Isaiah 53:10-11 - But it was the LORD's good plan to crush him and fill him with grief. Yet when his life is made an offering for sin, he will have a multitude of children, many heirs. He will enjoy a long life, and the LORD's plan will prosper in his hands. When he sees all that is accomplished by his anguish, he will be satisfied. And because of what he has experienced, my righteous servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for he will bear all their sins.
Try as I might to do a blog today, I struggled to get a concept in my heart and mind into words. So I gave up...for a time.
The scripture above is a prophetic word God gave to Isaiah. It spoke of the coming Messiah, Jesus. It foretold of what Jesus would go through and do for the sins of God's people. Read it a couple of times and picture Jesus. Didn't what Isaiah write come true? LORD above refers to God.
I'm reading this deep book, The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink. He goes into such depth about God's sovereignty that it seemed a blog was not the place to expound on all his concepts and all the scriptures that back up what he's written.
Some of us know we were predestined for salvation. God chose us. How in the world do I say that when the truth is He did this because it was His will, because He can, because He's God and because He's sovereign? If you truly want to understand this, just Google sovereignty of God scriptures. Google God's elect. I'm just not about to go into the depth of it all! My words are not adequate.
We say we receive God...but that's because He chose us to receive. He didn't die for all mankind, like I've been writing about. He died for "many." Many is a small word, but packs a wallop. Jesus said: The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28) Those "many" are His elect. Who are His elect? Those He has already chosen. Confusing? You bet.
I am not holier than thou! But when I write these words, I feel like I am. But I'm not! This is God's choice, not mine. He chose me; He called me; I just happened to hear Him call and when I made the decision for Christ became one of His elect. He knew before the beginning of time that I would make this decision. I'm humbled.
I've written we can receive Christ. Who are the "we?" If one says I won't receive Christ and never does, He's certainly not one of God's elect. If one says I know who Christ is and that's as far as I go and never chooses Christ, He's not one of God's elect either. If one says I have a personal relationship with Christ, and this person is sincere about it, he is God's elect! There are always those who say they won't choose Christ and change their mind. Hey, they have just become part of God's elect.
It's all about our own will. It's about God's calling to individuals. Our church as well as many others invite people to receive Christ. God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, is there prompting someone to make the commitment, or He is there to see those who choose not to. He already knows. Those who choose are His elect.
It takes all my trust and faith in this amazing God to understand just where He comes from in His infinite thinking. All I can say here now is if God is truly tugging at your heart, don't balk. It is an honor to have been and to be elected of God for His kingdom, to be His child, His heir. This truly is not arrogance at work. It's a humbling experience and one that none of us deserves. None of us deserve salvation because, as we are told, all our works are as filthy rags.
He chooses us as we are. He doesn't take just the rich, famous, elite or intelligent. He has also chosen the base things of the world, those that are the complete opposite of the others I've mentioned. No one is better than the next. We are just chosen...what a great conglomeration of personalities. Look at the people Jesus chose to follow Him: fishermen, a zealot, a tax collector and others we aren't told about. And then those who followed later: prostitutes, adulterers, sinners of all kinds.
Jesus did not die for all, but for many. In the Sovereignty of God, Pink explained something from the Old Testament. The High Priest, the only one able to enter into God's presence for the atonement of sins of the people, wore a breastplate as part of his priestly garments. On this breastplate were the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Back then Israel was God's elect, His chosen people. The High Priest did not seek God's presence for all the world, only His elect, His people, Israel.
That was Old Testament. Today God's elect extend beyond Israel. Jesus came to die for many and they can be from any race, color or creed. Being His elect, therefore, is extended all nations in the world. However, out of all nations there will be selected many, or some. But not all. It's all so mysterious and glorious at the same time. Don't count Him out of your life. Take hold of His mysterious truths.
Romans 11:33 - Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
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