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John 15:16 (ESV)
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
Elect, Election.
In modern English, terms referring to the selection of a leader or representative by a group of people. An element of choice is involved, since usually there are several candidates out of whom one must be chosen.
When the verb “elect” is used theologically in the Bible, it usually has God as its subject. In the OT it is used for God’s choice of Israel to be his people (cf. Acts 13:17). Israel became God’s people, not because they decided to belong to him, but because he took the initiative and chose them. Nor did God’s choice rest on any particular virtues that his people exemplified, but rather on his promise to their forefather Abraham (Dt 7:7, 8). God also chose their leaders, such as Saul and David (1 Sm 10:24; 2 Sm 6:21), apart from any popular vote by the people. The word thus indicates God’s prerogative in deciding what shall happen, independently of human choice.
The same thoughts are found in the NT. God’s people are described as his “elect” or “chosen ones,” a term used by Jesus when speaking of the future time when the Son of man will come and gather together God’s people (Mk 13:20, 27). He will vindicate them for their sufferings and for their patience in waiting for his coming (Lk 18:7). In 1 Peter 2:9 God’s people are called an “elect nation.” This phrase was originally used of the people of Israel (Is 43:20), and it brings out the fact that the people of God in the OT and the Christian church in the NT stand in continuity with each other; the promises addressed to Israel now find fulfillment in the church.
In Romans 9–11 Paul discusses the problem of why the people of Israel as a nation have rejected the gospel, while the Gentiles have accepted it. He states that in the present time there is a “remnant” of Israel as a result of God’s gracious choice of them. This group is called “the elect.” They are the chosen people who have obtained what was meant for Israel as a whole, while the greater mass of the people have failed to obtain it because they were “hardened” as a result of their sin (Rom 11:5, 7).
Nevertheless, God’s choice of Israel to be his people has not been cancelled. Most Jewish people have aligned themselves against the gospel, so that the Gentiles may come in and receive God’s blessings in their place; but they still remain beloved by God, and God will not go back on his original calling of them (Rom 11:28). Consequently Paul is confident that in due time there will be a general return to God by the people of Israel.
The word translated “elect” is generally found in the plural and refers either to the members of God’s people as a whole or to those in a particular local church (Rom 8:33; Col 3:12; 1 Thes 1:4; 2 Tm 2:10; Ti 1:1; 1 Pt 1:1; 2 Pt 1:10; Rv 17:14; Rom 16:13 and 2 Jn 13 have the singular form). The use of the plural may partly be explained by the fact that most of the NT letters are addressed to groups of people rather than to individuals. More probably, however, the point is that God’s election is concerned with the creation of a people rather than the calling of isolated individuals.
The use of the word “election” emphasizes that membership of God’s people is due to God’s initiative, prior to all human response, made before time began (Eph 1:4; cf. Jn 15:16, 19). It is God who has called men and women to be his people, and those who respond are elect. God’s call does not depend on any virtues or merits of humankind. Indeed, he chooses the foolish things by worldly standards to shame the wise, the weak to confound the strong, and the low and insignificant to bring to nothing those who think that they are something (1 Cor 1:27, 28). The effect of election is to leave no grounds whatever for human boasting in achievement and position. Whatever the elect are, they owe entirely to God, and they cannot boast or compare themselves with other people.
God’s elect are a privileged people. Since they now have God to uphold them, no one can bring any accusation against them that might lead to God’s condemnation (Rom 8:33). They constitute a royal priesthood; they are God’s servants with the right of access to him (1 Pt 2:9). It is for their sake that the apostles endured hardship and suffering, so that they might enjoy future salvation and eternal glory (2 Tm 2:10).
The elect are distinguished by their faith in God (Ti 1:1), and they are called to show the character that befits God’s people (Col 3:12). They must make their calling and election sure; that is, they must show that they belong to God by the quality of their lives (2 Pt 1:10). They must continue being faithful to the One who called them (Rv 17:14).
The relationship between God’s call and human response is explained in Matthew 22:14: “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Although God calls many through the gospel, only some of those respond to the call and become his elect people. The text sheds no light on the mystery of why only some become God’s people. Certainly, when a person does respond to God’s call, it is because the gospel comes to him or her “in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thes 1:4, 5). When men and women refuse the gospel, it is because they have become hardened as a result of sin and their trust in their own works. Scripture does not go beyond that point in explanation, and neither should Christians.
“Election” can also be used of God’s choice of people to serve him. Jesus chose the 12 disciples out of the larger company of those who followed him (Lk 6:13; Acts 1:2). The same thought reappears in John’s Gospel; Jesus commented that although he chose the 12, one of them turned out to be a devil (Jn 6:70; 13:18). When a replacement was needed for Judas, the church prayed to Jesus and asked him to show them which of the two available candidates he would choose to fill the gap in the 12 (Acts 1:24). Peter attributes his evangelism among the Gentiles to God’s “election” of him for that purpose (Acts 15:7). Similarly, Paul was an elected instrument for God’s mission to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). The initiative in Christian mission rests with God, who elects people to serve him in particular ways.
Jesus is called “God’s Chosen” (Lk 9:35; cf. the taunt in Lk 23:35). The heavenly voice at Jesus’ transfiguration spoke in language that echoed Isaiah 42:1 and identified Jesus as God’s Servant, chosen to do his work of bringing light to the nations. In the same way, Jesus is a “chosen cornerstone” (1 Pt 2:4, 6; cf. Is 28:16).
In the teaching of Augustine and Calvin, the doctrine of election is of fundamental importance. They taught that God had chosen before the creation of the world to save a number of specific individuals from sin and judgment and to give them eternal life. Those whom he chose did nothing to deserve it; their merits are no better than the rest of humankind who will be judged for their sins. But in his mercy God decided to save some; therefore, he chose them and sent Jesus to be their Savior. The Holy Spirit regenerates and brings to faith through an “effectual calling” those whom God has elected. God’s Spirit effectively persuades each of them to submit to the gospel, so they are guaranteed recipients of eternal life.
This choice by God selectively to save some may seem unjust. But in fact, God is not obliged to show mercy to anybody; he is free to show mercy as he pleases. People cannot protest that because they were not the elect, they never had a chance of being saved. They never deserved that chance anyway. But anybody who hears the gospel and responds to it with faith can know that he is one of the elect. Whoever rejects the gospel has only his own sinfulness to blame.
Many Christians reject that explanation of God’s election. They maintain that although it appears to be logically consistent with Scripture, it makes God the prisoner of his own plan. His predestination of certain individuals to salvation commits him personally to a detailed, predetermined, unilateral course of action that reduces human action to a charade and renders it insignificant. God ceases to be a person dealing with persons.
The Augustinian and Calvinist view of election, according to its critics, also makes God out to be arbitrary in his choice of the elect. In effect, chance becomes the arbiter of human destiny rather than a holy and loving God. Those difficulties arise because, they say, the teaching of Scripture has been pressed into an artificial logical system that distorts it.
Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 681–683.
This eagle sculpture is at the National Memorial Arboretum which is a national site of remembrance at Alrewas, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, England.
Nothing Can Separate Us from God’s Love
What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[Romans 8:31-39 NLT]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
Early the other morning, I noticed a light spot in the dark, rainy-looking sky as I traveled east, Knowing I was near the Friendship Baptist Church near Jonesville, Virginia, I whipped in to the parking lot and climbed the bank next to the highway to get the light right behind the steeple. I originally intended to leave the photo in color, but after experimenting in the Analog Efex Pro 2 "Wet Plate" feature (a plugin for Photoshop), I decided I liked this better. Have a blessed Sunday everyone!
Here lies my wife's grandmother's Bible. We know it obviously wasn't printed by Johannes Gutenberg, but our best guess is that it's at least 100 years old, and it weighs a ton!
A section of the Taoist classic text Daodejing by Laozi (老子道德经下篇). I'm not sure why it's so scratched-up.
Proverbs 14:16
A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil ... (KJV)
#Scriptures #Truth #Theology #VOTD #Disciple #TheTruth #WordOfWisdom
my favorite photos > www.flickr.com/photos/roderickma/sets/72157623272274082/
my photo sets > www.flickr.com/photos/roderickma/sets
A man reads aloud from the bible at the corner of Bank Street and Somerset Street in Ottawa Ontario. His dog seems to listening intently.
“But as for you, Israel my servant,
Jacob my chosen one,
descended from Abraham my friend,
I have called you back from the ends of the earth,
saying, ‘You are my servant.’
For I have chosen you
and will not throw you away.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
[Isaiah 41:8-10 NLT]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
But you, O Lord, will be exalted forever.
Your enemies, Lord, will surely perish;
all evildoers will be scattered.
But you have made me as strong as a wild ox.
You have anointed me with the finest oil.
My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
my ears have heard the defeat of my wicked opponents.
But the godly will flourish like palm trees
and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
They flourish in the courts of our God.
Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
they will remain vital and green.
They will declare, “The Lord is just!
He is my rock!
There is no evil in him!”
[Psalm 92:8-15 NLT]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
The Bereans are a good example to follow, as sometimes, even well-meaning people may lead you astray as they themselves may have an incorrect understanding of the Scriptures. It's always a good idea to search the Scriptures for yourself.
A.I. generated image.
Sometimes when I'm photographing the underside of Covered Bridges I might see some wood carvings or graffiti but this is the first time I've seen placards with Bible Scriptures, in this case, parts of Psalm 119:5-16, affixed to the underside structure of a bridge. The Siegrist's Mill Covered Bridge was originally built in 1885 in West Hempfield Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. In 2011 flood waters from tropical storm Lee lifted the bridge off its abutments and it floated downstream. The roots of a large sycamore tree stopped the bridge's progress and two large cranes were used to lift the bridge out of the Chiques Creek and onto dry land.
The decision to rebuild the bridge was made and two companies, Rettew Associates and Timber Frames, worked together to do the rebuild. They dismantled the existing bridge and marked salvageable parts that would go into the rebuild. Thirty of the existing timber pieces were used and 365 new pieces were added. In May of 2013, a 300 ton crane positioned the bridge on its new foundation which had been elevated by two feet from the original level to help prevent future flood damage. The rebuilt bridge, just like its predecessor, uses pine boards and battens and iw roofed with cedar shakes. The timber are rough-sawn Douglas Fir.
The bridge has a Burr arch design and is 101 feet long. The WGCB# for the bridge is 38-36-37#2.
Nikon D850 with Nikkor 19mm PC-E F4 perspective correction lens. F11, ISO 100. Oben tripod with Benro 3-way geared head.
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for Him will he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrews 9:28
Once. One offering was sufficient to provide us a way to be free from our sins and be forgiven in His sight.
–Carli
handletting by me.
Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
[2 Peter 1:1-2 NIV]
5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
1. Like it or not, we are ALL sinners: As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” (Romans 3:10-12 NLT)
2. The punishment for sin is death: When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
3. Jesus is our only hope: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8 NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)
4. SALVATION is by GRACE through FAITH in JESUS: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT)
5. Accept Jesus and receive eternal life: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9 NLT) But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12 NLT) And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12 NLT)
Read the Bible for yourself. Allow the Lord to speak to you through his Word. YOUR ETERNITY IS AT STAKE!
"We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished Him for the iniquity of us all." Isaiah 53:6
Jesus worked hard all His life. But His greatest works was achieved in those three dark hours on Calvary when He died for us on the cross.
He never did anything wrong!
Not once said anything amiss!
They called Him every name in the book and He said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used His body to carry our sins to the cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became our healing.
This is the kind of life He invites us into. He lived this kind of life and suffered everything that came His way so that we would see and know that we, too, can live that way. He showed us and He still shows us step by step how.
James tells us to endure under trial and we will receive the crown of life! Where is he coming from? Isn't grace free ... or is this about grace at all? Eternal life and the crown of life are two different things. The free gift of salvation means we have eternal or everlasting life. James is saying here that we have a sovereign King that will crown us when we persevere ... but it has battles that impact us.
Life was treacherous for believers during the Roman Empire. It was a time when being a believer meant dealing with injustice for their beliefs. They endured torment, persecution, ridicule and even death. Yet James gives us a reason ... the crown of life to those that love and persevere for God!
The trials (peirasmos in Greek) of daily living can help purge us from the impurities of the carnal life -- like the fire purges the impurities out of a metal like gold, refining it so that the foreign substances are removed and it becomes pure and valuable. This is what being approved means, that we persevere, or bear up under pressure and persevering (hupomenō in Greek) under the injustice, being confident that our King is truly in control. Carnal life happens to be at war with the truth, and we must persevere to be refined, like gold, to become valuable to serve our Creator! We gain maturity as believers. This is not earning salvation (that's a free gift from God for believing Jesus Christ is your Savior), but the reward of receiving the crown of life for growing and maturing in our faith!
Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 1 Timothy 4:6-8, 1 Peter 3:13-16 for more illumination.