Ephesians; 1:4 – Election of church age believer, part 6. Character and holiness.

Thursday, November 15, 2018

 

When asked to explain election, says H.A. Ironside, a colored brother once said, “Well, it’s this way, the Lord done voted for my salvation; the devil done voted for my damnation; and I done voted with the Lord, and so we got into the majority.”

 

Therefore, because you are elect, because you have your inheritance in Christ, because you live resurrected, because you have a love fulfilled relationship with the Christ … be holy as He is holy, 1Pe 1:1-21.

 

Our current point 2 is discovering the purpose for which we have been elected. We have been elected to life, the only life there really is, the life of Christ. All other life is meaningless and destined for judgement and the second death. Christ is the life and His life is the light of men. The elect do not remain in darkness as do the non-elect who reject Christ from their own self-determination. Now that we are children of light, we can see this life.

 

We are elected to a heavenly life, a holy life, a righteous, free, and full life filled with the profound love, joy, and peace of Christ.

 

Joh 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

 

Joh 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

 

2Th 2:13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

 

The baptism of the Holy Spirit enters or immerses every believer into union with Christ for all eternity at the moment of salvation.

 

Every believer at that moment is made a brand-new creature in Christ, given at least one spiritual gift, made the temple of God in which the Trinity dwells. He is set apart unto God, predestinated, and justified. There is more in fact, but this will suffice to show us that the life of Christ is our only option. “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phi 1:21)

 

2e. The elected man is in Christ. The proper life of an elected man flows from a man of a certain character. Character = when free-will agrees with Sovereign will.

 

The life of Christ flows through him. This takes maturing, but some aspects of that life can be seen immediately as the life of faith rest. "If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.'" But this He spoke of the Spirit. (Joh 7:37-39)

 

It is an abundant life of love, joy, and peace – the fruit of the Spirit. It flows naturally and becomes instinctive and skillful. This is what we have been elected to.

 

Men were chosen for various things in the Old Testament. Abraham was chosen to be the father of God’s nation. David was chosen to be king and his brothers were not. Some men were chosen to fight. Wives were chosen. Lot chose the valley when given first option by Abraham. Jonathan chose David.

 

The church age believer has been chosen to live the life of Christ.

 

The most prominent election in the OT was the nation of Israel, which we will look at separately. Not all in Israel, however, were saved men.

 

The elect of the church age are all saved men. All of them are given the same spiritual blessings from the Father; no less, no more.

 

Election belonged to the believer before the foundation of the world. “In Christ” is where he is placed at salvation, in time, and so our position in Christ is a confirmation of that which was foreknown in eternity.

 

Next, we will look at passages that apply election to believers in this age. These help us to define and understand the divine election of the body of Christ.

 

3) Passages where election is applied to believers in this age:

 

3a. The elect are to reveal the emptiness of human desire for life without God, 1Co 1:27-29.

 

1Co 1:27 but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,

 

1Co 1:28 and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are,

 

1Co 1:29 that no man should boast before God.

 

Chosen in order to reveal the emptiness of human desire for life without God. This means that the elect are the only ones who have eyes that can be enlightened so that they can see life for what it truly is, and that life is Christ.

 

Now, there are a number of ways that we can shame those who reject Christ. But there is only one way that God has given us. We are to live the life of Christ and our peace, love, joy, and inner strength will expose the façade that is their life.

 

Usually, a man who lives a lie, does not open his eyes when aggressively confronted and abused.

 

We are not to judge those who desire a life without God, but rather, we are to reveal the life of Christ through our words and conduct.

 

Holiness and blamelessness are full-time endeavors. Do not think you can just turn them on when in the presence of worldlings and turn them off when no one is watching.

 

If we do not strive to live the life of Christ in all things then we will never learn to live that life at all. We will not prove ourselves blameless and innocent children of God. 

 

Phi 2:14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing;

 

Phi 2:15 that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world,

 

The elect are to reveal to the wise, strong, and established in worldly matters the true origin, morality, meaning, and destiny of life according to the Giver of life, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

 

Phi 4:12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

 

Phi 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

 

Tit 2:7 in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified,

 

Tit 2:8 sound in speech which is beyond reproach, in order that the opponent may be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.