Love Is A Choice - Really?

“Love is a choice.” This is a common evangelical mantra.  When we hear it spoken we all nod our heads in benign acquiescence. Yet, we would just as knowingly assert that God is love and the ability to love emanates solely from Him.

I had been musing on this seeming inconsistency when I just heard these words on the radio.

“Spirit of God, who dwells within my heart, 
wean it from sin, through all its pulses move. 
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as you are, 
and make me love you as I ought to love.”

The hymnist equates the love for God with the coming of the Spirit of God. His desperate, but eternally effectual plea is, “make me love you as I ought to love.” This plea is effectual for it is totally congruent with the pantheon of covenantal love. 

The apostle who’s only response to the divine unction was, “Who are you Lord?” writes “...God's love has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5 He would also maintain, “For who is able to resist his will?" Romans 9:19


He is the one who suddenly found himself embraced in the strong cords of divine love on that road to Damascus. A love so sure that he was held forever secure in its unyielding grasp.  “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1 

The love of God - even the love for God - is a gift, not a reward. We can only give to God what He has given us to give to Him. There is no other acceptable offering. 

If love be a matter of man’s fickle choice then the worth of the object must take its central place. It is only the love that proceeds from God that is truly capable of loving without merit being its raison d’etre. 

Our hymnist continues...

Teach me to love you as your angels love, 
one holy passion filling all my frame: 
the fullness of the heaven-descended Dove; 
my heart an altar, and your love the flame. 

This psalmody is wholly congruent with the testimony of scripture. ‘Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."’ Galatians 4:6 ‘We are His children, not by the exercise of our will, but by the will of God.  “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”’ John 1:13 Notice that we are His sons by the exercise of His will and the subsequent result is the coming of the Eternal Spirit - not before. 

Would there be an inherent ability to love - then we might possibly be able to will ourselves to love, i.e. make a choice.  If the futility of such transcends our abilities, our gaze and our petition must intrinsically be toward the One of whom is its beginning and its fulfillment. Thus the exhortations to love which are a aplenty in the Word of God.

Paul also writes: “For the love of Christ constraineth us;...” 2 Corinthians 5:14 Sometimes I just love the old language. This one predates the King James, for it is from the Geneva Bible - the Bible of the Reformers. Their note on this verse is “Wholly possesses us.”  It is they - who in their day and to whom we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude - delivered the church from slavish legalistic fealty into the glorious liberty of the children of God. More recent translations put it this way: “For Christ's love compels us...”  I remembering reading a commentator once who said it like this: “controls like a fever.”  When one is in the grip of an intense fever, he is under the control of something that is decidedly outside of his self-will.

This effectually drives the final nail into the coffin of vain boasting. And the believer is thus made the beneficiary of a hope that does not disappoint. “That no flesh should glory in his presence.” 1 Corinthians 1:29 GSB 

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:10-11 NIV 

Our love for God - and our subsequent love for one another - has its genesis in God Himself. Thus it is this ability - when all other giftings and attributes pass away - which will remain.

Turning to another hymnist - Charles Wesley:

God only knows the love of God!
O that it more were shed abroad
in this poor longing heart!

“We love, because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 

“I Chose You!”

Recently I was receiving encouragement as I read a post from a Christian acquaintance when my eyes fell upon this words:  “If you will allow Him..”  Astounded I queried, “Allow Him!?”  Who could possibly be addressed here? Certainly not the One who is “upholding all things by the power of His word,...”  

And then it got worse: “if you will just give Him a chance....” Once again, “A chance!?” Can the Sovereign purpose of our Eternal God be reduced to chance? Weymouth translates Romans 8:28: “Now we know that for those who love God all things are working together for good--for those, I mean, whom with deliberate purpose He has called.”  It is impossible for deliberate purpose and chance to coexist. Or can chance engender purpose? May it never be! The purposed of God are born not according to the will of the flesh, but according to the mandate of God. “Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?” James 3:11 

denial of the power

Yet these statements are no mere anomaly.  Modern evangelicalism is rife with such words as these.  My concern is that we are - whether inadvertently or with intentionality - holding onto a form of godliness rather than being gripped by immutable purpose. The inevitable consequence being the denial of the “power thereof.” The result being chronic and systemic ineffectualness. 

Can such a gospel - if it could even be called so - have any power unto perseverance and fidelity? Christ addresses this issue authoritatively:  "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” John 15:16  Prevarication must yield each and every time to absolute verity. 

“These words plainly teach us that our salvation comes only from the favour and gracious goodness of the everlasting God towards us, and of nothing that we do or can deserve.” Geneva Bible - Notes

intercessory confidence

Herein is our intercessory confidence - by this means and this means alone can we approach the Throne of Eternal Providence: “I chose you!” May this truth grasp us to the core of our being and cause us to soar from the doldrums of finite conception and enter into the courts of eternal intent.  For He has caused us to be accepted in the Son of His Love (Ephesians 1:6) - and at the consummation we will be presented to the Lamb by our Faithful Father as the reward for His suffering. 

Volition is in the hands of the Progenitor - and in He alone. “who works all things after the counsel of His will,” Ephesians 1:11 Herein is rooted our confidence and herein we receive the nourishment that yields lasting fruitfulness. And thus all to the praise of His Glory! “Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.” Psalm 72:19 

The “Apostle of the Heart Set Free” writes: “According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” Ephesians 3:11-12 

eternal abundance

There is only one type of soil that is capable of grasping and nourishing the precious seed of eternal abundance - it is that which has been plowed, tilled and furrowed by the Great Husbandman.  "Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold." Mark 4:8 Lest we succumb to the allure of deism or the “the man upstairs” phantasm it is also He who causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3:7).

Turning once again to our Savior’s words to His disciples - not to them alone - but also to those that will believe according to their word (John 17:20): "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go...”

So we go!

Solus Christus - By Christ Alone

A Slippery Slope.....

While Nancy and I were heading up the interstate to spend Christmas Day with our kids she began to recount to me a Christmas Eve conversation she had with them while I had otherwise been occupied with the grand-kids.  They recounted contemporary instances of ministries that had been born in the favor and nurture of God, but had later descended into financial and sexual misconduct - and maybe even worse the manipulation and exploitation of their adherents. 

We were reminded of something we once heard from John Wimber: “When a movement begins to denominate it begins to die.”

The Down-Grade

In his later life Charles Spurgeon became embroiled in a slippery slope that has come to be known as The Down-Grade Controversy. He suggested that denominations often "got on the downgrade" when they abandoned a system of theology which emphasizes God's sovereignty in salvation in favor of one which makes human will the decisive factor. 

How does this happen? And why is it so oft repeated? It suddenly occurred to me that it is the result of the abdication of the guiding principle contained in the following verse.

So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. Romans 9:16

Clear Warning

This verse should sound the clear warning clang of the buoy - or reveal the fog piercing beam of the lighthouse - that warns the ship when it is nearing the treachery of the hidden reefs. For the abandonment of this truth results in shipwreck indeed. 

Our modern Evangelicalism - indeed even all of Christendom - has largely lost sight of the great effectual certainty of this verse.  The result is that our witness to a watching world has lost its vibrant relativity. Even though we may mouth the signal Gospel truth - not by works - our attitudes and our actions indicate that our confidence lies elsewhere. 

Although my musings as an “Evangelical Agnostic” address our current construct - there is nothing new to this dilemma for Paul himself wrote: “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” Galatians 3:3

Clarion Call

This is a clarion call to diligence.  The writer to the Hebrews exhorts his readers to be diligent to enter into the Sabbath rest of God - not one day only, but a continual lifestyle. There is no lack of subtleties awaiting as little foxes to rob our vines of the sweet fruit of pure devotion to the One who has declared that He would finish what He has begun in us.  

While on a fruit metaphor, we must be reminded: "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain,...” John 15:15 If we become severed from this principle we may maintain a facade of fruitfulness, yet in reality a close inspection will reveal no ripe nourishing fruit.

When an individual leader or a whole movement loses its connecting life-flow to the mercy of God they or it then begin to project on others their own sense of inadequacy and even failure. As Paul wrote to the Church at Colossae, these machinations then have no value whatsoever: “but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence” 2:23 NIV The watchwords of Christ Himself are then trodden underfoot: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,...” 

A Ringing 

I was given an illustration once while ministering to leaders in Uganda on the subject of religious deception. Once while deer hunting I decided to use a .44 Magnum revolver. As I lined up my sights on a deer and dropped the hammer the resulting blast was felt on my face and caused a ringing in my left ear that remains there until this day.  May Christ’s resounding authoritative shout on the Cross - “It is finished!” - drown out all seductions that would seek to lure us from the purity of devotion.  And set before our eyes a vision of the white-hot mercy of God. 

For it is we the children of God “who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:13 

The Latter Shall Be Greater Than The Former

Ultimately One Made Without Hands

"The final glory of this house will be greater than the first," says the LORD of Hosts. "I will provide peace in this place"--this is the declaration of the LORD of Hosts." Haggai 2:9

I was reading devotionally recently when I saw the following verse.

"Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers' households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy,..." Ezra 3:12

This was not unfamiliar territory to me as I knew that it was referring to the building of the Second Temple after the return of the Jews from exile. The First or Solomon’s Temple had utterly been destroyed decades before.  Not only that, but it’s centerpiece or focus - the Ark of the Covenant - had disappeared. Without the Ark the Shekinah Presence of the Glory of God had also departed - Ichabod.

There were those standing there who had seen the glory of the First Temple and when they saw the dimensions of the foundation of the Second Temple they wept for they knew it could never approach the grandeur of the First. Yet those who had been born in captivity rejoiced greatly with the hope and expectation of that which was about to rise out of the desolation - a portent of resurrection.

As I perused commentary I read: “Not that this second temple was not a very grand and beautiful structure. But no matter how great its material splendor was, it was inferior in this respect to that of Solomon. Yet the glory of the second far outshone that of the first temple in another and more important point of view, namely, the receiving within its walls the incarnate Saviour.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary (1871)

Suddenly a panoramic vista of the purpose and intent of God opened within my spirit such as I had never contemplated before. Prophetically this Second Temple would see the Fullness of the Godhead bodily enter through its portals.  The Glory of God would once again be there - but in a way never anticipated on the day that its foundation was dedicated.

The prophet foretold this day: “For who has despised the day of small beginnings? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet (capstone) in the hand of Zerubbabel.” Zechariah 4:10 The majority of the Jews in Babylonian captivity chose not to return - only a remnant returned and they were a minority in their own land in comparison with the multitude of Samaritans who did not believe Jerusalem was the proper place of worship (John 4:20). “Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few." 1 Samuel 14:6

In the First Temple - although the poles for carrying the Ark could be seen bulging in anticipation against the curtain - the Presence of God was static. In the times of the Messiah the Presence would go in and come out - it (He) was dynamic.  Yet, both were shadows of that which was to come.

Having served its purpose did the First Temple have to be destroyed?  “But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.” Ezra 5:12

What about the Second Temple? “And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, ‘As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.’”  Luke 21:5-6 

Did they have to make way for the Temple made without hands? "We heard Him say, 'I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will build another made without hands.'" Mark 14:58 (Hebrews 9:11)  “But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.” Matthew 12:6 This Temple would exist in perpetuity for a temple made without hands cannot be destroyed by the hands of men. “one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life.” Hebrews 7:16

Both temples served their purpose in pointing toward the great and final temple - but they also revealed their inadequacy in establishing righteousness in the heart of the people. Thus they must be destroyed to make way for the house that would not receive a visitation, but would be a place of habitation for the Glory of God - throughout all eternity. “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” Revelation 21:22 

The Temple of God - both present and future - is built up of living stones. “in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” Ephesians 2:22 “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 

May our expectations be energized by the hope that is from above - exchanging not the temporal for the eternal.  “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
Edward Mote - 1834 

A Puppet On A String?

I serve a Sovereign God with a glad heart. 

The purpose of God cannot be dependent on the proclivity of man - aka “free moral agency.”  That is an affront to a Sovereign Lord. “The Sovereign LORD has sworn by his own name, and this is what he, the LORD God of Heaven's Armies, says:” Amos 6:8a NLT And “Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?” Romans 9:20 KJV

If I be compelled, then I am compelled by the love of God - which loves not on the basis of the worth of its object. It loves just because it is love.  “For the love of Christ constraineth (compels) us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:” 2 Corinthians 5:14 KJV

I believe that all have come short of the Glory of God - including me - and that the whole world lies within the realm of the evil one. One iota short of the Glory of God is total deprivation. If we stand not in need of a Total Savior, then we stand in need of not one at all. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23

I believe that I had nothing with which to commend myself to God - not even a noble will. Only in the providence of God can anyone believe and be saved. “and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Acts 13:48

I believe that according to His infinite wisdom He has grafted me onto the tree of life of which His Beloved Son is the trunk - for all that the Father has given to the Son shall come and none shall be cast out. ‘to fulfill the word which He spoke, "Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one."’ John 18:9

I believe that his calling of me - although I may have resisted for a while - was irresistible and thus irrevocable. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29 And that we cannot cry “Abba Father!” without the initiation of the Holy Spirit who has been given as an earnest - “who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1:14 

I believe that I am able to persevere as a result of His perseverance on my behalf and that He is unswervingly able to complete that which He began in me to the praise of His glory. “He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:8 NIV 

We cannot believe in the grace of our Sovereign God and in personal sovereignty at the same time.  R.C. Sproul: “Most Christian's salute the sovereignty of God but believe in the sovereignty of man.” And I would add that they do this by way of practice. “Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?” James 3:11 

For I believe that the Son has set me free - “into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Romans 8:21 The whole world lies in the power of the evil one having been led astray by him and it is only by His a priori action that I have been delivered from the domain of darkness and have been translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.

Do these convictions make me an automaton, a robot - a puppet on a string?  Let no man be my judge. “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” Romans 9:16 ESV

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Augustus Toplady - 1763

A Tale of Two Pits

“Until the time that his word came to pass, The word of the LORD tested him.” Psalm 105:19

Often when we reflect on the story of Joseph - especially those of us who are preachers and teachers - we are apt to point out what we see as his virtues.  And thus exhort others in a likewise manner. By so doing we miss the whole point and purpose of the saga.  For it is not about the virtues of a man - but the virtue of God.

Matthew Henry comments: “God overruled all to serve his own purpose, of making Joseph an instrument to save much people alive.”  And in so doing - by His own virtue - He preserved alive the Messianic Covenant.

The First Pit

In the Genesis account Joseph utters not a word from the pit - whereas before that he had plenty to say. Perhaps he was stunned into silence by the betrayal and treachery of his brothers.  Or were there Messianic implications here also: “And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.” Isaiah 53:7 

This was the beginning of Joseph’s journey into maturity for giftedness and/or calling is not a sign of maturity - timing is. There is a purging that God has to bring about in Joseph - until he came to the point that he realized it was not about him, but God.  “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use (practice) have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Hebrews 5:14 KJV

The Second Pit

It is here that he finally comes to the realization that it is not about him, but about God: “Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer."  Genesis 41:16  At his later blessing by his father, this source was revealed once again: “because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,” Genesis 49:24NIV 

It took two trips into the pit to get Joseph to this point - and to bring him to the point of God’s timing. “God's time for the enlargement of his people is the fittest time. If the chief butler had got Joseph to be released from prison, it is probable he would have gone back to the land of the Hebrews.” Matthew Henry 

It is what happened between the two pits that counts - and it is this that binds them together.

The story of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38) is inserted right in the middle of the account of Joseph for a reason - for it is THE reason and its sole locus.  It reveals God’s plan to preserve the Messianic lineage - thus fulfilling the Abrahamic blessing: “And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”  In this chapter we have the account of the conception (let the reader of the record understand) and birth of Perez. “But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she (Tamar) said, "So this is how you have broken out!" And he was named Perez.” Genesis 38:29  A more marked example of sovereign grace hardly exists anywhere else in the scriptures. Certainly it has nothing to do with the virtues of man for there was no virtue in either Judah or Tamar - solely and supremely the virtue of God. The operation of God - in the person of the one whose name means breakthrough - deals a death blow to the vanity of man.

Breakthrough of virtue

The breakthrough of the virtue of the Lord was called forth by the elders of Israel upon Boaz at his intention to take Ruth as his wife. “Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah." Ruth 4:12 The totality herein is recorded by Matthew: “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah,...Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.” Matthew 1:1, 3 

The virtue of God is the Son of God. This is the purpose of the story - the predetermined plan of God: “The Book of Life of The Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.” Revelation 13:8 Aramaic 

Joseph affirms this when he revealed himself by the sign of the covenant - “Come near to me,” -  to his brothers: "God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.” Genesis 45:7 And returning to the psalmist: “He sent a man before them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.” Psalm 105:17 

The Ruler’s Staff

Joseph served as a steward - even a midwife if you will - of the promise that was in the loins of his brother Judah. "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh (He whose right it is) comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” Genesis 49:10 This hope holds firm from the first book of the Bible to the last: “and one of the elders said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals." Revelation 5:5 Judah would have nothing of the plan of his brothers to kill Joseph (nor would Reuben who was the first born): "What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?”

Looking again to Psalm 105:19 we see unequivocally that everything that happened to Joseph - both pits - was the word of the Lord to bring him to the place of his ultimate purpose. ‘But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.’ Genesis 50:19-21 

God the Father would keep many people alive unto eternal life - as the bride of the Lamb - through the promise of the Messiah who at that very time was in the loins of Judah. Joseph was his sovereign steward - and all that happened to him was of the plan and purpose of God.

“And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.” Romans 9:23-24 

Soli Deo Gloria! 

The Rock

and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Matthew 16:18

What is this rock!?  What is that which is eternal, unchangeable and immutable? Where not a single mark of man's chisel or hammer will be endured.

There are many complexities regarding the meaning of this phrase by our Savior. One of the oldest is that the rock is Peter himself.  Many have made a valid - I believe - argument against this interpretation in that the Greek for Peter is petros meaning a stone or boulder and for rock it is petra, a large mass of rock or bedrock foundation.  This juxtaposition creates a most definite delineation.  

Some will indicate some reciprocity here in that as a result of Peter’s volitional confession he is thus warranted to be the foundation of the church. Or if they believe that it is the confession itself - more likely - then worthiness is attributed to Peter as he was the first to utter it.  Personally I believe it is the confession, but I would disagree with the immediate premise as to the source from which it springs.

Divine Choice

That leads to the following conclusion - one that ascribes no inherent quality to the nature of Peter: The rock is nothing less than sovereign grace, nor could it possibly be anything more - it is the divine choice (read: election) of the Father.  

What then is sovereign grace? These phrases describe the doctrine of God’s Absolute Sovereignty in ALL THINGS. Particular reference is made to God’s Sovereignty in the salvation of those whom He chose in Christ from before the foundation of the world. “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:...” Ephesians 1:4

Charles Spurgeon writes: “the streams which take their rise on the mountains of divine sovereignty and infinite love shall ever be full to the brim. Generations melt away, but the course of grace is unaltered.”

There is probably no Biblical character that epitomizes this principle anymore than the Apostle Peter.  The proverb, “He doesn’t choose the qualified, He qualifies the chosen,” quite aptly applies to Peter - indeed to every Biblical figure chosen by God to fulfill His purpose of deliverance.  If a priori goodness can be attributed to the chosen then grace is no longer sovereign - indeed it is not grace at all.  

God’s Interests

Unless Peter should suffer delusively under the proclamation - “blessed are you Simon Barjonah” - for too long and think this was all about him, the Lord’s corrective rebuke followed quite swiftly: ‘But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”’ Matthew 16:23 The Sovereign Lord in His omniscience knew unless this correction came, Peter would not be able to stand the tests that were to come. Yes, they were testings - proofings - not temptations, for each and every one were designed to conform him more and more into the image of his beloved Master. 

Let us ascertain that the blessing comes not by personal acumen, but as a result of sovereign grace and initiative: “because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you,...”  We often piously quote the saying that God blesses obedience. Although obedience is to be valued, we cannot see this principle at work here. (If you ever pray for me, please do not invoke my piety. Plead only the mercy and majesty of God.)

“I Have Prayed!”

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat,” Luke 22:31 ESV Yet, the Lord continues: “but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” All of this was of exquisite design: “And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” The temptation to vanity was near at hand: “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” Once again the corrective rebuke was delivered swiftly: “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.” Nothing more remained to be said.  This whole scenario is nothing more, or nothing less, than Sovereign Grace. He Who is the Alpha and Omega also has the first word and the last - indeed, is the author and perfecter of faith. 

This is the only foundation upon which He will build His church.  “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;...” Psalm 127:1 This truth also extrapolates to our current church planting efforts. Not only is it vain to believe a man could build a church, it is vanity - an affront to the Sovereign Lord.  Nancy and I are often credited with being the founders of what became Vineyard In The Hills Christian Fellowship - our rejoinder is quick, “We didn’t find it, we weren’t looking for it. It found us.”

It is this church - and this church alone - that is able to resist the gates (seat of authority) of Hades. Nay, even to overpower them and set the captives free. “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:22-23 From the Dutch theologian/politician Abraham Kuyper: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” 

From a modern hymn: 

From life's first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;

A Chosen People

Only a chosen people - who are confident in His choosing - can adequately “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;...” I Peter 2:9 God’s purpose in election is not one of exclusion - but of inclusion.  Sometimes people will recoil at the word election for it is an affront to their sensibilities - which if they will only realize, is a good thing.  ‘For it is written, "I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE."’ 1 Corinthians 1:19 The Greek word translated as chosen in our English versions of the Bible is eklektos. “but to those who are called (kletos), both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:24  Selah! 

This blog is actually part two - the first of which is as yet unpublished: so that God's purpose . . . would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls (Romans 9:11).  What is missing from the above that causes God’s purpose to stand?  It is “according to election.” 

No one has the ability to choose - that is exercise “free moral agency” until he has been set free by the Son. For: “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19 The process in the child of God that has been begun, in, through and by the Son of God shall be carried through unto completion: “but He who was born of God keeps (protects) him, and the evil one does not touch him.” 1 John 5:18 NASB  And from the NIV: “the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.”  A technical term for this is monergism which really means it is all about Him - and the manifestation of His purpose in the elect. “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” Romans 9:16

Unmerited Favor

To hold that the basis of choice is free-will, then merit has to be attributed. The ability to choose positively is thus inherent. Then grace can no longer be defined as unmerited favor.  

This is the pattern by which the Son builds His church in the earth.  Paul expressed this concept so well to the Church in Philippi: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

And to borrow from John Piper:

How? By ripping down the gates that hold the human heart in hell-bent sin.

How did he build the church in Philippi? With 1) a business woman (Lydia), 2) a demon possessed slave girl, and 3) a pagan city employee who worked in the local jail.

Lydia: The Lord opened her heart to give heed to the word (Acts 16:14).
The demon possessed slave girl: “‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.” (Acts 16:18)
The jailer: At midnight Paul and Silas were singing in their cell to God, and God blew the doors off the cells with an earthquake—and off the heart of the jailer.

Paul was Jesus’ instrument. Jesus built his church in Philippi, and he will build it (to the remotest parts of the earth).

He began this pattern with Peter - and continues it to this day. "There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2 NIV

Fruit Would Remain

In conclusion we can say nothing more authoritative than the words of Christ: "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.” John 15:16  Eternal, everlasting fruitfulness lies squarely on the foundation stone of sovereign grace as made manifest in the choice and choosing of the Son of God - against which no power in the heavens, on the earth or in hell can prevail.  “But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” Matthew 13:8 KJV

He shall reign from pole to pole
With illimitable sway;
He shall reign, when, like a scroll
Yonder heavens have passed away:
Then the end; beneath His rod
Man’s last enemy shall fall;
Hallelujah! Christ in God,
God in Christ, is all in all.

James Montgomery - 1818 

Sola Gratia!