Are we Chosen?

Are Believers Chosen?

A friend of mine came into my office saying boldly, “All believers are CHOSEN!” He was referencing Ephesians 1:4-7. If you read that passage alone you will come to that very conclusion. The passage goes on to declare that God not only chose you but that he knew you would be a believer as well as what works you would do for Him before the world began.

Wow. That is something to recon with. Does that mean that it is not necessary to share your Faith seeing that God has already made these determinations? Also, why has God said in other portions of Paul’s letters that He wishes that all men to be saved? 1Tim 2:4, Rom 10:11 or 2Pet 3:9, (Acts 17:30). Or why would God inspire Paul to write Col 1:12 where He declares that the Gospel has already been preached to every creature under Heaven if some presumably will be believing in vain?

One thing is clear. In this instance we need to view the rest of Scripture to see the whole picture. In particular; Ps 95:7-8, Heb 4:7.

Throughout Scripture you come across declarations that God tells the future of what he will do and how he will form the history of this world for two purposes. First to let the world know who He is, John 6:29, and that He loves this world, 2Cor 5:19, although even God has shown that He has limits to His patience. I.e. Sodom and Gomorrah, Canaanites, Kora, Babylon, etc.

Therefore, if there is one thing that we know for sure, God determines who will live during what times of His dispensations of His Grace. Eph 3:2, Acts 17:26. Understanding this we know that we have been chosen to live during this particular time of God’s dispensation of Grace called the Age of Grace. This is what God has chosen us for!

How utterly Blessed are we that we have been chosen for this place and time! Imagine if you were born before God reconciled Himself to the world through the death of His only begotten Son.

If you were a Jew you would be under the Law of Moses. Should you break a law what was often times the punishment? Stoning to death by your peers.
If you were not born in the line of the Patriarchs you were a Gentile without Christ or God in the world what so ever! Eph 2:12 (You’ll note that it wasn’t until after the calling of Abraham (the beginning of the Jewish Nation; Israel) that God warred against individual nationalities and Nations. The flood was a complete corporate redo.)
If you were born before the Noah’s Flood you depended on sacrificing a clean animal so that your sin nature was covered from God and you could communicate with Him. However, even Noah never had the privilege of God living in him through the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, by God determining that we should be alive during this time in God’s calendar we are Blessed above all people that have ever lived before the Cross. Not to mention how Blessed we are to be born amidst the best world economy and freedoms this world has ever seen in history. And….we were born in the USA!! The cradle of freedom and democratic republics for the world with freedom to worship and freedom to elect our officials and with a government that protects us with the rule of law from those that would harm us. Is it perfect? No! But, that’s another subject.

So, when the Bible speaks of Today, especially in the letter of Hebrews it is speaking of our opportunity to believe what God is saying and has revealed to us through His Son, Heb 1: 1-2, during this time of God’s Church Age or Age of Grace. For the window will not be open forever, Rom 11:25, 1Thess 4:14-17.

The Gospel of the Grace of God (Acts 20:24)

The Resurrection of Christ
1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
1Co 15:5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
1Co 15:6 After that, he was seen of about five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
1Co 15:7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
1Co 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.