Broken Toys
(Predestination)
By Clifford H. James
(most of the emphasis in bold and underline are mine, Andy, not Clifford)

The subject of predestination has been debated since man first began to turn the study of scripture into the subject of theology. At some point, when faith became a religion, when ministry turned from a calling of God to a professional position, someone raised the question of God's foreknowledge and power relevant to sin. Once this question was raised it posed a dilemma which continues to divide Christendom till this very day. The horns of this dilemma are two and beneath these two points are two large religious camps. The subject of predestination, like a mathematical equation has two sides.

The first side points out a number of controversial questions and attempts to attribute to God a number of radical qualities that are a complete dichotomy from man's concept of God's righteousness and holiness. This school of thinking reasons that God is all knowing and all-powerful. If God is all knowing and powerful, then they conclude that He has been executing His will from the beginning and everything from the fall of Lucifer and the angels to the fall of man has been carefully orchestrated by Him.

This means that God, before He created Lucifer, the covering angel, preplanned or predestined him to be filled with pride and envy. Through this God planned for Lucifer, accompanied by one third of the angelic host, to come against Him in a rebellion and attempt to overthrow Him. Following this, He planned to destroy both Lucifer and his followers for doing the very thing they were predestined to do. It would appear, using this sort of twisted logic, that if we fulfill God's plan, accomplish His will for our lives, we may be rewarded by being cast alive into the lake of fire. Why? Because we were predestined for destruction and there's nothing we can do about it. There is no reprieve, no escape, no mercy and no justice, as we understand it.

When God created man He made him for His pleasure as though making a toy. This thinking suggests that God not only made man for His amusement but deliberately made most of mankind defective (Rom 3:23, 1 Jn 1:10). How did man become sinful? He fell to temptation. Who tempted him? The serpent in the garden. Who put the serpent in the garden? God. Who created the serpent called the devil or Satan? God (Col 1:16). Who built the ability to be tempted into man? God!

If we continue down this path of reason we conclude that God, from the beginning, created some of us for failure and eternal punishment and others for salvation and life everlasting in His kingdom of joy. If this is so, what value is the cross and the resurrection of Christ? In this scenario, God has shown favor and partiality to His chosen few and has opted to torture and burn all those He created to fail. Is this how God has chosen to reveal His omnipotence? Is this argument supported in God's word?

At this point, those holding this position would most likely inject the idea that God's ways are not our ways and we cannot hold God accountable to our concept of righteousness. They could add the biblical notion that God, the potter, has the right or power over the clay to do with as He pleases. Are they right? (Rom 9:20-21). If this was all there was to it we would have to agree, but there is more; much more. How can God be all powerful if power other than God's power exists? How can God be all powerful (have all the power) if opposing power exists? There is no question that God is most powerful. Is that a small thing? No doubt all power originated with God but He gave some of it to those He trusted.

The subject of predestination might well be considered the great non-doctrine, doctrine Nowhere in scripture does the Holy Spirit choose to spend time revealing to the first century writers the mystery that lies behind predestination. The Holy Spirit, through the New Testament writers, addresses many spiritual matters but this is not among them. For example: In the first chapter of Corinthians, Paul speaks of unity repeating it in chapter twelve. In Mathew, chapter twenty four, Christ teaches on the second coming but the subject of predestination, though mentioned twice in Romans and twice in Ephesians, is never given as a teaching. The central basis for most discussions seems to land on the text found in Romans, the ninth chapter, esp. verses nine through twenty four, though it is not limited to this text or those already mentioned by any means.

Many have attempted to link the aforementioned perverted understanding of God's character to the doctrine of eternal security. They claim that because the saved were chosen before the world began (Eph 1:4) there is no way for those saved to lose or forfeit their salvation. Thus, they teach "once saved always saved".

Once we begin to consider this subject and perhaps debate it we discover an almost endless stream of convolutions. Once we have worked our way through them we find we are left with only two choices. We must decide whether God is limited, suggesting to some that He is weak or we conclude He is all knowing and powerful with no limitations. If God is not limited, then in the light of scripture, by human standards, He would be a liar and deceiver. Why? Because He would be declaring Himself righteous and holy while at the same time being responsible for sin and its consequences. In this picture God becomes the maker of broken toys, a silent partner to the planter of evil. With premeditation, this would suggest that our perfect, holy and righteous God made some men to follow Him and others to deny and rebel against Him. It doesn't stop here. If this isn't bad enough, we must agree that He predestined some men to fall without hope, then after they fell by reason of God's predestined failure, He choose to reward them with torment and torture by assigning them to the lake of fire where they receive everlasting punishment for eternity (Mt 25:46). Does this sound like Jesus? Jesus is the very reflection of God, the Father. If God authorized sin, then Jesus did also. If Jesus is the image of the invisible God (Col 1:15) then we'd be saying precisely that. Jesus didn't further sin, instead, He broke sins bonds. Now that we've stated this twice, let us now move on.

God says He is "not a man that He should lie" (Nu 23:19). Can we believe Him? Can we trust Him? What profit is there in not trusting Him; can man save himself? God has kept all His promises; He has never lied till now. Should we at this point doubt Him? If we do, can we truly say we love and accept Him? If you can't trust God, whom can you trust?

Side two comes at the predestination dilemma from the opposite side of the debate. It poses a different set of questions that arise from an entirely different perspective. It is not nearly as complex because it supposes that everything God declares about Himself is true and anything that appears to contradict God's declared character or His integrity is false. If scripture appears to contradict His self-portrait then that which appears to contradict is misunderstood or misinterpreted. First, we must define by scriptural definition of "truth". John 17:17b appears to sum this up neatly when God, through Christ, declares "Thy word is truth". If God's word is truth then all we need do is to allow God's word to define His divine nature and holiness. His word declares that He is love (1 Jn 4:8). That He is reconciling (a process) the world to Himself (2 Cor 5:19). That He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9).

In John 3:16, perhaps the most quoted verse in the New Testament, God declares that whosoever believes on His son should not perish but have everlasting life. This would tend to lean strongly in favor of free will. God has a free will. We were made in His image and so it is reasonable to believe that we also have a free will (Gen 1:26). In this way we are also gods. Little gods! (Jn 10:34). The angels also have a free will, if this were not so, Satan's rebellion would have been impossible.

The question as to the limitations of God can hardly be speculated upon by man if God, through His word, declares His own limitations such as those described in Tit 1:2 and Jn 14:6.

Tit 1:2, "In hope of eternal life, which God, that can not lie, promised before the world began."

If God cannot lie, He is limited.

2 Tim 4:8, "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

If He is a righteous judge then He cannot be an unrighteous judge.

Now there can be no question as to His willingness to limit Himself for the sake of righteousness and holiness. Consider the impact of James 1:13.

James 1:13, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man."

If God cannot be tempted with evil then how can we now accuse Him of creating it? God's sacrificial nature is fully revealed in His gift to man. By presenting man with a suitable sacrifice to remove man's sin, God revealed His love and care for man. By offering His only son, He revealed His own righteous and holy character. God is limited. It is He who has limited Himself by choosing never to leave the path of righteous conduct.

David, the prophet king of Israel, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, outlines the character of God in the following text:

Psalm 145:1-21, "I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

God is sovereign and in His sovereign will has decided to limit Himself to the works of holiness, righteousness and love. He has chosen to limit Himself by sacrifice as well. By offering His only begotten son, He revealed His merciful and sacrificial nature. Yes, God is limited. He is not a false God like Molech who consumed infants in the flames of the sacrificial fires but rather is a consuming fire against all such abominations. He stands as a consuming fire waiting to purge all creation of its filth and corruption and to protect and warm the hearts of His beloved children. God predetermined to give eternal life to all those who would surrender their will to Him. God chose to make available to all mankind, by his grace, salvation through His only natural son. We did not first choose Him but He first loved and chose us (1 Jn 4:19). He predestined none of us to perish but desired that all come to repentance (2 Pet 3:9). All we had to do when God extended His hand of grace was reach out and accept it with our spiritual hand of faith. God, in His wisdom, knew some would accept His gift and some wouldn't. But, as many as received Him, He gave the power to become His sons by adoption (Jn 1:12). This text reveals two things. First, receiving Him is up to us (free will) and "as many" reveals that God knew that not all would accept His call to repent and believe (Mat 7:13-14, Mat 4:17).

We must first determine if man interprets this term in the same way as God. Man's interpretation according to Webster's dictionary is:

Predestination:

1. Act of predestinating or predestining.

2. State of being predestinated or predestined.

3. Fate; destiny.

4. (Theol). A. The action of God in foreordaining from eternity whatever comes to pass. (The writer is now attempting to teach theology esp. When we realize the implications we can derive from the use of the term "whatever".) B. The decree of God by which certain souls are foreordained to salvation. (Here we see the writer make the same error by using the misleading term "certain".)

We should at the same time review the definition of the word predestine: To destine in advance; foreordain; predetermine: as in, He seemed predestined for the ministry.

It would appear, by examining Webster's text that the very root meaning of these words revert to perceived biblical or theological principles though he does a poor job of defining. This being so, let's examine these words as they appear in scripture (the bible). We first must understand that while the words "predestinate" and "predestinated" appear in scripture "predestination" doesn't. These terms only appear in the New Testament and not in the old. They were originally offered then in the Greek language. What is their meaning then in the original Greek?

According to Strong's Greek dictionary, they are defined as follows: (Ref Strongs No. 4309 Greek) The word given in Greek for these words is proorizo pronounced pro-or-id-zo. It comes from the Greek word pro (Ref Strongs No. 4253 Greek) meaning "fore", ie in front of, prior to, and the Greek word horizo (Ref Strongs No. 3724 Greek) meaning figuratively to appoint, decree, specify:-declare, determine, limit, ordain. Thus, we arrive at the meaning of proorizo which is: To limit in advance i.e. (fig) predetermine:-determine before, ordain, predestinate.

After a careful review of both Webster's dictionary and Strongs original Greek dictionary, it appears that one word seems to fit in both texts; I refer to the word predetermine. Let us now look at the verses which use the word proorizo and read them substituting the word predetermine or predetermined for the words predestine or predestined.

The word predestinate or predestinated is used four (4) times. Once in each of the following references: Rom 8:29, Rom 8:30, Eph 1:5 and Eph 1:11.

Rom 8:29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate (predetermine) to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren".

Rom 8:30, "Moreover whom he did predestinate, (predetermine) them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."

Eph 1:5, "Having predestinated (predetermined) us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will."

Eph 1:11, "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated (predetermined) according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."

The terms predestined, predetermined and preplanned are all synonyms for the same thing. The problems encountered do not center on the meaning of the term but rather how we apply these terms to reconcile them with the self-proclaimed nature of God.

Do you believe that because God is omnipotent that all things must comply with His pleasure; His will? If this were so, there would be no sin in the universe for sin is that which opposes the will of God. God doesn't always have it His way. To our detriment, we often have it ours. Sin itself testifies that God is not all-powerful. If He were, sin would not exist. If He is not all-powerful though, as previously stated, it's safe to believe, that by far, He's the most powerful.

God has had His will frustrated on many occasions. If this is so then we must accept that He is not all-powerful, for in order for Him to be all-powerful, we and all nature would serve Him flawlessly as puppets. Some examples of God's will being frustrated are as follows:

Gen 3:19 God said, "Thou shalt not eat of it", but Adam did. Gen 6:6 "…it repented the Lord that He had made man" because of the sinful conduct of man but man's sinful conduct continues. Ex 32:9-10 "Behold, it is a stiff necked people…" "Let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them and that I may consume them." But He didn't.

1 Sam 8:7 God wanted to be Israel's king but Israel wanted a flesh and blood king like other nations, "They have rejected Me that I should not reign over them". How could anyone reject God except they have a free will? Luke 13:34 Jesus would have gathered together Jerusalem's children (her people) As a hen gathers her brood under the protection of her wings but they "would not" instead they killed the prophets and stoned God's messengers.

As we've mentioned above, God desires all men to come to repentance. He sent His only son to die for the world, not just the few. But He understands that Satan, the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4), has blinded the minds of most of mankind to keep them from attaining the grace God has offered to all.

2 Cor 4:4, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

Notice, it's Satan that blinds men's eyes to truth, not God.

Is the power of God measured in what He does or what He is able to do? We might observe our earthly father swinging a hammer and assume that's all he is able to lift but that wouldn't be the case. Most often, a normal man unimpaired by injury or illness could lift much more. You see, the sum total of our power is not measured in what we are seen doing, or even in what we, ourselves, have done, but rather it's in what we are able to do. The same is true for God.

God could have made us robots or puppets obeying His every command but He didn't. Why? To give man a free will; a will which allowed man to choose to love God. This ability for man to freely give his love to God was preferable to robotic worship; God found it more satisfying and glorifying, as would we.

Before man's creation, when Satan rebelled against God, God was suddenly presented with the opportunity to give man a choice. Satan (in his fallen state) could present man with various temptations which God could not (Js 1:13). In this way; God could rebuild in fallen man a resistance to sin. Man could build his spiritual muscles against sin by having his faith tested and tried.

Js 1:3, "Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."

It is doubtful that Satan (Lucifer), the most knowledgeable and powerful of God's angels, would have rebelled if God was all-powerful. God perhaps, could have been all-powerful if He had chosen to be but this would have meant maintaining absolute control over all creation. If He did this, neither man nor angel would have had a free will. It appears that God sacrificed this and settled for being the most High, the most powerful, in order to offer us the freedom to choose Him.

The story of Satan, Lucifer's rebellion, gives us three reasons to believe the aforementioned. First, if God had chosen to be all-powerful, He would, by necessity, be unlimited in every sense but, God is limited, we've discovered this already. Second, if God were all-powerful, Satan wouldn't have been able to oppose God for he, himself, would not have had the freedom of will to do so. Third, if this were not so and he could oppose God, would he dare oppose Him in a contest he had no chance of winning? Satan must have felt he had at least an outside chance of victory. Though we may not approve of his behavior, we must agree that Lucifer (Satan) knows much more about the spiritual realm than we and Satan must have had reason to believe that God was not all powerful. The bible begins in the first verse of the first chapter of the book of beginnings (Genesis) with "in the beginning". The question we must ask ourselves is, in the beginning of what? We certainly don't mean in the beginning of God for God has no beginning (Heb 7:3). We don't mean in the beginning of all creation for it is commonly held that the angelic host existed before man and there is scriptural evidence to support this (Rev 12:7-9). So then, what does this mean? It must be understood as, at the time of the beginning of the creation of earth and all that inhabits it. God had already created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form as yet, for the potter ( the creator, God) had not yet begun to fashion it. You see, the earth was at this time without form or inhabitants; in other words, it was void, and darkness was upon the face of the watery deep. The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters which at this time covered the entire earth. Then from this point the work of the new creation began; the beginning of the story of man. It begins with the declaration of "Let there be light and there was light". Why was there light? God had arrived to fashion a new creation and with His presence came light (1 Jn 1:5).

With this statement, God begins to execute His predetermined plan for mankind. The rebellion of Heaven had already taken place because Satan had been cast down to the earth with his angels (Rev 12:7,8,12,13). He was already known as the serpent, among other names (Rev 12:9) and God had found a way to use his rebellious nature. This was not the first time that God was able to use the evil actions of created beings to serve His righteous and holy purposes. Consider the story of Joseph (Gen 37-50) especially note verse twenty of the fiftieth chapter of Genesis. How could Satan's sinful, evil, rebellious nature serve the purposes of God? As previously stated, by offering man a choice.

God had predetermined man to have a free will. In order to have a free will your will must be free; free to make choices. By allowing Satan to continue to offer man an alternative to His will, God gave man the opportunity to choose. Man's free choice came with rewards for obedience and a penalty for disobedience. These terms were made clear to man through God's word. Man now could turn toward God or away; he could now exercise options according to his own will.

How much glory is received by the creator when, without a choice, as a robot, his creations are programmed to serve and worship their maker and do so? A creator can only be glorified when his creations choose to turn away from other tempting choices to offer their obedience, submission and adoration to Him. This is loyalty. This is faithfulness. This is and was God's plan. This is God's predestined, preplanned will for His people. God opened a door and made it possible for all mankind to pass through it, receiving salvation from destruction and eternal life through Christ. His predestined plan included giving man the ultimate choice. Through free will, he could choose to serve God or reject Him. This choice was put in man's hands by God; this is and was God's predestined plan.

God knew from before the beginning that some would accept Him as their choice and some wouldn't. Some would elect to yield to His will, others wouldn't. The elect (those few that would elect to obey Him) He predestined to receive His promises of blessing. God knew there would be two (2) paths man could follow but gave us the choice as to which path to take. Those of us who elect the narrow path through Christ, He adopts into His heavenly family (Rom 8:29). Those who don't; who choose instead to be a friend of the world become His enemies (Js 4:4) and reap what they sow (Gal 6:7-8).

Rom 8:29, "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied."

Js 4:4, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

Gal 6:7-8, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

Those who chose Him, He made sons and heirs.

Jn 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."

He desired that all come to repentance though He knew some wouldn't.

2 Pet 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Let us remember that He first chose us; all mankind, but all mankind did not chose Him. Why? Because we desired to fulfill the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and pride of life and God's gift of a free will gave us this alternative (1 Jn 2:16). God called all He chose and He chose all mankind. Those who elected to respond favorably to His call became the elect because they elected to follow Him. This was His predestined plan.

Let's review it in steps.

Step #1. God gave man a free will to choose or reject Him knowing some would go each way.

Step #2. God used His rebellious enemy (Satan, the serpent) to test and strengthen those faithful by trying their faith. (Js 1:3)

Step #3. God's choice was for all mankind to be His people and He to be their God though He knew only some would make this choice. (Zech 8:8, Heb 8:10)

Zech 8:8, "And I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness."

Heb 8:10, 'For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people."

Step #4. Those men who chose to follow God, He predetermined to be conformed to the image of His only begotten son (Rom 8:29).

Rom 8:29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Step #5. Those same followers, God chose to justify through the vicarious death and propitiation of His son. (Rom 8:30)

Rom 8:30, "30 Moreover whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Step #6. These who walk in the light of righteousness as He does He glorifies and grants eternal life. (1 Jn 1:7)

1 Jn 1:7, " But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

The only evidence that the church has to unravel this doctrinal dilemma is God's word, the sacred scriptures. Who can know the mind of God? God's ways are beyond our human understanding except where He has chosen to reveal His mind to us and God has chosen to reveal much about Himself to us. First, He has done this through His written word and second, He has done this through His principle spokesman, His only begotten son, the Living word made flesh. Why guess about the deep things of God if He reveals them? Certainly, He has allowed us to see, through Christ and His recorded word, much about His character, especially His awesome integrity.

The term whosoever is generously used throughout the bible, especially in the New Testament. In the New Testament it is a combination of two words found in Greek. These two words are numerically coded in the Strongs concordance as #3956 and #3588.

#3956 is pas; include. all the forms of declension; appar. A prim. Word; all, any, every, the whole. From this Greek word (Pas) we can easily see the intent here is to be all inclusive.

#3588 is ho; include. The fem, he and the neut. To in all their inflections; the def. Article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted in English idiom):-the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.

o ho See #3739 (this relates again to being all inclusive).

When you put both these words together, the obvious meaning is everyone or all individuals without exception.

The term whosoever now becomes critical to our understanding of God's predestined intentions. Through this word we clearly see that God's plan of salvation included everyone (whosoever) and not some special preordained frozen chosen selected from before the foundation of the world. In fact, God chose to extend His grace to all mankind and this He predetermined to do from before the beginning of creation. God demonstrated His faith toward us by believing a minority number of His creations would reject the pleasures of sin and choose to follow Him. He loved us before we loved Him. He chose us before we chose Him but His promises of reward are only given to those who accept His invitation. He is and will be, to the disappointment of many, a covenant God. He sets conditions on everything. He says "If you will do this, I will do that". Some may argue that salvation is free and that's true but it's not free of conditions. If anyone refuses to believe this, try getting into heaven without believing in Christ.

Jn 14:6, "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Within the text of John 3:16 we find: "Whosoever believeth in him (Christ) should not perish."

In John 3:17, we read in part: "That the world through him (Jesus) might be saved." Please notice that each lacks a definite declaration of conclusiveness. Example:

If my daughter gets out of school at the usual time of 2pm she should arrive home no later than 2:30 pm. Indeed, she should arrive home but this doesn't mean she will arrive home at the usual time. There are many things which could interrupt her schedule; things within her control and things beyond her control. There is no certainty contained in the word "should" or "should not" and the same things applies to the word "might" or "might be" found in verse seventeen. This realization will be difficult to swallow for those who have chosen to believe in the eternal security doctrine.

God shows no partiality. He does not discriminate between men. He is not prejudiced against anyone. All are given equal opportunity to receive His benefits.

Acts 10:34, "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

1 Pet 1:7, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

This biblical truth is clearly seen in the following text.

Jn 1:12 "As many as received Him to them gave he power to become sons of God."

Note: Christ gave power to those that received Him.

If God, the father and Christ are one (unified) and Christ, also being God, gave power to those who received Him, then two things can be learned here.

1. That God has given power to His creations.

2. That men have the power of free will and may exercise that will as they choose.

Jn 5:24 continues to support this by making it clear that if we hear God's word and believe He sent His son to redeem us then we are passed from death to life. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33). For this reason we can't ignore the many times that scripture places the ultimate decision for our fate in our hands.

Phil 2:12, "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling."

Those who wander from the truth put their soul in risk of death.

Js 5:19, "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

We've been discussing the free will of man, but what about the divine will of God? What does God want? 2 Pet 3:9 makes God's will abundantly clear! "The Lord is not willing (does not will) that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance". The mind of God is to save us all not just a hand picked few, however, many men have made other plans.

The greatest testimony to God's gift of free will to men is seen in the abundant use of this wonderful, magnificent word; consider these excerpts but read each text completely for accuracy.

Mt 10:32-33, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."

God through Christ declares that "whosoever therefore shall confess me before men" He will confess before the Father. Whosoever does not, He will deny before the Father.

Mt 18:4-5, "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me."

"Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child". The word whosoever says it all. It means anybody who chooses.

Jn 4:14, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst again.

Jn 11:26, "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Jn 12:46, "I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness."

Acts 2:21, "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Acts 10:43, "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."

Acts 13:26, 27, "Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.

1 Jn 4:15, "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God."

1 Jn 5:1, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him."

As stated before, man can choose God or the world. Whosoever chooses God is born of God. "Whosoever therefore will be (wills to be) a friend of the word is the enemy of God".

Js 4:4, "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

Back to the Misunderstanding

Romans 8:24 says something different; something most of us are unaccustomed to hearing. In the family of God, we acknowledge that we are saved by grace, God's grace. Grace is God's strong arm of salvation reaching out to all who are drowning in sin. We all have fallen short (Ro 3:23), missed the mark and have need of Gods hand of grace.

By what means do we take His extended hand? Unless we take His hand we will surely die in our sins. For by grace we are saved through (our hand of) faith (Eph 2:8). Faith and hope are Siamese twins; they can't be separated and so both are necessary in the salvation process (Rom 8:24). We need not work for grace, God has supplied it as a free gift and made it possible through the sinless blood of Christ, but we must work out our own salvation. How? God has thrown out His life preserver of grace but if we don't accept it, we'll drown. We must take hold of God's extended hand of grace using our hand of faith. If we don't see it because we refuse to open our eyes, we'll drown. We must work the works of faith while there is yet time. We must hope with the expectation of a child. Faith is supplied by God if we'll allow Him to infuse us with it. Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17). In our flesh, as children, we learn to trust our earthly father's promises and now it's time to be children once again and trust our heavenly father's promises. We are saved and justified by faith, works and hope (Eph 2:8-9).

Js 2:24, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."

Rom 8:24, "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?"

Perhaps the most powerful example of this is written in 1 Jn 2:3-4.

1 Jn 2:3-4, "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

Romans 8:28 reminds us that all things work together for good to them that love God. Loving God is a voluntary offering extended to God through our free will. It is extended on our hand of faith. We, because we have chosen to love God, have been called to fulfill His purpose. Why? Because we, through love, have submitted to His will. Therefore, His purposes may be accomplished through us (Mt 6:10). "Thy will be done (through me) on earth (as perfectly) as it is (carried out) in heaven."

It is these surrendered souls that God is speaking of in Romans 8:29. For God, in His wisdom, knew there would always be a remnant in every age that would choose to follow Him. These He predestined to receive into His kingdom. These same ones He called and those He called He justified and glorified (Rom 8:30).

In chapter nine of Romans, we read in the ninth through eleventh verse, that God chose the child of love, the child of promise, over the child of bondage…. God chose Jacob over Esau though Jacob was the younger. Jacob chose to value the birthright of His father which involved the blessing of God, but Esau despised his birthright.

Gen 25:34, "Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright." (Heb 12:14-17.)

This may explain Romans 9:12-13, "It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

This situation is also reflected in the comparison between Adam, the first man, and Jesus called the second Adam. The first man created without sin, Adam, forfeited his birthright, but the second Adam, Jesus, chose God and now sits at His right hand (Ro 5:14, 1 Cor 15:22, 1 Cor 15:45). Can we now say that because God chose to favor those who loved Him that He is unrighteous or bigoted? God, who is righteous and loving, has chosen those who follow Him in love and righteousness. Can we condemn God for having mercy on whom He chooses to have mercy when His choices are righteous? Why is it wrong for God to show compassion to those who show compassion to others or deny themselves to follow Him (Gen 28:16-21)?

Rom 8:10-17, 'And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

We can not wish ourselves into God's favor nor can we earn it, it comes from God as a gift to those who have chosen through faith and hope to follow Him. Faith which has been sought, searched out and prayed for by the conscious will of man; faith which has been demonstrated by our righteous conduct.

Rom 9:16, "So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy."

God used Pharaoh in the day of captivity to reveal His power, as He now does with the tempter, Satan, who tries to hold us in the bondage of sin. Satan has already been judged and sentenced, he only awaits execution. Pharaoh was also used in the same way. He was judged guilty by God but God chose to demonstrate His power before the children of Israel before executing him in the Red Sea.

The blood of Christ (a Red Sea) has already dealt Satan a fatal blow that will also destroy him in God's time. The children of Israel had lived in the land of Goshen (Egypt) for over four hundred years. They, for all practical purposes, were citizens of Egypt. They knew no other governmental authority nor earthly leadership other than Pharaoh. Life was difficult, but why should they leave their homes on the word of some outlaw murderer called Moses? It would take a miracle to convince them to move. In fact, it took ten miracles. These miracles had to make the mighty nation of Egypt look small in the eyes of Israel. This would take some doing, some strong, obvious and forceful doing.

When this period of convincing was complete, Israel would follow Moses across the Red Sea on dry land. Fact is, Israel would have followed Moses anywhere. By following Moses, they would witness God's judgement on Pharaoh and his armies and they would know that God is stronger than the strongest nation. When God shows mercy, as He did on His chosen people (a people that had chosen to worship Him), He had a righteous reason for He is a righteous God. When God hardens the hearts of the living dead, it is not because they weren't given an opportunity to listen and believe. Remember the dreams of Pharaoh interpreted for Pharaoh by Joseph? Why didn't Egypt, when God saved them from starvation, put away their false gods and worship instead the God of Joseph? The mercy of the God of Moses was well known and documented in Egyptian history, so why was this Pharaoh so evil (Gen 41:38-39)? Why hadn't this Pharaoh turned to God before hardening his heart? God hardened his heart in the same position he had chosen to keep it; in the same place Pharaoh had left it (Ex 5:2).

Gen 41:38-39, "And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art."

Ro 9:17-18, "For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth."

Now we have seen God's mercy demonstrated on those who love, trust and follow Him and His wrath upon those who don't. Are we ready now to reply against God? Shall we say to Him who made us, why have You chosen to do these things? Doesn't God have the right of a creator to prepare us for whatever purpose He has in mind even if we stubbornly refuse to fulfill that purpose?

Why can't God make some men rich, famous or talented while making others poor, of no reputation and limited? He makes kings and beggars and we need them both. If God being holy and righteous shows His wrath He has the right. If He chooses to withhold His wrath from those like us who deserve it and instead show mercy, isn't this proper? It is if by enduring with much patience, He is able to make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy (those who love Him) which He had before preplanned and prepared for glory. We speak of those of us, whom He called, not of the Jews only, as in the days of the captivity, but also the gentiles.

Ro 9:19-24, "Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?"

Eph 1:3-14 speaks to us about being blessed for being in Christ. Eph 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."

Being in Christ is a choice, our choice (Jn 1:12). Once again, God proclaims that we (those who received Christ) were chosen as a group before the foundation of the world, which is to say, that it was God's plan to set aside (consecrate) all who would receive His son. All those that have made this step in faith should be holy and blameless before Him whom they love.

Eph 1:4, 'According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love."

Through faith in Christ (our choice) God predestined or preplanned for those believers to be adopted into His heavenly family because it pleased Him to do so.

Eph 1:5, "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.'

He did this by extending grace to all who received Christ.

Eph 1:6, "To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

For by the shedding of Christ's sinless blood, came the permanent forgiveness of sins made possible by His obedience to the father and His grace toward those who trust in Him.

Eph 1:7, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.'

He continues to increase our wisdom making us prudent in our understanding of these things.

Eph 1:8-9, "Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself."

God's predestined plan will be to gather together His elect.. To call all who are in Christ, both angels and man alike.

Eph 1:10, 'That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him."

For those whom He has adopted as children, there awaits an inheritance which has been set aside in God's predetermined plan.

Eph 1:11, "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."

So that we, who first trusted in Christ, should exalt Him with praise and glory

Eph 1:12, "That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ."

By living our lives for Him.

Having accepted Him by our personal belief through the hearing and trusting in the truth of God's word, God has sealed us with the Holy Spirit as promised. Which is given as a retainer until we have been fully redeemed at His coming.

Eph 1:13-14, "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."

So then, we must conclude that whosoever shall do the will of the Father becomes the adopted brother, sister and mother of Christ.

Mt 12:50, "For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."

Note: The choice is clear, whosoever shall do God's will. We have the choice, the individual choice to work out our own salvation through belief in Christ or to reject Him; it's up to us (Jn 1:12).

With one hundred percent accuracy, God has, through the ages, been able to foretell events and reveal them through His prophets. This incredible fact would suggest to many that God controls all events and all men involved in them. It would appear, at first glance, that God posses man in the same way that evil spirits do; that God turns men left or right as a rider turns the head of a horse when pulling on the bridle. Let us remember that God has neither beginning or end. He exists from everlasting to everlasting. God can outwait anything or anybody to achieve His purposes. IF God appears to any prophet in a dream or vision and he does not yield to God by informing His people of God's message or if the people fail to obey as the prophet directs, God will pick another prophet and if necessary, pick another people. When Israel turned from God and rejected the Messiah, God opened the door to His kingdom to whom ever would receive it in the name of Christ as seen in the eleventh chapter of Romans.

As there will always be those who turn from God, those who can no longer hear His call or receive His instruction, so too, are there those who will be obedient, those who have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying unto the churches. God will always have an obedient remnant. These will obey, not because God possesses their will, but because, through their love for Him, they have offered their will and obedience to Him (1 Sam 15:22). These are yielded vessels who have answered His call who, like sheep, know the voice of their shepherd (Jn 10:4). It is through these precious few that God will bring about His plan and accomplish His will.

God can cause even the unfaithful to yield, yes, even those who reject Him; even the rebellious God can use to accomplish His purpose. He used Lucifer this way, Pharaoh and even Judas. It is not the good in the world that sets the schedule for Christ's return but rather the evil as we can see plainly in Mat 24. The hand of God moves as the darkness of evil encroaches upon His creation.

A certain man living in a region of the American desert found himself walking among the desert plants in the cool of the morning. As the day wore on and temperatures began to rise, he took refuge from the sun under the branches of a mature Socorro cactus. From the shade, he spotted a large mound of ants and he began to watch the activity with great interest.

He knew that within this large mound was a network of tunnels being excavated by many worker ants. He knew that a large special chamber was set aside for the eggs produced by the queen and those special males that attended her. He observed, outside the mound, scouts, sent to sound the alarm should danger appear. The activity of the mound was tremendous.

Through only one opening passed worker ants coming in and going out, many carrying loads larger and heavier than their own small bodies. When one ant approached the opening with a load while another was exiting, he waited until he could pass. Such organization! It occurred to the observer that no sound passed between the ants; they just knew what to do. Even though each ant had a will of its own, all seemed to work in absolute harmony. This, he thought, would be a good example of how God's church should function.

The man knew that he had no means of understanding or communicating with these ants yet he wondered if he could cause them to yield to his will. He took a stick from the ground and drew a circle about six feet in diameter around the two foot diameter ant hill. He had observed ants carrying food from distances much further away than his circle and wondered if he could contain the entire colony within his six foot limit. He soon discovered that the worker ants paid little attention to the gouge his stick had made in the sand but still he was determined to contain them. He next placed dry vegetation on the circular line he had drawn and set it afire. Most of the ants fled toward the hill and away from the flames but some foolishly traveled into the flames and were consumed. He felt he had achieved a small victory, after all, most had observed his boundary.

He now began to wonder if he could have contained them any other way, suddenly an idea hit him. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a piece of hard candy and laid it near the center of the circle close to the entrance of the ant hill. Most of the ants now, with one intent, headed toward the candy and away from the flames. The man, though unable to possess their will, had achieved his goal. He had contained the ants. We could draw a parallel at this point by referring to the circle of flames as God's old covenant law and the candy as the new covenant of grace made available through the blood of Christ but there is another point beside this one.

I speak of the issue of control. The man never controlled the individual will of the ants yet he was able to control the entire colony. How? To exercise absolute control over any free agent (those with a free will) one must either take away the free will of the individual or control everything that surrounds him; his complete environment. Though God has chosen not to take away His gift of a free will, He has kept absolute control over all the elements that surround those to whom He gave it. God will have His way. We may perish in the flames if we choose or dine at His table, the choice is ours.

In conclusion, each of us should realize the implications of Romans 5:8.

Rom 5:8, 'But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God didn't create us to sin. He merely anticipated it when He gave man a free will. God doesn't make broken toys. He doesn't make toys of any kind but if we were His toys, we'd all be broken. We were broken, broken by sin and God loved us enough to collect (redeem) and repair us all.

Psalm 51:16-17, 'For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Is 57:15, "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

Is 66:2, "For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word."

Rev 22:17, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

I Cor 13:12, "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."

God didn't make anything He couldn't fix or have victory over!

End….

Comments by Andy

My comments on Romans 9:14-16, "What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion. So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy."

Though salvation demands faith, repentance, and a life laid down for Christ life, it is God that determines the authenticity of that response. Many will say Lord, Lord, but will not enter the kingdom. Today many confess Christ, but it is clear they do not love Him. Believing is measured by God not man. So the final determination is not on "him who wills, nor on him who run, but God who shows mercy." It reminds me of a professor I had in college, he stated, "Love is many things to many people." But love is only one thing to God. Deception comes when we are convinced we believe, but it is God that determines the reality of that faith. It was on this basis that Paul commanded, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you are disqualified." 2 Corinthians 13:4-5, NKJV

1 Corinthians 15:1-2, " Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you ("you" not God) hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain." NKJV

James 2:19-21, "You believe that there is one God. You do well (but not well enough). Even the demons believe--and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" NKJV

Luke 13:24, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and (they) will not be able." NKJV

In today's easy-believeism gospel, we are told that salvation is the outcome of confession, a sinners prayer and correct theology. This is not based on God's word and truth, but is a false and misleading faith… that faith does not save. Because a person wills to be saved and exercises a "type" of faith, it is God who determines the life and faith of each person. Many today are convinced they are saved and have made the choice to "accept" Him as their personal savor, but, it is God who makes that decision.

2 Timothy 2:19, "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,'"

There are many who are convinced they are saved, and they will be quick to tell you, but it is God who examines the heart. 1 John, is a letter written for the purpose of revealing those who belong to Him. Example:

1 John 5:13, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God."

1 John 2:4-5, "He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar (from God view), and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him."

1 John 5:1, "By this we know that we love the children of God, (How?) when we love God and keep His commandments."

1 John 2:28, "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him."

1 John 3:7-8, "He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning."

1 John 3:17-18, "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? (it can't) My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."

This point is clearly seen in Matthew when Jesus separates the believers from the unbelievers.

Matthew 25:31-46, "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. (how will He separate them?) Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' "Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' "Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

1 John 3:14, "We know that we have passed from death to life, (How) because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death."

Jesus made this very clear, that salvation was on the basis of His shed blood and was received by whosoever will believe, or live by Him. Believing is a life and not a single response. It is a response calling upon the will and not mental assent. The heart and not the head.

Luke 14:26-27, "If anyone (Condition on man's part) comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes, even his own life-he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple."

Put in other words: Matthew 10:37-39, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

Luke 14:33, "In the same way, any of you (disciples included) who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."

Salvation is based on the blood of Jesus alone, there is nothing I can do to "provide" for salvation. If we disregard Jesus as the "provider" of our salvation and we endeavor to work ignoring His provision, we remain lost. But if we repent, turn from self, deny ourselves and believe (live) in Him, then that is not a work that provides salvation, but a requirement to "receive" the provision of salvation commanded by God.

Looking at Romans, Galatians and Ephesians, the places most use showing the absolute sovereignty of God:

Romans 3:27-29, "Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith (by those who live by Him). Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law." It is a faith defined by James and John that will obey "His" commandments.

Galatians 2:16, "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law (provision) but by faith in Jesus Christ (faith is an action), even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law." True faith produces works and is manifested in love and obedience.

Ephesians 2:8-9, 'For by grace you have been saved (how have you been saved?) through faith, and that not of yourselves (Or not by yourself alone, it took a "provision" of the blood of Jesus); it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Simply saying, we cannot provide salvation separate from the work of the cross, salvation can only be received by and through faith. Faith is a life and not a confession of doctrine or a one time prayer. Jesus kept defining faith by repentance, believing, losing our life, baptism a response to salvation based on a death to self and a resurrection to His life. It is on this basis that He determines whom he will choose and whom he will refuse. Just a belief that I am saved, does not bind Jesus' hands and call you saved. He personally will judge every man and make that determination without "him that wills and him that runs."

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