Saturday, July 14, 2012
Chosen, Given Drawn, and Saved!
" For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should
not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16 KJV
The last time, we saw that the word "whosoever" in John 3:16 is not the most
accurate translation for the Greek phrase pas ho pisteuwn.
A more accurate version is in the Holman Christian Standard Bible.
"For God loved the world in this way,
that He gave His One and Only Son,
that everyone who believes in Him
should not perish, but have eternal life."
This phrase pas ho pisteuwn means "all the believing ones," or "everyone believing."
It does not say "all CAN believe."
Pas means "all" or "every," and it modifies ho pisteuwn.
Ho pisteuwn limits the realm of pas to the ones who believe. It does not apply
to those who don't believe. That means a limited number, because not all will believe.
"Whoever believes in Him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe stands condemned
already because he has not believed in the name
of God's one and only Son."
John 3:18
"When John uses the words 'does not believe' he is not speaking of momentary
beliefs and doubts but of continuing, settled attitudes." --NIV commentary
"Whosoever" implies that anyone, at a time of his own choosing, can decide to
follow Jesus. However, Scripture shows that God is in control of salvation in
every way, including the timing.
"God saves purposefully and perfectly to His own glory." Dr. James White
Paul and Barnabas were preaching the word of God to the people, and told
them that salvation was also for the Gentiles, not just the Jews.
"When the Gentiles heard this, they were
glad and honored the word of the Lord;
and all who were appointed for eternal
life believed."
Acts 13:48
**********
So, can anyone believe in Jesus any time he is ready, with his own free will?
Scripture shows us that the answer is no.
Only those the Father draws to Jesus can come to Him for salvation.
In John 6:44, Jesus said:
"No one can come to me unless the Father
who sent me draws him; and I will raise
him up on the last day."
So God MUST draw us first or we will not come to Jesus for salvation, but
when we come He will save us and raise us up to heaven on the last day. All who
are drawn by God WILL come to Him, and all who are not drawn will not come.
The drawing is a limiting factor, showing that not all will be drawn to Jesus, because
many will die and spend eternity separated from God.
**********
In John 6:37, Jesus said:
"All that the Father gives me will come to me,
and whoever comes to me I will never cast out."
The Father gives certain people to Jesus to be His; they will come to Him for
salvation; He accepts them as a gift from the Father; and He will never forsake
them.
Well, who are these people? The Bible tells us.
"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 1:4-6
These are His chosen people. Peter writes of them in 1 Peter 1:1-2:
"To God's elect, strangers in the world,
scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappodocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who
have been chosen according to the fore-
knowledge of God the Father, through
the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for
obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling
by His blood."
Only the ones the Father gives to the Son, CAN and WILL come to Jesus.
No one else CAN or WILL come to Him.
Many people reject God and choose evil, so God will often, in turn bring
on a blinding of eyes and hardening of hearts.
"For this reason they could not believe,
because as Isaiah says elsewhere: 'He
has blinded their eyes and deadended
their hearts, so they can neither see with
their eyes, nor understand with their
hearts, nor turn -- and I would heal them."
John 12:39-40
Satan also can blind the eyes of unbelievers so that they can't believe in God.
"The god of this age has blinded the minds
of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the
light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God."
2 Corinthians 4:4
**********
Many of the Jews who listened to Jesus and His message told Him to tell them
plainly if He was the Messiah.
"Jesus answered, 'I did tell you, but you do
not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's
name speak for me, but YOU DO NOT BE-
LIEVE BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT MY
SHEEP.
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,
and they follow me. I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish; no one can snatch
them out of my hand."
John 10:25-28
Jesus called Himself, the 'Good Shepherd,' and made it clear that only His sheep
(His chosen people) can hear and understand His message. He told the Jews that
they did not believe because they were not His sheep.
He did not say they were not His sheep because they didn't believe, but that they
didn't believe because they didn't belong to His flock.
**********
Jesus told those who didn't believe in Him:
"If God were your Father, you would love me, for I
come from God and now am here. I have not come
on my own; but He sent me. Why is my language
not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear
what I say.
"You belong to your Father, the devil, and you want
to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer
from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there
is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native
language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
"Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!
Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am tell-
ing the truth, why don't you believe me? He who
belongs to God hears what God says. The reason
you do not hear is that you do not belong to God."
John 8:42-47
**********
These unbelievers rejected God because they wanted no part of Him, so God
hardened their hearts even more, causing them not to understand the things of God.
"They are darkened in their understanding
and separated from the life of God because
of the ignorance that is in them due to the
hardening of their hearts."
Ephesians 4:18
Only those with the Holy Spirit can please God. Those without the Spirit
cannot please Him in any way.
" ...those who live in accordance with the Spirit
have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
Romans 8:5b
"Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot
please God."
Romans 8:8
Certainly, repenting and trusting in God would please Him, but they
CANNOT do it unless the Spirit enables them.
As we saw the last time, since they are dead in their sins and unable to respond
to God, the Holy Spirit must change their heart of stone into a heart of flesh, regen-
rating them before they can come to God for salvation.
**********
The Bible is clear - God is in total control of salvation. We don't decide when we
wil be saved, since we were dead in our sin and unable to respond to Him until the Spirit
regenerated us.
Salvation depends on God's choice and timing, according to His purpose and will.
God the Father chooses His people, the Son dies for and redeems them, and the
Holy Spirit regenerates and sanctifies them.
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