciting. Amidst the meanings of this being called, there is the idea of bringing about a change in state. There is the concept of bearing a title. This is also the word which is often used of names and naming. Now consider these three things in the present context.

Through the invitation He has delivered to you, He has presented you with a name of His own choosing! Later, we shall perhaps get a glimpse of the name He has chosen. For now, consider this: throughout the Old Testament we see how significant were the names God's people chose for their offspring. But, think of the times when God did the naming! Indeed, when He changes a man's name, He changes the man! Abram became Abraham not only in name, but in deed. Jacob the Trickster became Israel "God prevails!" Indeed God prevails. His names, moreso even than those the Jews would give, have meaning. They mean to indicate what He shall bring about in the man so named. His names are precursors of the change of state He is accomplishing in us!

That change comes that we might bear the title He is bestowing upon us, the most honorable title of "Christian." The change must come if we are to bear the responsibilities this title brings with it. Too many have tried to bear that name without His invitation, without His appointment, without His strength to fulfill the duties of Christianity. Any attempt to do this is doomed to failure, for it requires His change in us to be what He has called us, and it takes His deciding to call us to bring about the change.

This same pairing of concepts is present in 2Timothy 1:9. Here it is paralleled with the matter of salvation. Note carefully the order: He saved us. He called us, summoned us, named us, changed us, with a holy calling, an invitation to holiness! This He has done, not because we (who were neither rich, wise, or mighty, let alone holy) deserved it, but because it was His purpose to do so.

In 2Peter 1:10, we find a different pairing. Here, Peter is urging us to live out our lives in a way that will confirm to our own troubled consciences the reality of having received His invitation. But, he also wants us to be certain of God's having chosen us! That is the basic meaning of the word here given. It is the act of choosing, or the thing chosen. But who chose whom? Notice that it does not say anything about us choosing God. No! It's all about His having chosen you. This concept should forever stun us, that He has chosen us, picked us out from the litter of humanity, to receive an invitation to His family, to His feast of hope, to eternal life in His household! How can we not strive to show some degree of worth in thanks to Him who has done this for us!

We need to look at this whole passage from Peter, I think. In this instance, I want to look at it without any paraphrasing, so I'm including it here.

2Peter 1:1-11 (NASB)
1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

In the first part of this passage, I see Peter declaring certain truths, and then indicating the source or cause of these truths. In verse 1, he speaks of his readers having received the same sort of faith as he himself had received. Notice that this faith was not taken, sought out, exercised into being, or any such matter. It was received. How was it received? It was received by another's righteousness, that of our God and Savior, our Christ, our Redeemer! We received faith because He was righteous. Again, we find nothing of ourselves in this matter. We didn't earn it, He did. We received the benefit of His actions.

In the second verse, we learn that grace and peace can be multiplied. What an interesting concept! God's gifts to us can be multiplied, for that is what grace is, God's freely given and undeserved gifts. Peace is one of the gifts He has given. Would we like to see an increase in these things? It is possible! How do we do that? Through increasing our knowledge of God, our understanding of our Lord. How do we increase that knowledge? By devoting ourselves to His revealed Word in Scripture, to understanding what it is He has said therein.

The thought continues in verse 3. His power has granted to us (gratuitously bestowed upon us) everything that we will need for life and for godliness! We didn't earn it. We may not have even asked for it. He just gave it to us because He wanted to. How was it given? Through the true knowledge of Him, the precise and correct knowledge of Him. Here, there is another case of calling. He has called us, it says, but more than that, it says He has called us by His own glory and excellence. What does that mean? I would note that I find no sign of that 'by' in the Greek. It would appear that the translators have assigned these back to the first 'through,' making this a list of means: these things are granted through true knowledge of Him, and through His own glory and excellence. But consider: That word 'called,' goes back to the idea of naming, either calling one by name, or giving one a name or title. It can also indicate a change of state. What I see declared here is that He names us after His own glory and excellence. What He has named invariably bears the quality named. If He has named us His own glory, this we shall be. Can that be the thought? Perhaps. Perhaps, though, the verse is simply saying that the invitation He has given us was delivered to us in understanding His glory and excellence. Either way, all that the verse speaks to us remains His doing. He calls, and He grants the means of heeding the call.

Continue to verse 4. Not only has He graciously given to us the needs of life and of godliness. He has also graciously given us His promises. Why? So that we can partake of divine nature! So that we can live up to the name He has given us: His own glory and excellence! This we can do because, by these precious gifts of His we have escaped the corrupting lusts of the world. Up to this point, Peter has built a foundation for us, a platform of understanding. Upon that platform, he now places his application.

Understanding these things, that God has presented you with these wonderful gifts, and that these may be multiplied by your increasing your knowledge of God, do these things: Be diligent to add gift upon gift. Don't stop with faith, add righteousness to it. Add knowledge to that holiness. But don't leave off with head knowledge, exercise it into self-control and perseverance. Now you are approaching godliness, but there is further still to go: add love and kindness. This is the message of verses 5 through 7. Again, Peter stops to tell us why: These are the things by which God receives the fruitful return for His gifts. These are the things that reflect a true knowledge, the life changing knowledge, by which the gifts were multiplied in the first place! By knowledge come the gifts, and by using those gifts, comes the visible witness to the knowledge. There, in a nutshell is the message of verse 8.

Much has been established, here, but now comes the troubling part. In verse 9, Peter speaks of those who fail to pursue this path. They are blind, he says, or at least thoughtless. They have forgotten the purification of their former sins. How do we take this? Is all lost for them? Have they trod the work of Christ underfoot and left themselves no further path to redemption? Such an understanding is not made necessary by this verse. It does not say that they have reviled the work of Christ, only that they have forgotten. What one has forgotten, he can be reminded of. There is room for restoration here.

What Peter has described here is indeed the way to the kingdom's entrance, as he says in verse 11. This is the way, and it is abundantly supplied to you in the fashion that has been described: by the gifting of God, which He multiplies towards us as we apply ourselves to knowing Him. That knowledge shows in the using of His gifts, which He responds to by adding yet more gifts. To him who is faithful in little….

What remains in the middle is an admonition. If you lack the sum of these qualities, it is only due to your own short-sightedness. It is because you have forgotten the purification that is yours. Note carefully. It does not say because you have lost that purification, only that you have forgotten it. It's a warning. We are a forgetful people. If we forget about what God has already done, we may forget the gifts He has already given. We may become fruitless. How do we guard against a life of fruitless faith? By making certain, in our own minds, what is most certain in His: By living our lives in a fashion that will provide us with ample proof that He has indeed invited us, that He has indeed chosen us to bear the name of His choosing. How do we assure ourselves of this? By practicing the use of those gifts He has so graciously given. If we are constant in practicing these things, there is no time for forgetfulness. If there is no forgetting, there is no stumbling. Yet, I must remind you that one who stumbles can yet get back on his feet.

With that thought, I would turn to our final verse with regard to this invitation that is ours: Paul writes, in Ephesians 1:18, that his prayer is that our heart would be enlightened to know the hope of this invitation, that we would know the riches of glory which He has declared as the inheritance, the birthright, of the saints. Know the hope! Know the certainty that that which you eagerly seek will come! This isn't a wishful thought. It isn't a "gee, wouldn't that be nice!" It's something that should be a given to us, not that we should take it for granted, but there should be no room for doubt. The invitation has been given, and will not be revoked. His gifts have been given, and will not be revoked. He is faithful! Though we are forever showing ourselves unfaithful, He is faithful! And He will do it!

Here is another form of the call:

Called (kleetos [2822])

Here is another form of the call:

(4/12/03)

invited, as by God through the Gospel. To obtain salvation in the kingdom of God through Christ. Called to a particular office.

Notice the nuance in this: There is that general sense of invitation, yes, but here there is also the thought of a call to office, an appointing. The word does not appear as often, but we need to be careful to recognize the sense in which it is used in these places. In Paul's writings, it seems almost always to bear this idea of appointment. He opens Romans, and 1st Corinthians as well, by declaring that he was appointed to the office of apostle, called to it by God. In both of these letters, he goes on to tell his readers of their own appointed office, for they have been called to the office of saint, the office of one set apart for God's use (Romans 1:6-7a, 1Corinthians 1:2a). He has sanctified those called to the office, a necessary preparation for the calling. In Romans 9:26, Paul speaks of the Gentiles, those who, throughout the Old Covenant period, had been known as 'not My people.' Now, they would be called the children of the living God! Is this invitation? They will be invited to be? I don't think so. It will be the title we bear. He has declared it, we will be as He has declared, and so being, what He has declared will be evident to those around us. They will of necessity confirm what He is displaying in us.

Whom has God given this name, 'child of the Living God?' Paul told us back in Romans 9:24. The name has been given to some among both the Jews and from among the Gentiles. Neither is assured of the name by his ancestry. Neither is denied the name by his ancestry. Ancestry is not the point. His giving of the name is the point. How do we know we have that name? In 1st Corinthians 1:24, Paul gives us an idea: Those who have the name 'child of God,' those appointed to the office of saint, know the gospel to be the power and the wisdom of God. There is another thing these called ones know: They know that their name and their title has come because of God's purpose, and not their merit. They know that in those He has named and appointed, there is a great love for the God who has done these great things. And, they know that He whom they love, He who gave them name, office, and all that is necessary to live up to that name and to fulfill the duties of that office, weaves every event together with His own purpose to serve their good (Romans 8:28). Notice, in this verse, that we are not just called according to His purpose, we are 'the called' according to His purpose. It becomes almost a title in itself.

Jude sheds a bit more light on this office we have received. Those who are called to this office of saint are sanctified by God, and preserved in Christ (Jude 1). The appointment to office is His doing. The preparation for that office is His doing. The strength to persevere in that office is His doing. Truly, it is by grace we have been saved, and by grace we shall stand! In Revelation 17:14, we see that we who have the office of saint will be standing with Him still when He comes to war against rebellious earth. He will be victorious in that war. How could He not be? And we will be standing with Him, having been appointed to office, chosen from among the great numbers of humanity to be showered with the gifts of God's choosing, and faithful [finally!], because of the change He has made in us by the name He has given us: child of God!

There remains one verse to consider, and that, the words of our dear Lord and Christ. In Matthew 22:14, Jesus declares that many are called but few are chosen. I notice that in Thayer's dictionary, the author says that this verse stands in contradiction to Paul's theology. I must hold that this cannot be so. To say that Jesus' words contradict the theology Paul had from Jesus, himself by direct revelation would require that Jesus reverse His own declarations. I must respectfully submit that either our understanding of Jesus' meaning, or of Paul's, must be incomplete if we feel that the two do not concur.

It would make no sense to give the meaning of an appointed title in this instance. This would require a total rejection of God's very nature, for we have already clearly seen that the giving of that title is His doing, and we know that God is not a man that He should waver in His purposes. No, if He has given the title, then the title is not in dispute. Even Saul, though the kingdom was taken from his children because of his rebellious ways, did not have the title God had given him taken from him in his lifetime. David understood this. He had been declared king by God, and he would remain king because God's declarations are not subject to revocation. Like marriage, it remains until death parts the covenant. So, were this the appointing of office of which Jesus spoke, the office would stand.

I think that the setting of this verse reveals to us what is meant. It comes at the close of the story of the wedding feast, which we will consider further on in this study. However, we all know the gist of that story: invitations went out, but those who were invited sent their excuses when the time came. They having rejected the offer, the offerer rejected them, and began to invite those of little esteem in the world, until his dinner hall was full, as honor required. It is in this vein that Jesus utters the words, "Many are called but few are chosen."

Clearly, then, the calling is a reference to the invitation. Many hear the invitation. The gospel, by now, has been preached far and wide. Few there are who could honestly claim to have never heard the message of salvation. But few there are who have been chosen, picked out, selected to hear with understanding. These have not only been invited, they have been assigned to office, they have heard in the Gospel message the very wisdom of God, and have felt in the Gospel message the power of God. That power has come upon them, created in them the change of state, the sanctification, which prepares them for the office of saint, to which they have been appointed.

This seems to me to be in full keeping with what Paul has to say. These appointed ones, he says, come from among both the Jews (who were known as God's people), and the Gentiles (who were known as not God's people). Yet, neither Jew nor Gentile lays claim to the title by his heritage. Lineage is not a guarantee of entrance into God's family. It remains a matter of God's choosing. Many have heard of God's kingdom, have dwelt in families who knew Him. Yet not all who hear are chosen. Not all who have heard the Gospel have responded. Why? Is it something in them? Are they worse than we were when we heard? No. Few are chosen. There is no further why. Will you ask of God why He chooses one and not another? Paul knew better. Job learned the hard way, but in the end he knew better, too.

Called (ekalesen [2564])

(4/13/03-4/19/03)

To call, to speak aloud. To call one to approach. To cause a change in state. To invite. To select, to rouse, to summon. To name, or receive a name. To bear a title. To be acknowledged.

As can be seen, this particular word bears many different meanings, and the lines between the meanings can become a bit blurry. For instance, In Matthew 4:21 and Mark 1:20, it is not immediately clear whether Jesus' calling of John and James is merely a speaking aloud, an invitation, or a summons. Perhaps what should be understood here, and in other places, is that there is a spoken invitation, as opposed to a message delivered by a servant, or a written correspondence. That being the case, the invitation is made more personal. I think that we might also feel that, when the invitation comes from our Lord and our God, the invitation begins to take on some of the aspects of a summons. A friend inviting us out for a night of bowling, we might easily put off in favor of some other activity. But, the invitation of a king is not easily ignored, not even by another king. What, then, when the invitation comes from the King of kings? If we truly believe He is the King of kings, will not His invitation carry with us the weight of a summons? It will be a summons we are glad to answer, which gives it the glad connotations of an invitation. He is our Father, our Brother, and our friend. It is a glad tiding to be invited to visit home. But, He is also King of kings and Lord of lords. Even with the family ties we share, this is not a matter to be ignored. Though it is with joy that we accept, was the King's word ever in real doubt?

What were James' and John's reactions? They heard somebody calling to them as the busied themselves making a living in their boat. This stranger on the shore invited them to join him. The son of a carpenter in a lesser district of Israel, could he have much in his appearance to draw these two fishermen to himself? Scripture suggests not. Yet, their response was immediate. There was a force greater than simple invitation in Jesus' words. It was assuredly an invitation, but for these two, at least, it was more than that. It was a summons. For the believer, I think there will always be this dual aspect of God's calling, His invitation and His summons of us. As such, I will largely consider these two meanings (as well as that third aspect of audible calling) together.

In all three of the synoptic gospels, we read of Jesus declaring that He came to call the sinner and not the righteous (Matthew 9:13, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:32). Each of these verses reveals a bit more to us about the event. Matthew adds to it Jesus' instruction to his hearers to understand what God meant when He said He desired compassion rather than sacrifice. Mark adds the comparison to a physician, showing that Christ's meaning is that He comes to those who need Him, not to those in no need of help. Luke explains the nature of that help, He comes to the sinner, to call them to repentance. What kind of call is this? Is it a spoken word? Certainly, in His time of earthly ministry this was so. Might I submit to your consideration that the time of His earthly ministry has not ceased? This was, I think, more than a simple invitation, as well. There is that official feel to it. "I did not come to call the righteous." It is not yet their time, were there any to be found. That summons remains for the His triumphal return. Then, there will be a righteous remnant for Him to summon, because His own righteousness has supplied them. In this first time of His presence, though, there are only sinners, and it is to them that He delivers His summons, and His summons says, "REPENT."

He delivers a clear message, for those who will hear Him: There is none righteous. If you are convinced of your righteousness, it is only because you have not yet looked at yourself with honest eyes. You have not yet understood what righteousness is. "How do you read it," He says, "when your God declares that He does not want your sacrifices, but your compassion?" Works won't do it. That's the message. It's not about doing all the right things, it's about being all the right things. There's not a one of us that hasn't a great deal to repent of, and these dead works are but the least of them. How often are we so busied with our 'righteous' works, that we begin to lose patience with those around us? Can't they see how busy we are in the Lord's labors? Can't they see us? But, God's not interested in their seeing us, He's interested in them seeing Him! That's what He's after, that's why He's called us, summoned us to repent of these dead and deadly ways.

Lord, I'm hearing this. I'm feeling this. Has this not become the story of my weekends? So busy in the Lord's house, so busy on the Lord's business, but where is that heart of compassion that You seek? It is far from me. GOD! You are calling for repentance, and repentance I offer to You. I am Your servant first and foremost. If these works have been about me - where these works have been about me (for there can be no if) - forgive me. Help me to cast them away, to seek only that which You desire. Create in me, My God, a clean heart of compassion such as You desire. Give me strength, oh Lord, to truly and fully repent of these efforts of pride. I want to be Your servant and not my own. I want to be the man You have created me to be: a loving father, a caring husband, an honest workman. Only in Your strength, by Your power, have I any hope of this, my Lord. May it be so!

In John 10:3, the case seems clear: that He calls aloud His sheep, for how else will they hear? In other passages, the idea of this vocal calling combines with the idea of invitation, as in the parable regarding the wedding feast. In Matthew 22:3-9, we are hearing of the guests who were invited, but refused to come, and how that invitation then went out to others instead. In this parable, there are places where the call is clearly a reference to the invitation itself. There were those who had been invited beforehand, but when the time came, one still had to be sent to deliver the audible call to come dine. The reaction of the host, in that case was to then invite whomever was found. Now, the two thoughts are combined. The invitation is delivered, but it is delivered vocally.

The line between invitation and summons can also be blurry. There are many cases where the meaning of invitation is evident, including the parable of the wedding feast in Luke 14:7-24, and invitations Jesus and His disciples received to various events (John 2:2, Luke 7:39). There are other places where it is equally evident that the idea of a summons is in view, such as the disciples' summons to testify before the magistrates (Ac 4:18, Ac 24:2). The master speaking to his slaves is also unlikely to be offering an invitation. They are his to command, and his word is their command. Here, too, I think we must see the meaning of summons ( Matthew 25:14, Luke 19:13).

However, in the majority of cases, the intended meaning is not so clear, there appears a bit of both the invitation and the summons. How should we understand this when the owner has his steward call the laborers to be paid in Matthew 20:8? Is it an invitation? I suppose one could look at it as such, albeit an invitation not likely to be refused. Is it a summons? After a fashion, it has more to it of the command than the social engagement. It is an official communication of sorts: the work day is over, cease your labors and receive your pay. What about the call of Jesus' parents in Mark 3:1, or God's parental call out of Egypt in Matthew 2:15? Do parents generally invite their children to heed their direction? Not really. I cannot think of a single time my cousin visited us in my youth that my aunt invited him to get in the car to go home. No, it was pretty clearly a summons, and one not to be disobeyed lightly.

How, also, shall we consider Herod's invitation of the magi to come speak to him in Matthew 2:7? For diplomatic reasons, it ay well have been couched in the polite wording of an invitation. The magi were, after all, visiting dignitaries of another nation. They cannot simply be commanded as if they were one's own subjects. Yet, in the realm of political realities, the invitation of a king, I contend, still carries a greater weight than that of a simple invitation. It is not something one is really in a position to refuse, at least not if one wishes to act wisely. Even these foreign dignitaries would be treading on thin ice, were they to refuse to answer Herod's call.

So, we see a line something like this: The call of a friend is clearly an invitation, not a summons. The call of a judge or master is clearly a summons and not an invitation. The call of a parent or a boss leans more to the side of a summons, and the call of a king, while it may be in the language of a friendly invitation, still carries the weight of an official summons. Is not God all these things and more to us? He is the King of kings! Even the apostles acknowledged themselves His slaves, how much moreso we? He is the Judge of all flesh. He is our Father, and He is our friend. We are laborers in His vineyard, of which He clearly is the boss. So, indeed, He invites us when He calls, but He invites us with the strength of official summons.

Is there room in this invitation/summons for us to refuse? Perhaps. Perhaps it is possible, if unwise and perhaps even suicidal to do so. Consider a few of these places where God calls us. In Romans 4:17, we hear of God calling into being what previously did not exist. Was that an invitation to exist? Was choice given to the nonexistent? I don't think so. Paul was called while still in the womb (Galatians 1:15). Was he, then, left to ponder that invitation until his day of birth; given time to decide whether it was something he wished to do? No, I think Paul's life clearly shows that it was a matter he was compelled to, a summons which demanded the answer of a lifetime of service. Notice, in that passage, that the call, the summons, was another matter of God's grace!

Let's consider a few things. Firstly, who called whom in all these passages? Never once do we read of man calling God, it is God calling man. In Romans 8:30, Paul tells us that God calls those whom He has predestined, and justifies them. In Galatians 5:8, he reminds his readers that it was God who called them. In 1Thesalonnians 2:12, he reminds the church to walk worthy of the God who calls us. He reminds Timothy that it was God who called us, giving us a holy calling (2Timothy 1:9). Again, he makes clear that the call came to us solely because of God's grace to serve God's purpose. The call was not earned, it was granted, and that grant was made so long before we could possibly have earned it that the earth was not even created yet at its granting! Peter concurs with this order of calling, for he also reminds us to be like unto the One who called us (1Peter 1:15).

Secondly, how was this call delivered to us? It was delivered through God (1Corinthians 1:9), by Christ's grace (Galatians 1:6), through the gospel (2Thesalonnians 2:14). What, then, were we called to? We were called into fellowship with Christ (1Corinthians 1:9), to the peace of Christ, which ought rule our hearts (1Corinthians 7:15b, Colossians 3:15), to freedom (Galatians 5:13) - not a freedom to sin as we please, but a freedom to serve in love as we ought! We were called to a certain hope (Ephesians 4:4), to sanctification instead of impurity (1Thesalonnians 4:7), to eternal life (1Timothy 6:12), and an eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15), and to His eternal glory (1Peter 5:10).

We have been called with a holy calling, to be His holy nation of royal priests, declaring His excellencies to those still in darkness around us (1Peter 2:9). We were called to gain glory for our Lord Jesus Christ (2Thesalonnians 2:14). How will we do this? By fulfilling the purpose of His call: to suffer for Christ as He suffered for us, to live as those who reflect His example for us (1Peter 2:21). That's a tough call, isn't it? It's an impossible call! This is why the apostles spent so much time in prayer for the church, this is why we ought to likewise devote ourselves to prayer for the strength to heed the call! Hear Paul's concern! I beg you to walk worthy of the calling to which He has called you (Ephesians 4:1)! I have continually been begging you to walk worthy of the God who calls you (1Thesalonnians 2:12)! Suffering is going to come. You'll need more than your own strength to get through it. You'll need an established, habitual obedience to God's commands if you are going to stand when the trials come. I pray that you would establish that habit now, while you may, so that you may stand when you must! But hear this as well!

After you have suffered for a time, God - the God of all grace, the God who called you to His eternal glory - He Himself will perfect you, strengthen you, confirm you, and establish you (1Peter 5:10). Your not on your own here! He who called us by His glory, for His glory, and to His glory, has also granted us all that is needed for life and godliness (2Peter 1:3)! It is His power, folks, that will empower us to stand, and His power knows no limits!

Consider, also, this matter. The call is a matter of covenant, a blood covenant signed by God on His behalf, and signed by God on our behalf. Christ is the mediator of that covenant , and through His mediation we have been called to receive God's promise. Consider the nature of this most sacred covenant: an unbreakable agreement, which to breach would be to pronounce one's own death sentence. And God has signed both parts of this agreement. Were He to break it, it would be His death, the end of God's existence! At the same time, were we to break it, it would also be His death, the end of His existence! Ah, but He's in no danger! He is not about to cease from being, Him through Whom all that is has it's being! How can this be, when we're dealing with such a fickle thing as man? It is precisely because it is not our doing that will determine the holding to the covenant terms, but His! He is not so foolish as to hang His existence on the likes of us! God is not a gambler. No, it is in His power that we will stand in this covenant, and He who has called us is faithful (1Corinthians 1:9). Further, this Faithful One who has called us will Himself make certain that what has been signed to is done (1Thesalonnians 5:24)!

Now, very briefly, let's consider two reactions to God's call of which we read. In Hebrews 11:8, we look at Abraham. He obeyed, and his obedience was a product of faith, not of fear. Not knowing what God had in store for him, still he left home and family behind. For this reason, he received an inheritance from the Lord, the very land through which he wandered. What of the Galatians? In Galatians 1:6, Paul expresses his shock and sorrow that these who had heard Christ's call were wandering off after other messages now. That's a scary thing! Be it invitation or summons, that we should have it in our power to refuse our Lord and Savior, knowingly refuse Him, is cause to tremble. We know our weakness, we know our sinfulness. I must contend that where there is the possibility of such a rebellion, this flesh we live in is almost assuredly going to rebel. Yet the One who has called us says that He will make certain that His will is done! If they indeed heard, then I must reset upon the assurance that God will make certain that His saving work in them is completed. He drew them back to Himself, although they rebelled for a time.

Is this not the God I know? Surely many have experienced times when they rejected God in one degree or another. It may have been an unconscious drifting. It may have been an active running away. But, consider the example of Jonah. God will allow you to run, but He will have you back. Indeed, blessed are they who are invited to the Lamb's marriage feast (Revelation 19:9), for the invitation of God is irrevocable, and His promises are yes and amen.

The only other aspect of this issue of a name that I wish to pursue is to note the occasions recorded for us wherein God has chosen the name. If the names chosen by Jewish parents spoke so much about what their children would be, so much the more when God chooses! Jewish names were a matter of consideration on the part of the parents. Even after birth, there was a time of contemplation, for the name was not given until the circumcision of the eighth day. There was time to see the emerging personality of the child, to consider the significance of its arrival, and the possibilities of its future. Over and over again, we see this play out in the lives of God's people, as children live up to, or down to their name. But there are these occasions where God has insisted on the naming rights. On several occasions in the Old Testament we come across God changing the names that parents had given their children. In the New Testament, we see a new thing happening. Twice, God assigns the name before birth has taken place.

What to make of this? Let us look at the lesser first. The son of Mary's cousin Elizabeth and her husband Zacharias was to be named John (Luke 1:13). This was a consternation to the family. They searched their memories for some distant ancestor for whom the child was being named, but found no one. Suspicions grew in their minds. Perhaps the child was not of the father! Had Elizabeth been unfaithful? Seeking proof, they checked with Zacharias, still mute at the time, but he confirmed the name. John, God had commanded, and John he would be. Why the fuss? We'll have to look at the name itself. It finds its roots in the Hebrew language, which ought not surprise us, coming from Jochanan, which in turn comes from Jehochanan. Here we begin to find the significance. That name indicates "favored by the self-existent and eternal God." He was one to whom God had stooped down in kindness! With physical eyes, it's hard to see how that kindness played out. John's life was hardly a pleasant and easy one, yet it was a life that clearly displayed the God who had so favored him.

What an interesting thing, though! Whenever John was announced, whenever any called to him, two things occurred. First, John was declared to be one in God's favor. What joy to bear such a constant reminder of that! How often we ourselves need to hear such a reminder. Can I let you in on a little secret? Every time we are called Christian, we can hear that same message! He who has called is faithful! We are saved by God's grace, by His favor shown to us. We are saved because He stooped down to bless us. This is another reminder to be found in John's name. We never reach up to God, but He stoops down to reach us! Isn't that something! John's name was declaring to all who met him how it was that God would save his people. More interesting still is to see that this name had been given to several Israelites that are mentioned in Scripture (and doubtless, numerous others who aren't). God was keeping this point before the eyes of His children, yet they missed it.

The last factor that we hear in John's name is that declaration of God's nature. Not only were people reminded that Jehovah, the God of Israel was God, but they were hearing about God's nature. He is the self-existent God. Many of the heathen gods depended upon worshipers to continue their existence, or so it was thought. They must be fed and cared for lest they perish like any other man. The God of Israel is not so. He is self-existent. He requires nothing outside of Himself to continue to exist. Unlike any other living thing, He is wholly self-contained. There is no danger of God's expiring, and because His existence is certain, His promises are also certain. We also hear that God is eternal. This is closely related to the fact of His self-existence, but adds to the assurance we have that He is immutable, and His word is infallible. He is not a man that He should change with every passing thought. He is faithful, and He will do it!

Of course, the best known of God's naming of a child came with the naming of His own Son. Again, the name He chooses is Jewish in origin; in this case going back to what we commonly know as Joshua: Yehowshuwa. His name is "God is salvation." With John, we are reminded that God stoops down to give His favor to man. Here, His favor has come. He bent down to provide salvation, and here was Salvation! God is salvation! How wonderful that news! How we should remember that this is our declaration whenever we declare the name of Christ.

Notice, though, that this was not His only name. He was known by others, as well, and these also came from God Most High. In Luke 1:32, He announces that this Jesus will also be known as the Son of God, and the son of David. But long before, in the messages of Isaiah, God had announced this child. He would be called Wonderful, He would be called Counselor, He would be called Prince of Peace, and He would be called Emmanuel - God with us. These He was called, and these He was and is and shall be evermore.

This is the factor of this naming business that we really need to grab onto. The name is a powerful thing. It shapes the one so named, and all the moreso when God does the naming. Consider Bethlehem. The town of Bethlehem was named 'house of bread,' and from this town came the Bread of Life. As the name was, so was the town. Other towns bore names that referred to their purpose: Nain, named for the pasture lands upon which it was situated, Bethsaida, named for the fishing done there. Then, of course, there is mount Olivet, named for the olive orchards upon its sides.

Consider, also, two whose names were changed in the course of ministry. First, there is Peter. His parents had named him Simon, one who hears. Here was a name that went back to the founding of the tribes of Israel. That first Simeon had been so named because he came to his mother as proof that God hears. Perhaps to his parents, Simon son of John was equally an answer to prayer. But, Jesus, recognizing that this Simon had indeed heard with intelligence what the Spirit was saying, gave him a new name - Cephas (John 1:42). John also gives us the interpretation there, telling us that this name means 'the rock.' Interestingly, going back to the Aramaic source of this name, it is a hollow rock, and chasing that word further leads us to kaphaph, which is to bow down. What a name, this! At once, we are told so much about Peter, as he would thenceforth be known. He is a rock, but not simply because he has a stubborn streak, nor is this a sign that he is a foundation to build upon. No, it is a hollow rock. What is a hollow rock used for? For one, it is used for grinding the wheat that has been sifted, and indeed, we are told that Jesus warned Peter of the sifting that was to come in his life. We are told that he has bowed down. He has bowed down in worship because what he has heard from the Spirit is that this Jesus with whom he has been traveling is the very Son of God. He has heard with understanding, and understanding, he has bowed down in worship. Here is one that God can use, and use mightily. Here, indeed, is a rock, but it is a rock which will be hollowed out by all that is ground against it's strength. It is a rock only because of the Rock to whom it has bowed down in worship. It is a rock because it has heard.

The immediate history of Peter does not seem to show that this name was an appropriate choice for him. We don't see the strength of a rock in his actions at the trial and crucifixion of Christ. This is not what we expect of a rock. A rock should stand and stand some more. Might I suggest that what we are witnessing here is the hollowing out of that rock which was Peter? Peter had the stubbornness to be a rock before ever Jesus named him. What he lacked was that hollowing out, the grinding that would make him not only unmovable in his faith, but also so very useful. See, a rock is just a hard thing. It is not necessarily of use to anybody until it is shaped into the tool it can be. It cannot make a solid foundation unless it is chiseled into proper form. It cannot be a weapon unless it is shaped and sharpened. Neither of these shapes were chosen for Peter. What was chosen was the shape of a grinding stone, a millstone. He was being hollowed out so as to become that place where the harvested grain would collect! But the hollowing comes from long grinding. The serious spiritual challenge that Peter faced in his denial, and in the self-accusations he must have suffered for the long days thereafter were the grinding force God allowed to shape that hollow in this young rock. Only then could Peter really fill his purpose. Only then could Peter truly fulfill the name God had given him. Only then, with the hollow already ground out of his stubborn nature, could he serve to collect the fruit of the harvest.

What shall we say of Paul, him who was known as Saul? That name spoke of his being asked for or desired. He was the one requested, or even demanded. Such a proud name, and such a proud man who bore it! Yet, in a way he never expected, the name turned out to be most accurate. He was indeed requested, even demanded, by God Himself. For years, he heard that call, yet he missed the import of it in his attempts to answer the call. He heard the call but not the instructions, so he persecuted those who also served the God he sought to serve. But, God demanded his attention on the road to Damascus. The message would be made exceedingly clear, even if Paul's sight must be temporarily taken from him that he might concentrate on the message. Having heard the message, Paul realized something of himself. Pride had long swollen his self-image, giving him greater significance in his own sight than he deserved. Encountering the living God, Saul suddenly realized how very small he was. Saul realized how insignificant he was, and how significant was the God who had chosen him for a mighty work. A constant guard against that pride (which is assuredly a matter requiring such constant guard), he took upon himself the name of Paul, to keep himself ever mindful of his smallness in the midst of the immensity of God's outpouring upon the Gentiles.

Notice, in these examples, how the change in name leads to a change in state. There is power in a name. A name is very much like a title, though it may not carry that official nature, it has much the same impact. Names change things. When God, who sees the heart that is and molds the heart that is to be, is the one who does the naming, names really change things! He calls things alive, and they come into existence, though they never existed before (Romans 4:17). He calls those who work for peace "sons of God," and so they are (Matthew 5:9). He it is who gave the apostles their title (1Corinthians 15:9), in spite of their unworthiness. How can any of us expect to be worthy of what God calls us? His names, His offices for His children are given by His choosing. They are not given to indicate what we were worth, but what we are worth. They are given to encourage us to the task He has set before us.

Titles require acknowledgement. The office demands a certain respect, or disrespect, as the title and office may indicate. There is significance in the title 'Lord.' It indicates that the one with the title has a right to rule, and indeed does rule. It is that very significance that Jesus brings to the fore when He asks how people could have misunderstood David's meaning in the Psalm (Matthew 22:43, 22:45). No father calls his own son 'Lord.' The son does not rule over the father, but quite the opposite.

Repeatedly, we are warned against taking these titles upon ourselves. Whereas men seek to be called 'teacher' or 'father,' that they might take pride in this, Jesus tells us not to seek these things, nor to acknowledge another as such (Matthew 23:7-10). There is One who is your teacher, your father, and your leader. There can be only one, and that One is the Christ, the Son of God, God Incarnate, God with us! Behold, the Lord your God, He is One. No, we are not to claim honor for ourselves, we are not to appoint ourselves to office, we must await God's call, God's assigning us to that position, and acknowledging us in that position (Hebrews 5:4). Hear the titles He has already given to you, if you are truly a believer: He has called you brother! Jesus, the very Son of God, has called you brother, and of this He is in no way ashamed (Hebrews 2:11)! Why is this? Because He, the Son of God sanctifies us, and we whom He has sanctified are sons of that same Father! John, grasping this truth, was moved by the great love God was showing us (1John 3:1). So moved was he by this that it seems to have shaped the whole of his ministry. If any one speaks loudly of God's love it is John. He has called us "My people." He has called us "Beloved.", we who were lost without Him, and so unlovable in our wickedness.

Notice, then, that in God's calling - His naming and appointing - there is a choice, a selection occurring. Notice that the choosing and the selecting are not ours, but His. Paul seeks to make this abundantly clear to us. In Romans 9:11, he points out that God's choice of the line of inheritance was made before the twins were born. Why was this? It was for the very purpose of making clear that the choice was a sovereign choice, a choice with no further cause than God's purpose. There was no merit to influence His decision. Neither had done right or wrong that He should reward the one and reject the other, yet this is what He did. The descendents of Abraham were named only through Isaac's line (Hebrews 11:18). God chose the way in which His promise would be delivered. The efforts of man to plow a different course did not change His plan and His purpose. God purposes and God chooses. He is faithful, and He will make certain that His word does not go forth void. What He purposes, He accomplishes.

He has purposed to call you His beloved people, His children. He has given us a title: "the called." In that, He has said and accomplished much. He has announced that we have been invited into His family. He has announced that we have been given the title of heir to His kingdom. Sons of the King of all kings, we have the title of princes beside our brother the Prince of Peace. Given office, we will also be acknowledged. As officers in the heavenly kingdom, we must also be holy, and this He has also called us, this change of state He is working in us, fitting us for the office He has chosen to give us. We are the called. We have heard His voice, we have felt His change. We have taken up the office assigned to us, whatever office He has chosen. We will be acknowledged as sons of the living God, as we exhibit the character of our Lord and Savior by the changing work of the Spirit upon our lives.

Finally, let us consider Hebrews 3:13. Begin with the setting. The writer of Hebrews is speaking to his fellow 'partakers of a heavenly calling.' He is encouraging them to faithfulness by pointing out the faithfulness of the Son who has built this Church of the called in v6, he points out that we are part of this house, this Church, if we hold fast to our confident hope, boasting of it all our days. Is this a precondition, or is this simply a note reminding us that it's not the outward show but the inward condition that matters? There follows a quoting of God's condemnation upon the Jews who rebelled in the desert. The fault, by God's evidence, lies with them. They provoked Him, they hardened their own hearts. They tested Him. Because they never knew His ways, they were forever straying, and this was the cause of His anger. The result of His anger was that they would not enter His rest.

The author moves on to an admonition: don't be like them! Watch out, lest you find you have a heart like theirs. If you are falling away from Him, this is an indication that your heart is indeed like theirs. Now, I have heard it said that we cannot speak of falling away from that which we have never clung to, but think on this: God's complaint against the rebellious Jews was that they did not know His ways. They had assuredly heard them. They had hung around God's camp a long time, and would for a long time to come. They had heard Moses and Aaron, and through them, they had heard God. But the did not know. Notice that it doesn't say they forgot what they once knew. They didn't know. It's that simple. Many in the Church today are in the same condition. They have hung around the church since their youth, perhaps at a parent's insistence, perhaps for the social aspect, perhaps simply out of habit. They have sung the songs, they have heard the preaching, maybe they've even read the Bible. But they don't know. It has no impact. Things don't change. They have been in the presence of the living God, all unknowing, and when they can no longer be bothered to spend their time at the church, they will, indeed, have fallen away from Him.

With that, we come to our verse: Encourage each other constantly! Seek to make certain that those who share God's house with you not only hear, but know! How long shall we do this for one another? So long as it is still called today. While there remains a creation imperfect. Until Shiloh is come. Until the new heavens and the new earth are here. Until perfection has come, and the possibility of deception in this fallen flesh is gone. Until then, there remains the possibility that we are hearing with heads emptied by sin, sensing the words but blocking out the message. Until then, there is always the possibility that we will fool ourselves into thinking that this husk of religious veneer is the real thing. Many will be shocked in the last day to find that the salvation upon which they depended was no more than the a deceptive devil whispering in their ears that they were good enough.

How are we to know whether that assurance is real or illusory? The answer is simple, yet exceedingly scary at times: Check your obedience. If you know what you have heard, you will do what He has said. Look to the fruit. Is their any sign in your life of those things which the Spirit promotes? Is there more of it there than the last time you checked, or is it being choked out by weeds?

Lord, You know my heart more than I do myself. Yet, even I can look upon the way I've been reacting and acting this last while and see a problem. How can I so quickly come from these times in Your word, in Your presence, and revert to former ways in an instant? How, Lord? It scares me. I know the things that should be evident in my life. I see those things in others, and yet I cannot seem to cling to them myself. Father God, I don't want to find I've been deluded. I don't want to stand before You in the court and hear You declare that You never knew me.

Oh, I know well enough that my works won't earn me a place in Your house, yet this just leads to further questions in the end. Like, why, my Lord, am I so compelled to do in the church, yet never feel such compulsion to boast of You in the world at large? Why, Holy Spirit, do I learn so much of Your ways and yet continue feeling short of temper, even enraged? Where is the fruit? What is keeping the full growth from occurring? Show me, sweet Lord, that the weeds may be removed, the choking thorns ripped up, and the full return of this, Your vineyard, realized to Your glory!

Appointed (tetagmenoi [5021])

(4/20/03)

To station, to arrange in order, assign or appoint. To consecrate. To decree. To agree upon.

Here we have a somewhat less ambiguous word. Although it can take on several shades of meaning, there is always the strength of a command behind it. There is no thought of invitation here, it is an ordering, arranging, and commanding. There is a military flavor to the word, which is seen when the centurion spoke to Jesus (Luke 7:8). "I understand authority, for I myself am stationed under higher authorities, and have those of lower rank assigned to my command." This is the condition of the highest of earthly authorities. Even they remain under One who is higher, for He has appointed them to their position by His decree (Romans 13:1). This is why disobedience to earthly authority is seen by God as rebellion against His own administration; because it is His own administration.

Lest there be any doubt as to the authority backing this word, consider that this was the word used to describe the orders sent from Caesar's court. They appointed a day for Paul to be heard (Acts 28:23). Paul was hardly at liberty to freely choose whether he would come to that hearing or not. Paul was, after all, used to such demanding of his obedience by authority. He had, after all, been commanded by Jesus, Himself. Blinded by His glory, and prostrated on the Damascus road, he learned that he must continue into that city, where one of Jesus' emissaries would tell him what his King had appointed for him to do (Acts 22:10). I dare say there was never a question in Paul's mind as to whether he had to do this appointed work or not. He asked his Lord for direction, he received that direction, and he obeyed that direction. If we would call Him 'Lord,' we must learn to do likewise. On earth as it is in heaven…

Even as Jesus was departing this earth, He commanded His troops. In Matthew 28:16, we read that He had designated a meeting place for His disciples to await Him. This was not an invitation. It was not a suggested vacation destination. It was the Commander arranging His troops. This was preparation for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the upper room. Only by remaining in obedience to His command would His disciples receive the power which is from on high. Were they free to decide on their own whether they'd be there or not? I don't think so. A command does not leave choice free. One might, I suppose, rebel wholly against his commander, go AWOL, as it were; but this is hardly freedom to choose. This is rebellion against authority.

There is, however, one verse which I think is key to our understanding of matters at hand. His disciples, whether we believe it to be of their own free and willful choosing, or whether out of obedience to the command of their Lord, had indeed been at the appointed place at the appointed time, and had received the infilling which God had appointed for them. What a change! These who had been so shaky in their flesh were now bold to the point of defying even the threat of death. Nothing would keep them from doing that which their Lord had commanded! Now, let us see the result of this obedience, let us see what the Commander had planned with all of His arrangements and appointments.

In Acts 13:48, we read of the result: The Gentiles heard and rejoiced. They glorified the Lord! But was it every man who heard what the apostles were saying that felt this surge of irrepressible joy? No. Scripture is exceedingly clear here. As many as were appointed to eternal life believed. Notice a few things about this. They were commanded to eternal life. It's no longer an invitation, it is the express command of the Lord of lords. God stooped down to save by his sovereign command! He had carefully arrayed His tiny troupe of disciples to deliver this command of His to maximum effect, and it had precisely the effect He purposed of it.

Notice: as may as were appointed believed. There was not a one whom He had appointed to eternal life who failed to hear with belief. Why? Because the faith which comes by hearing the word of God is a gift of God. He gave to those appointed the ears to hear what the Spirit was saying. Having truly heard, they recognized in what the Spirit said, that there was a command being delivered to them: the command to partake of eternal life. Notice also, that it was only those who were appointed who believed. There are no accidental believers! Many, indeed, hear the invitation, as Jesus told us, but so very few hear the command in that invitation. Only those who have been appointed by the Sovereign Lord to obtain that eternal life can discern the truth of the matter. To them that are appointed, there is no question of invitation. It's not something to be refused, it's a command to be obeyed!

On this morning upon which we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, have we been faithful to await Him at the appointed place? Have we listened to what He is telling us to be about doing? Do we count ourselves amongst those whom He has appointed to life? We need to hear His question, and consider well our answer: Why do you call Me 'Lord,' yet you do not do as I command? We can't have it both ways. We can't claim to be in obedience to His call to life without accepting also the requirement of death. If He is Lord, He must be Lord of all. If it's a command, we are not at liberty to decide whether we will obey or not. Where He has said 'wait,' we must wait in faith. Where He has said 'go,' we must go in faith.

Lord, as I prepare myself to come into Your house, I know there have been too many occasions to count upon which I have either failed to hear You or, hearing You, have gone against Your word. I know this, and I know fear for my condition. How, indeed, can I call You 'Lord?' Holy Spirit, these ears need cleaning. More than understanding, my Teacher, I need to learn obedience. Empower me, my God, to walk in obedience to Your commanding, to be the faithful servant, to walk as a loving son of the living God. As I face the business which today will entail, remind me constantly, that You are my Lord, and I am at Your service. Speak, and Your servant hears. Hearing, may my feet be swift to obey!

Choosing (eklogee [1589])

(4/21/03)

election, choice. The act of choosing, or the thing chosen.

We have looked at the invitation, the summons, and the appointment. Now we turn to the choice that is made. There are three words we will consider in this regard, but I would point something out even at this juncture: in almost every case, the word is used exclusively of God's activity - either in His choosing, or in reference to the object of His choice. There is not a single instance to be found of man choosing God. Not one!

In this first word, we consider the action of choice. As I noted, all the occurrences of this verb speak of God's activity in choosing. There is no question as to who chose whom. Paul is a chosen vessel of His (Acts 9:15). There is a remnant today, as in Elijah's day, and as in Elijah's day the remnant consists of those God has chosen (Romans 11:5).

There may be some question remaining in our minds as to the basis of God's choice. If there is, we need do no more than consider Romans 9:11. Jacob and Esau, we know were twins, children of the same parents. Yet, Scripture records that Jacob was chosen, while Esau was rejected. We look back on the record of those two lives, and we perhaps see that Esau deserved that rejection. It would be much harder, however, to see how it was the Jacob deserved to be chosen. Even in this, though, we would be looking with no more than physical eyes, and we would be missing a critical point. The point is this: God's choice in this matter was not a reaction to their behavior, to the record of their lives. His choice preceded every act of these two men, preceded even their birth! In the case of Jacob and Esau, God made it abundantly clear that His choice was not something influenced by man's attempts to be good, or the lack thereof. His choice, like His existence, depends solely upon Himself. He has a plan, and His choice He makes in pursuit of that plan. Nor will even the most godly of men dissuade Him from the plan He has laid.

Consider this: Isaac thought to bless the son of his own delight. He thought to honor Esau as the firstborn. But God had already chosen Jacob, in spite of Jacob's duplicitous ways. Indeed, God turned Jacob's natural tendencies to His own good purpose, thwarting the intents of his father, and receiving the blessing intended for Esau! How is this? To our eyes, this is almost a case of evil triumphing over good! How can it be that such a treacherous act can be the act of God? All I can do is remind you of that great truth in Romans 8:28. God works all things to the good of those who love Him, those who are working in accord with His purpose. That's all things, everything is included, even our own sins and weaknesses. He alone is able to so constrict and channel the evils of man and demon to serve His own good purpose. He alone can bring a righteous result from such unrighteous materials as ourselves! He alone calls into existence that which did not previously exist.

So, we have seen Who made the choice, and we have seen the basis of His choice. What, then, is the purpose of that choice He has made? If He is working all things for the good of those who work with Him, if, indeed, we would work with Him, surely we must have an inkling of what He is seeking to accomplish? We are indeed called with a purpose, chosen by God to fulfill His plan. Paul, we know, was chosen of God. Why? To make the name of Jesus, the title of the Christ, the reality of the Gospel known to Gentile and Jew alike. He would carry the message to the lowest of men, and he would also stand before kings and declare the majesty of the Almighty Sovereign God.

We, too, are chosen with a purpose. Perhaps foremost in our own minds is the fact that we were chosen to obtain that salvation the Jews had labored so hard to find. They labored, yet they did not find it, because in their labors they forgot about the God upon whom success depended, and sought to take the responsibility back upon themselves, that they might also have the credit for their success. God does not share His glory. He seeks a people who will not attempt to take His glory upon themselves, but will acknowledge Him in all their ways. In Romans 11:7, Paul makes this clear. Israel sought salvation, but never arrived at it because they sought it in their own works. But there is more to that passage: Those who were chosen found that salvation. They found it in spite of the fact that they weren't particularly looking for it. The healthy man doesn't pursue healing. The one who thinks he's just fine - a good, upstanding model citizen - doesn't seek out one to correct his ways. A man unaware of his sinful nature will not seek out a Savior. But a Savior who knows the hearts of men, who sees with eyes of Truth, and knows the need of the ones He sees; He can reach out in mercy even to those who don't know their own great need!

Here comes the hard part for us, the part that perhaps disturbs our view of this God who has saved us: The rest - all those whom He did not choose (not those who failed to choose Him, but those His purpose did not see fit to select) were hardened. They heard the same message. Paul was not terribly selective in his preaching of the word. He tuned it to his audience, but he did not refuse it to any audience. They heard. They had the same opportunity laid before them. Yet, they were blinded, hardened in their understanding. They heard, but they discerned not the meaning of what was said to them. Indeed, faith comes by hearing, but hearing is not a guarantee of faith!

How, then, are we to tell the difference? How are we to know within ourselves whether this chosen state is ours in truth? That it can be discerned is made clear by another of Paul's letters. In 1Thesalonnians 1:4, he indicates that he is quite clear on the fact of God's having chosen those he wrote to. How is Paul so sure of this? He continues on in the following verses to give us two reasons for his certainty. First, he knows that when the message was delivered to these people, it was delivered with the power of God accompanying, with the ministering of the Holy Spirit (Him who is our teacher in this age) present and active. Because of this, he knows the message went forth with 'full conviction.' There were those who heard with open ears, and those ears could not be open except that God so chose.

There is another proof here, an evidence for our limited physical senses to lay hold of. In v6, Paul continues by pointing out that those who had heard, those who had known full conviction, also acted upon the message. They didn't hear and go back home to their usual day. They didn't hear, and then get into deep philosophical discussions over how this fit with their own thinking. They heard, and hearing, they did. They were given an example to follow in the lives and actions of those who bore the message to them. Hearing the truth of the message, and seeing the resulting impact of the message on those who spoke it to them, they took to imitating the ways of those who had spoken. This was not the imitation of flattery, but the life changing power of God!

Where God has chosen, the impact of His imparted understanding, the impact of recognizing that His salvation has come upon you, cannot help but change you. The seed of the Spirit must bear the fruit of the Spirit. If you are indeed chosen of God, it will be evident. It will be evident in who you have become and how very different that is from who you were when He called you from your darkness. Isn't this exactly what Peter is talking about in 2Peter 1:10? He has, in the course of admonishing his hearers, provided a list of those qualities which should, indeed must, grow out of a life touched by the Holy Spirit. We've looked at this already from the aspect of the call. But, this verse also touches upon God's choice. Be diligent, he writes, to make certain of His calling and choosing you. Is this a call to return to works? God forbid! That is a failed path that can only lead to our condemnation. No, it is instead a call to confidence.

Peter, perhaps more than any other, knew how weak our own grasp upon what God has done can be. The very experiences which had hollowed out this stone of God's choosing had made him aware how weak his flesh was. Peter, who had so boldly declared undying allegiance to his Lord, had run away at the first challenge to that allegiance, and had kept running through a few more. His own weakness had devastated him. Surely all was lost. But God works all things for the good of those who are laboring in accord with His purposes. He had a reason for this brief suffering of Peter's. Peter needed a greater grip on this salvation by faith alone. He needed to understand once and for all that it was not about his obedience, but about God's choice. Jesus went out of His way to reassure Peter that nothing Peter had done had damaged the love He had for him. Jesus' love is greater than that. Love covers a multitude of sins, we know, and Jesus' love is so great as to cover all the mistakes we may make. The power of God is great enough to turn our mistakes and failures into growth and purpose.

Peter, through this experience, became uniquely qualified to show those who had lived so long pursuing a path of works how to lay those works aside and let God accomplish all His will in them. Don't forsake those works! Not at all! But recognize the reality of the situation. If there be any good in us, it is Him. The works still serve a purpose, but they are incapable of procuring salvation for us. If salvation is ours, it is ours already by His Sovereign choice. If it is not, then laboring every day that we have left in this life will not suffice to change the sentence that hangs over us. But those works do accomplish one thing in the life of the elect: they reassure the elect of their elect state. Certainly, these things ought to continue to be practiced. They are, after all, a reflection (however poor) of the God who is at work in us. They are the message we bear to those still waiting to hear. They are the affirmation that will still our troubled hearts when we recognize the dirt that yet clings to us.

Finally, on this particular word, I would point out that God's choice does not change. Look at Romans 11:28. The Jews were known as God's chosen people, yet here was news of the Messiah they had so long awaited, and they rejected the news and the Man. Not only did they reject this message, but they fought vehemently against it. They sought out the messengers who bore this news in order to silence them. In every way, they showed themselves at enmity with God in this matter. But notice this: They still remain God's choice. They were the chosen people, they are still the chosen people, and they will remain the chosen people forever. They have not been removed from that status, we have been added. God is not a man that He should repent of His ways. There is no shadow of turning in Him. He changes not, His salvation it fails not!

Peter's greatest mistakes, his denial of what he had witnessed, did not change God's choice of him. Jacob's life of deceit did not change God's choice of him. They weren't chosen because they were righteous, they were righteous because they were chosen. This is our state today as well. There is nothing in us that can possibly recommend us for God's choosing and using. Yet choose us and use us He does. Why? Because He has a purpose and a plan for your life and for mine. There is something to which each one of us is being uniquely prepared, whether it be to impact one life or many, whether it be a great work in our eyes, or a small matter. It is not the size of the act which pleases our Lord and God, it is the obedience with which the act is done.

So be diligent, my friend, to make yourself confident of His calling and choosing you. Seek to do those things you know are pleasing in His sight, not to bribe Him into considering you, but to acknowledge the consideration He has already shown you; not to earn your way into His presence, but to show His presence already with you. If you stumble, He will pick you up. If you forget, He will remind you. But, if you are diligent to do these things, to exercise the new nature He has forged in you, you will never stumble. Either way His choice will stand, but it surely hurts less to avoid the knee scrapes of stumbling!

Father, I am so thankful this morning to be reminded of these things. How weak I remain! How terribly often I still trip up and take my scrapes! How desperately I need to remember always that it is not my wonderful ways that have drawn You to me, but Your wonderful mercy that has drawn me to You! You have loved me with an everlasting love, a love great beyond my real comprehension. I cannot look upon myself with honest eyes and see any reason for You to have done so, yet You have. Thank You, my God, for saving me. Thank You for making me what I never could be without You! Help me, my God and my Life, to practice these things, to exercise what You have placed in me, that it might be the more evident to those You still seek to save. Make me an instrument of Your worship, my God. Use me as You will, just let Your peace be my portion, and the joy of serving You my strength.

Chosen (eklektoon [1588])

(4/22/03-4/23/03)

Picked out, chosen, chosen by God to obtain salvation through Christ. Choice, select, excellent.

We turn to a different form of choice now, going from the act of choosing, to the state of having been chosen. No longer are we looking at the One who chooses, but to those who are the subject of His choosing, those He has chosen. As this word deals with the objects of choice it also comes to be used to speak of the qualities of the object chosen. Since it is chosen from among many items, it must be excellent, a choice morsel, as we say. Lest we get all swell-headed over this thought, let me be exceedingly clear on this. In this matter of God's choosing, we already know it was nothing in us that drew Him to us. If there is anything excellent or choice in us, it certainly was nothing to draw His attention. Rather, what good there is in us is there because of His choice of us. If we are excellent in any way, it is because He has chosen us to receive from His Holy Spirit!

Consider Peter's words to this regard. He writes to us of our dear Lord and Savior, to whom we come as to a living stone (1Peter 2:4, 2:6). He was rejected by men. By the standards men hold dear, there was nothing in Him which they recognized as excellent. Yet, in God's sight, He was and is a choice and precious man. He, this choice and select gem of a man, this precious cornerstone, was laid in Zion at God's own direction. Man did not slay our Savior. Satan did not destroy the Hope of our salvation. The Father laid Him down and the Son obeyed, even unto death. There was nothing in Him which would recommend Him to men, yet the Holy One of Israel declares that He who believes on this humble Messiah will not be disappointed. How shall they believe, except that same Sovereign Lord give them eyes to see and ears to hear what truly has come among men?

Until God allows us to see His Son through His eyes, we have no cause to believe, we see no reason to make that choice. Therein lies an interesting thought (thank You, Lord!) Until we see with God's eyes, we cannot see the reality of His Son. How necessary this is to our salvation! How easily we could miss the true value of this dust-covered Gem before us, if it depended on our own dim sight to perceive Him. But God hasn't left things to chance. To those He has appointed, He has given the clear sight of His own eyes, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to perceive the beauty of the Son! Now, here's the thing that has been deposited in me as I write this: As it is with the Christ, so it is with us. We have the very same problem in looking at our fellow Christians at times, and even moreso (at least in honest moments) when we are looking at ourselves. We forget how these eyes of ours failed to see the Christ as He truly is, and continue trusting in them to show us the true nature of our fellows and our self.

The senses of this fleshly body are incapable of providing data to us that will declare the true nature of man. All we can see is the outside. We can see the veneer, but the core is hid from our sight. This can deceive us in both ways: we may see a man as good whose heart is a ball of corruption. We may just as easily see a man as hopelessly lost in darkness but fail to see the shining light that the Lord has placed in His heart. We simply are not fit to judge with the senses we have. It's true of our judgment of others. It's also true of our judgment of self. The heart is exceedingly deceptive and wicked. It's judgment - especially of our own condition - simply is not to be trusted. It will cheerfully tell us everything is fine as we plunge on towards the abyss. It will also cheerfully deliver a running commentary of condemnation when the Spirit has declared that it is well with our soul.

The issue is this: Just as we needed the eyes of God to see the Son of God in truth, we need His eyes to see anything else in truth. These eyes, these ears, these fleshly senses are simply too fallible and limited to be trusted in! Consider the words of 1John 3:19-22 (and consider them all!) Here, John gives us an evidential truth by which we can assure our hearts. Why do we need that? Because we have this habit of allowing our senses to inform our hearts, rather than His Spirit doing the informing. God knows our weakness. He knew before we were created that hearts such as ours would need assurance so, in His own nature and essence, He provides that assurance. Look! Here is our assurance (v20)! Where our heart condemns us, we remain assured that we are of the truth because we know God is greater than our heart! He knows all things! He knew all about us when He made His selection of us! Get that through your hearts, folks! Your present condition doesn't shock Him. He created you, after all. He knows what He made, and He knows how to care for it. If your heart does not condemn you (v22), you then have confidence before God to ask for your needs, knowing you will receive from Him that for which you have asked. Why the assurance of answer? Because we keep His commandments and do only that which pleases Him? John! John! Are you returning us to works? No! He is delivering an antidote for works. Where our heart condemns us, we remain assured because we know God (who chose us), is greater than our hearts, and even knowing our condition past, present, and future, made His choice. Because of His choice, we are choice! Because of His choice, we have just cause to shake off the condemnation our senses delivered. They are not to be trusted. These same senses sought to condemn our Savior! They simply don't provide accurate data. God does. He hears us, He sees us condemning ourselves, and He declares to us Truth! Though we condemn ourselves, Truth speaks out, saying that we are not condemned, but still have confidence before God to ask what we need.

Beloved, see yourselves through the eyes of your God and Savior! Where all you or I seem to seen in ourselves is the failures, the shortcomings, the sins that so easily beset, the eyes of our God look through the lens of the Son. He looks upon us through the very righteousness of Christ, and sees His Spirit resting upon us. That Spirit rests upon us so heavily, like the draping of the wilderness tabernacle, and all God sees is His holiness. He looks at us and sees a people that keep His commandments and do what pleases Him. Is He deceiving Himself? Hardly. He sees a people that, in spite of their foibles, love Him in spirit and in truth. He sees a people that humbly depend on Him for even the power to love and obey Him. He sees the heart of the heart, underneath the deceptions that delude us, and recognizes the kernel He Himself has planted there. He sees it, and His Spirit tends this tender shoot, encouraging and assuring its growth to full flower for the glory of the Lord!

Indeed, we must continue to struggle with the flesh so long as we remain in it. It is not our lot, nor is it our right, to simply give in to the sins we are challenged with. We daren't take the Lord's grace towards us for granted. Our love for Him cannot allow that! However often we may stumble and fall, however often we may depend upon His mercy to pick us back up and dust us off, we must continue trying, striving in His strength and His power, though our grip be weak. Indeed, what does the LORD require of you, but that you exercise justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with Him (Micah 6:8)?

We are called God's elect (Luke 18:7, Romans 8:33). We are His choice, His selection. This is a most awesome statement! For reasons known only to Him, He looked down upon the vast sea of humanity - not only that humanity which is alive today, but the whole of humanity from its beginning until its end - and selected such as I from among this tide as being somehow special. What was it in me that caused Him to look my way? Surely there was nothing there to which I can point and say, 'see? I was special, so He picked me from all those who were available.' No. The only thing I can say with honesty (and indeed it is the best thing I can say) is that He picked me, and because of this I am made special!

There are some pretty incredible benefits that come of His choosing me. He has become the only Judge to Whom I will answer (Romans 8:33), and He has already declared the verdict: justified! All fines paid, and all further charges dropped! Note that this does not free me from such earthly authorities as may given charge over me. It is not license to ignore the laws of the land. It is not a get out of jail free card for this life. No, for He who justifies also requires submission to His authority. His justice will come upon all who are under His authority, which is to say all men. Yet, His mercy is reserved for those who walk humbly with Him, willingly submitted to that authority, and in His authority He has declared certain men in certain times and places to exercise rule over His people. These, too, He has chosen for reasons known only to Him. Some of these leaders are clearly a blessing to His chosen ones, others are equally clearly a curse. Yet the promise of Romans 8:28 remains, and the requirement of submission to these leaders remains. What is added is this: Should any bring charges against God's elect (and here, I think we must have in view the courts of heaven), it is God Himself who will justify! He is our Judge and our Defense. Though our adversary will doubtless bring his charges before the court, and though these accusations will doubtless find basis for credibility in the annals of our lives, the verdict is already declared: all fines paid. The defendant may go free, for the blood of Christ has already covered the penalties for his crimes against heaven! And what of this prosecutor? In the end, he, too, will stand before the court, before the Judge to Whom he has decried the crimes of so many. In the end, the record of his long life will also be reviewed. But for him, there is not atoning blood. For him, the debt remains to be paid, and as he has for so long fought against the rule of God, he will spend an eternity paying his debt to the heavenly society.

Another benefit for God's elect is that He hears them. They cry out to Him constantly for His justice, and He answers them (Luke 18:7). Considering the just cause God has against every man in this fallen world, one would think it a fearsome thing to beg for His justice. We are far more inclined to beg for His mercy, recognizing the condition of our lives. But the elect, as they know He has chosen them, know also that His justice and His mercy have been joined, that the verdict is already in. They long for His justice because they know that with the coming of that justice comes an end to their own failures in obeying His just laws. They know that when His justice comes, their own perfection comes with it. Because of this, His justice becomes for His elect a thing most to be desired, and they cry out to Him constantly to speed the day of its coming. And He will not long delay in coming with His answer! Indeed, Scripture tells us that the day will soon come when He sends forth His angels to gather His elect (Matthew 24:31, Mark 13:27). He has chosen us, before creation He had already chosen us. As long as we have awaited His coming for us, longer still has He waited for that day when He will call us home. He has made His choices, and with all His choices made, He will bring in the harvest of His choosing, the whole harvest, leaving none behind!

That we, His chosen are not yet made perfect, cannot expect that perfection in this life, should be abundantly clear in that we, whom He has chosen, and who bear that choosing almost as a title, are so often admonished to beware the dangers attendant upon our estate. Paul bore great hardships for the sake of the chosen (2Timothy 2:10), knowing that great labors were required to make certain their salvation in Christ. Was their salvation, then, in any doubt? Was God's decree, His choice, insufficient to see His will done? Not at all. Yet, He is commander of all, and the beloved Lord of all whom He has appointed to salvation. His command to this select troop of His is that they go forth and disciple nations. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of the Lord. But, how will His chosen ones hear of His choosing except messengers be sent to declare the message? Indeed, He could as well have sent angels out to spread the word, but this was not the method He chose. He chose the chosen to seek out the chosen and declare His choice. Those who gladly serve in His army are willing to endure all hardship to see such a glorious mission completed!

And these to whom the message is sent, when they hear of its great news, will need more than a word. The chosen are not instantaneously made ready for their heavenly future! Faith will need reinforcing in them, a reinforcing that can come only of knowledge of this God who has chosen them. They will need preparation on top of that faith, the purifying and sanctifying work which will continue in them until the day of His coming. That also requires knowledge, knowledge of the Truth, which alone can lead to godliness! This is the message with which Paul has opened this present letter. He has declared his purpose, the reason for the office he holds in the service of Christ.

God's choice alone has given us cause for hope, yet if His choice had come with nothing more to back it, we would still be lost. The danger is still great for the chosen, for they continue to dwell on an earth under judgment. Listen to the warnings of our own Commander in chief. Many false christs will come, supported by false prophets, and giving the evidence of signs and wonders to support their false claims (Matthew 24:24, Mark 13:22). So convincing will be their credentials, so well will they have counterfeited the true staff of God's choosing, that even the elect, themselves, would be in danger of being fooled. But God. What stands between us and this deception is twofold. Most importantly for us, is that the Holy Spirit Himself stands with us to declare what is true and what is false. Alongside these declarations, He is forever encouraging us to study, to know the Truth which has set us free. It is well known among men that freedom requires defending. Those who take their freedom for granted are assured of losing that freedom. This is true, also, of the freedom into which God has delivered us. It requires defending, and the defense we are to often is to know that Truth, to know it so intimately that no imitation can deceive us, to hear His voice so clearly that no other voice can penetrate our ears.

We daren't let down our guard! Indeed, if God had not, in His sovereign will, determined to shorten the time of our struggle, we would inevitably lose. Given our own weak flesh and its imperfect senses, given the power of the enemy we face, his intimate knowledge with the heaven from which he is forever ejected, his ability to counterfeit, even disguising his minions as angels of light, our doom would be certain. But God. He has shortened the time of our trial to ensure our success in enduring (Matthew 24:22, Mark 13:20). Indeed, our fate is in His hands, and but for His choosing - His choosing us, and His choosing the times and the events of all creation - we would be as hopeless as the most darkened heathen. We would doubtless find ourselves amongst the throngs who will war against the Lamb of God, who struggle to the death with the very source of Life (Revelation 17:14). But, instead, we will be with Him who must be victorious because He is King of all kings, Lord of all lords. We wil be with Him because we are His called, His chosen, and because of His calling and choosing, faithful to our Sovereign Lord!

Choice comes with responsibility. As His chosen ones, as those who have sworn allegiance to Him who sits on the throne, we must, to the utmost of our ability, uphold the principles of the kingdom He rules. Paul calls upon all the witness of heaven to back the earnest command he delivers to the chosen: Hold to the principles of impartiality! Where there is sin in the ranks, don't let it remain hidden, but root it out and allow it to be dealt with. Labor together to remain fearful of that sin which seeks its return! Support those whom God places over you, they labor hard and deserve your support. Don't listen to the charges that will be leveled against them, for as often as not these charges are but the jealous spite of sinful souls. Require solid evidence before you will hear such things (1Timothy 5:17-21). To the Colossians, he delivers a message regarding the requirements of heavenly citizenship: Since you have been chosen by God, since He has declared you holy, be so! Let your heart be filled with all compassion, kindness, and gentleness. Be not puffed up by His choosing of you, but be humble. Be known for your patience, as He is patient with you (Colossians 3:12). Then, it will be known to all who meet you that you are indeed a choice man in the Lord (Romans 16:13).

Finally, let us consider Peter's words in 1Peter 2:9. God has called us out of darkness into His own marvelous light. The wounds of sin, which must fester in the places we have hid them away, He has exposed to the cleansing power of His light, no longer to be a cause for remorse in us because in His light we have finally and fully repented of those things. He has chosen us to be a unique race among men, yet not a race to be traced by its fleshly lineage, nor by its physical traits. Rather, what marks this race as unique is that they are made a royal priesthood, they are made a holy nation - a nation sanctified and set apart solely for God's use. We have become a people of His own possession. We are His to do with as He pleases, and He pleases to send us forth proclaiming His excellencies, to call out to those still in their darkness and declare to them the incredible news of His calling them out into the light! And all whom He has appointed to salvation shall here and come out!

Chosen (heilato [138])

(4/24/03)

to take. To take for oneself, to choose or prefer.

With the last word, we learned a fair amount about what it means to be chosen. This final word we will consider, tells us much about the choice itself. In Philippians 1:22, Paul comments on the choice set before him. He had already labored hard for the Lord, and established a lasting work among the Gentiles, one from which we still profit today. Surely he had done enough, and he felt that perhaps the Lord was calling him home now. This was certainly a sweet prospect! The hope into which he had been saved was standing imminent before him. The choice seems obvious already, doesn't it? I mean, what could compare with the opportunity to dwell in the heavenly reward, especially considering all that Paul had been through in the course of his earthly service!

Yet, for Paul there was something that could compare. There was the possibility of continued service, of yet more fruitful labor for the cause of Christ. Imagine that! He could know the joys of heaven, an end to pain and sorrow, or he could continue here in pain and struggle to establish in others the hope of heavenly joy. This was Paul's dilemma: having run so far in the race, would he choose now his own interests, or would he hold to a kingdom focus? Paul declares that he really doesn't know which one to choose, for both are so incredibly rewarding. What to do when the kingdom lies on both paths? Paul eventually chose the path of service, rather than reward. In this, he showed that he had learned from his Master's example, and by this choice I have no doubt he has received all the greater a reward in heaven.

Moses also faced a choice, although his was, perhaps, a more clear cut issue from our perspective. We see it as a man choosing between the world and God. But we forget something, as we look at Moses' life from such a distant future. How much did Moses know of his Hebrew heritage? Very little, I suspect. He was raised to be an Egyptian, and raised by the family of one who held the Hebrews in disdain. Highly unlikely that he was taught, then, the details of Jewish faith in such a setting. Yet, neither was he totally unaware of his heritage. He knew that his status was not a matter of birth, but of adoption. He saw, also, the treatment of those from among whom he had been adopted.

Hebrews 11:25 tells us that Moses chose for himself - preferred - to know the same suffering and trials as the rest of God's people, rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of a sinful life in Pharaoh's house. This is certainly the spiritual matter of Moses' decision, yet I wonder how much of this was in his thinking at the time. Did he know Pharaoh's house was sinful? It was pretty much the only home he had known, so apart from God speaking to him in his rooms, how would this be known to him? Did he think of Israel as God's people at the time? Why would he? He was not raised in their culture, and probably knew little of their ways. He may not have even been aware of the God of Israel at the time. What he clearly was aware of was his own condition. He knew he had come from these people, and he knew these people were being crushed by the treatment of the Egyptians among whom he lived. This was the basis of his decision, to be sure. How could he live with himself, were he to accept the lap of luxury while those who were just like him, among whom were perhaps those who had begotten him labored only to die? Moses chose to accept the rough treatment that was his due as a Hebrew, rather than continue in the richness that 'chance' had brought his way. He may or may not have known of God, probably didn't know of God's plans for him, and yet he chose for himself the path that God had laid for him.

In the end, the decision Moses made was similar to that which Paul made, and also quite in line with the example of Esther's choice. With Esther and Moses, the moral dilemma seems a bit more clear: do I choose what is in my own self-interest, or do I choose what will benefit my fellow man? Do I grasp at the path that provides my personal safety, or do I forsake my own safety and serve my family and my nation? Paul's decision, while less stark, was no different at its core. For Paul, it was reward or service, personal benefit, or benefit to mankind in general. Notice that in each example the man or woman of God chose the greater good, the path of the servant, the kingdom path. Though the kingdom, with all its rewards, seemingly lay at their feet, they turned their eyes to the living God, and realized that their road lay elsewhere, that the kingdom that appeared so imminent lay yet a ways off. The road that seemed to lead their directly never reached it, and the road that seemed to go the wrong way, actually led them home. It takes God's direction for us to navigate safely to our eventual destination.

Now, here's the application for us. All Scripture, we know, was written for our edification. The example of Moses, the example of Paul, the example of Esther; each of these crisis-point decisions is recorded that, when the moment of crisis comes for us, we will understand how to decide. We have been called out of the darkness. We have heard the announcement of our heavenly reward, received the guarantee of our inheritance. How shall we now react? Will we simply sit back in thankfulness, and enjoy the blessings God sends our way? This is not the example that God has given us! Paul stood in this same place, with all the greater reason to stop and rejoice in the blessings of his salvation. He had labored hard and long to establish the Church, to awaken the Gentiles and call them into the kingdom. Hadn't he done enough? Have we done anywhere near as much? Yet, even with this, Paul chose to continue in service rather than reap his reward immediately.

We have been chosen. We are the chosen. God has not placed us here without purpose, though. He has not frivolously played a round of hot potato with humanity, and you and I happened to be where the rhyme stopped, so we win. It's not like that. Consider this: In 2Thesalonnians 2:13, Paul writes to the Church of his thankfulness to God for them. Hear his words! "You are beloved by the Lord. God has chosen you from the beginning to know salvation." This is why Paul is thankful, because God has chosen them for salvation. This is the same taking for oneself, choosing for oneself, that we have witnessed in Paul and Moses. For those two, the choice was not easy. It was a matter of grave consideration, of weighing options, considering outcomes, and in the end denying self in favor of serving others. I think this should give us insight into the choices God has made, in determining before creation (from the beginning), whom He would choose for salvation, and whom He would not. On what basis has He chosen? Only, we are told, for His own purpose. But, again I say look at the examples of Paul and Moses. The choices they made, though they chose for themselves, were not made for their own personal advantage, but rather for the greatest good to all God's people. Could God's choices be any less selfless, though self-made, and made wholly without outside influence? Whatever the reasons behind His choices, we can rest in this: He is holy. Righteous and True is His name. And He is just. There will be now claims of unfairness in the day of the revelation of His judgments.

We are ever thankful to God for choosing you to know salvation. We ought to be ever thankful for each and every one whom God has so chosen. Angels rejoice in heaven each time one of us lowly humans awakens to the call of the God who has chosen us. Shall we do less, who have known such a salvation?

And, what shall we learn from those who have chosen before us? The kingdom has been laid at our feet. Shall we rest content in our reward, or shall we labor all the more for the sake of Him who has called us? He called us out to proclaim His excellencies! If we call Him 'Lord' can we contemplate not obeying this command, this one thing He has asked of us when He has given us so much? When we look upon the many, many around us still lost in the darkness, still hard pressed by the cruel taskmaster of sin, what will we choose for ourselves? Will we sit in our palace enjoying the riches of the kingdom, or will we go out, though we may share their pain and heavy labors, to tell them of Him who is calling? The question is simple, really: Will we care more about ourselves or about others? Let him who would be called 'great' in heaven become the servant of all.

God made a similar choice. He was in heaven. It is His. He need not have done anything to save us. Justice would have been satisfied had we all been left to suffer the full consequence of our sins. Justice would have been satisfied, but God would not, for God is more than justice alone, though justice finds its perfection in Him. No, He is also mercy and He is also love, and these also find their perfection in Him. These also must be satisfied. God faced a choice: remain in heaven and forget about these creatures that look so much like Him, or leave heaven and go to them in their misery, share in their misery, that they might eventually share His glory. Thanks be to God He chose the path of service! He bent down to us, came down to us in flesh such as our own, labored under all the trials that we face, suffered all the hurts that we suffer, so that He might take us from that misery unto Himself. He asks us to do likewise, to stoop down from our lofty, elected position, and raise others up to the same place He has lifted us up to.

He has called us out to proclaim His excellencies. His ego doesn't need a belly rub. His self esteem doesn't depend upon hearing us shout about how wonderful He is. No! He wants the Truth declared so that those who can't see can at least hear. Perhaps hearing will lead to them finding their way to the Source of the sound of Truth. He wishes for us to be the voice through which He can call yet more out of darkness. Are we ready to be the servants we have claimed to be all along? Or will we choose the safety of our own sanctification, and hide away in the church? God is calling us out to labor. Come!

Closing Thoughts (4/25/03)

As odd as it might be, in concluding my efforts on this matter of the call of election I find I shall be reviewing the very things that first brought me to that matter. For the last two weeks, I have been considering the many places where the ideas of choice, invitation, summons, and appointment come up in Scripture. What prompted that? In large part, it was the consideration of the verses I originally gleaned from various parts of this study. In seeking to understand the verses better, I had (as is my wont) looked to the definition of the words. To my surprise, this matter of choice and calling covered a number of different words with a number of different shades of meaning. Having seen all this, what to say of the verses that started this process?

One interesting aside, though, before I proceed to those verses. Last night, I was reading in Jonathan Edward's book "On Free Will". As he considered this matter, and where the fault lay in matters of disobedience, he made a comment most apropos to this study. Obviously, this book is considering the will at great length, the nature and extent of its freedom being the subject at hand. In the course of this pursuit, Mr. Edwards makes clear that our sinfulness lies in our will's choice to not do as commanded. Well and good. Now, he looks very briefly at the nature of this command. The command, he notes, is an expression of another's will. OK, this seems pretty evident, right? Now, here's the part that so intrigued me. An invitation, he writes, is no less an expression of the will of its sender than is a command. The former expresses his authority and the latter, his friendship, yet both, by their expressions, declare the intent of his will.

This has great implications for us. I had noted earlier that the invitation, when it comes from one in authority, carries greater weight, and is refused at greater risk. In Mr. Edward's words we see the reason for that, and perhaps an understanding of how it is the same word is used to express both cases. Both cases are expressions of the will. To command or to invite is to express the intent of the will. Now, a free man can freely and cheerfully reject the invitation, though he may not reject the command of one in authority over him. But for the slave, both invitation and command, being reflections of the master's will, are equally binding. We, who call Him, "Lord," who join with the apostles in declaring ourselves His bondservants, must, in the end, see His invitations as equal to His commands, equally to be obeyed. Indeed, we should, perhaps, see His commands as invitations; invitations to be holy as He is holy.

How does this play out for the unbeliever? He has not declared himself a bondservant to God, but remains in slavery to sin. For him, the situation is similar but opposite. He is equally bound to respond with the same obedience to the command and invitation of his master. This is part of his powerlessness in the face of temptation. Temptation is but the invitation sent by his master, and as a slave to that master, he must not refuse it. For such a one, neither the command nor the invitation of God bear the weight they ought, for - being darkened to his real condition, he has allied himself with the enemy of his true Master. This is the crux of the issue. As our Creator, God is our Master, whether by our choosing or wholly against our will. His command and His invitation are equally binding upon all men. Those who will refuse Him, whether He be coming in His authority or in His mercy, are guilty of insurrection against the Lord of the universe.

So, that having been explored, let us consider those things which have prompted this whole study. First, there is 1Peter 1:2. Peter is identifying those to whom he is writing: those "who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, [in order] that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood." This is truly an incredible statement, all in all. In it, the Trinity is clearly revealed in its unified purpose and activity. Look at it! The Father chooses, the Spirit sanctifies those He has chosen. Notice this: without that sanctifying work which the Spirit performs, we cannot obey Christ. Indeed, that is the reason for His work, so that we may obey Christ, and obeying Him, receive the benefit of His atoning work. God chooses, the Spirit sanctifies, and the Son atones. Where is man in all this? He has been freed - not by his own efforts, but by the efforts of God the Holy Spirit - to obey, where before he had no choice but to rebel. He has been given the choice and the ability where before he had neither. This implies that there is a choice to be made, now that there is the possibility of choice.

Compare this with Paul's words to the Thessalonians. In 2Thessalonians 2:13-14, Paul writes of his thankfulness for the state of that church. To what does he ascribe that thankfulness? To the fact that "God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." Again, we see the Trinity working, and the order and import are shown to be much the same. The Father chooses, the Spirit sanctifies, the glory of the Christ, the living Word, stands as the terminus of this effort. Remember the significance of these things. The Father has chosen you, taken you for Himself, selected you after long and careful consideration. His will has been determined in this case, and He has expressed the determinations of His will to you in an invitation, an expression of His friendship and mercy, delivered in the Gospel, which is His revealed word. From Peter, we had learned that we were selected in His foreknowledge - He had from all eternity declared us to be choice among men, His choice. He declares this to us through the sanctification of the Spirit.

He has sent forth His word, "you are excellent among men," and His word does not return void, for it is accompanied by His power, ensuring that the word of Truth (for His word is Truth) be true. The Spirit is sent to sanctify those He has declared excellent, and therefore they are excellent, because He has made them so. It was not their great faith that drew God to them. It was not their Herculean effort that rendered them sanctified. It was God on the move. He determined in His will who would bear the mark of excellence. He determined, and He provided the faith they would require to shake off the blinders of sin and believe in their Redeemer. He sent His own Son to redeem. He sent His own Spirit to prepare the redeemed, that the redemptive work would not be in vain. He has declared it, and He has ensured that it is so.

Matthew Henry directs our attention to the sequence of events, and, indeed, we must be clear on this because our fleshly nature is ever anxious to take the credit which is not its due. First and foremost: God chose. He selected, and He declared His selection to be excellent. He was not guessing in this. He chose and declared with His perfect foreknowledge. He was not deluding Himself in His declarations, either. He spoke His description of His chosen ones with full knowledge of their fallen condition. Yet, His words remain Truth in that He brings about the change that is needful for that excellence.

God does not speak vain and empty words. He backs His truth with power. He sent the Holy Spirit to work the needed change in those He had chosen and described. If He gives a name, rest assured the thing named will live up or down to its name! He has named you 'excellent, choice among men.' He sends the Holy Spirit to work upon you to make that so. The Spirit's first work is the bringing of faith. We don't have any of our own. God's mercy, and His determination to see His own word fulfilled, have sent that faith to you as a gift, wrapped in His invitation to come to Him and serve in His household. That invitation has many implications. We cannot serve in the household of Perfection when we are so unclean. How shall we, begrimed by our sins, serve in the presence of Him who cannot tolerate sin? What was He thinking? His thinking, as ever, was perfect. His thinking was that you and I would need a great deal of preparation before we could accept the full benefit of the invitation He had sent. He knew it would seem unbelievable to us when we received that invitation. So, He sent the Holy Spirit of God to declare the truthfulness of that invitation, to provide us with the belief to accept the invitation, and to work upon us the sanctification that we and He all know is needful before we can act upon His invitation! He has done it! Until the Holy Spirit began His work of faith in us, we could not even believe, we could not accept this invitation though it's rejection be our doom. But He did come, He did work, and faith came.

Matthew Henry tells us that "faith is the first principle of sanctification." I'm not sure of this. Clearly, it is the first step in that process of sanctification, for it comes from Him who works the sanctifying work in us. Webster's dictionary offers a number of possible meanings for this word. It may be a fundamental law, or a rule of conduct. It may be an underlying assumption or faculty. It may be a primary source. How should we understand this in the case of Mr. Henry's words? It may be seen to be an underlying assumption or faculty, a prerequisite, as it were. I'm not sure we can speak of it as a law, nor is it the primary source, for the primary source of sanctification is God. Only if we take the meaning as being that faith must first be present before sanctification can come can this be accepted. It is not so much that our sanctification depends upon our having faith (as though we could in our weak flesh will ourselves into holiness!) It's more that, unless faith has already evidenced itself, the Spirit has not begun His work and no other avenue can be imagined by which that sanctification might come. Faith stands, then, not so much as a labor we must perform, but as a confirming sign of the seal of the Holy Spirit.

Now, let us consider Ephesians 1:4. "He [the Father] chose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, [in order] that we should be holy and blameless before Him." He picked out, chose for Himself. When was this choice made? Before the world was, He had already decided upon you and I. Still clinging to any idea that you deserved it? Where were you when the earth was formed? Not there? Then clearly His choice preceded your every opportunity to earn His favor. Why was this choice made? It was made so that we should be holy and blameless in His sight. Notice: it was not because we already were so. How could we who had as yet no existence, no being, possible be anything? No! His choice was made so as to empower the condition He sought in us. One other thing must be made clear with regard to this verse. When Paul declares that this choice was made "that we should be holy and blameless," he is speaking of something far more than a possibility of our being such, a hopeful thought that maybe, just maybe, we might turn out that way. No, God is declaring it so. It might better be given as "in order that we will be holy and blameless."

Understanding this, we begin to see the failure of that doctrine which claims that the elect state of God's chosen is not assured of permanence. This is a verse that such as believe this impermanent and uncertain state of affairs must deal with. Let me [hopefully] make the issue more clear.

Firstly, I would suppose that all Christians, whatever their peculiarities of doctrine, will agree that God, and God alone is all knowing. He knows all things with equally perfect knowledge, be they in the distant past, the immediate present, or the far future from our perspective. Whether His perfect knowledge is such because He dwells outside of the time He created or not doesn't matter. Whether what we describe as foreknowledge is actually a reflection of what to Him is all equally present tense, doesn't change the fact that His knowledge is perfect. However it is He knows, He knows perfectly.

Secondly, I would also suppose that all Christians will agree that God, and God alone, is all powerful. There is nothing that He cannot do. He alone has the power to see to it that His will is done. What He has determined to do in His will none can oppose. What He has determined in His will shall not be done, none can cause to occur. Some will argue that He has willed to limit Himself, that the one limit on His power is that which He places upon Himself. But, this would be to suggest that God wills to oppose His own will, which is a thing most improbable, and surely impossible.

Finally, I would suppose we are all agreed that God is Truth. It is so much a part of His essential character that, were a lie found in Him, He would be shown not to be God. It is part of what defines God, that He is true. Though every man be found a liar, He remains true. Is this not the record of Scripture, and the reason for our unshakable faith in Him? There is no shadow in Him who is ineffable light!

So, we believe these things, we declare these things. Then, we must come to this verse in Ephesians with those beliefs intact. We must recognize that when God made His choice, He made it with perfect knowledge of those whom He was choosing. We must recognize that what God speaks about those whom He has chosen must necessarily be true, because He is True. What, then, has he declared about these chosen ones? He has declared them to be 'holy and blameless.' He has declared us to be sanctified. He has declared us to be invited into His very family. He has also declared that He cannot tolerate sin, cannot so much as look upon it. All of these things must be true, for Truth has declared it. Well, what is blamelessness but the absence of sin? What is holiness but a being set apart for the exclusive use of God Himself. Shall He then take as His own what He cannot so much as look upon? Is God a liar that He should declare such as us (who are so clearly sinful) to be sinless, that He may call us into His presence? May it never be!

He, who is True, He who knows our present and our future with equal certainty, has declared that we will be holy and blameless before Him. He alone is powerful beyond opposition to see that His word be true. He alone can make such a statement with perfect authority, because He alone is perfect in power to see that what He wills is done, be it in heaven or on the earth. However much man or demon may oppose Him, His will will be done. He has spoken it, and it shall be. There is no maybe in His might.

There are other verses that must be dealt with if we would deny God the certainty of His choice. One such is to be found farther along in Ephesians 2:8: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that [faith is] not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Notice that salvation is declared here as accomplished fact. Paul does not say that by God's gracious gift there is the possibility that you might hold on long enough to be saved. He says you have been saved. It is finished. How has it been accomplished, this salvation? It has been accomplished by the coming of faith to believe. How, then, has faith come? By hearing with comprehension, yet that comprehension itself required God's hand in it. Many are called, many hear the words, but few are chosen - blessed by God to be touched and indwelt by His Holy Spirit such that hearing, we might comprehend and believe. It is by His gift that His invitation to salvation makes the least bit of sense to us.

Might I combine this with the thoughts expressed in another passage? In Romans 11:29, it is written that "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." We have just seen that chief amongst those gifts is the faith to believe unto salvation, as well as the salvation unto which belief must cling. He has given that gift, and it shall not be taken away! If He has given us faith that will not, indeed cannot, be taken from us - it is not our own doing that we have faith, so how can we, of our own doing, cause faith to depart? I say, if He has given us faith, and He has sworn that He will not take it away, what, then, can prevent our attaining to that salvation which He has provided? That salvation is also His gift, and stands under the same guarantee - the guarantee of the only One who can offer such assurance, being the only One with the power to see that it be so!

What of that calling? We have seen that this calling of which Paul speaks on God's behalf is by way of an invitation. But, we have also seen, upon several grounds, that the invitation God delivers is as much an expression of His will towards us as if it were a command. As our Sovereign Lord, His invitation must surely carry greater weight with us than that of our peers! As the Head of State over all creation, who would dare to refuse His invitation! Consider His own parables on the subject: those who refuse shall never again come into His presence. It is over for them. Why? Because they have opposed the will of their Master, just as assuredly as if He had commanded them, for command them He has. He has chosen to speak His command in words of love and friendship, but they are commands nonetheless.

He has spoken His invitation to us, and it will not be revoked! He will not withdraw the command to come into His presence! Again, I must note that He cannot tolerate sin. He cannot look upon it, nor can it be where He is. Yet, He has issued an irrevocable invitation to this sinner to be where He is. Can you not see the implication in that? Sanctification must come. Holiness must result of the gifts He has given. Whom He has chosen, He shall make worthy of the name He has given them. Whom He has invited, He will see are made able to accept the invitation. He has spoken and He will do it!

Ps 37:5-6
5 Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
6 And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your judgment as the noonday.

2Timothy 2:13 tells us that "if we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself." This is the very assurance that keeps us from falling away, the very power that makes it certain that we shall not. We are faithless. There's really no 'if' about that. We know ourselves too well to honestly deny the ways of our flesh. But He remains faithful, and the faith we have unto salvation is not our own but His. It is as unfailing as God Himself! Look! He cannot deny Himself. It is His faith that is at work in us, there to make certain His purpose and His choice. He cannot deny Himself. What He has willed, He will most certainly see done. If He will not tolerate any who would oppose His will, how can we think He might oppose it Himself? He cannot! It is not possible that God should labor against His own purposes.

Finally, there is this verse which would seem to close the book on this subject. In Acts 13:48, we read the following: "when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." Can there be any doubt as to who did the appointing? Can there be any doubt that amongst those who heard, there were those who did not believe? Had it been all inclusive, it would surely have been worded so: 'and all who heard believed,' yet this is not the word of Scripture. Nor is there any note of uncertainty sounded in regard to those who responded. They believed. They didn't simply think maybe it might be true. No! They believed beyond doubt. And this they did with good reason! Again, I would turn you to the attributes of God: Him who is perfect in knowledge, perfect in power, and perfect in truth. He has made the appointment! He has declared, "This is My decree: that you shall have eternal life." He has said it, and He will do it! He is not a man that He should lie. He is not confusing us with another. He speaks with the certainty of the only One whose word does not go forth and return to Him void. His word has gone forth. He has declared it. It can be no less than a certainty! He cannot appoint you to that which you cannot have.

Eternal life in His presence has prerequisites, as we have seen. To be in His presence, we must have such sanctification as removes every last vestige of our sins. This cannot be, except we also be justified, judicially declared free and clear of all prior (and certainly just) charges against us. God being also perfect in justice, cannot declare us free and clear except the demands of His perfectly just Law be satisfied. How could He reconcile this? How could He satisfy the demand for our death, and yet maintain His appointment (ours before even the world was founded) to eternal life? He must remain both true and just simultaneously, and so, He provided the Redeemer in Himself, gave His own sinless life to pay the penalty of sin for every man that ever was or would be upon the earth.

Yet, the benefit of that redemptive death, though in its perfection most certainly sufficient unto all, is applied only to those "as had been appointed to eternal life." I have heard it said that a judge who pardons every lawbreaker, whatever the grounds might be, cannot be considered just. The law, in that case, has become a farce for it is never really enforced. It has become no more than a profit engine, as the courts collect the fees they may demand for the criminal's release, but never is there the thought that the criminal might actually be punished. What purpose such a system of law? It cannot dissuade the criminal, for there is no concern that he might be punished!

Even as God displays His mercy in the redemption of those He has chosen, even as He preserves His own truth by ensuring that His choices may stand, He must also display and preserve His justice. He must ensure that His perfect Law, describing as it does His perfect righteousness, is upheld and shown glorious, as He Himself is glorious. He has made His choice, upon reasons He alone can know, as to which shall see His mercy and which His justice. We most certainly don't understand those reasons, nor can we require that He explain them to our satisfaction. Indeed, where we speculate upon His reasons in this one's life, or that one's life, we tread most dangerously, for we can judge only by our own limited vision and judgment, and as we judge others, He has promised we shall ourselves be judged.

Lord, I may never know, never understand, why You would choose me, why you would pick me out for Your favor, but I am most thankful that You have done so! What chance did I have outside of Your precious gifts of faith and salvation? None! Indeed, it is a slender thread by which we hang in this life, yet a thread - in those You have called - that is strong beyond breaking! For, the thread by which we depend is Your very will, the most certain thing in this uncertain universe! Upon Your choice my future has been made certain, and I rejoice once more to recognize that great truth!

Not only this, my most wonderful Father, but along with salvation You have declared as certain my sanctification! Though it seem ever so far from me today, You have declared that it is so. What shall we say to this but, how Great is our God! He who created the stars has reached down and recreated this weak lump of clay, has molded this broken life into a vessel of honor, honorable because of His own touch and His own decision. God, how can I hope to ever express my thankfulness sufficiently in this lifetime! It is well that You have appointed an eternity in which I might sing of my thankfulness, sing out the praises of Your name, for even in such a limitless time, there will not be sufficient to express all that is due You!

In this place of thankfulness, I can but seek to obey You as best I may, to hear You as best I may that my obedience should be the more immediate. I can but shout aloud to the dark world around me of the great Light that has shone into this poor life and made it rich! Holy Spirit, I have heard this often; I have written this often. I know the duty which is mine in this present time, I long so to see this duty done in myself, and yet the doing, the doing seems to remain so far from me. Have I again depended too much upon myself? Have I insisted upon my will? Have I failed, even now, to truly submit this grateful heart to Your use, and Yours alone?

Oh, but for the hope You have placed before me I should surely be most hopeless and miserable in the face of my failures! If You had left it in any way in my own hands whether or not Your promise should be fulfilled in my life, I would surely despair! But, You, oh Lord! You are merciful beyond all measure! You have declared it, and You have declared that You will see it done! I will know the holiness You have called me to, because You have willed it to be. You, who call into being that which has no existence can call into being in me the holiness which I know has no existence there. You have said it, and it shall be so! Oh, precious hope! Oh, weak flesh that you would hear what the Lord has declared over you and submit! Oh, sweet Spirit, bring that submission to me that Your will should be done the sooner!

Intro Kleesis Kleetlos Ekalesen Tetagmenoi Eklogee Eklektoon Heilato Thoughts

Introductory Thoughts