God and the Choice

GOD AND THE CHOICE

God did something very wonderful for all of us long ago. He CHOSE us!

God Reveals Himself

The first words of the Bible tell us what the Bible teaches: "In the beginning God..." The Bible is about God: Who He is and what He does. The Bible is God's Self-Revelation. He revealed Himself to the authors of the Bible so they would pass along the revelation to the world. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. " (2 Peter 1:20-21)

When we study the Bible we are reading the message God has for us. No one made it up. God said it. "All Scripture is God-breathed." (2 Tim. 3:16)

The word theopneustos is made up of theos (God) and pneustos (from pnein ), "to breathe." God was involved in every part of the writing of the Bible. "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus. " (Acts 1:16)

Theologian Henry Thiessen wrote, "The Holy Spirit so guided and superintended the writers of the sacred text, making use of their own unique personalities, that they wrote all that he wanted them to write, without excess or error." (Lectures in Systematic Theology, William B. Eerdman's)

God reveals Himself through the names used for Him in the Bible. The English word "God" comes from the Hebrew words elohim, elyon, el, shadday, yahweh , and the Greek word theos . The Bible student will find the name of God listed almost four-thousand times in the Scriptures. The most used name is elohim . It's first usage is Gen. 1:1, "In the beginning God..." The next most used name is yahweh . It is often translated "Lord." The Bible student will find God as Lord listed more than 65-hundred times in the Scriptures. It is almost always the word yahweh (Jehovah).

Elohim implies strength. God is strong! The Bible says God is "Almighty" (Gen. 17:1; Rev. 4:8). All things are possible for Him (Matt. 19:26). Nothing is too difficult for Him (Jer. 32:17). The word is also plural in number.

Jehovah was the holiest of God's names. Jews in ancient Israel would not pronounce it. They would substitute other words for it--including Adonai . They would write Yawh , but read Adonai . Some renderings of the meaning of Yahweh are "He causes to be" and "O He!" The name is unique to Israel.

Other names from Jehovah are: Jehovah-Jireh (Jehovah will provide), Jehovah-Nisi (Jehovah my banner), Jehovah-Shalom (Jehovah-peace), and Jehovah-Shammah (Jehovah is there).

Jehovah expresses the eternality and immutability of God's nature. It also speaks to the faithfulness of God to all His purposes and promises.

"God is infinite in relation to time. He is without beginning or end, he is free from all succession of time, and he is the cause of time."
(Thiessen, Lectures)

God was "In the beginning," but He had no beginning. He always was. Here are some examples of how God revealed this truth to the world: "And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God." (Gen. 21:33) "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." (Psalm 90:2) "Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." (1 Tim. 6:15-16)

In addition to being infinite in relation to time, God is also infinite in relation to space. "He is not limited or circumscribed by space; on the contrary, all finite space is dependent upon him." (Thiessen, Lectures) "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" (1 Kings 8:27) "The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens." (Psalm 113:4 ... also read Psalm 139:7-12) "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD." (Jer. 23:24 ... also read Acts 17:24-28)

We learn more about God from the Greek names for Him. The word theos is the Greek translation of the Hebrew words Elohim and Jehovah . The primary Greek word for "Lord" is kurios . It signifies one who has power or authority. It can also be translated "master" or "owner." Writers of the New Testament use the name kurios for God and Jesus Christ. The reason for that is simple: Jesus Christ is God!

In addition to the names "God" and "Lord," He reveals Himself to us as "Lord God," "God Most High," "The Sovereign Lord," "God Almighty," "The Eternal God," "The God of Bethel," "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob," "I AM Who I Am," "The God of Israel," "God, the Rock," "The Lord, the God of heaven," "The Mighty One, God the Lord," "God the King," "The Holy One of Israel," and "The Mighty One of Israel."

The study of the meanings in each of these names would take a student months to complete. The study would reveal that God is holy, eternal, infinite, immortal, invisible, all-knowing, everywhere present, all-powerful, unchanging, incomparable, righteous, perfect, awesome and majestic, and gracious. You will also learn that God is spirit.

The nature of God (Who He is) has a direct bearing on the works of God (What He does). God is true to His character because He is Self-existent. He depends on no one. Because God is immense He cannot be contained. Because God is eternal He is not limited by time. Because God is all-powerful, He cannot lose. Because God is all-knowing He knows Himself and all other things perfectly from all eternity. Because God is present everywhere at once He sees everything and is involved in everything. Because God does not change He is reliable. We can believe in Him and trust Him without question, concern or fear.

We know from this that what God does will always be holy, righteous, just, good, true, loving, kind, merciful, and gracious. What a comfort it is to know these truths!

The Choice

God's first work (action) was to choose us in Christ.. "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." (Eph. 1:4)
This statement follows one that says Christians are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Imagine that! Every spiritual blessing! There is not one spiritual blessing that is not ours in the heavenly realms. What a future awaits us! What a time we can have now!

It all began for us when God "chose" us. The Greek word is exelexato. It is the first aorist middle of eklego , "to pick out." The middle voice means the subject of the verb (He--God) acts in His own interest--"to pick or choose out for one's self."

This word is also used when presenting God's choice of Israel from all nations for the purpose of bringing salvation to the world. The object of such choice is for a certain object or goal.

The stated purpose for this choice is that Christians would be "holy and blameless in His sight." More about that later when we study the relationship of Christians and Christ.

God chose us for Himself in a past time. The aorist tense in the Greek is like a snapshot. We can pick it up, look at it and enjoy the memory.

Paul gives us a reference time for God's action of choosing us. It was "before the creation of the world" -- pro kataboles kosmon . Katabolhs , "creation," is a compound word: kata, "down," and bolhs , "to throw." It describes the act of the Almighty God throwing down the world. The world did not exist prior to God's creating it. The world began in space and time. God was above space and before time.

Kosmon , "world," means "order, arrangement, ornament, adornment." What God created was beautiful and wonderful!

What we see here is a splendid and wonderful plan. Before God created the world, He thought about us. He considered us. He made everything, designed everything with us in mind. Neat, huh? As we see in the first chapter of Ephesians, God chose us in Christ, He predestined us, He redeemed us, He made known to us the mystery of His will, and He included us. This speaks strongly of a very special plan.

Eph. 1:11 says it well: "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."

The word "chosen" is eklerothemen . It translates "we were chosen as inheritance." It is first person, plural, aorist, indicative. God chose us in the past (before the creation of the world). It comes from the word kleres and means "to assign by lot." The ancients would place the names of people on a pebble, a potsherd or piece of wood and then place it into a vase. They would shake the vase until the object fell out. The first person whose name or "lot" fell on the ground was chosen. In this case, Christians were the ones chosen as an inheritance.

Paul uses the word again in Col. 1:12: (klerou ton hagion en to photi ) -- "lot of the saints in the light." The entire verse reads, "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."

God wanted to give something special to a group of people. That something is an inheritance. The people are the saints [hagion ], "holy ones, those separated for holy use."

What God wanted to give His chosen ones was a special relationship with Himself. That is our inheritance--a deep and satisfying eternal relationship with God. No other inheritance can compare with what God has given us.

We find God's desire for relationship with humans throughout the Bible. It began when He created man "in his own image." When the first man sinned against God and broke the relationship, God instituted a path back to the relationship. He gave His Son Jesus Christ as the payment for the sins of mankind. Through Christ we can get back to God!

One of the best examples of God's desire for relationship with mankind and His merciful provision is found in John 14. Jesus is speaking to His disciples: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know." Jesus continues that theme a few verses later: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." Jesus is the only way back to God!

Another insight to God's desire for relationship is what He calls those who love and follow Him. Jewish followers are called "children, a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, the flock of God, and the wife of the Lamb." Christians are called "children" (Rom. 8:16-17--"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."), "God's building" (1 Cor. 3:9 --"For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."), "the temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 3:16--"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"), "the body of Christ" (Eph.1:22-23--"And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all. "), "a holy temple" (Eph. 2:21-22--"In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. ")

Chief among examples of God's desire for human relationship is His love for the world. Jesus said, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

David, King of Israel, knew about God's love. He wrote, "But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation." (Psalm 13:5) Nehemiah, leader of Israel, wrote, "And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not." (Neh. 9:17) The Queen of Sheba told Solomon, King of Israel, that he served a God who "loved Israel for ever." (1 Kings 10:9) Ezra, Jewish leader and historian, records that the nation of Israel sang to the Lord "because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel." (Ezra 3:11) In Psalm 136, the people responded 26 times that God's mercy "endureth for ever."

God's love for humans has never been passive. His love is active, powerful and life-changing! Paul the Apostle wrote "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8) Jesus said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

Paul teaches that Christ's love "passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:19). It is a love of self-sacrifice--"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour ... Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." (Eph. 5:2, 25)

Remember, what God wants with you and me is a personal relationship. Everything else follows that goal. If we have a close and abiding relationship with God, we will have the spiritual, mental and physical support for all other relationships and challenges of life.