|
God's people are predestinated to live a holy life as Jesus has lived so
that God may glorify them as he has glorified Christ in heaven.
God commands all, picks the obedient ones, and he
predestinates them to live as Jesus has lived as a man. They that live
such a life will inherit the kingdom
of heaven.
God did not create everybody the same.
God created us as men and women. So also, we are born as black or
white or other, tall or short, American or Arabian or
other, wise or foolish, rich or poor, Jew or
Gentile,
fat or skinny,
Christian or Hindu or other, strong or week, etc.
Everybody has unique finger prints. So, God
predestinated all to be born differently. Then
God gives commandments
to everybody. He picks the obedient and predestinates them to live a
holy life as Jesus lived. Those who overcome will inherit the throne of God
and to be with God for eternity. Those who do not live a holy life are not
predestinated to be like Jesus Christ.
Inheriting
our
eternal life
is entirely different from how we came to our
existence on earth. We had no control over our birth or much of the happenings
around us on earth.
But, eternal life is the gift of God; or rather it is a reward from God for the
godly life we live.
The doctrine of predestination was founded by few theologians who learned
their theology real well but are ignorant in the word of God. These
theologians, probably being proud people,
did not receive the grace of God.
Grace
is available to those who are humble enough to receive it.
"James 4:6
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace unto the humble." Grace is the very word of
God to give knowledge and understanding. Grace is the power of God to make
them stable in the truth
of God. Grace is also the abiding of God to enable us to live like our
master. But, whosoever is proud, because of the absence of grace, twist the word of God to suit their
own
lives.
"2 Peter 3:16
... in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some
things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned (in
the word of God) and unstable (in holy life)
wrest (twist scripture),
as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." They say that God has predestinated all things,
including eternal life and eternal damnation.
That is to say that God has elected certain souls
by predestination
to eternal salvation and he has elected other souls
by predestination to eternal damnation. They say that God delights in it
and it is his good
pleasure. How can a righteous and holy God punish the innocent and reward the criminals? 
Usually they select Eph 1:4,5&11 as the primary scripture to teach
predestination doctrine. They chose selected phrases, rather
than sentences, to prove their point. Let us study these three verses. "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:
5
Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself,...
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:"
"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:"
According to them verse four is: "he hath chosen us
before the foundation of the world", because they
conveniently ignore few phrases from the verse which are not convenient for them
to prove their point. They say that God has
chosen a few people before the foundation of the world, which means that God has
chosen them even before they were born. So, the
work
or the striving of the people to become holy and
righteous, does not count for eternal life. They say that only the
choosing of God does matter. If you are chosen by God, you got it made or
if you are not chosen by God, you lost it. It appears
to be that they give all the glory to God. But, in reality they join the
devil to smear the integrity of the Lord as holy and righteous judge.
Somehow these theologians and their followers failed
to see that God did not choose them. Chosen
people were predestinated because of their
obedience to the commandments of God and thus fulfilled the conditions required by
God. God is Omniscient. He knows the future before it happens.
He knows who will live a godly life. He
chooses them and
sets them apart for himself. They will live a godly life. Those
who are not living a godly life are not chosen by God.
"1 Peter
1:2
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. 2 Chr 16:9
...the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew
himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
Psalms 4:3
But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself:..."
They are chosen neither because of their names or status,
but only because that they will live a godly life. "Acts
10:34 Then
Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter
of persons:"
Further the phrase was not just "he hath chosen us",
but
"He
hath chosen us in him:" The choosing was in God
himself, which means that they were abiding in God. That is, they
were living in godliness of Jesus Christ, as he lived while he was a man.
"Chosen us
in him
before the foundation of the world:" Since God chose them
before the foundation of the world these theologians interpret it as predestination.
But in reality it is the foreknowledge of God.
"Romans 11:2
God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the
scripture saith of Elias? ... 4
But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have
reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the
image of Baal. 5
Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to
the election of grace." God knew that these people will not bow
their knee to the idol. God foreknew this and reserved them for
himself. God's foreknowledge is mentioned as election of grace
in the New
Testament. God of grace knows those people who will obey him and chose
them for himself.
They conveniently ignore the following portion as if it is not there.
"That we should
be holy and without blame before him in love:" By his omniscient
foreknowledge, God has chosen only those who will love God
to the extend to present themselves holy and
blameless
before him.
But they that advocate
predestination doctrine reject such a life as a criterion for
the adoption as children of God. God will never choose
those, who take God for granted and consider the blood of Jesus Christ as free
religious gift. His blood is free, but not cheap. God had to become
a mere man and he had to humble himself to the humiliating death on the cross in
order to provide the blood to sanctify his people. It will not to be applied to
anybody who has no reverence to the righteousness, holiness and purity of God.
"Eph 1:5
Having predestinated us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself,."
They say that God predestinate anybody, meaning any Tom, Dick, or
Harry to be adopted as his child. But, the Bible says that
those who have received the spirit of adoption are lead of the Holy Spirit and
they have mortified their sins, which are the deeds of their body.
"Romans 8:13
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. 14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they
are the sons of God. 15
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." We will know the predestinated people by their holy life, a life
that is free from sin.
"By Jesus
Christ to himself:" They ignore this portion. But, this portion is
very important.
The true Christians are referred to as the body of Christ, the church of Christ,
the bride of Christ, etc. Jesus Christ is the head and the true Christians
are his body. God joins them unto himself. Before he joins them,
he purifies them. "Eph
5:25
...Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing of water by the word, 27
That he might present it to himself a glorious
church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it
should be holy and without blemish.
Titus 2:14
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from
all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works.
1 John 3:3
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is
pure."
If a person is not purified without spot or wrinkle to be holy, he/she
is not predestinated to be joined to Jesus Christ.
"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:"
To them the verse is:
"we have obtained an inheritance,
being predestinated
after the counsel
of his own will:" They omit the portions in red to say
that God has
predestinated them to obtain inheritance. So, no matter how do they live,
they get the inheritance. But they should not leave out the
portion that our inheritance is in Jesus, "in whom also
we have obtained an inheritance"
and the predestination is "according to the purpose
of him."
Please, look at one more verse which shed more light on this verse.
"Romans 8:28
... to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29
For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of his Son,..." These are the people who love God and
prove their love with
their obedience. Their predestination is to be conformed to the image of Jesus
Christ. When their image is conformed to his Son, their inheritance follows.
"John 14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments." They are called to follow the
steps of Jesus Christ and to be holy as he was holy.
"1 Peter 2:21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:"
God called these
chosen people and
predestinates, that they should follow
his steps
to be conformed to the image of his Son. That is, even though they were born as sinners, they should begin to live as Jesus Christ lived, while he was a man.
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance:
All the inheritance of the godly people is given in Jesus Christ even before
the foundation of the world. So, People think of him as a treasure gallery
and what all they have to do is that, they go to him and receive their portion.
But, it is not so.
Anyhow, how will they reach him to obtain the inheritance?
Two thousand years ago God became a man, Jesus of Nazareth. We cannot go to that
man because he is no longer in Nazareth or anywhere on earth. He is on the right hand of God
in
heaven, as God. How can we go to him? Only way to
go to him is through the way he showed us.
"2 Cor 5:14
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died
for all, then were all dead: 15
And that he died for all, that they which live should
not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose
again.
1 Peter 2:21
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:"
The only way which is given to us is that we should live, not for ourselves but
for Jesus Christ, and we should follow the way showed to us by him.
"Being
predestinated according to the purpose of him:"
The purpose of God is to destroy the works of the devil, who deceives the people
and make them to commit sin.
"1 John
3:8 He that
committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.
For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works
of the devil. Then, predestination is for
the purpose to destroy the work of the devil, the work that was to lead the
people to commit sin.
Lord Jesus Christ
tells the people to be zealous,
repent
and overcome as he overcame in order to
become joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. Whoever believes him and overcome as
he overcame is predestinated to inherit his kingdom. "Rev
3:19 ... be
zealous therefore, and repent. 20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he
with me. 21 To him
that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also
overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches." Romans
8:17 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."
Let us see a few more verses from the Bible to evaluate the doctrine of
predestination.
"Psalms 7:9
Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for
the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.
10
My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart. This
shows that predestination doctrine is not true. God is righteous and he judges even according to
the intention of their heart. God saves the upright in heart. So, salvation is not by predestination.
"John 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:" God does not choose
his children by predestination, instead people choose and receive God.
God gives them power to become his children. Those who use his power to do
the will of God are chosen as children to inherit the kingdom of God.
"Matt 7:21
Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
... 24
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them,
I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:"
Nobody enters the kingdom of heaven by predestination, but by doing the will of
God. The will of God was preached by the Lord Jesus Christ as his gospel.
Those who will do the will of God, by obeying the true gospel that was preached
by the Lord Jesus Christ and his apostles, will inherit the
kingdom of heaven as children of God.
"Rom 2:5
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6
Who will render to every man according to his deeds:"
Hard hearted person will deserve the wrath of God. God judges every person
by his/her deeds, and not by predestination.
"Romans 2:10
But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew
first, and also to the Gentile: 11
For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have
sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in
the law shall be judged by the law;"
The Jews and gentiles are getting equal judgment. Those who have committed
sin are condemned and whoever did good works are rewarded with glory, honor and
peace.
Col 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall
receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.
25 But he that
doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is
no respect of persons. True servants of the Lord Jesus Christ
will receive the inheritance and the false workers will be condemned. God
is not a respecter of persons. This is not predestination.
"1 Peter 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye
holy; for I am holy. 17
And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of
persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your
sojourning here in fear:" God judges everybody according to their
works. Holy people inherit the kingdom and sinners will be condemned.
This is opposite to the doctrine of predestination.
Rev 16:7
And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord
God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. God is
righteous and his judgments are righteous. Those who live in sin will
be punished and those who live a holy life will be rewarded accordingly.
Rev 20:13 ... they were
judged every man according to their works.
Rev 22:12
.. behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according
as his work shall be."
So, the inheritance of the kingdom of God will be our own making, by using the
grace of God. If our
work measure up for the reward, then we will receive the kingdom. It is
not by predestination doctrine.
Predestination doctrine reiterates that striving to live or even living a holy
life is irrelevant to their destiny of heaven or hell. According to predestination
doctrine, righteous
godly
people may be sent to
hell, just because God has decided that they
should be put in hell, even before they were born.
So also according to predestination doctrine, the unrighteous criminals may go to heaven,
just because God has
decided that they should
enjoy eternal life in
heaven, even before they were born.
How could a holy righteous God do this kind of injustice? "Psalms
1:5 ... the
ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation
of the righteous. 6
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly
shall perish.
Romans 2:5
But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
6 Who will render to every man according to his
deeds:" God is
righteous and
holy. Justice of
God is without respect to persons. He
judges
every person according to his/her deeds. God will
not judge a person and condemn to hell before he is born. Predestination
principle contradicts the principle of the judgment of God.
Let us see an hypothetical example. Dr. Billy Graham is a well known
evangelist. Osama Bin Laden is a well known terrorist. Consider the
following
statement: "Bin Laden will go to heaven and Billy Graham will
go to hell just because, even before they were born, God predestinated Bin
Laden to inherit heaven and God predestinated Billy Graham to be condemned in hell,
obviously
for no reason. Because God's predestination has the pre-eminence, whatever they have
done in their life will not count for eternal life or eternal damnation." How valid is the above statement according to the word of God? If the above
statement is valid, then the
doctrine of predestination is also valid, because this is what the
predestination doctrine teaches. If the above statement is not
valid, then the doctrine of predestination is also not valid.
They say that Jesus Christ predestinated only the Jews to hear the gospel.
"Matt 10:5
These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go
not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye
not: 6
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7
And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Jesus Christ at
this
point telling his disciples that they should go to the Israelis and preach
the kingdom of heaven. It was necessary because they were thinking that
Messiah will come to give the kingdom back to Israel. They should be taught
that the phase of the kingdom of Israel was over and the kingdom of heaven has come, which
was the message fit only to Israel. They interpret this as predestination. After this,
Jesus Christ told his disciples to preach the gospel to the entire world.
"Mark 16:15
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature."
"Matt 13:10
And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in
parables?
11
He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
Matt 15:14
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the
blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." The
disciples were made to know the mysteries of God, whereas it was not revealed to
the Pharisees and scribes. They say that it is predestination since
the word was revealed only to the disciples. But God did not
predestinate who are going to be his disciples. Anybody could have become
his disciple by continuing in his word, taking his cross and following him.
Others drew near him with their mouths and not with their hearts. They
kept themselves away, but God did not predestinate them to go away.
"John 8:31
Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my
disciples indeed;
Matt 15:7 Ye
hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and
honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9
But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men."
God desires that everybody be saved.
"1 Tim 2:4
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
2 Peter 3:9
... but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance." But, only a few obey him to
inherit eternal life. God
made it available to everybody, but they do not
want to strive to meet the conditions to enter into it. Instead of
striving to enter, they seek to find easy ways. They never
will be able to enter into the kingdom of God.
"Matt 7:14
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Luke 13:24
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will
seek to enter in (seek ways other than
striving), and shall not be able." Those who strive to enter
into the narrow gate are predestined to become like his son Jesus Christ.
They will live as Jesus of Nazareth lived in purity and holiness.
They will be joint-heirs with Christ.
Every person is given equal opportunity to inherit this eternal life. To
whomsoever
much
is given, much will be required from them for eternal life.
"Luke 12:48
... For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: ..."
God winks at those people who were not taught about eternal life or about salvation.
But to those who are taught, he will require response according to what is given.
"Acts 17:30
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men
every where to repent:" The kingdom of God is made hard
for the rich
to enter, but it is made easier for the poor. "Matt
19:23 Then said
Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly
enter into the kingdom of heaven.
James 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath
not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the
kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?"
In such ways God gives grace in proportion to their situation in order to compensate
the differences in the make up of persons in the world so that everyone can
inherit the kingdom of heaven
with equal effort. "Romans
5:20 .. But where sin abounded,
grace did much more abound:" Yet, the reward will be in proportion to their deeds.
God is purely impartial and righteous judge.
"Rev 22:12
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be."
The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, has died for the whole world.
God's grace which is his word, power and presence are available to the humble.
He gave commandments to people. God made his kingdom inheritable to the
obedient. He sets rewards for the good deeds of the people. God has
set conditions so that people may become join-heirs with Jesus Christ and
receive his rewards. The bottom line condition is to obey the commandments
of God. Obedience to God is the key. Whoever are obedient are predestinated. That is, if
you are obedient to God you are predestinated to live as Jesus lived. Those who
overcome will inherit the kingdom of God.
God did not predestinate any particular person or any particular group.
God chose whosoever met the conditions for himself. They inherit
all things.
"2 Chron 16:9
...the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew
himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.
Psalms 4:3 ...the LORD hath set apart
him that is godly for himself..." So, it is up to us to trust
him enough to believe what he has said and love him enough to obey what he has
commanded us to do. As we obey him, he will lead us and will abide with us.
So, our eternal destiny is in our hands. God did not predestinate our
eternal destiny.
"2 Cor 6:16
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of
the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I
will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye
separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive
you, 18 And will be a
Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty." Becoming the sons and daughters are solely by separating
ourselves from sin, keeping ourselves as the temple of God, by obeying God
using his power. The
godly people are
predestinated by God that they should
live as Jesus Christ lived. They will be declared sons of God as Jesus Christ
was declared as the begotten Son of God.
"Rom 8:13
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.
14 For as many as are led by
the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. ... 17
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." God gives the power to
become the children of God to those who receive him. It is not what
predestination doctrine says. Again, whoever uses the power to mortify the
deeds of their flesh, will be glorified and be joint-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ.
"John 10:14
I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and
am known of
mine... 26
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep...
27
My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and
they follow me: 28
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither
shall any man pluck them out of my hand." As God is the good
shepherd and know his sheep, the sheep also know God, hear his voice, and follow
God in his ways. Those who do not follow God are not his sheep. Of
course God knows every thing. However, the sheep knows him, hear him and they
follow him. Because of this, the sheep becomes God's sheep.
Why some sincere Christians create false doctrine? The primary reason is that
they are unlearned in the wholesome words of God. They do not
even know the fundamental, basic doctrine of salvation.
However, the Bible, the word of God, supports
only
the doctrine of Jesus Christ, which is same as
the
apostle's doctrine. All other doctrines are man made.
"1 Tim 6:3
If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the
words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according
to godliness; 4 He
is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words,
whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and
destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw
thyself." But, prominent theologians, who are ignorant of the wholesome words of
God, the teachings of Jesus Christ
and
doctrine according to godliness,
make their own doctrine by pulling the
verses of the Bible out of context and twisting it from the intended meaning of
the verse.
"2 Peter 3:16
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some
things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable
wrest (twist the meaning),
as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these
things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of
the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness." Unlearned
people are not those who do not have an educational degree, but those who lack knowledge in the wholesome words of God. Unstable
people are those who cannot stay in the righteousness of God.
These unlearned and unstable workers twist the
scriptures to give some other meaning, in order to show
themselves approved of God. But, the word of God cautions us that we
should not be led by the errors of these wicked people.
Some of the prominent, but common errors are given below as guide line
examples.
Common Christian Salvation, which is
false, is as follows:
Most Christians think that salvation is an escape from hell.
Hell is the place of punishment for sins committed unless forgiven. They believe that nobody can stop committing sin
but they can escape the punishment for committing sins,
as they were committing
sins. They think that their sins will be forgiven by the grace of God.
They call this as salvation of souls. How to get this salvation?
They teach the salvation method as follows:- Just say that you believe in Jesus Christ, he
died for you, he is your Lord, he is your Saviour, etc. Then, God will
give you faith to believe and take you to Heaven. They
think that if you make these statements of confessions,
Jesus Christ will have no other choice, but to take you to heaven. But there is one
problem.
This teaching is a subtle twist of the scripture
and the deception of Satan.
How shall the sinners escape hell?
They say salvation is not by works of righteousness. They say that they are saved by grace,
assuming that grace is a free ticket to heaven. But this is not true and
God saves his people from their sins. That is, God deliver from
their sins.
Because they are rescued from their sin they will not sin. Now they are
saved. God forgives their past sins. There will be
no sin in their life. Because there will be no sins, there will be no punishment.
They will receive rewards for overcoming sin.
Others will be punished because of the sins in their lives.
What is grace?
They think that grace is God's
free gift, which will take them to heaven, while they are sinning.
But grace is the word, the power and the presence of God that is
given to a believer to overcome sin and to live godly life. The abiding of God in a person
will
bring him to the glory of God.
Who receives the gift of grace?
Common belief is that all
those who believe that Jesus died for them will receive the gift of grace.
That is, all Christians including some
non-Christians who believe in the name of Jesus Christ
are saved. But it is not so. God gives grace only to humble
people and they will
do what he commands them to do. Proud people will not obey God but will try to
outsmart him.
What is true Salvation?
"Matt 1:21
... call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins."
Salvation is saving people from their sins, and it is not taking people to
heaven.
"Titus 2:14
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
Jesus Christ gave his life and redeemed his people from their sins
and purified them for himself.
These people, who are saved from sin, will be doing good works for
the Lord. "Eph
2:10 For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them." The good works, which God
has already ordained, is to live a holy righteous life
serving the Lord. "Titus
2:7 In all things shewing thyself
a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity,
sincerity, 8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned;..." The
servants of God preach the doctrine (gospel) of Jesus Christ while
living a holy and righteous life.
The word "predestination" is in the Bible. God is Omniscient and he knows
everything even before the foundation of the earth. Satan confuses the
principle of predestination with the omniscience of God in order to
deceive people as he has deceived Eve at the Garden of Eden. When Eve was
deceived, she made her beloved husband to commit sin without knowing what she
was doing. Even now, people are deceived and are deceiving their own loved
ones without knowing what they are doing.
"2 Cor 11:14
.. no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if
his
ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;..."
They works for Satan, perhaps without even knowing, thinking and showing
themselves as servants of God, and
teaching just the opposite to what God has intended them to teach.
God
knows what we are. "2 Tim
2:19 ... The Lord knoweth them that are
his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity."
If we want to work for God we must depart from
iniquity and teach others to do so. God made his provision of grace available
to everybody so that the humble can receive it. Now, with the provision of the
grace of God, it is up to me to do my part and up to you to do your part to
inherit eternal life. It is either our life of holiness or of iniquity, makes
us either his sons or his enemy. Sons will inherit the kingdom as joint-heirs with
Jesus Christ. His enemies will be punished with eternal damnation in hell for
ever. Most Christians believe in hell without knowing what it is. It is the
torture chamber, probably thousand times severe than that of Saddam Hussein and
that of the Roman emperor Nero. Most probably, more than 90% of Christians will
go to the punishment in hell. This is not an exaggerated figure. God is the
God of love. But Christians should never forget that God is God of wrath
against those who do not OBEY HIS GOSPEL. His GOSPEL is the good
news covenant of inheritance in eternal kingdom for those who obey his
commandments. God's predestination is to enable the obedient people to live in
conformity to the life of his Son Jesus Christ. Those who are conformed to
the life of his Son will be glorified and honored to sit in his throne of Christ
to rule with him for ever.
God Bless You
|
