Thursday, July
20, 2017
“But now, listen to me, Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen
one. The Lord who made you and
helps you says: Do not be afraid, O
Jacob, my servant, O dear Israel, my chosen one. For I will pour out water to quench your
thirst and to irrigate your parched fields.
And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on
your children. They will thrive like
watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.
Some will proudly claim, ‘I belong to the Lord.’ Others will say, ‘I am a descendant of
Jacob.’ Some will write the Lord’s
name on their hands and will take the name of Israel as their own.” Isaiah 44:1-5(NLT)
To be one chosen is to place the
outcome in someone else’s hands. In the
case of our political choices we hold elections
to determine who we want to govern. It’s
a freedom we enjoy and hold dearly.
God’s
people, Israel, are referred to as The
Chosen People. God chose, or
elected them, not
because they are better, worse, more talented, faithful, or special, but rather
He elected them to be His voice; God chose Israel to be His witness to the
world of God’s goodness and love. In that
same way the Christian Church was also chosen, or elected to be God’s Kingdom witness, because God wanted
the world to understand the cost of forgiveness, the cross of Christ.
As with
most blessings God has poured out on humankind, we tend to make a shrine out of
it, and thereby get it wrong. The doctrine
of election has stood
(and been misunderstood) as God’s blessing of His choice to draw us near to
Himself. We tend to wear it as a badge
of status and invincibility, something that makes us privileged. In short, we take God’s offer of blessing and
turn it into our little pocketful of power.
So,
preacher, what are you getting at here?
Well, I’m
glad you asked; I’d like to remind us today of at least one aspect of election,
over which many parts of the body (denominations, sects, scholars and other
divisions) have argued for generations…what does it mean to be elect?
I learned
this from a dear saint, Dr. Herschel Hobbs, a revered Bible scholar and
preacher of the Gospel who came to our church in 1979 to conduct a revival. During that week Dr. Hobbs conducted an early
morning Bible Study through the Book of Galatians. I attended that study and heard plenty of
humor, and plain-speaking explanations of Biblical truth, backed by a long
ministry of Biblical exposition. During
one session Dr. Hobbs was asked a question about what God does in election, and this is what he
answered:
Well, it’s simple, really; God held an election held a long time ago
about saving all of humanity. God voted
for you, and the devil voted against you; and God has given each of us the
deciding vote to determine the outcome.
Election –
the pro-active (prevenient), grace-filled move of God to take our place of
death we originally choose because of our sinful nature, followed by a gracious
offer to allow us to reject or receive God’s love.
Dr. Hobbs’
humor was a bit dated (as is mine), but his theology, and incredibly crisp and
understandable way of defining it was anything but lame. From that moment I heard about the cost of my
deciding electoral vote
in being saved from the wages of my sin, I began to look at personal
responsibility for my actions with a whole a new priority. In many ways that simple, down-home explanation
of a complex doctrine changed my life.
For You Today
You
may have already cast your ballot. Did
you vote “yes” or “no” to God’s offer of salvation? If you voted “no” the good news for you is
that God allows U-turns.
Care
to vote again?
NOTES
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