Who are God's chosen? Those who believe in Him are His chosen ones. According to I Timothy 2:4-6 God wants everyone to be saved because Jesus died as a ransom for who? He died as a ransom for all! A ransom is a payment so that someone will be released. A good example would be the price someone paid to release a person from slavery.
Jesus Our Ransom
Why is Jesus referred to here as a ransom? Jesus is our ransom because we were slaves to sin. His death was the price paid to release us from the bondage of slavery that we lived in. Isaiah 53:10 prophecies that His soul would be a sin offering.
Who Are The Chosen?
John 3:17 plainly says,
" For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."
God sent His Son that who could be saved? The world could be saved! All people could know Him if they so choose. Through His Son everyone could avoid condemnation.
I Peter 2:9-10 says that we are a "chosen people" belonging to God, brought from darkness into light, who hadn't received mercy but now have.
Forced To Serve?
Are we forced to serve Him? Jesus certainly has the power to force us to serve Him but He chose not to. For Jesus came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). He puts Himself in the service of His creatures ultimately by ransoming us through His death and resurrection (Mark 10:45).
Since we are all sinners, we are only justified by God's grace which is a gift for all because we have been redeemed by Christ (Romans 3:24). To be redeemed here means to be delivered from sin. And what is grace? Grace is a completely undeserved favor. We aren't forced to accept this gift but it is offered to us.
Seek And You Shall Find
Deuteronomy 4:29 says that if we seek God, we will find Him. Jeremiah 29:13 reinforces this thought that God is found when we seek Him with our whole heart. As someone once said, God should be our whole purpose and our destiny. Those who don't believe have been blinded by the god of this world, Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4). They aren't seekers. God promises that He will draw near to those who fervently seek Him. God chooses all to come to Him. When we do, He opens the door of faith to us because belief comes from Him (Ephesians 2:8).
But what about Romans 3:11 that says no one seeks God? What is Paul saying? Simply that we can't seek God on our own. God must first draw us to Himself. We are only responding yes or no to the call that goes out to all peoples.
Rewarded For Seeking
Hebrews 11:6 tells us that God rewards those who "diligently seek Him." In John 6:44 Jesus says no one can come to Him unless He is drawn by the Father first. Later in John 12:32 Jesus says that, "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” All will be drawn, but not all will choose to follow. This doesn't mean that when we respond to God's call, we are in any way performing works to save ourselves.
Like Lost Sheep
In Luke 19:10, Jesus says that He comes to seek and to save the lost. We are all lost in our sins. He comes to save us all. He offers us a free gift which we can accept or reject. In Matthew 18:12-14 and in Luke 15: 3-7, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep. In Luke the focus is on the poor and rejected. All are sought by God, not just the socially acceptable or the powerful. In Matthew and Luke it is clear that even while we may be lost in sin Jesus seeks us. He encourages us through his Holy Spirit to repent and believe.
What Are We Called To Do?
As Christians we have a role to play in all of this. We are called "ministers of reconciliation" by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5: 18-21. We are the ones charged with spreading the Good News of salvation to all. Jesus has flung open the prison doors but the world doesn't know it. We are, as Paul calls us the "ambassadors for Christ". We who were once blind can tell those who are still blind who it is that can save them. As I Corinthians 3: 5-6 states it was through the means of Paul and Apollos that the people believed, but it was always God that "gave the increase".
Jesus Is...
When we seek God with our whole heart, we can agree with St. Louis de Montfort who says,
"He (Jesus) is the only teacher from whom we must learn;
the only Lord on whom we should depend;
the only Head to whom we should be united
and the only model that we should imitate.
He is the only Physician that can heal us;
the only Shepherd that can feed us;
the only Way that can lead us;
the only Truth that we can believe;
the only Life that can animate us.
He alone is everything to us
and he alone can satisfy all our desires."
Enjoy the song "Jesus Is" by Leanna Crawford here.
Comentários