Gemstone Foundation

Sardonyx

GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE

 Does God choose His friends the same way that you do; as in,

do you like each other,

do you like to hang out together,

do you have common interests that you share together?

          Well, it is possible that that is the way it works, but the examples in the Bible show that from Cain and Abel to the apostle John, God dwelt with those who honored Him and His ways, in the way that HE wanted. In other words, they were found to be obedient to the commands of God.  The Old Testament in the Bible is an account of this struggle.

           This topic presents many questions.  I am listing below a few of them

               1. Are the Jews God's Chosen People? 

               2. Can we become chosen? 

               3. Who chooses whom? 

               4. How do we know if we are chosen?

               5. For what purpose are we chosen?

          Before I attempt to answer these questions,  I want to state that you  will experience an identity crisis.  To whom do I belong becomes the question of utmost importance and one that each of us must answer in our hearts. 

          I wish to emphasize here that "belonging" must contain one important factor called fellowship.  We were created for fellowship with God.  It was because of a lack of horizontal fellowship that Eve was created. Now they could have fellowship with God and with each other, and with the animals.

          Through Adam and Eve's disobedience this fellowship with God was broken. Their children, Cain and Abel, each made a worship sacrifice and one of them became chosen because his sacrifice was pleasing to God. You can read about it in Genesis Chapter 4. From that point on God chose people based upon their desire to have a relationship with HIM..

1.  Are The Jews God's Chosen People?

          The line of righteous men is recorded in The Gospel of Luke Chapter 3, Verses 28-38.. When God got to Abraham, HE made Himself a family. When Abraham's grandson, Jacob, wrestled with the Angel of  the Lord all night, his name was changed from Jacob to Israel, and Jacob's sons became the 12 tribes of Israel - the family of priests that God had always wanted.

          The prophet Amos records the Word of the Lord in Chapter 3: verse 30 concerning Israel:

"You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth"

          The word for chosen in Hebrew is   -- yada - meaning "to know" as in have fellowship with. From this information we can say yes, the Jewish race is God's Chosen People!

2.  Can Anyone Become Chosen?

          I have laid the groundwork in the previous section to show that individuals were chosen by God until the time HE made a family. When Jesus came to shed his blood for the salvation of the whole world, a new family was made that embraced all Jews and Gentiles that would believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to their salvation. This was in fulfillment of the promise made by God to Abraham that in Him all the nations of the world would be blessed .  Genesis 17: 4-9

          2 Peter 2:9,10 tells us that believers are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession. "For you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God."

          As for you individually, the call will come to your heart from God. His call goes out over all the earth.  When the call comes to your heart obey it as Abraham did. This leads us to the question -"Has the call come to every soul that has ever lived"?  Obviously, millions have died without receiving that call. I believe that God shows us He is a fair and just God, so this presents us with a problem. There are two small overlooked passages in 1 Peter 3:19 and 1 Peter 4:6 that seem to say that Jesus Himself has preached to the dead. So perhaps God's justice will be shown to all in this matter also.

3.  Who Chooses Whom?

          Does God soverignly choose us or have we chosen Him of our own free will? God did give Adam free will, since forced love is not what God is about! The answer lies in His call and our choice. "many are called, few are chosen."  Roman 8: 28-30 talks about those who are called, and their process to glorification. Romans Chapter 9 deals with the issue of  mercy and sovereignty in this matter. Please read these scriptures.

4.  How Do We Know If We Are Chosen?

          Romans 8:14-17 shows us that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.  If you have accepted God's call to fellowship and dicipleship, your spirit, with the Holy Spirit, will cause you to know this truth in your inner man. For those of you who have accepted the call but do not have the inner witness, then there is a blockage to sonship that must be destroyed before you can go further. 

5.  For What Purpose Are We Chosen?

You are chosen to bear the likeness of our Savior,

"For whom He foreknew, he also predestined, to become conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn of many brethren." Romans 8:29

to become a kingdom,

"in order to be made into a kingdom of priests to His God and Father."  Rev. 1:6, to reign in the righteousness of the Father on the earth.  Rev. 5:10.