JOY "Israel" January 25

January 25, 2012

Israel

Romans 9:1-29

The subject of the doctrine of election and  predestination is a polarizing one, among denominations and among individual churches, within denominations, and and among individual believers, within a church. I daresay, that even, in this room-----we would have a wide difference of opinion. But, the bottom line is, that's all it is, opinion. Now its biblical opinion, because there is scriptural evidence to back up both sides, of the argument. But, the truth is, only God knows the fullness and the entirety and the execution and the end result, of His plan------and that is a truth that everyone can agree on. 

I will try and explain in a nutshell: John Calvin was an influential French Theologian, during the Protestant Reformation, who was instrumental in the development of a Christian theology, known as Calvinism, which has been embraced by denominations and individuals, in some  form, since that time. Many brilliant biblical scholars have wrestled with it down through the ages-----many have reluctantly, and many have wholeheartedly, inserted it into their belief system, along with their trust in the Gospel. I think largely, because they can't explain Paul's words about it, which are only found in chapters 8-11 of Romans, Acts 4:28, 1Corinthians 2:7, and Ephesians 1:5, 11.

I am going to start off, this very hard lesson to teach, and this very hard lesson to understand, with a statement that the 20 century pastor, preacher and author, A.W. Tozer, made in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, He said, that "Man's will is free, because God is sovereign." He goes on to explain his thought, with this illustration-------"An ocean liner leaves New York bound for Liverpool. Its destination has been determined by the proper authorities and  nothing can change its course. This illustrates a faint picture of sovereignty to us. 

On board the liner, are hundreds of passengers. They aren't in chains, and they aren't forced to participate in some activities and banned from participating in other ones. They are completely free to choose to do whatever they want to do, that has been is provided for them to do, on the ship. They can eat, sleep, play, hang out on deck or in their cabin, read, talk, swim, play games-----whatever they please with whatever is available, that's what they can do. And all the while, the big boat is carrying them steadily onward toward the predetermined port. 

Both sovereignty and freedom are present here and they don't contradict each other. So it is, I believe, with man's freedom and the sovereignty of God. The mighty ocean liner, of God's sovereign design, keeps it's steady course, over the sea of history. God moves undisturbed and unhindered, toward the fulfillment of those eternal purposes, which He had determined in Christ Jesus, before the world began. We don't know all that God has included in His purposes, but He has disclosed enough of His plan, to us, in His Word, that we can see and understand the broad outline of things to come, and can rest assured, in the good hope and firm assurance, of a future well-being." 

He went on to say, in his book, The Pursuit of God,  "God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, 'O Lord, You Know.' Those things belong to the deep and mysterious profoundness of God's omniscience. Prying into them, may make them theologians, but it will never make them saints." He's basically saying, we need to keep the main thing the main thing---we can get bogged down in the arguing over something that men and women of God have argued over since the scripture was first written, or we can walk forward trusting that God has all things worked out and that they are in the palm of His hand, doing the work that He has given us to do--which is loving God with all our hearts, souls and strength and our neighbors so much that we will go to any length to make sure that they have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ----and it's by His grace alone, that anybody is saved------because we don't deserve salvation, we all deserve death, but Jesus took the sin, of the whole world into His holy body so that every person would have the opportunity to be saved. Taken in its entirety, that is what the scripture teaches.

I read in my study this week, from a commentary, from one of my favorite authors, R. Kent Hughes---- the former pastor of College Church, in Wheaton, Illinois---- that whether you believe in the Calvinist interpretation of election and predestination or whether you don't------ before you teach these chapters in scripture, Romans 9-11, that you need to lay all your cards on the table so that you are completely honest right up front--so here goes… I believe in God's absolute sovereignty. I also believe that God created mankind, with the free-will, to make his own choices. I believe that God is omniscient (He knows and has always known all things) I believe that these 2 truths co-exist, side by side. I believe that God preordained, before He spun the world into place, a plan to redeem mankind, because He knew that we would use our free-will to disobey Him.I believe that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the whole world. I believe that God knew that some people would accept His plan and that some people would reject it. I believe that the Elect, is anyone, who accepts God's plan. I believe that the person who accepts Jesus as their Savior has a sure destiny, that has always been predestined. I believe that if a person rejects God's plan of salvation then He is condemning himself to hell. I believe that God calls everyone to accept His plan but that not everyone will accept His call. I believe that when He calls a person to be saved, He can call and call and call and call and a person will still reject God's plan. Look at Judas-----he walked and talked with Jesus----he heard everything he had to say and he still rejected Him-----that is the mystery to me------why someone would say no to Jesus---- but people do, they see themselves as their own Saviors, their pride covers their eyes like a blindfold. So, instead of seeing and choosing the light and glory of heaven, they only see darkness and essentially, and eventually, they choose hell. God, whose ways are not our ways, allows people to make their own choice about receiving His free gift of salvation, by receiving His grace by faith.

With that our of the way, I can now teach you what this scripture is talking about and Paul is addressing the Jews.