Archive for the ‘Election’ Category
One Verse That Can Show The Difference Between Being Under The Law And Under Grace,.
Pro 3:5 – 6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will direct your paths.
These verses, taken from the Old Testament, can easily show the difference between the Jews living under the Law and the Christians living under Grace.
The Law was a works based system of willing obedience to the Law and all of the promises, blessings and curses that it entailed. Needless to say it was a failure.
In the above scripture, having God direct your life, stated in the last clause, was based on all that was commanded to do by the Hebrews in the beginning. It was a work based command of obedience. In other words, if man did what was commanded of him then God would direct his life. Here man works and God responds with blessings or curses. Because of sin in man, he could not always do what God commanded of him. He failed.”’
What if these scriptures were written in the New Testament to the Christians under Grace. Now living under Grace is a faith based system dependent on God’s will, the person and works of Jesus in His perfect obedience to the Father and the application by the Holy Spirit the results of what Jesus accomplished to the saved; everything Israel could not do on their own.
This might be one way it could be written.
“I trust in the Lord with all my heart and I do not look to my own understanding and in all my ways I acknowledge God, for He directs all my ways as He wills and has blessed me greatly.”
Here God works His will in man and man responds accordingly. Just the opposite of man under Law.
Under the Law, based on the will of man to be obedient, man always fails. Under Grace, based on the will of God, God never fails. In the “faith based” system of being under Grace God works in man both to will and to do of His good pleasure. So what God has willed for man to do man obeys willingly.
How about you. Is your life a works based system trusting in your will of obedience (grudgingly or not) to the Law or a faith based system of being under Grace trusting in the will of God in what He is doing in your life?
One scripture with a view of it under the Law and one view of the same scripture under Grace. Which one describes you?
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I Am Not An Evangelical – I Am A Christian
And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Acts 11: 26
As a Christian, by the Grace of God, I am a disciple of Jesus and a servant of God. I believe in the basic tenants of Reformed theology of election and predestination. However, evangelicals, of which I am not, believe in a “save yourself” style of salvation.
On christianity.com, a leading evangelical website, in an article titled, “What Is Evangelical Christianity?”, the first paragraph says this…
“A prominent picture in Christianity is Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Evangelical Christians believe that by accepting Jesus and his sacrifice for us, we save our souls and go to Heaven once we die.”
This is a “work of righteousness” type of salvation based on the will of man by a work of faith in choosing for ourselves to accept Jesus as our personal savior. This is plainly not scriptural as scripture teaches that we are born-again by the will of God who saves they whom He elected to be saved and predestined their time of salvation.
Ephesians 1:3-6 KJV
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: [4] According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: [5] Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, [6] To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
These are just a few of the many verses about election and predestination that are found throughout the New Testament, and anyone willing to read and study these scriptures will see the truth as God gives them understanding.
This does not say that I do not believe in sharing the Gospel. All Christians are given works that God has ordained for us to do when we are saved by Grace.
Ephesians 2:8-11 KJV
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
God has given some to be evangelist some pastors and teachers, elders, bishops and deacons, etc, all who will have different abilities that in their service they will be given moments, as God chooses, to speak of Jesus; most of the time in private or small group settings.
Jesus said, “I know my sheep and they will hear my voice and will follow me.” God uses individual disciples to do His will as He chooses in bringing the elect into His fold; they do so quietly.
So, if someone were to ask me if I was an evangelical, knowing only what they see and hear in the news, especially in connection with “Christian Nationalism”, my answer would simply be this, “By God’s Grace, I am a Christian, a disciple of Jesus and a servant of God. If you would like to know something about Jesus, I will be glad to share with you what I know from New Testament scripture.”
How well do you know what is the New Covenant written about in the New Testament scriptures?
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Kept By The Power Of God
1 Peter 1: 5… Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
I once belonged to a certain Christian religion that believed that one could be saved and born-again by an act of their will in choosing to accept Jesus as Savior. This teaching also taught that by an act of their will they could also loose their salvation. Almost everyone to whom I spoke admitted they worried on a daily basis about doing something that would result in loosing their salvation. They had no real assurance of keeping their salvation and of going to heaven when they died. How sad.
In studying scripture I could see that this was not backed up by what the New Testament, especially Jesus, taught. Soon I left and found a church that believed in and taught the opposite.
Instead of me giving my opinion I have decided to let scripture, and Jesus, speak about this and pray that the Holy Spirit will open your heart and give understanding to the reader.
The scripture verse, in context, upon which this essay stands is this.
1 Peter 1:1-5
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, [2] Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. [3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, [4] To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, [5] Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Their are a number of scriptures by Jesus that could be used to more than support verse 5 above. Here are only two examples that has been chosen for you to read.
John 6:35-40
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me shall never hunger, and whoever believes in Me shall never thirst. [36] But I told you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. [37] All whom the Father gives Me will come to Me, and he who comes to Me I will never cast out. [38] For I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. [39] This is the will of the Father who has sent Me, that of all whom He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. [40] This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 10:25-30
Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you did not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name bear witness of Me. [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] I give them eternal life. They shall never perish, nor shall anyone snatch them from My hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them from My Father’s hand. [30] My Father and I are one.”
It should be noted that no one is saved (born-again), and staying saved, by an act (work) of one’s own will of the flesh, or mind. Salvation (regeneration) comes only by the will and Grace of God alone, because of the work and obedience of Jesus on behalf of “all” whom the Father has given to Jesus.
In short, salvation and the assurance of still being saved when one dies is given to they…
“Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
How reassuring and humbling that should be to all who are saved and kept saved by the power of of God.
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The True Freedom Given To All Christians
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
Freedom that you cannot earn and can never be taken away, on account of the person and work of someone else, is a Freedom only Christians can experience. The question is, “Have you truly been set free?”
So, first we need to know from what have we been set free, and how did it happen? Quite simply, it took a sacrifice on the part of Jesus to accomplish this feat. We have been set free from the curse of having to be obedient to the law because of what Christ has done for us.
Romans 8:1-4 KJV
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: [4] That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
In other-words, as it is in the following scripture:
Deuteronomy 8:2 KJV
And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
And what happened? We see the answer in Hebrews:
Hebrews 8:9 KJV
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Israel showed that no one could obey the law perfectly and that someone needed to do for them what they could not do for themselves; they needed a Savior.
In short the law became a curse to us because we cannot fully be obedient to the law on account of our sinfulness, so Jesus came and fulled the righteous requirements of the law on our behalf.
As we read in Galatians:
Galatians 3: 10-13 KJV
[10] For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. [11] But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. [12] And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. [13] Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
That is why we need to…
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
Now that is what true freedom is to all Christians. How about you, have you been set free from the curse of trying to be obedient to the law? Prayerfully, instead you are living the life of faith in Jesus for being obedient for you!,
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Did Jesus Talk About Election In John Six
The doctrine of election is quite divisive among all Christian religions.
They who believe in God’s choosing who will be saved, will say that if they had not been chosen for salvation they would never have been born-again for they had no desire to be saved.
On the other side, they who deny the doctrine of election, do so for they believe that God has given everyone the free-will to choose whether or not they want to accept or reject salvation offered by Jesus.
The question is who is right in their doctrine? The answer might be found in what Jesus taught in the gospel of John chapter six?
Read the following scripture verses to see for yourself, and may God give you understanding.
John 6:29
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent.
John 6:37
All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 6:38-39
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. [39] And this is the Father’s will which has sent me, that of all which he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
John 6:44
No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 6:65
And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
So, we see that believing in Jesus is a work done by God, not by man, and all in whom God chooses to believe in Jesus will come to Jesus. For it is the will of God that all whom He brings to Jesus that Jesus will loose of all whom the Father brings to Him.
Jesus further said that the reason for God working in man to believe, and to bring to Jesus, is that no one “can” come to Jesus unless God brings them. To reinforce this claim, Jesus lastly says that no one “can” come to Me unless My Father gives them the ability to come.
This is why we are saved by God’s Grace. For salvation is all of God.
These verses are very clear in what they say and it will take God to give you understanding to these statements. I pray that God is doing so at this very moment.
Believe not in your religion but in what Jesus says in Scripture.
God’s Purpose In Election
- that the purpose of God according to election might stand,
- to show His power
- to make His power known
- make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy
A number of Christian religions do not like to speak about the doctrine of election, because this doctrine takes man’s will out of the equation of whom will be saved; for man cannot save himself.
The following verses, and more throughout the New Testament, makes it clear that God saves whom He wills to save for the reasons listed above. It is by God’s will that man becomes saved and not by man’s choosing of his own will whether he wants to be saved.
If God had not predestinated before time began (Ephesians 1: 3-6), who would be saved, and then save them, no one would ever be saved. Because man, of his own will is not able to save himself (John 1: 13) (Titus 3: 5).
Read these versus and see for yourself the reason God saves as He wills.
Rom 9:11 (For being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil,that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16 So then not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Rom 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed him, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Rom 9:22 if God, willing to shew wrath, and to make his power known,endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
It has been said many times, “but what if there is someone who wants to be saved but is not among the elect, what then?”
From Romans we read:
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Even of his own will man will never seek after God.
In addition, in John 6 we read:
Joh 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.
Joh 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
Man is so mired in his own sinfulness that unless God works a miracle in him he would never choose, of his own will, to believe on Jesus and to confess Him to be Lord.
This is why God predestinated those whom He wills to be saved: to show His mercy, and to display His power and love on mankind by choosing to save a people for His own even though no one deserves to be saved and cannot save themselves.
What about you, do you know where you stand? Do you want to be saved? If not, then why do you care, but if you do want to be saved read this from Romans 10:
Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Rom_10:13 (KJV) For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved
Is this what you want? Do you really want to be saved according to God’s mercy? Can you confess that Jesus is Lord? Do you feel the desire to call out to God for forgiveness? Will you come to God on His terms and not yours? Only by God’s will can anyone do these things, and only they whom God has chosen to be saved will ever confess by the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus is Lord.
God’s power may be at work in you at this very moment. Maybe your heart, as it is being made new, fills you with a desire to come to Jesus. Instinctively you want to know Him, to follow Him, to love Him. Whoever you are, may you be saved by God this very hour.
The Most Important Reason for the Coming of Jesus…
When we think of Christmas, we think about a baby lying in a Manger, surrounded by Shepherds, animals and three Wise men. Of course, many have taken liberty of those events and few really know what happened that first night. However, that is another story for another time. What we want to know is what was the real reason for the coming of Jesus.
Yes, Jesus came to save His people, His sheep if you will, from their sins. As known from verses like this:
Mat 1:21 And she (Mary) shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Knowing this, why did His people need to be saved from their sins? Read the following selected verses from 1 Thessalonians 1: 4-10 to see the answer:
“Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, And you became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come.”
Yes, one-day God’s wrath will be brought upon the earth and all who have not believed on the Lord Jesus will be forced to face His wrath because of man’s disobedience, sinful activities and rejection of Jesus as we read in John 3:36:
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.
Is this what you want to face? You do not have to do so if you have the following desire in your heart:
Rom 10:9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Jesus’ coming to earth was to deliver His people from facing the wrath of God because of their sins. Upon the cross, when Jesus said, “It is finished.” Right then is the moment for when Jesus completed the task for which He came, to deliver his people from facing God’s wrath. This, my friends, is the most important reason for the coming of Jesus, to deliver His people from the wrath to come.
As God works in your heart, and if you are filled with the desire to come to Jesus, confess Him to be your Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead and you will find that you have already been delivered from facing the wrath of God.
Why Do Christians Embrace An Obsolete Covenant?
Heb 8:13
In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first obsolete. Now that which is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
It is amazing how many Christians, Pastors and individuals, are enamored with the Old Testament Covenant. Listening to Pastors on radio and television, one hears more sermons on Old Testament scripture than on scripture from the New Testament.
The Old Testament Covenant was a man-centered works based system of religion. It was a cause and effect religion, as is the New Testament Covenant, the difference being who is the cause and who is the effect.
The Old Covenant was a system based on laws, commandments, rules, regulations, ordinances and rituals that man was to do in order to receive favor from God. It was a blessings and a curse system like what is found in Deuteronomy 28 where you have Blessings for Obedience and Curses for Disobedience.
In this system, the cause was Israel. By entering into a Covenant with God, and doing what God required, the effect was God giving blessings for obedience. The same worked if Israel was disobedient; a curse was brought by God because of their disobedience.
Therefore, in a man-centered works based system all Israel had to do was to prove that they could be obedient as God wanted. Israel tried and failed.
In Hebrews 8: 8, 9 we read this:
Heb 8:8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
Heb 8:9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
Do you see it? God said, “they continued not in my covenant and I regarded them not.” Because of their failure to be obedient, God dis-regarded Israel.
At this point God said that because of their failure to be obedient to the Old Covenant this is what He would do; continuing in Hebrews we read:
Heb 8:10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
Heb 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
Heb 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first obsolete. Now that which is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
(Note: to find out about whom is the Israel mentioned in verse 10, read Romans 9: 6, 7 and Galatians 4:28. The new Israel is Christians.)
God intended, from the beginning of time, to replace the Old Covenant with a New Covenant; a Covenant of Grace where God’s works would be the cause and man’s response would be the effect, just the opposite of the Old Covenant, a covenant of failure.
In the New Covenant, man is born again by the will of God, and man is kept saved by the will of God and man is given eternal life in Heaven by the will of God.
No longer would God require man to be justified by his works of the Law as we read in Galatians 3: 11
Gal_3:11 (KJV) But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
We also read this in Galatians 2: 16
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
However, as mentioned at the beginning, man still thinks he can be justified by his works and still tries to do what is in the Old Covenant. That is why many sermons are based on Old Testament scripture. It is amazing. Maybe that is why Paul wrote to the Galatians when some of them were trying to do this and he told them:
Gal 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Gal 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Verse 3 above is exactly what being justified by the Old Covenant was to do – being made perfect by works of the flesh.
Yes, one can find history in the Old Testament scriptures, also some promises of God looking ahead to the covenant of grace and not of works, as well as beautiful poetry of the English language. Other than that, Christians should be focusing on the New Testament scripture verses, learning from them like:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
2Ti_1:9 (KJV) Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
These are but a few of the gems, the nuggets that can be found throughout the New Testament Covenant of grace.
As a Christian, you have but two choices when it comes to pleasing God. You can try to be obedient to the works of the Law found in the Old Covenant, which no one has ever been able to do, except for Jesus who did so for those who are saved, or you can do what the New Covenant of grace says in living by faith.
Gal_3:11 (KJV) …no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Remember…
Heb 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first obsolete. Now that which is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Believing What Christ Said About Eternal Life
If I were to ask you this question, “Do you believe Jesus when He speaks to us?”, most likely you would say “Yes, of course”. What if I were to ask you, “Did Jesus ever lie?”, again you might quickly answer “No, He never did.”, but is this something you really believe?
While there are many different Christian religions, for the most part, they all believe in Jesus for salvation. The problem, however, is that there are many who call themselves Christians that believe it is possible that one could lose their salvation.
If it were possible to lose one’s salvation, along with eternal life, would that not make Jesus a liar? I guess it would depend upon what Jesus has said about eternal life, and the best place to find out what He said is in the Scriptures.
There are three scripture references I would like for you to see. You can read them for yourself and decide what it is you want to believe.
The first scripture verses are from John 6: 37 – 40
John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
John 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
Here we see that Jesus said that He would lose none of all whom the Father gave to Him, and that they would have everlasting life.
The second scripture verses are from John 10: 25 – 29
John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
John 10:26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
In speaking of His Sheep Jesus said that He gave them eternal life and that they will never perish, and that no one can take them from Him. In addition, He reminded everyone that the Father gave them to Him and that no one can take them out of His Father’s hand as well.
The last scripture verse I would like for you to see is this. From John 17: 2
John_17:2 (KJV) As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
God the Father has given to Jesus all power over all flesh, and that Jesus would give eternal life to all whom the Father has given Him.
So, now what is it that you believe? Do you still think that you can have eternal life taken from you? On the other hand, have you been given the assurance that, according to what you have just read, your salvation and the promise of eternal life in heaven is secure in the words of Jesus.
These are but a few scripture verses that are quotes from Jesus, to say that one could lose eternal life is tantamount to calling Jesus a liar. If you still believe eternal life can be lost, you are saying that you do not believe what Christ said about eternal life. It is that simple.
Jesus said:
John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish…
Irresistible Grace – Thank God For It
What does “Irresistible Grace” mean? In short it is, “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.
Two verses out of many that use the word “grace” are in Ephesians 2. One is found in Ephesians 2: 8, 9, which most Christians know and reads:
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
The other is found in Ephesians 2: 4, 5 that reads:
“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) “
Actually, verse 5 explains quite simply what the action and result is of “grace” being applied to whomever God chooses. It is God’s divine influence upon the heart of the person, who is dead in sins, and makes them alive in their spirit; it is the act of being “born again” by the Spirit of God.
Remember, we are all spiritually dead in our sins and we can do nothing to respond to any call to believe on Jesus. The New Birth must happen first before anyone by faith can believe on Jesus.
In John 6: 44 Jesus says this:
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:”
In addition in 1 Corinthians 2: 14 the Apostle Paul wrote this:
“But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
The Apostle John made things quite clear when he wrote this in 1 John 5:1
“Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God:”
These verses by Jesus, Paul and John make it quite clear that regeneration, or the act of being born again by the “grace” of God, precedes and causes saving faith.
Therefore, by these few verses alone, if regeneration (being born again) had to result from believing faith of the unregenerate in order to be saved—then no one would ever be regenerated (born again) and saved.
This is why “grace” is the irresistible action first applied by God upon the heart of man so that the unbelieving and unregenerate man can, and will, believe on Jesus, and why we should give thanks to God. For it is by God’s “irresistible grace” that we are saved.
Thank God for His divine grace upon our unregenerate hearts, that we would first be born again to give us a new life, being made alive in our spirit, that we might now and forever believe on the Lord Jesus.
Riff's Christian Journal 