It’s been on my mind, in going through this study, to consider the matter of election or choice, which remains such a challenge to believers even to this day. I have already noted the definition of this term: that it speaks of being elected, or of being of particularly excellent quality. There is also the idea of being a favorite, as one will tend to choose what one favors. But, let me briefly survey the use of this term through the New Testament. There are not that many verses to consider, so I shall just run through them.
Mt 22:14 – Many are called, but few are chosen. Mt 24:22-24, Mk 13:20-22 – None would have been saved had those days not been cut short. But, they were cut short for the sake of the elect. So, if anybody claims to know that the Christ is here, or that He is over there, don’t believe them. There will be many false Christs, many false prophets with all manner of signs and wonders to show, hoping to mislead even the elect, were such a thing possible. Mt 24:31, Mk 13:27 – He will send His angels out to gather the elect together from all across the land. Lk 18:7 – God will surely bring justice for His elect, who cry out to Him constantly. Lk 23:35 – If He is truly the Christ of God, His chosen One, let Him save Himself from this. Ro 8:33 – Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God Himself justifies them. Ro 16:13 – Greet Rufus, who is a choice man in the Lord. Col 3:12 – As those chosen of God, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 1Ti 5:21 – I charge you in the presence of God, of Christ Jesus, and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles and do nothing in partiality. 2Ti 2:10 – I endure all things for the sake of the chosen, that they might gain that salvation which is in Christ Jesus, as well as eternal glory. Ti 1:1 – Paul was appointed an apostle for the faith of those chosen of God, that they might know the truth which accords with godliness. 1Pe 1:1 – Peter writes to the chosen scattered throughout Asia Minor. 2Pe 2:4-6 – His is as a living stone, though rejected by men, He is choice and precious in God’s sight. You, too, are as living stones, and you are being built up to be a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, wherein to offer up spiritual sacrifices made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For Scripture says, “I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone. He who believes in Him shall not be disappointed.” 1Pe 2:9 – You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own possession, set to proclaim His excellencies Who has called you out of darkness into His own marvelous light. 2Jn 1 – The elder writes to the chosen lady and her children, loved in truth by all who know the truth. 2Jn 13 – The children of your chosen sister greet you. Rev 17:14 – They war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords, King of kings. And those with Him are the called, the chosen, the faithful.
But, of course, there is the associated verb, which adds to the list.
(Eklegomai [1586]): To choose for oneself. To give favor to what is chosen. To prefer. | from ek [1537]: from, out of, and lego [3004]: to lay forth in discourse. To select. | to pick or choose for oneself.
Lk 6:13 – Jesus chose twelve to be His apostles. Lk 9:35 – This is My Son, My Chosen One. Listen to Him. Lk 10:42 – Mary has chosen the good part, and it shall not be taken from her. Jn 6:70 – Is it not so that I chose you twelve Myself, yet one of you is a devil? Jn 13:18 – I know the ones I have chosen. Jn 15:16 – You didn’t choose Me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and bear fruit, and that fruit will remain. Because of this, what you ask of the Father on My authority, He will give to you. Jn 15:19 – You are not of the world, for I chose you out of the world. Therefore, the world hates you. Ac 1:2 – He gave orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles He has chosen. Ac 1:24 – Lord, show us which of these You have chosen to minister as an apostle. Ac 13:17 – God chose our forefathers and led them out of Egypt. Ac 15:7 – Peter recalled to mind how God had chosen him from amongst the twelve to speak the Gospel to the Gentiles. 1Co 1:27-29 – God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He has chosen the weak to shame the strong. He has chosen the base things, things the world despised, and things which are not, so as to nullify things which are. Thus, He leaves no man cause to boast before Him. Eph 1:4 – He chose us in Him before the world was even established, so that we should be holy and blameless before Him. Jas 2:5 – Didn’t God choose the poor in this world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom He promised to those who love Him?
Then, there is the Hebrew term of similar meaning, for which I shall look at a selection of occurrences.
(Bachar [OT:977]): to prove. To like. To be especially chosen. Something deemed excellent after testing. The best. The result of a careful, thought out choice. Most often used of choices with eternal consequences. | to try, select. | divine choice. Selected from. Tested and tried.
Nu 16:5-7 – The Lord will show who is His, who is holy, and will bring him near to Himself. The one whom He will choose, He will bring near. So, take censers for yourselves with fire in them, and lay incense on them in the Lord’s presence tomorrow. The man the Lord chooses shall be the one who is holy. [Note that this was spoken during a rebuke of the sons of Korah for exceeding their place.] Dt 7:6-7 – You are a people holy to the Lord your God. He has chosen you from among all the peoples of the earth to be His own people. He has not done this because you are so numerous and powerful, for you were the least of all peoples. Dt 12:5 – You shall worship the Lord at the place He chooses. [These two points, a chosen people and a chosen place, are made repeatedly throughout Deuteronomy.] Josh 24:15 – Choose today whom you will server; whether the idols of your fathers, or the gods of the Amorites. For my part, me and my household will serve the Lord. Josh 24:22 – You are witnesses against yourselves: You have chosen to serve the Lord. 1Sa 10:24 – Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is no other like him among the people. 2Sa 6:21 – The Lord chose me above your father and his household. He appointed me to rule over His people, over Israel. Therefore will I celebrate before the Lord. 2Sa 19:38 – Whatever you require of me, I will do. 1Ki 8:16 – I chose no city in all Israel wherein to build a house for Myself, but I chose David to rule over My people Israel. 1Ki 8:48-49 – If they return to You wholeheartedly in the place where their enemies have taken them captive, and they pray toward the land You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, wherein is the house I have built for Your name; then hear their prayer in heaven and uphold their cause. 2Ki 21:7 – In this house, in Jerusalem which I have chosen from all Israel, I will put My name forever. 2Ki 23:27 – I will remove Judah from My sight, just as I have done with Israel. And I will cast off Jerusalem, the city I have chosen, along with the temple in which I said, ‘My name shall be there.’ 1Ch 15:2 – No one is to carry the ark of God but those the Lord chose to minister to Him forever. Neh 9:7 – You are the Lord God, Who chose Abram from out of Ur of the Chaldeans, and renamed him Abraham. Ps 25:12 – Who is the one who fears the Lord? The Lord will instruct him in the way he should choose. Ps 47:4 – He shall choose our inheritance for us. Selah. Ps 65:4 – How blessed is the one You choose to bring near to dwell in Your courts. He will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house. Ps 84:10 – A day in Your courts is far better than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather stand at the door of God’s house than dwell within the tents of the wicked. Ps 119:173 – I have chosen Your ways. Pr 1:29 – They hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. Pr 8:10-11 – Take instruction over silver, and knowledge over choicest gold. For wisdom is better than jewels. The sum of all desirable things can not compare with her. Pr 16:16 – Wisdom is far greater than gold! Understanding ought be chosen over silver. Pr 21:3 – The Lord prefers righteousness and justice over sacrifice. Isa 41:9 – You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Hag 2:23 – On that day, I will take you and make you like a signet ring, for I have chosen you.
Who Chooses? (04/03/10)
The first and critical point we need to establish as regards election is who does the choosing? If we think of it in terms of a political election process, the answer is clearly that the voters choose, and the elected official does not, or at least not in any particularly significant way. We can argue that he chooses to make himself available for office, but I could as easily envision as situation in which his willingness to serve really didn’t enter into the equation. At any rate, in the process of this heavenly election, the question becomes, who has a vote? Well, by the model of the political process which I have put forth, it is clearly on the one who is chosen or elected, and that would be me. So, if not me, then who?
It’s not a matter of the existing church gathering together and casting ballots as to my acceptability. They may speak to my membership in their particular gathering, but not in the heavenly community of all believers. Further, at some point there would have to have been a first member of that gathering, and then, what body would have voted his acceptance in there number? This cannot be the basis, then.
I am forced back to the fundamental truth that it is God who chooses. This has to be plain even to those who are so concerned with upholding the free will of man. After all, to deny this concept, one would have to reject one of the most basic premises of Scripture. Throughout the book of Deuteronomy we are reminded that Israel is a people holy to the Lord God, for He has chosen them. Notice the cause and effect there. He chose, therefore they are to be holy, set aside exclusively for Him. Notice as well that He makes it clear that His choice was not based on likely outcomes. He did not choose them because they composed such a large population. He did not choose them because they had the power and the clout to dominate the other nations around them. Indeed, He spells it out very plainly: “You were the least of all peoples” (Dt 7:6-7).
There was nothing Israel was going to point to that would suggest that God had a solid reason for choosing them. They were a people enslaved to a powerful nation, and the ruler of that powerful nation had a powerful hatred for the Israelites. Indeed, he was determined to see them destroyed. But, God. Their behavior subsequent to rescue likewise did nothing to recommend them. A less patient God would surely have left them to their own devices shortly after Mount Sinai. But, God. Most importantly: But God chose them anyway, in spite of their insignificance, in spite of their incapacity for righteousness, God chose them.
Now, lest we go thinking that was then but this is now, Jesus makes it clear that over the several thousand years between the Exodus and the Advent, nothing much had changed. “You didn’t choose Me, I chose you” (Jn 15:16)! I want to come back to that verse in another regard later, but for now, this is to the point. Paul, on several occasions, belabors the point that the choice Jesus speaks of was nothing to do with any merit in ourselves. A good third of the book of Romans is devoted to making this painfully and unavoidably clear. But, take the more succinct statement of his point in Ephesians. He chose us before the world was even established, so that we could be holy and blameless before Him (Eph 1:4). Notice the reflection of the Deuteronomy message in that statement. He chose, therefore you are to be holy. But, there’s a slight modification, a new level of understanding revealed: Not only are you to be holy because of His choice, but you are only able to be holy because of His choice. Had He not chosen, you would have no hope of being so, whatsoever, even if it were in you to choose to try.
I would also like for us to hear the foreshadowing of the Gospel message in the Psalms. Listen! “How blessed is the one You choose to bring near to dwell in Your courts. He will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house” (Ps 65:4). Can you hear the greater Truth in that? No one comes to the Son except the Father calls them near (Jn 6:44). And there the promise is likewise repeated in its way: “I will raise him up on the last day.”
Now, let me address the issue that so concerns the proponents of free will. And let me first say that I am not, nor ever have, suggesting that there is no free will in the matter of man in relationship to God. That is never the point. The point is simply this: My salvation is a matter of God’s choice, and God’s choice is of necessity conjoined with His predestining of the outcome. It shall be, and quite frankly, nothing I do is going to change that. Does that, then, make of me an automaton? Does that, then, mean I have no moral obligation in the deal, since I could not but be who I am? In both cases the answer is no, and I was blessed to have heard a relatively clear explanation of this only yesterday. But, that’s something of a story unto itself. Let me first lay out a very simple point from the Scriptures.
Israel, out there on the far end of their wanderings, once more faced the demands of God and were called upon to declare their allegiance, either for the idolatries of the Canaanites and of their forefathers, or for God. They loudly chose God. Let’s be very clear about this: They chose. They exercised their will in the matter (Josh 24:22). Now, again I shall return to this verse in a different context, but consider the basic point: “You have chosen to serve the Lord.” This is legal testimony. This is an acceptance of binding arbitration, if you will. The contract is signed, and your part of it committed to. Any failure from this point forward is breach of contract. But, you chose. You made the call.
And yet, haven’t we just been seeing that God chooses? He makes the call. It can’t be both, can it? Well, as the message I heard the yesterday points out, yes it can. As something of an aside, let me just note that this particular message has been languishing in my collection of CDs for many months, unlistened to because my car had no player in which to play it, and listening to sermons at home is not something I have ever had time for. But, lo! Finally, my old car was put out to pasture and here is the new, and after the sheer joy of listening to good music rather than talk radio as I drive about wore off, it was time to start going through my backlog of messages (over a year’s worth by this time). I’m just running through them in order as I commute back and forth to work, and it just happens that this issue of God’s will and man’s will was addressed on the message queued up yesterday. Just happens! God is so awesome! Coincidence? Not likely. Not with the God of Providence in charge. No, it’s a God thing.
At any rate, the concept that I heard explained was that of confluence: God’s will and man’s will coinciding and moving forward to accomplish the purposes of God. I have to note that this is not necessarily a willing cooperation on the part of man. The verse to which this point was made was the famous, “you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” Joseph’s brothers weren’t looking to the preservation of tribe when they sold Joseph off. They were acting on motives of purest evil. But, God. They were actually in cahoots with God, though they could hardly suspect it. God will work all things for good, according to His purpose, even as we are told in Romans 8:28, and, as R. C. Sproul made clear in this discussion, it is because of this confluence of wills that He can make that claim, and we can put our confidence in it.
Coming back to this matter of choice in the most important case of salvation. God chooses. Had He not chosen, it is absolutely clear that we could not so much as think of choosing Him. Unless He draws, we find no cause to look to Jesus. And yet, however much we understand that, there is something in us that wants to insist that we at least had to choose to accept His offer. This is the real sticking point. And, the answer I find laid out is that yes, we did have to choose, and we did choose and we did choose most willingly. But, the foundational truth of the matter is that we had to. We could not have chosen otherwise. We can lay it out that we would never have wanted to choose otherwise, once the option was set before us, but that’s nonsense. I can lay out any number of examples I’ve heard of those who ‘rejected the offer’ at first, only to come to Him later. Like I said: you couldn’t have chosen otherwise. You can pretend to have effected the timing, but you can’t pretend to have changed the outcome. The fact remains that God’s purposes are not thwarted by devils, and they are certainly not thwarted by men. His will will be done, and His will is His choice, and His choice is my salvation.
What Was Chosen?(04/04/10)
Having determined who chose, it is well to consider what was chosen. There is, of course, the pat answer that I was chosen. But, is that the whole of it? Not at all! Listen to the Psalmist. “He chooses our inheritance for us” (Ps 47:4). And, lest we misconstrue the importance of that, our inheritance is set in parallel to the ‘glory of Jacob whom He loves.’ It is definitely for good, and not for evil, this inheritance. You have doubts? Just scan the psalms for what is said of this inheritance! The nations are given (Ps 2:8), the Lord is my inheritance (Ps 16:5), an eternal inheritance (Ps 37:18). Look further, and you cannot miss the fact that we are likewise His inheritance, although the record makes clear that He has not had the best end of that deal. But, in both cases, it is His choice. He has chosen to be our inheritance and He has chosen us as His. We cannot get away from that point.
With that in mind, I’ll turn back to John 15:16. Hear it again. “You didn’t choose Me. I chose you.” But, it doesn’t stop there. “I appointed you.” To do what? “I appointed you to go and bear fruit, and that fruit will remain.” You may not immediately get that sense of things from the text, but as it is God’s choice and God’s purpose that are in sight, I feel that confidence of lasting fruit is justified. It is not because I’m going to do such a fine job of fulfilling my purpose. It’s that He is seeing to it. He is, as I love to remember, at work in me both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Php 2:13), and He will perfect that which He has begun (Php 1:6). But, come back to John. We’re not quite done with that passage yet. You see, He has spelled out the controller of what is happening, and He has pointed out what must come of it. But, then, there is a promise of sorts attached, “that whatever you ask of the Father on My authority, He may give to you.”
Oh! We dare not take that as carte blanche! How can we suppose that God is thereby required to grant us every little wish? No! Understand with me that it is because He chose me, and because He is making certain that I am fruitful in ways that have consequence for His purposes, that there is any value in my prayers. It is because He is working in me, because I have become this temple for the Holy Trinity, that my prayers are no longer focused on my petty wants, but rather turned to His kingdom purposes. And it is because my prayers are upon His purposes that He is pleased to answer.
You see, I find it necessary to shift the text just slightly from ‘in My name’ to ‘upon My authority’ because we fail to recognize that the latter is the significance of the former phrase. We have reduced ‘in the name of Jesus’ to some sort of magical incantation, by which we propose to bind the Almighty God to our command. May it never be! No, nor has it ever been. The simplest refutation of any such understanding lies in recognizing that the ravages of disease continue to impact the world. It is not every misguided prayer of the believer that God honors, nor is it the power of one’s personal faith that determines the effectiveness of our prayers in turning God’s attention to our problems. As if! But, I’ll save that thought for later.
No! It is the prayer shaped by God’s influence upon us that is assured of His response. It may stretch the matter slightly, but it would not hurt us to consider that our prayers are a means by which God speaks into His creation; at least when we are praying as we ought. You see, part of that inheritance that He has chosen for me is the portion of His own authority which He has vested in me. But, that authority is mine to wield only so long as I wield it in accord with His own. The moment that I try to claim authority when my command is at odds with the kingdom, all authority is stripped from me. It may be only in that moment, but it remains true. “You have no authority, unless it has been given from above” (Jn 19:11). That is the Christian’s understanding of political power. It is also the Christian’s bound upon his own. Every earthly authority, right down to that of the parent, is delegated, and being delegated, must be bound by the One who delegates, else there is no authority. All of that is to remind us that when we pray, if our prayers are not aligned with the will of God Who Reigns, then they are the empty words of the pagan and nothing more.
ATM prayers are non-binding. Prayers for some particular outcome based on something somebody said to us, claiming to be the mouthpiece of God are not necessarily binding. We cannot say, “You said.” We are too quick to accept the prophetic credentials in our day. Time was that most men knew better than to make such a claim lightly. But, now, we have once again schools of prophecy, but schools that teach a prophetic mission unknown to God’s people. Prophets that restrict themselves to encouraging words? What sort of Biblical mandate is there for such a format? Absolutely none! Oh, I dare say every prophet of God was certain to include encouragement even in the worst woes pronounced upon God’s own. But, they did not shy away from pronouncing the woes. They spoke for God, not for emotional impact. They sought the restoration of the soul of those they rebuked, not the patching of the psyche.
No, the prayer that is binding is the prayer that God speaks through us. It may be in tongues, but is more likely to be in intelligent and understandable terms. There is a time and place for the former, but I’m not sure we do ourselves any great favors by placing more weight on that form of prayer than upon that which expresses the earnest cry of heart and soul. Consider the prayers poured out in the Psalms. David did not find it necessary to couch his language in terms of what was appropriate for the pews. He poured out his hurts, his fears, his anger, and allowed the Holy Spirit of God to so minister to him as to turn those attitudes back to the thanksgiving, joy and peace that are more characteristic of those who see their inheritance laid out before them in no uncertain terms.
Indeed, let us consider that which David said to his wife when she thought it well to rebuke him for his open display of thanksgiving to the Lord. “The Lord chose me above your father and his household. He appointed me to rule over His people, over Israel. Therefore will I celebrate before the Lord” (2Sa 6:21). What a marvelous flow of thought this is! The Lord chose me. That is paramount. Were it not so, nothing of what follows would follow. He appointed me to rule. Now, that is not a generalized promise to all who are called His own. It is specific to David. But, let us generalize: He has appointed an inheritance to me, a marvelous and eternal inheritance. That we can take to heart! Finally comes the inevitable outcome of such a marvelous thing: “Therefore I will celebrate!” Indeed, I am inclined to go ahead and cut out the middle, for it’s gravy. Let me shorten it to this: The Lord chose me, therefore I will celebrate!
On this Resurrection Sunday – or you can continue to refer to it as Easter; it really doesn’t signify much either way, but as you scruple, so let it be with you – this is where our faith must surely bring us. The Lord chose me! In what He did upon that cross on Calvary’s hill, He chose to do it for me. In what was sealed by that marvelous Resurrection from the dead that we mark today, in the emptiness of His tomb, He chose me! Before He had even moved upon the chaos of the void so as to form this earth and all that is upon it, He chose me, and He set into motion all the events of history that would be needful to not only bring me into existence, but bring me into His own presence and into the enveloping glory of His love. He chose me! Therefore I will celebrate!
Lord, on this day, in spite of the aches I may feel this morning, in spite of the efforts that will shortly be required of me in support of our corporate celebration of Your glorious victory over sin and death, let this be the attitude of my heart. Whatever the challenges, whatever the issues that may arise, let this rise above them all in me: That You chose me, and knowing that, let me celebrate! Let this joy of knowing Your choice of me permeate my being today. Let it color all my dealings with those who join with me in this joyous day. And in that, my God, may you be pleased to aid me and pleased to observe me. Amen!
Legal Ramifications (04/05/10)
I commented on this verse earlier, but let’s look again at Joshua 24:22. Here, Joshua reminds the people that they have chosen to serve the Lord. What is important to note, however, is that this reminder is given to point out that they have given legally binding testimony. “You are witnesses against yourselves,” he says. In other words, having declared your allegiance to God, don’t think you can claim later that you were only kidding. Don’t think that you can back out of the deal if you decide on something else. If you break the terms of this covenant, your own words can and will be used against you in the court of Law.
Thus it stood, and it is thus that we find so many judgments made against Israel over the years. In spite of the earnest reminders given them by the prophets God assigned to that purpose, Israel by and large opted to do as it pleased, to chase after whatever gods the folks around them chased, and generally sought to look just like everybody else. As often as they rebelled against the One they once claimed as Lord, punishment came upon them. This was not done out of spitefulness. One could argue it wasn’t even done with the sole purpose of upholding justice. It was done by way of restoring Israel to her rightful purpose. It was done as a discipline.
Surely we can recognize that discipline is a form of justice. It is a form of justice that is particularly concerned with rehabilitating the one being disciplined. It is done, in other words, in hopes that the one thus punished will truly repent of that for which he was punished, never to return to such habits. And yet, the translation of Luke 18:7-8 which I was reading this morning sees fit to say, “Will God not judge in favor of His own people […]? I tell you, He will judge in their favor” [TEV]. Sadly, I should have to say that is no guarantee. God bringing justice for His elect is a far cry from guaranteeing the judgment shall be in their favor. For their good, yes. In their favor? Only so far as they are in the right. God brings justice, not favoritism, even for His chosen. Were it not so, there would be no discipline. Were there no discipline, there would be no love of God, for we are reminded quite plainly that even earthly fathers discipline their legitimate children, and that if we are not disciplined by God then He is not our Father (Heb 12:7-8).
At one and the same time, we who live this side of the cross have a particular promise by which we take comfort. Paul writes of it to the church in Rome, that seat of highest appeal in the legal system of the time. “Who will bring charges against God’s elect? God Himself justifies them” (Ro 8:33)! It ought to be clear enough that there are those who will bring charges against us; many who will do so. The devil is prime among them, that adversary of which the Scriptures warn us. But, listen! The promise here is not specifically that God will do justice by us, nor that He will judge in our favor, although He will assuredly do both. No. The fundamental promise in this passage is that He justifies us. He settles the court case. It is not that He declares the charges false. It is that He declares the penalty paid.
This is something that seems to get confused quite often. We think that somehow, if He has justified us, He has simply ignored all the accumulated wrongs of our lives. But, that’s not justice, and God is assuredly Just. When we declare that God is no respecter of persons, not one to show favoritism, we must include ourselves in the equation. Not even for His own Son, would He show favoritism. He certainly won’t do so for us. But, because His own Son was truly faithful, lived a truly righteous life and willingly gave His life as the payment for our own eternal debt of sin, the court is indeed Just to declare us justified. Penalty paid and free to go. That is the power of the Gospel!
Yes, our God and King declares that He will cast our sins into the sea of forgetfulness, it’s true. But, He will see justice upheld. The case must be heard, sadly, and I can not doubt that we will hang our heads in sorrow for the myriad infractions that shall be recounted against us by that adversary of ours. We will assuredly find no cause to plead anything but guilty, for the case will be painfully clear against us. I cannot suppose anybody will be tempted to try and set out their good deeds on that day as somehow ameliorating the case. No, there is only one plea to be made before that court, only one defense. My Jesus! That same One Who stands as our counsel for the defense, and Who simultaneously presides over this court: He has already paid the full demands of justice in my case, as the records will show.
No, there is no room for us to argue with the devil over the validity of his charges, and we can be certain he will bring them on. Our defense is not to claim he lies, or that he has misconstrued the circumstances. Our defense is not even found in a heart of sorrow and repentance – not directly. No, our defense is solely in the mercy provided us by this court, the name of Jesus, our elder brother, Who has seen justice served on our behalf by paying for our sins from His own infinite supply of righteousness.
Who will bring charges? Tempting though it is, I will not yield to arrogance and shout, “bring it on!” For, I know well enough that those charges shall be numerous and more than embarrassing for my own part. I shall know mortification such as I have never known it before, nor shall ever find cause to know it again. Yet, though I cannot face the charges with head held high, yet I can face them with a rock-solid and certain hope. “He justifies me.” He doesn’t say it was OK that I did as I did. He doesn’t claim some legal exception on my part. He pleads nolo contendere, and then notes the penalty has long since been settled with the courts. The even greater good news in that passage from Romans lies in the next verse: “Who condemns? Jesus, Who died and was raised to sit where He now is at the right hand of God intercedes for us” (Ro 8:34)! Oh! And I can’t stop there! “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angel nor principality, neither our past, nor things future, no power, no height, no depth, nothing in all of creation (be it heaven, hell, or anywhere in between) shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ro 8:35a, Ro 8:38-39).
That’s some legal ramifications! Therein and therein alone do I find confidence to continue. Therein and therein alone do I stand, and find hope to stand in that final day.
Ministry Ramifications (04/07/10)
Earlier, I made note of the many times God speaks of choosing His people throughout the text of Deuteronomy, but it is not just His people. As often as He notes His choice of them, He also gives them the instruction to worship Him at the place He chooses (Dt 12:5). History makes it clear that the places He chose through the years were not chosen because of some holiness inherent in the site, nor because of any magical power resident in the area. No, places were not chosen because they were special, they were special because they were chosen. As with man, so with place. It is His choosing that defines the special relationship.
That same history that clearly indicates this relationship between God Who chooses and those places of His choosing also paints a clear picture of our tendency to confuse the issue. The record we have of Israel’s dynasty show how swiftly men came to think that the place itself had power to preserve. Repeatedly, God finds it necessary to all but destroy those places He formerly chose lest His people slide farther into error. In Jesus’ day we see that same tendency on display when He finds it needful to tell people that making oaths ‘by the temple’ was not right. It is on display in the powerful reaction folks had to the very idea of somebody claiming the temple might be destroyed. If one reads Josephus’ account of the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened not so many years later, the utter depravity that was perpetrated by these same people is terrible to hear. And yet, they could still suppose that the presence of the temple they themselves had desecrated was going to magically preserve them against the might of Rome. It never crossed their mind that God had long since vacated the premises. It’s not the place that matters, but He Who chooses.
We need to bear these lessons in mind for ourselves in this day and age. We, too, are inclined to make more of our churches than we ought. Worse still, we make the terrifying error of supposing that because God once chose this nation as something special, He shall never abandon it, never allow it to see destruction. Why would we suppose He would treat us differently than His own chosen people Israel? Only because we have fallen into the same mistake of thinking the place has the power and not Him.
Now, let me combine this point of His choice of venue with another verse. Here, we are learning along with David that the order and form of worship is also a matter of the Lord’s choosing. “No one is to carry the ark of God but those the Lord chose to minister to Him forever” (1Ch 15:2). This, of course, comes in the follow up to an earlier attempt to bring the ark to Jerusalem, an attempt that ignored God’s instructions and therefore failed miserably.
Here, then, is something to bear in mind in the church of eternal programs. Why are we forever devising new programs? Because they are destined to fail, being as they have little or nothing to do with God’s instructions. It strikes me that just about every program that ever a church put in place has been an attempt to improve upon God. We fear He is no longer relevant to our culture so we dress Him up in modern garb. We see a world saturated in multimedia, so we assume the church should be, too. God won’t make sense to them unless He’s starring in a video. They won’t be able to grasp the meaning of the sermon unless we’ve got superior Powerpoint skills. And, in spite of the fact that many of our church buildings were designed for oration in a period that predated PA systems, we’re determined that the message must now be heard at volumes capable of drowning out a jet engine, lest the people nod off.
We become so concerned with boosting the membership roles that we no longer consult God as to how He would wish to be worshiped. We’ll worship as we please, thank you very much. We’ll sing the songs that make us feel good, and just assume God will be pleased with it, because we executed those songs with such marvelous skill and flair. We looked good on video, surely we look good in heaven, too!
Be reminded, then, along with me. God chooses the place and God chooses the form. God chooses the minister! This is not strictly about the pastor, the preacher of the Word, although it is critical that His choice reign in that office. This is something that is true in every aspect of ministry. The Lord chooses who shall minister to Him and He chooses who shall minister for Him. There are plenty of self-appointed spokesmen around, ready to put forth their agenda and call it His. There are plenty who will go around claiming inside info on God’s plan, who have nothing to do with Him. It has ever been so. Just go and contemplate Jeremiah’s problems. Plenty of prophets to listen to in his time. You could easily shop around and find one who would tell you what you wanted to hear. But, there were very few who could truly claim God chose them to speak for Him.
Let us be mindful, then, of God’s instruction. If we would lay claim to being those who worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, let us recognize that this is not license for a charismatic free for all. We cannot worship Him in Truth if we do not give Him the right to instruct us as to how we ought to worship Him. We cannot claim to worship Him in the Spirit if we suppose that being in the Spirit means doing whatever sends a thrill up our legs. No, to be in the Spirit, surely we must be in accord with what the Spirit is doing, attentive to what the Spirit is instructing, and obedient to the consistent and unchanging instruction of the Spirit as to the proper order of worship in His temple.
I honestly think it well past time that the Church look back upon the worship of the Temple, not as something to return to, but as the clear model of what we were never expected to depart. No, I’m not advocating a return to the sacrificial system and other ritual aspects of the matter. But, we surely ought to contemplate what those types and signs were intended to typify, and make certain that our own forms and order of worship are consistent with the desire of God as He has revealed it in His Scriptures.
Rather than asking what will reach our culture, or what will make our services relevant, how about this? Let’s ask what the Word reveals about how our worship ought to look, how it should sound? Let’s go back to what our unchanging and perfect God has proclaimed for millennia as to how we are to minister before Him and for Him? The power, after all, is not in the forms or the facilities. The power is in Him Who chooses. Let us all the more yield to His choice!
Eternal Ramifications (04/07/10)
However great the benefit to us in this life, the greater benefit of God’s choosing lies in eternity. This fact stands on the basis of the greatest choice of God, that of His Son. As His chosen ones, we will maintain that all of Scripture is written to reveal to us His Chosen One. All that prophecies of the Old Testament find their fulfillment in Him. All that is written in the New Testament is written to acknowledge and explain Him. As far as this current study goes, though, I am going to focus on that aspect of Him being chosen.
That sense of being chosen is inherent in the title of Messiah which He bears. The Messiah is that one God has chosen for the rescue of His people. He is anointed for the particular purpose of God. Jesus is, of course, the ultimate Messiah, the full and final fulfillment of all that is spoken of that Redeemer of all mankind. But, there were others anointed for God’s purposes. There were others who, in their roles as lesser messiahs, served to foreshadow the coming King.
I will offer the example of Zerubbabel, a perhaps unlikely model to choose. As Haggai closes out his prophetic writings, we find a message delivered to this Zerubbabel, then governor of Judah (Hag 2:20-23). To him the Lord says, “I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, overthrowing the thrones and destroying the power of the kingdoms of the nations. I will overthrow chariots and their riders, horses and their riders, all will go down, each one by the sword of another.”
Stop there, for a moment, although I have yet to arrive at the meat of the matter. Note the circumstances which the Lord describes. It’s going to look like these are no more than the common outworkings of war. Man will die by the hand of man. There will be nothing in these events that will lead one to the unavoidable conclusion that God is doing the deed. It won’t be as though an invisible wind sweeps through the camp of one army and leaves them all dead in its wake. It’s not going to be the earth swallowing up the armies of this king or that. It’s going to be war as men wage war. And yet, though the kings and commanders over those armies direct their forces as they see fit, there remains a higher hand in control. Regardless of the human involvement in the ordering of these affairs, there remains that One in heaven who can say, “I AM doing it.”
This is the reality of our own walk with God, and it is, as I believe I have noted already in this study, the reason we can lay our confidence upon God’s claims that He is working all things for the good of His own (Ro 8:28). It is for this reason that I can have confidence that He who is working in me, Who is faithful to complete that which He has begun, will indeed continue to hold me on course until that day I reach His throne room, that day in which I see my Jesus as He truly is, and find that His work has indeed been completed.
But, back to Haggai. Having explained how this all works out, there comes a promise. “On that day, I will take you, Zerubbabel, my servant, and I will make you as a signet ring. Why? Because I have chosen you.” Again, note the order of cause and effect here. Zerubbabel is not assigned this significance because he’s been so righteous, or because he’s been such a great governor. He his not given the assignment for any cause except one: God has chosen.
While the cause and effect of God’s choice and its outworking in Providence is truly marvelous and truly cause for our great joy, it is not the end of the message to be taken from this prophecy. History reveals well enough how empire fell to empire fell to empire throughout this period. And yet, through it all, and through all the long centuries since, Israel remains. God’s chosen people remains. They have not done so because of their wiles nor because of their might. They have done so for the same reason Zerubbabel was to gain prominence: Because God has chosen.
Even beyond this, though, the prophecy points much farther forward in time. It was not simply a message of encouragement for a beleaguered governor. It was not simply a reminder to sustain the people through some of the harder times. It is a message of Messianic import. Zerubbabel serves as a foreshadowing of the true Messiah, the One Who is as a signet ring on the very hand of God, being chosen by God to take His place on the throne of heaven for all eternity. This is that One who is announced to the nations. This is the One proclaimed at His baptism: “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Lk 3:22). More to the point, He is announced to His own chosen inner circle. “This is My Son, My Chosen One. Listen to Him” (Lk 9:35)!
That latter announcement was made on the mountaintop, when those three apostles were chosen to witness the transfiguration of Jesus, to get a sneak peek, as it were, at His True being. To these three, the fulfillment of prophecy was briefly revealed. Here stood the very Son of God, manifestly brilliant in the glory of His true godhood. Here, they were granted a sight to sweep all doubts aside, and that sight was reinforced with the audible voice of God from heaven, proclaiming the significance of what they were witness to. Yes, they had seen Moses. Yes, they had seen Elijah. But, these two paragons of the chosen people of God were as nothing when set beside Jesus, God’s Chosen One.
Oh, God had surely chosen Moses for His purposes in first leading Israel out of Egypt. Truly, He had chosen Elijah to be a scourge against the continued issue of idolatrous practices amongst His people. But, these two, great though they were, were temporary. Though Moses served for many decades, still he died. Though Elijah performed many miracles during his tenure on earth, his term of service came to an end. This One, though; this Son of God, His Chosen One: He shall not pass away. He shall not relinquish the throne to another. As it is said of Him elsewhere, “Thou art a priest forever, after the order of Melchezedek.” He is our eternal High Priest, and He is simultaneously the eternal King of heaven and of all creation. He shall reign forever, for it is to this purpose that God has Chosen Him. The Eternal One, sacrificed to atone for our sins, a sacrifice of eternal significance, was slain and yet He lives. He has conquered death, and because He lives, though our bodies decay, yet we are alive, for His Spirit dwells in us whom He, the Chosen One has chosen (Ro 8:10)!
Oh God! What words could ever be enough to express the wonder of this? Who can sing Your praises sufficiently for the marvel of Your planning? For the extent of Your mercy? Who, indeed, is like You in all of heaven, or the earth? Who would attempt to compare themselves to You? They must drown in ridicule for even supposing such a thing! No, my Lord, but You are exalted above all things. It cannot be otherwise. And You have chosen Your own Son, Your only Son, to reign over all that You have created. You have chosen Him to serve in perfection, and to reign in perfection. Yes, and You have chosen such as me, my God, to come to this love for You. You have chosen me, in spite of my past and my present, to know a glorious future. You have picked me up (how often?) and washed me off, and made of me something I could never have been else. Wonderful? Too wonderful for words! Believable? Only because You have shown me. There are no thanks sufficient to honor You for being so unbelievably gracious towards me. But, my thanks You have in full.
Implications (04/08/10)
There are doubtless many implications of this matter of election which I might consider. However, there are two in particular that I have chosen to look at as a final point in this study. One is for the present and one for the future. I shall begin with the latter. Having yesterday considered the eternal impact of election, I could wonder: why? To what purpose is my eternal condition thus set out for me? One answer for this can be found in the Revelation, and it relates to our status as the elect.
In Revelation 17:14 we are hearing of the ten kings with no kingdoms who serve the beast. These, we are told, will wage war against the Lamb, but not successfully. The Lamb will overcome because He is Lord of lords and King of kings. In other words, He is greater than all; for that matter, greater than all combined. Then there is something of a footnote to this, for the Lamb does not join battle alone. The outcome is due to Him alone, but He is not alone. There are those who are with Him. Interestingly, this passage does not speak of any action these companions take beyond being with Him. But, it does describe them somewhat, not by appearances but by what marks them as companions.
They are the called. That is a primary requirement, as we have seen. Except the King of kings had called them, they would find no place in His army. They are the chosen, the elect. One might bring to mind the verse, “Many are called but few are chosen” (Mt 22:14). By its setting, that verse would seem to speak more to the point that not all who put on the appearance of being of His household truly are. Yet, I have seen a further application in that verse before. Even amongst the true believers, one might find cause to make a certain distinction. All are called, yes, and in the most critical sense, all are chosen. Yet, all are not called to serve or labor in the same capacity.
All are called to pray, but some few are chosen to pray with that particular focus and fervor we associate with the intercessor. All are called to study the Word, but some few are chosen to teach it. All are called to praise God with all that is within them, but some few are imbued with the talent to guide worship by voice and by instrument. Arguably, even amongst those who serve in the ministry of worship, the number who are truly given a capacity for leading worship that is in spirit and in truth is but a subset.
I can easily suppose that this army that the Lord of lords leads forth is of a similar nature. All are called to His service, but there is this subset chosen to ride to war with Him. Is it possible that these two terms are being used as synonymous parallels one to another? Absolutely. It may also be that they are not.
Coming back to Revelation 17:14, if I accept that these are intended as parallel concepts, then there is a third I ought likewise consider as synonymous. They are not only called and chosen. They are faithful. Now, some would doubtless like to take that as meaning “full of faith.” Then we can all wave our particular charismatic credentials and shout, “that’s me!” as if that had any great significance. But, let’s consider some of the more commonly understood meanings of the term; step aside from our Christianese for a moment. How about this? “Steadfast in affection or allegiance: loyal.” Or, this? “Firm in adherence to promise or in observance of duty: conscientious.” Even this one does well: “True to the facts, to a standard or to an original.” All of these I am pulling from Webster’s, which I should note, does list “full of faith” as a primary, if obsolete, definition.
I prefer, particularly in this sense of synonymous usage, to stick with those other definitions. To be called and chosen is to be faithfully loyal to the King, conscientious in doing our duty to the Lord, and true to the standard He sets as the Original. This is the goal of our election, after all, that we might be like Him, true brothers to the Firstborn of God. That’s what this whole business of church is about, isn’t it? We are made disciples. What does that mean? It means we are committed students of this One Whom we acknowledge as a Teacher. Recalling the sense of that term, it indicates that we have found in Him the model upon which we should shape our lives, the template for living as fully human.
In this present life, the Word is our guide to attaining to that goal. And, in that light, I shall touch upon my final implication of being chosen by God. “As those chosen of God, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Col 3:12). We are not chosen to idle through our remaining days. It is not sufficient to pray the sinner’s prayer, be baptized in water, and then continue through life as if nothing had changed. No! The life of faith is a labor, albeit a sweet one. The renewing of our minds is not some passive matter that the Spirit just does while we are sleeping or some such thing. We cannot do it without Him, to be sure. But, He won’t do it without us, either. Look you well, and note that this statement from Paul is put in most active terms. You! Put on a heart of compassion! Work at this. Focus on being kind towards others, even the hard cases. Remind yourself daily that you have every reason to be humble. Remind yourself that God is not impressed by pride, for it is a lie. Be gentle and patient with those around you.
Ouch! Will there come a time when I can look at lists of behavior such as this and find myself something other than wanting? Oh, I know with certainty that on that day when I stand before Him it shall be so, because it is He Who is making it so. But, what about in this life? I’m not satisfied to wait for it in the sweet by and by. The fruit must grow in the here and now. And yet, I look at that list and find myself on the wrong side of just about every item. Compassion? Sometimes, perhaps. But, mostly I fear I am unmoved. Humility? Only in a proud sort of way. Gentle and patient? Oh, dear. I don’t stand a chance on that count!
I have only to consider how well I’m coping with the noisy neighbors that have moved into my region of cubicle land. Sheesh! Can’t they all shut up? Or go grab a conference room or something? Patient? Only when things are moving at a speed I consider acceptable. I can be patient with you, I suppose, so long as you’re not in my way. This is not a record to be proud of. This is not faithful to the example of my Brother King. It is clear evidence that whatever pride I manifest has no basis in reality. It is clear evidence that I continue to be wholly dependent upon His choice and His work upon me, which is, I know, as it should be. Oh, but for better progress on this road towards Home!
Looking at these implications for the present, how much the more I am overjoyed to know that my future is secure in Him and in His election! Where else could I ever hope to find confidence? What other reason could I possibly enumerate to explain the assurance I have that I shall be found in His household for all eternity? No! Truly, it’s all about Jesus! All about His having chosen me, for I surely would not have chosen Him else. But, I have been called. I am chosen. I shall be faithful. When that final battle comes, I know that these three things shall truly stand in synonymous accuracy, describing that which my God has wrought in me.
Until that day, Lord, grant me strength and wisdom to seek after those things You have commanded. Let me find cause daily to grow in compassion and humility, in gentle patience, and yes, in thankfulness.
