How God Chooses Us
(Picture credits at end of post)
John 5:31-40
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: (1 Peter 1:1-2a – NASB)
God did not make a random selection, some to salvation and some to damnation. Election is according to God’s previous knowledge of our choices and continued faith in Him. He is able to do this because He is all-knowing.
The following true incident gives a faint glimpse of how election works:
Our family lived next door to an Acadian family on the coast of South West Nova Scotia for some years. The old man, Denis, lived with his daughter and husband. As we got to know this family, certain facts emerged. Denis had two children, a son and a daughter. The daughter he lived with was a responsible person financially, able to guide her affairs with discretion. The son, whom we never met, while being a decent enough person, had proved himself to be rather irresponsible financially.
The father, Denis, decided to put his property into the name of one of his children while he was still living. Knowing, as he did, the different strengths and weaknesses of his two children, he knew that putting the property into his son’s name was risky. There was the real danger he would end up losing the property through unwise decisions. So he “elected” to put the property into the name of his daughter whom he “foreknew” to be responsible financially.
While the old man’s action stirred a certain amount of resentment in his son the father had acted wisely in this particular instance. To a limited extent he had “foreknowledge” of the future actions of his children and based his decision on that foreknowledge. He elected his daughter as heir to his property according to his foreknowledge of how she would act with respect to that property. In a similar way God can elect us without violating our free will. For we are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father…
God Knows
© Friday 31st October 2014 – by Christopher Shennan
My Father in Heaven knew well
The free choices that I would make;
The paths that I would still follow,
And the chances that I would take.
God knew all the length of my days;
What the outcome of my life would be.
He knows if I’ll endure to the end;
What trouble or joys I will see.
And because He knows the outcome
Of my life right up till the end,
I know I’m one of His chosen;
I’ve chosen to make Him my Friend
God never made me a puppet;
He gave me free will – I can choose
Either to love or deny Him –
I can choose to win or to lose.
I know I’m one of God’s chosen;
I’ve chosen to follow His Way.
He offers to all His mercy –
If only they’d choose Him today.
My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CNShennan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristopherShennanAuthor
Copyright by Jonathan Billinger. No changes were made to the photo. Find photo at http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fork_in_the_road_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1355424.jpg. Used under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license, found here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en
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