Called and Chosen to Salvation by God – References

Called and Chosen References

Rom 3:10 “There is none righteous, no, not one;  11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.  ¹² They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”  NKJV

1 Cor 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Rom 6: 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh.

²⁰ For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. NKJV

That is you were unable to do righteousness, you had no righteous acts, because you were a slave and could only sin.

Believing in Jesus and repenting would be doing good. None can do this. None will do this. None! No one seeks God because they are blinded by sin, spiritually dead in sin and separated from God. Only God can change that and reach out to a person by 1^st covering them with the blood and righteousness of Christ. Until God gives them a new birth and frees their will which is bound in sin and by their sin nature, so they become free to believe spiritual things and repent. They have a will and make real choices but only to sin, their sin bound will can not know God or choose God.  They are selfish and won’t change.

Jer 13:23 23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.  NKJV
Sinful man is so separated from God that he is compared to dead bones that cannot help themselves or believe. But God 1^st has to give them new life, THEN they know He is Lord. Breath in them is Spirit.

Ezek 37:4 Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: “Surely I will cause breath to enter into you, and you shall live. 6 I will put sinews on you and bring flesh upon you, cover you with skin and put breath in you; and you shall live. Then you shall know that I am the LORD.”‘”  NKJV

Acts 16:14 And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.

She wouldn’t respond unless the Spirit gave her the ability, free her will from bondage to her sin nature.

The only way one can begin to see or begin to enter the kingdom is they have to be born again 1st. Then they can see and understand spiritual things.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
NKJV
Enter does not mean go to heaven, it means enter the kingdom, be converted. Born again 1st by the grace of God, it is a gift, not something man gets to decide.

It isn’t given to everyone.
Matt 13:11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. NKJV

What could be clearer? One cannot know or believe that Jesus is the savior unless God 1st gives them the ability that flesh and blood does not have.
Matt 16:16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

John 10:26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”

John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. NKJV

Note is does not say you are not My people because you did not believe, but the other way around. In fact:

CAN GOD BE FAIR & NOT GIVE ALL PEOPLE A CHANCE?

Some people’s religion amounts to no more than their seeking what they can get. Those truly thankful for the eternal gift they have received are seeking daily what they can give and how they can serve their Father’s kingdom, magnifying Him to all His creatures. ~ Don P

CAN GOD BE FAIR AND NOT GIVE ALL PEOPLE A CHANCE?

We all agree that God is sovereign. That means He has ultimate control of all things. Their is no power greater than He and nothing He can not control. Eph1:11. This is sensible since He created all to begin with. Rom 9:20-21. He made the creatures for His own pleasure (Eph 1:5 & 9 & Phil 2:13 ) and has every right to do anything with them He wants. Though in His treatment of us He is consistent with His nature of being balanced with both Justice and Mercy. We are His subjects, whether knowingly and willingly or not. The difficulty comes when we consider how this really applies in our life, actions and decisions.

The right understanding of God begins with God and His original plan and purposes. It can not start with man deserving certain rights. Many err in devising religions to satisfy man’s needs; to see what man can get from God. “In the beginning was God,” is where we must start if we will correctly find our purpose and what truths God has revealed.

Accepting this as our rightful position, a creature, let us proceed to see what our purpose is that we were created for.

1Cor 10:31, Eph 1:12, Ps 73:28, give us two items; to bring glory to Him and to declare His works. Eph 2:10 also shows that we are to do good works. 1John 2:4 strongly asserts we are to keep his commandments.

We are a creature; we were created for the pleasure of the Creator; and we have specific

Does God Hide Truth From Man?

God Does Clearly Hide Things From Man and Man Can Only Understand the Word By the Spirit Revealing It

Matt 8:4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”  NKJV

Matt 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes. NKJV

Matt 13:10And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:’Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;    NKJV

Matt 16:11 How is it you do not understand

Free Will or Limited Will with Real Choices

There are 2 ways to look at man’s will.

One is to say people do not have free will.

The other is to say man has free will but his will is limited.

Now we do make real choices. So how can that be if we are predestined. The reason we can be held accountable is that we do not feel the effect of predestination. The way God predestines does no harm to our responsibility in making choices. As far as we can tell the decision is up to us. We must make real choices as far as our experience goes. But we are not conscious that these things have been ordained from before the foundations of the world.

From the perspective that we can not choose to fly like a bird or swim like a fish we are not free. Our will is bound to our nature. Since we do not have the nature of a bird we can not will to fly. So we do not have a completely free will. Just as the fish is not free to walk on dry land. There is no completely free will. So the question is

Myth of Free Will & Man’s Will Free Yet Bound

“What do you think your song will be when you come to heaven? Blessed be God, that he gave me free-will; and blessed be my own dear self, that I made a good use of it? O no, no! Such a song as that was never heard in heaven yet, nor ever will, while God is God, and heaven is heaven.” - What Will Be Your Song by Augustus Toplady -  Or maybe Amazing Free Will (:-)

The Myth of Free Will
Walter Chantry

Most people say that they believe in “free will.” Do you have any idea what that means? I believe that you will find a great deal of superstition on this subject. The will is saluted as the grand power of the human soul which is completely free to direct our lives. But from what is it free? And what is its power?

THE MYTH OF CIRCUMSTANTIAL FREEDOM

No one denies that man has a will — that is, a faculty of choosing what he wishes to say, do, and think. But have you ever reflected on the pitiful weakness of your will? Though you have the ability to make a decision, you do not have the power to carry out your purpose. Will may devise a course of action, but will has no power to execute its intention.

Joseph’s brothers hated him. They sold him to be a slave. But God used their actions to make him a ruler over themselves. They chose their course of action to harm Joseph. But God in His power directed events for Joseph’s good. He said, “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good” (Gen 50:20).

And how many of your decisions are miserably thwarted?

By saying that your will is free, we certainly do not mean that it determines the course of your life. You did not choose the sickness, sorrow, war, and poverty that have spoiled your happiness. You did not choose to have enemies. If man’s will is so potent, why not choose to live on and on? But you must die. The major factors which shape your life cannot thank your will. You did not select your social status, color, intelligence, etc.

Any sober reflection on your experience will produce the conclusion, “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but THE LORD DIRECTETH his steps” (Prov 16:9). .     …  Read Whole Article Click Here or you can continue with 2nd Article Excerpt first; both by Author – Walter Chantry

Man’s Will – Free Yet Bound
by Walter J. Chantry

For more than fifteen hundred years the Church has engaged in a heated debate over the freedom of man’s will. The major issues came to general attention in the early fifth century when Augustine and Pelagius did battle on the subject. Through medieval times the nature of man’s freedom received a great deal of attention. As they studied the Scriptures, Bernard and Anselm made significant contributions to the doctrine of the human will. In the sixteenth century the freedom or bondage of the will was one of the chief issues dividing Reformers and Roman Catholics. To the mind of Martin Luther, it was the key to his dispute with Rome. In the seventeenth century the nature of man’s freedom was at the heart of the debate between Arminians and Calvinists. The conflict surfaced again in the eighteenth century during the Great Awakening. Finney’s approach to revival in the nineteenth century led the church astray through a misunderstanding of the human will. So too the nature of man’s will continues to bring intense disagreement between Reformed and Fundamentalist believers.

A proper understanding of the content of the gospel and the use of GOD-honouring methods in evangelism are dependent on one’s grasp of this issue. ….

Read 2nd  Article  Click Here

Read: Man’s Will in Conversion

Can God Make or Cause Evil Justly?

God Makes and Uses Evil Justly and Without Sinning Himself

Dan 4:35  All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven  And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him,”What have You done?”   NKJV

Eph 1:11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, NKJV

Is 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: 7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Is 46:10-11 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: 11 Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. (KJV)

Lam 3:37 Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, When the Lord has not commanded it?  NKJV

Jer 18:11 Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: KJV

Amos 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? (KJV)

1 Sam 2:25 Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them. NKJV

1 Sam 16:14-15 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him. 15 Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. NAS

All Christians Believe in Predestination But…

All Christians Believe in Predestination. But In The Way The Bible Teaches It?

 

Eph 1:11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,  NAS

Dan 4:35  All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven  And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?”   NKJV

Eph 3:11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,  NAS

Not a change of plan because He didn’t know if Adam would sin.  Not a second plan because His 1st plan for man to live forever was stopped by men. This was His eternal purpose. He does all things according to His own will!  He does all that He pleases; not some of it, not that He could do it, but chooses not to. He does it!

Lam 3:37 Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass, unless the Lord has commanded it? ³⁸ Is it not from the mouth of the Most High That both good and ill go forth? NAS

Isa 46:9… I am God, and there is none like Me, ¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure, ¹¹… The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.

Job 23:13 “But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does.

¹⁴ For He performs what is appointed for me, NKJV

Psalm 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased
Psalm 135:6 Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.
Matt 20:15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good? NKJV

Prov 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap, But its every decision is from the LORD. NKJV

 

Of Jesus’ Death

The whole gospel plan that is preached was predestined before the world began. It was not an after thought due to Adam or anyone’s sin. The whole glorious gospel of redeeming love was ordained before the world. God knew the end even from the beginning of time. There is nothing hid from Him because He has brought it to pass just as He Pleased. God used the wicked desires of the Jews to accomplish His plan of crucifying Christ.

 

What if God could not determine what people did and only could look into the future as some people wrongly think the word foreknow means? What if God foresaw that Jesus was made King and not crucified by the people’s will? What good would that do to foresee it, if God could not change it or do anything about it? What could He do? We would have no sacrifice for sin and all people would go to hell. But Christ was predestined to be slain from the foundations of the earth Rev 13:8 So there was no chance the people would or could change it. They had to crucify Him.  Foreknow means to foreordain. The reason He knows is because it is done, He has predestined it to be so.

Even though God Predestined Jesus’ death to be done by Judas and the Jews, yet man is still held accountable for his own selfish desires because he does not feel forced to do it. God so moves man in a way that He does not force a man to act against his will. We do not experience predestination therefore we cannot excuse our actions or blame God for our actions.  God does as He pleases and though we may not understand, He is just and good in all He does.

Luke 22:22 And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!”

Acts 2:23 Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;  NKJV

Acts 4:28 …to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. NKJV

 

In these and other texts we see that though God predestines all things, yet He still holds man responsible for his decisions. Some people are confused because some text seem to speak of man’s desires, decisions and actions while other texts speak of God’s doing it. One has to understand that God sometimes speaks from the perspective of human responsibility and sometimes from the perspective of His sovereign predestination. God also speaks to us in scripture in anthropomorphisms. God is not a bird and yet speaks of his wings. He speaks of His desires in earthly terms or as if He changed His mind because of man’s repenting etc. God does not change and already knows what ids going to happen so He is simply speaking in story form and from human perspective and understanding.  These narratives do not contradict each other or the truth that God predestines man’s actions. God ordains things to happen by means or methods involving people; even sinful people at times. So He is still just when he predestines the Assyrian king to attack Israel and then punishes the Assyrian king for doing it. Because He predestines in a way that people do not feel it so the choices people make are real choices from their desires. The king chose to do it for selfish evil reasons and God was using the king’s selfishness to accomplish God’s plan to punish the Israelites for their sin. God uses the wicked people’s desires to accomplish His good ends.

 

Even the wills of the wicked are under the control of God and He can send Calamity on People

1 Sam 16:14Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him. ¹⁵ Saul’s servants then said to him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. NAS

1 Sam 18:10 Now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house… NAS

Deut 2:30 “But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that He might deliver him into your hand, as it is this day NKJV

Is 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

Amos 3:6 shall evil befall a city, and Jehovah hath not done it? (ASV)

Prov 16:4 The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil. NAS

Jude 1:4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:8 They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. NKJV

1 Sam 2:25But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the LORD desired to put them to death. NAS

Speaking of the Egyptians it says God caused them to hate Israel.

Is 6:10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. (KJV)

Speaking of the Egyptians it says God caused them to hate Israel.

Ps 105:25 He turned their heart to hate His people, To deal craftily with His servants. NKJV

2Thes 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: ¹² That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (KJV)

Since the fall, all people became sinners and deserve to go to hell and all would have because no one seeks God or does good and they are separated from God by their sin.

 

A Key is Understanding Free Will

There is no totally free will. A person’s will is bound to his nature. Is a person free to will to fly like a bird or swim underwater all day like a fish? No because he has the nature of a human and not the nature of a fish. His will is not free to fly or swim and breathe under water. So we see man does not have a totally free will. Similarly, a fish has free will to go where it wants, but only in water, it does not have a free will to go on land. We can say a man on a ship has free will. He is free to go where he wills, but only on the ship; that is his limit. From a larger perspective, does the man on the ship still have free will?  Not really.  His will is limited by the bounds of the ship and the whole time He is going wherever the captain takes the ship; even off course or to a different harbor than planned and the man may not even be aware of it. So either we say we do not have free will, because it is not totally free; or we say man’s will is free, but limited to his sin nature. He will not do good, because his will is fallen and in opposition to God.

Prov 21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. NKJV

Jer 10:23 O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. NKJV

Prov 16:9  A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. NKJV

We can say we have free will, in the sense we do not feel forced to act. Therefore we can be held responsible for real choices we make. But our will is always limited to some extent; never totally free. We are born in bondage to a sinful flesh fallen nature that will not seek God or please God. It will not believe in Christ or receive Him any more than the man on the ship will walk off the edge. His will is “free” and he “could” or is free to, but he won’t go against his nature he is bound by. He accepts the limits to his will.  And without a new heart put into us and new desires put in us, by a new birth, we are free only to do sin. Maybe moral good, but not good pleasing to God or