The Elect of God

Jesus Christ is the Elect of God. He is described in Scripture as a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame (Isaiah 28:16; 1 Peter 2:6). You are elect in Christ alone.  That's because your election is confirmed by faith in Christ alone (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

God's people are elect in Christ. The initiative for your salvation is with the eternal God. In eternity, God's purpose was to justify believers in and through Christ, before the world began (Ephesians 1:4-5; 2 Timothy 1:9). God chose you through faith in Christ alone.

To be in Christ means you are a believer, baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). The body of Christ is the church. The word church does not refer to a denomination nor a sectarian group. It refers to all of God's people saved through the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). 

God's elect are called out of spiritual darkness, into the light of Christ (1 Peter 2:9). You are God's new creation in Christ (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17). That's your election in Christ.

By grace alone through faith in Christ, God saves you from condemnation (Ephesians 2:8-9). It's God's eternal purpose in Christ. God's purpose is to save you to the praise of His glorious grace in Christ (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14). That's your election in Christ. 

God's Purpose in All

The purpose of all things is God's glory forever. For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:36). It is God's will for us to bring glory to him in all things. Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

The purpose of creation is to God's glory. All of creation is to the praise of God's glory through Christ. You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and by your will they exist and were created (Revelation 4:11). We were created to bring glory to God. The Bible defines sin as falling short of God's glory (Romans 3:23).

The purpose of our salvation is to God's glory."We who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory"(Ephesians 1:12). As a believer, God is working in you and through you to the praise of his glory in Christ, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory, forever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:21).

The purpose of prayer is to God's glory. Pray to God our Father, For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen (Matthew 6:13). Prayer should always be centered upon God's glory in all things. God's kingdom and power work to the praise of His glory. We should pray for the glory of God in all things.

Have Faith in God

Have faith in God with confidence. Faith is taking God at His word. Faith is in God is trusting God, and not leaning on your own understanding. Have faith in God trusting the word of God in the Bible (Romans 10:17). 

Have faith in God even when you don't understand. We cannot understand all the ways of God. Trusting God is confidently believing in His ability to help you and direct you. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

All relationships are built on trust. Faith in God is trusting Him. God is always trustworthy. His word is our bond of trust. Faith is willing to trust God in all circumstances. We may testify, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust" (Psalm 91:2).

Have faith in God taking Him at His word. The Bible gives us the written promises of God. Our faith receives the promises of God. He is the Promise-Keeper. His word of promise is our sure foundation. Have faith in God trusting Him in every situation of life. Faith in God is absolute confidence in His word of promise.

Born of the Spirit

Jesus said, The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8). To be born of the Spirit is also known as regeneration. It is being born from above, because the Holy Spirit comes from above

Like the wind, the Holy Spirit works with great power. His power is omnipotent. The wind moves at unexpected times and in unexpected ways. It's hard to explain, and often difficult to understand. The Holy Spirit, like the wind, moves when, where, and how He pleases. Regeneration is beyond our full comprehension. 

Regeneration changes our hearts (Ezekiel 36:26). It is the work of only one, the Holy Spirit (John 3:7-8). He enables you to have a genuine love for God and a heart to obey Jesus our Lord. The Holy Spirit works in you, what you could never do for yourself. You become a new creation in Christ (John 3:6; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Regeneration enables faith to confess that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (1 John 5:1). You confess Jesus is Lord (1 Corinthians 12:3). That means you believe that Jesus our Lord is risen from the dead (Romans 10:9).

How Grace Is Received

Charles Spurgeon said, "All you can receive, and all you ever ought to hope for, must be through the covenant of free grace." To understand how God works in every believer's life, we must understand grace. God has sworn with an oath of promise to save us by grace in Christ (Hebrews 7:21-25). Grace is the gift of God. Grace is received by faith in Christ.

Grace is received through the everlasting covenant of Christ (Hebrews 13:20-21). The covenant is summarized in four promises to every believer (Hebrews 8:10-12). First, God will put his laws in your mind and heart. Second, each one will know God in a personal relationship. Third, God will be merciful unto you. Fourth, God will remember your sins no more.

Grace is received through Christ as our covenant surety (Hebrews 7:20-22). God always works through covenant. He tells you what he is doing and what he shall do. Covenant is an agreement or contract that includes God's everlasting promises to every believer, guaranteed through Christ Jesus our covenant surety.

Grace is received through the everlasting gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 14:6). That is God's covenant of grace in Christ. It is based on the merits and righteousness of Christ alone to every believer (2 Corinthians 5:21). It is received by grace through faith in Christ, because it is the gift of God and not of our works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Born Again and Sure

Those who are born again can be sure. Jesus made it clear in his discussion with Nicodemus, found in the third chapter of John's Gospel. Believing on the Son of God was the real issue. Those who are born again believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 36). Those who are born again can be sure, based upon the clear teaching of the Bible.

Our first birth is by the flesh. Our new birth is by the Spirit. We are born again by the work of the Holy Spirit, through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Those who are born again can be sure, because they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 John 5:1).

Jesus said to Nicodemus, "If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" (John 3:12). Nicodemus was a religious man who was not born again. His unbelief was the evidence. Only God knows how many religious people today have not been born again.

Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ means you are born again (Acts 16:31). All who are born again believe the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16). We believe Christ died for our sins, according to the Scripture. We believe Christ is risen from the dead, according to the Scripture (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

Those Who Are Cursed

Those who are cursed are cut off from the blessings of God and marked for destruction. God's covenant of law promised blessings to those who obey and curses to those who disobey (Deuteronomy 28:15-24). The cursed are cut off from the blessings of God. We have all disobeyed God (Romans 3:23). Only Christ can set us free from the curse.

Martin Luther taught that Christ died for the curse of our sins. "He voluntarily fulfilled all righteousness, living under the law without spot or blemish, bore our sins, became a curse for us, and offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. This is the atoning, reconciling work of Christ."

Those who are cursed are controlled by a spirit of disobedience (Ephesians 2:1-3). They are under the dominion of sin and the curse of the law. The only hope of salvation is in the sacrifice of Christ alone.  As Luther said, Christ "became a curse for us, and offered himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world."

We are set free from the curse by faith in Christ as our sacrifice! Luther taught that Christ in the atonement "became a curse for us" at the cross (Gal. 3:13). He wrote, "This is the atoning, reconciling work of Christ." That means by grace through faith in the gospel of Christ, we are free from the curse!