It’s been awhile since I last wrote. A lot has been happening, but I haven’t really had the chance to sit down and pen something out.
Today is a little different, however. Today I really just have to put into writing how much I love/fear the Lord. Some mornings I wake up and I feel this overwhelming need to praise God – to get into His Word and hide it in my heart. Sure, I read daily God’s Word, but some days it resonates more than others. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, today is one such day.
This morning I was reading Romans 9 in preparation for my meeting with my mentee next week, and I was literally struck with amazement. Amazed at how God works. Amazed that He chooses and calls His children by name. Amazed that the Lord loves, and that equally so, He hates.
I don’t want to get into a huge debate about the doctrine of election, because it’s an ongoing fight that has two sides, and the members of each side are set in their ways. With that said, I think it’s important for everyone reading this to know (and by my “hit tracker”, there are a fair amount of you) that I am, by definition, a Calvinist. In short, I believe that God has already predestined (Romans 8:29-30; Romans 9; insert the many other verses here) or chosen His children.
Probably the main question people ask when they hear me say this is “how do we know who is chosen and who is not?” I’d like to start off by saying that it not our place to know the answer to this question. In Romans 9:15 God relays through the Apostle Paul that “I [God] will have mercy on whom I have mercy”; He doesn’t give us a direct answer or reason for why He chooses some but not others. This can be a really troubling realization for some because, as Matthew 7 reveals in verses 22 and 23, there will be lots of people who awake in the throne room of God on Judgment Day, shocked to behold that they were never really saved like they thought they were. This is chilling and boarder line depressing, isn’t it? But wait a minute – it doesn’t have to be! There is hope (as there always is with God!), because we can have assurance of salvation through Jesus Christ. That means that our lives (the way we think, act and speak) will demonstrate our salvation in a few very important ways (these are the indicators of a truly saved individual):
The following is a modified teaching of Charles Spurgeon
First, we will not habitually commit sin.
By this I mean that, while we will still sin because we are inherently evil and instinctively sinners, we will not perpetually let sin have dominion over us. Primarily because God gives His chosen ones a hate for sin so that when they do sin, it makes them sick and they want to run from their temptations and repent. In other words, God’s chosen will not participate in what I like to call “lifestyle” sins… (i.e. perpetual fornicating, stealing, lying, cheating, hating, murdering or homosexuality, est.)
I don’t want to give anyone the impression that some sins are worse than others, because that’s not that case (every kind of sin nailed Jesus to the cross), but it’s important to note that some sins are more likely to be perpetual than others.
Backed Up by Living Word
"Whosoever is born of God will not commit sin."—1 John 3:9
"How can we who died to sin still live in it?"—Romans 6:2
Second, we will seek to live a holy life by obeying God's Word.
As I said before, we will not obey God's Word perfectly as long as we still have a sinful nature (and we will always have a sinful nature until we are resurrected on the day of the Lord’s second coming). But those who are truly saved will obey the Word of God day-by-day, earnestly desiring to do the right thing. We will work at our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12), and following the commands of Jesus will be our priority (even above our sinful lusts and desires). In short, we will die to ourselves.
Side note: This also means that we Calvinists will still seek to minister to the lost. Just because God has already elected His people doesn’t mean we give up the call to evangelize – God said to do it, so we will.
Backed Up by Living Word
"If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him."—1 John 2:29
"And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments."—1 John 2:3
Third, we will love others, regardless of who they are or what they have done.
First off, please note that this does not mean we condone the sin of others (i.e. we aren’t “cool with it” because God’s not cool with it. God hates sin and so should we!) But since God is love He has given His chosen a desire to love others, especially fellow believers. This love may not always come easy to us, but we will seek to do good to others when we have the opportunity.
Backed Up by Living Word
"Everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves does not know God; for God is love."—1 John 4:7-8
"We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren."—1 John 3:14
Fourth, our affections will not be set upon the things of the world.
It’s okay to enjoy certain things in the world: travelling, friendships, sports, exercise or other hobbies – but the minute your affections for these things trumps your love for Christ (or you begin seeking these things more than you seek God) you are in trouble. As God’s chosen, Christ should be our all in all and we will give generously and hold loosely to the material possessions we have.
Backed Up by Living Word
"If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."—1 John 2:15
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” - Romans 8:5-9
It’s important to note that “these changes are not the cause of our salvation for we are saved by Christ (as our propitiation and as the giver of the gift of perfect righteousness) through faith—even that is not of ourselves but is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9). Rather, these changes are the evidence that we truly have been born again. If they are not evident in our life, it is likely we have not savingly believed in Christ. And therefore, it is vital that we diligently read the Bible until we are assured of having saving faith in Him. The Bible says, "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). A good place to start is 1 John and James for they deal extensively with the changes that result from being born again.” (Charles Spurgeon)
I think a true follower of Christ will see the glory in all this that, by the seeming tension of human responsibility and God’s sovereignty, God has elected His children since before the foundation of the earth. That means that when God created the world in Genesis, He had His elect in mind (Ephesians 1:4). He knew what was going to go down in the Garden of Eden and He knew that His Son would have to come and die for their sins. He knew it all. You can’t surprise God! But because He loves His elect, He let it all happen so that sinful man could one day be made right in His sight. This is what gets me, friends. This is what makes me sit in wonder and awe – I can’t believe God, the only God, looks down at us (His chosen) and thinks we are worth it.
It’s so humbling, because we all deserve Hell. It makes everything else in life seem so small and insignificant… probably because it is.
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