Those Whom God Foreknew and Had Already Chosen

2008-05-03 21:32

"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." (Romans 8:29-30).

Those whom God foreknew and had already chosen are not from below, but are to be born again from above. The Bible calls them the children of the promise. Therefore, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again from above, according to His Son, Jesus Christ who is from above. Therefore, the Bible says, "In reply Jesus declared, 'I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.'" (John 3:3).

The Word of life still enlightens us, "But he continued, 'You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.'" (John 8:23).

Ishmael, the son of Abram, was born from below by the slave woman Hagar according to the flesh, but Isaac, the son of Abraham, was born from above by the master Sarah according to the promise. Therefore, the Bible refers to the son born according to the flesh as the son born from below, and the son born according to the promise as the son born from above.

Therefore, the son born from above according to the promise is the son of God, that is, the son born according to the Spirit. The Bible says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." (John 1:12-13). And also, "That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed." (Romans 9:8).

According to the truth, therefore, God does not choose or reject someone among the sons born according to the flesh; He rejects all the first men born according to the flesh, and chooses all the second men born again of the Spirit.

And so the Bible says, "And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other." (Matthew 24:31). And again, "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day." (John 6:39).

Therefore, the children of God who are born again of the Spirit offer to God a sacrifice of praise in Christ Jesus, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves." (Ephesians 1:3-6).

So the salvation is accomplished by the predestined faith in the gospel of the covenant in the blood of His Son and by the guarantee of the Holy Spirit sealing with an oath. Therefore, the Bible says, "Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged." (Hebrews 6:16-18).

It is written, "set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1:22). And again, "Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 5:5).

Therefore, those whom God foreknew and had already chosen are not in the flesh but in the Spirit; they are born of God. It is written, "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." (Romans 8:9).

Therefore, God's chosen people are not from below, but from above. Those who are from below are not the children of God. Only those who are from above are the children of God. Amen. Thank you, Lord.