God's loving choice of helpless people - 1 Peter 1:1-2

1 Peter 1:1 "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen."

Introduction The Apostle Peter was one of the original twelve chosen and called by Jesus to come and follow Him. (Mark 1:17-18, John 15:16) From the beginning of Peter's walk with Christ, the call of the Master on His life transformed him from a diamond in the rough to a precious jewel in Christ's crown.  35 years would pass before Peter composed his first letter under Divine inspiration.  Peter wrote to a group of Jewish believers who were scattered over a 30,000 square mile area of Asia and other regions that were in need of encouragement in their faith.  Where did Peter begin? He began by diving into the deep end of God's pool of revelation, namely the doctrine of election.  In today's post we want to understand why election is central to the Christian's identity and understanding of the Christian life, since Peter used it to begin his epistle of encouragement to stand firm in the faith. (compare 1 Peter 1:1, 2:9, 5:12-13)

Election's targets: Helpless people. 1 Peter 1:1
When you look at the region Peter is writing to, the middle three areas (Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia) had already been blanketed with the Gospel by the Apostle Paul. The people of Pontus and Cappadocia had been present at Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:9.  So why would God be targeting this area again? Because in the words of Acts 18:10, God had many people in that region.  The Jews to whom Peter wrote were "the dispersed", meaning they were scattered throughout the Roman world.  Peter was writing to those believers to stand firm in their faith (1 Peter 5:13) and bear witness to those around them. Unless God Sovereignly intervenes in the lives of the many people scattered throughout those regions, none would be able to save themselves.  

Mankind is helpless.  1 Corinthians 1:27 notes: "but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong."  Peter is viewing these people from an earthward perspective - namely as strangers and pilgrims in a foreign land.  There were more people whom God had set His mind upon to save.   As Romans 3:10-12 states - as it is written,“There is none righteous, not even one;11 There is none who understands, There is none who seeks for God; 12  All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, There is not even one.”

Peter's words at the end of 1 Peter 1:1 identifies the Christians to whom he writes as those "who are chosen". In most English translations the phrase "the chosen" appears at the end of verse 1, however in the Greek, the phrase appears near the beginning.  This is an important point, being that Peter is trying to get his readers to understand themselves not from how men view them, but rather how God regards them as His loved, chosen people. Election is God's Sovereign lens that gives insight into how He reaches out to specific people and calls them from where they are to where He is.  God is on a search and rescue mission.  Election's emphasis should be thought of as God specifically aiming to save as many individuals as possible.1 As one Southern Baptist Seminary notes on their website regarding the Biblical doctrine of election: "Draw" is God's initiative. "Come" is man's response. Two truths, therefore, must be recognized in regard to election: God's sovereignty and man's free will. Both are abundantly taught in the Bible."2 God's elective purpose of grace targets helpless people in a two-fold manner:

a. God positions people to be met by Him. 
Acts 10:34-35 states: "Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him." Sovereign election entails all of the events and people God uses to orchestrate the appointed time and place He engages those whom He intends to convict unto salvation. Acts 17:24-27 reminds us that God ordains the times and places where men dwell so that they may somehow seek Him.  Undoubtedly God had a strategic people in mind when He prompted Peter to write these words.  

b. God prescribes people to bring the Gospel. 
Sovereign election includes the means as well as the ends.  The end is that God will have with Him in eternity all those whom by His elective purpose of grace believed on Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 2:13) The means God ordains in election is described by the Baptist Faith & Message 2000:  "It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end."  God chooses, however He also has ordained the proclamation of the Gospel to be brought to unbelievers indiscriminately. Peter himself states in Acts 10:40-41 "God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead."  Just as God ordains the salvation of those who have it in themselves by Grace to believe (Acts 13:47-48), God ordains and chooses the people He intends to bring forth the Gospel.  Unless the word of God is proclaimed, no one will get saved, for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10:17) Election explains why anyone gets saved, however in order for people to receive such salvation, they must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved. (Acts 16:31)  

Peter's usage of election here is to remind his readers of the helpless estate of people around them.  God wanted to reach out to people around them and desires the same today, just as He had done so with them.  Election does not negate the need for evangelism, but rather demands that we go forth and do evangelism.

Elections's Motive: God's love. 1 Peter 1:2a 
God's foreknowledge = God's fore-loving
Peter writes on with this opening phrase in 1 Peter 1:2 - "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father....".  Peter keeps diving deeper for the pearls of wisdom he is writing.  What is foreknowledge? The word foreknowledge in the original Greek is the word we derive our English term "prognosis". The word within "prognosis" is the word "gnosis" and is used to describe Adam "knowing his wife Eve" in Genesis 4:1 and God having "known" only Israel among the families of the earth in Amos 3:2.  The way the Bible uses the term "known" in these verses does not mean God had restricted knowledge, rather the term refers to God's special love for Israel, just as Adam "knew" or "loved" his wife as only a husband could. Deuteronomy 7:7-8a states -  “The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, 8 but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers...". 

Why does God choose anyone? Love!
So why did God choose Israel? Why did He choose the individuals to whom Peter wrote? How about people who get saved to today or who have yet to believe the Gospel? One reason - love! Election is not based upon God seeing what people will do or not do with the Gospel.  If anything, all mankind does apart from grace is reject the gospel.  Does that mean that God does not know who will believe? Of course not! Rather the basis for God's elective purpose of grace is simply His loving choice of them.  In examining the over 100 verses on election in the Bible, not once is God's elective purpose ever based upon foreseeing what man would do or not do.  However there are scriptures that thankfully give one reason behind the otherwise inscrutable act of God's election of the saints: love.  The New Testament equates God's foreknowledge and love of believers in two remarkable passages.  1 Corinthians 8:3 states - "but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him." Then 1 John 4:19 tells us - "We love, because He first loved us."  God's foreknowledge is simply another way of saying God's "foreloving".  Romans 8:29 places God's foreknowledge prior to God's election of the believer in Romans 8:30.  God's eternal love for those whom He sees in Christ is what prompts Him to choose them. Ephesians 1:4 notes - "just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love".   

Conclusion
Therefore Peter reminds his readers they are chosen because of God's foreknowledge or fore-loving of them.  No matter what happens or what persecutions they may be enduring, God's love will see them through to the end.  All believers readily recognize how helpless they would be without God's grace, and how much they are ever in need of the Father's love.  What being "chosen" people emphasizes then is that God targets helpless people, and that He does so only because of His unending love. 

Endnotes:
1. On the website of South Western Baptist Theological Seminary we see the following statement concerning God's grace in election:

 "Also, election should not be regarded as God's purpose to save as few as possible rather than as many as possible. The tenor of the Bible is that God loves all men and wishes to save as many as possible. Again, it should not be viewed as relating to the saving of certain individuals to the neglect of all others. Such a position negates the abundant teachings of the Bible to the contrary. The pitfall resulting from these others is fatalism. If some are saved and others lost regardless of what they do or do not do, what incentive is there to seek the Lord or to preach the gospel? But the facts of Scripture are that man is not a puppet on a string. Election never appears in the Bible as mechanical or as blind destiny. It has to do with a God of love and with man who is morally responsible. Election never appears as a violation of the human will (Matt. 23:37-38). Note John 6:4, "No man can come to me, except the Father . . . draw him." "Draw" is God's initiative. "Come" is man's response. Two truths, therefore, must be recognized in regard to election: God's sovereignty and man's free will. Both are abundantly taught in the Bible."

2. South Western Baptist Theological Seminary

Practical tips for beginning a study of the angelic realm

Psalm 148:5 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! 4 Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created.

Introduction

Yesterday we began considering the subject of the angelic realm.  Whenever we study this important subject, we divide it into three main branches: angelology, satanology and demonology.  Baptist Theologian Augustus Strong gives this insightful comment: "The doctrine of angels affords a barrier against the false conception of this world as including the whole spiritual universe.  Earth is only part of a larger organism.  As Christianity has united Jew and Gentile, so hereafter will it blend our own and other orders of creation."1 In yesterday's post we noted five reasons why it is important to study the Biblical doctrine of the angelic realm:

1. Massiveness of the subject in scripture

2. Major scale of spiritual warfare

3. Maintain a proper perspective on the subject

4. Mandate of scripture says its practical

5. Majesty of God

In today's post I want to offer some thoughts on beginning a study of the angelic realm in the Bible.  Where exactly does one begin? What are some major thoughts to consider when studying angels, Satan and demons?

1. Angels are created beings.

The first premise to consider is the fact that angels are created beings.  Psalm 148:5 notes that the angels were created by the command of God, just like the visible universe, stars, planets, life and humanity.(compare Colossians1:16-20).  From what we can discern from passages such as Job 38, the angels may had been created on either days 2 or 3 in the creative week.  According to Psalm 104:4, the nature of angels (or manner of their physical make up, their manner of expressing their existence) is that they are made of fire.  

2. There are Good and Bad Angels

Why is it that I mention the order of angelology, Satanology and demonology? Because when God originally created the angelic realm, they were all good. The angels were all created good, followed by the cosmic rebellion of Lucifer with the leading astray of the fallen angels.  Lucifer, who was originally the choir director of these angels, rebelled and fell and became Satan, the adversary. (Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28) Then Revelation 12:4 tells us that Satan led 1/3 of the angelic host in rebellion against God and thus those angels who fell became the demonic realm. Some of those fallen angels are chained and some roam freely between here and the heavenly realms. (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Ephesians 6:10-11) Thankfully there are 2/3 of the heavenly angels faithfully serving God and His people. (1 Timothy 5:21; Hebrews 1:14)

3. The angelic realm has differing ranks or positions within each group

Whether good angels or demonic fallen angels, both sets have an internal command structure.  Among the good angels, Michael is deemed the head angel or archangel. (Jude 9) Other types of angels exist among the good angels, such as Seraphim (Isaiah 6); Cherubim (Ezekiel 1,10) and messenger angels such as Gabriel (Luke 1:26). On the demonic or fallen angel side we have of course Satan, the lead fallen angel along with his retinue of demonic angels. (Revelation 12:7)  Passages such as 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 and Ephesians 6:10-11 give insight into the various ranks and positions occupied by the fallen angelic realm.  More could be said but for now, this gives you a starting to place to begin on this particular aspect of angelology, Satanology and demonology.

4. The angelic realm is composed of powerful beings

Angels are dramatically powerful beings.  For example, one particular angel in 1 Chronicles 21:14 was instrumentally used by God to wipe out 70,000 men in judgment.  In 2 Kings 19:35 God answered the prayer of Godly King Hezekiah by having one angel destroy 185,000 of the mighty men of Sennacherib's Assyrian forces.  Then in Revelation 9:13-21 we see 4 angels unleashed to kill 1/3 of humanity in the judgment that will occur in the future great tribulation.  

5. Some purposes of the angels

The good angels are used by God to minister to Christians (Hebrews 1:14); to children (Matthew 18) and to worship the Lord (Isaiah 6; Revelation 4)

Endnotes:

1. Augustus Hopkins Strong.  Systematic Theology. Volume 1.

The Biblical importance of the angelic realm

Hebrews 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Introduction
I wanted to begin today's blog with a quote from one of the ablest theological minds, Charles Hodge, on the importance of studying the angelic realm:
"So much is said in the Scriptures of good and evil angels, and such important functions are ascribed to them both in the providence of God over the world, and especially in the experience of his people and of his Church, that the doctrine of the Bible concerning them should not be overlooked."1

Anytime we engage in the study of the angelic realm, three branches are generally recognized in the subject (some may list more or less): angelology (study of angels, their nature, function and ranks); demonology (study of demons, their nature, function and ranks) and Satanology (Satan's nature, function and efforts against mankind and God).  To get us off the runway and into the air on this subject, I want us to consider why studying the angelic realm is important.

1. Massiveness of the subject in the Bible
A great tool to have when studying any topic of scripture is a Bible Concordance.  A concordance functions much like a telephone book, in that you can find the verses where any word or any subject is listed.  The added bonus is that many Bible Concordances today will print out a portion of the passages and give you all the Bible books and number of times each word appears.2  The magnitude of times the angelic realm appears in the scripture is extraordinary and thus warrants its study.  Consider the following statistics (I found these just searching through the Strongest Strong's NIV exhaustive concordance):

a. Angels and their various ranks and descriptions are found roughly 400 times in the scriptures. Angels of all sorts are mentioned in 17 of the 39 Old Testament books and 19 out of 27 of the New Testament books.

b. Demons and their various ranks are found in 6 of the 39 Old Testament books and 12 of the 27 New Testament books.  In the concordance I consulted I discovered nearly 75 places in the scriptures on the subject of demons.

c. Satan, who is also called the Devil, Serpent, Dragon and other names appears in 6 of the 39 Old Testament books and in 19 of the 27 New Testament books, reeking havoc in at least 115 places throughout scripture. 

d. When you add up all of the places in the Bible where angels, demons and Satan appear, you come up with close to 600 places.  Such a large number of mentions in the Bible tells us that it is important for us to study the angelic realm. But notice a second reason why this subject is important...

2. Major scale of spiritual warfare
Ephesians 6:11-12 issues this command - "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."  Should not Christians of all people be more aware of the nature of the spiritual battle that they are involved? As a practical example, lets say you were to take a trip to a foreign country that is experience increasing pockets of violent outbreaks.  Would you not read up on the current conditions of the government, intelligence information on where attacks have taken place, as well as updates on where the most safe places would be? Would you not want to know whom you could trust as well as who to avoid? If that is the case in the incidence of travel, how much the more in the daily Christian walk.  Knowing the proverbial "lay of the land" in the spiritual Christian walk will make for a more Biblically informed and wise people who are effective witnesses for Jesus Christ.

3. Maintain a proper balance on the angelic realm
Having been involved with or having interacted with various Christians from many denominational and theological persuasions, there are two ditches people fall into when it comes to the angelic realm:

1. Ignorance.  Some denominations and some theological traditions don't talk about angels, demons or Satan.  

2. Obsession. Other groups go to the other extreme and see demons behind every bush, blame everything bad on the Devil and come close to paganism by giving angels too much prominence.  

To see these two general attitudes, walk into the average Christian bookstore or listen to the topics being preached in more well-known pulpits.  It seems to me (at least in the circles I operate), that the tendency would be more in the ignorant direction.  Our culture is unusually pre-occupied by mostly the demonic side (and a skewed view at that) or operating in a paganized view of angels and demons.  We as believers need to be aware of what the Bible teaches in order to moderate our priority of the angelic realm.  

4. Mandate of scriptures say that the subject of the angelic realm is practical
In the opening verse of today's blog I mentioned Hebrews 13:2 which commands Christians to exercise hospitality. Why? Because among other things, we may be entertaining angels unawares.  Reference to angels is listed among the very practical topics of Hebrews 13:1-4 such as loving the brethren (13:1); hospitality (13:2); visiting prisoners (13:3) and marriage (13:4). Certainly in other passages such as 2 Corinthians 13:4-5 and Ephesians 6:10-18, knowledge of the angelic realm can be useful in practical everyday Christian life.

5. Majesty of God
Perhaps the most important reason to study angelology, demonology and satanology is due to how each subject in one way or another points to God's glory.  Satan for sure is the chief adversary of God and His people, however knowing that He was defeated at the cross shows the glory of Jesus Christ.  For sure the demonic realm can certainly discourage and afflict God's people, however knowing that nothing, not even they, can separate us from the love of God actually points the way to the majesty of God's love. (Romans 8:37-39) Satan's far lesser kingdom functions as a black cloth to highlight the far greater Kingdom of God.  In God's Sovereignty He permits Satan to carry out his diabolic schemes so that in the end, His glory is shown in even greater proportion. (Philippians 2) Angels (the good ones) function in relationship to God like rays of light do for the sun.  The rays of the sun lead the viewer back to their point of origin - the sun.  Likewise the good angels continually point believers back to the glory and majesty of God.  In fact the angels of heaven are termed "fellow servants" with the saints of God (Revelation 19:10)

More tomorrow....
Endnotes:

1. Charles Hodge. Systematic Theology - Volume 1. WM. B Eerdmans. 1965 edition. Page 637 
Dr. Charles Hodge was a professor of theology at Princeton Seminary in the late nineteenth century.  Before Princeton went liberal in the late 1920's, it had been known for years as a bastion of Bible believing orthodoxy.  At Princeton, three theologians were noteworthy for their contributions to conservative bible believing Christianity from the 1880's-1920's: Charles Hodge, B.B Warfield and J. Greshem Machen. Dr. Hodge wrote a three volume work on Systematic Theology that to this day is a standard reference work for any and every subject in the field. 

2. Any Bible concordance will aid you greatly and there are number available to purchase at either a Christian Bookstore, Lifeway.com, Amazon.com or CBD (Christian Book Distributors).  Some of the ones I have found helpful are: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (based of KJV) and NASB Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (based of NASB text).  Most of the major English versions have their own concordances as well, such as the ESV (English Standard Version); NLT (New Living Translation); NKJV (New King James Version) and NRSV (New Revised Standard Version). Most of these resources are produced by Zondervan. 

The need for G.R.A.C.E in Christianity unity

Ephesians 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 

Introduction
Jesus prays the following in John 17:18-21 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; 21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me."  The unity that Jesus prays for is based upon grace. Jesus desires a compound unity that is comparable to what is seen by analogy in the Trinity, by illustration in marriage and by comparison in the human body.  Ephesians 4:1-16 acts as a Divine commentary for unfolding Jesus' prayer.  As we study through Ephesians 4:1-16 today, we want to know what it takes to have g.r.a.c.e based Christianity unity.  Thus we will use the acronym g.r.a.c.e to walk our way through God's words in Ephesians 4:1-16.

G reat Effort.                     Ephesians 4:1-3 
Christian unity first of all takes great effort by those relying upon God's grace.  Ephesians 4:1 states the need to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling."  God both calls and commands the church to strive for unity.  Such a command is for the church as a whole, meaning that the great effort of Christian unity is going to require everyone.  Five words in Ephesians 4:2-3 explain how the church is to "walk out" the calling to Christian unity: 

a. "with all humility".  This speaks of what one writer refers to as an "inside to outside virtue that is produced by comparing ourselves to the Lord rather than other people."

b. "and gentleness". This speaks of strength under control or not trying to get our way.

c. "patience".  That is, longsuffering or willingness to not give up on one another but rather encourage one another to run the race of faith.

d. "showing tolerance".  In other words, bearing up one another or enduring one another.

e. "being dilligent".  This phrase in the original language speaks of the members urging each other to preserve and guard the growing unity of grace binding them together as a family of saints. (compare Hebrews 10:24-25)

As the old saying goes: "to be with the saints above, that will be glory, however to dwell with the saints here below, well that's another story."  We as Christians err in thinking that unity will just simply happen.  Much like sanctification on the individual level, Christian unity is both a "God-thing" and an "us thing".  Most churches and Christian people desire unity, however very few are willing to put forth the effort. The remainder of Paul's instructions on Christian unity derive from God-given graces that we must rely upon to achieve it.

Reliance upon the Triune God. Eph 4:4-6
God's grace is when God does for you what you could never for yourself.  The key word "one" is interlinked with the Triune God of grace and the seven-fold grace of unity:


a. "One body" - The church and its converted members were planned by the Father as a love gift for His Son. (John 17:9)

b. "One Spirit" - Without the Person of the Holy Spirit, no unity can take place

c. "One hope" - Without the hope of the Gospel, no one could hear the Spirit's voice calling them unto salvation.

d. "One Lord" - Without the Person and work of Jesus Christ, there would be no church nor unity to speak of in this passage

e. "One faith" - Without saving faith as the gift of God, no one would believe and be justified before God

f. "One baptism"1 - baptism here speaks of the ministry of the Spirit in joining the believer to Jesus Christ at saving faith, with the subsequent administration of water baptism acting as the sign and the obedient public declaration by the convert in pointing back to that experience. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)2  

g. "One God and Father" - The First Person of the Trinity who planned the church.  Without the Person of the Father, there would be no church to speak of needing unity.

So g.r.a.c.e based unity needs great effort and reliance upon the Triune God, but notice thirdly...  

Active Pastor Leadership  4:7-12
We see here the five-fold ministry given by the Lord Jesus Christ.  The main focus of interest for this post concerns the pastoral office, being that it is the most fully discussed of the the five offices listed here in Ephesians 4.  Passages such as 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 deal with the qualities of the Pastor while 1 Peter 5:1-3 deals more so with the purpose.  A Pastor functions to preach the Word, love the people and lead.  Only by the grace of the Lord can a pastor be a catalyst for unity. A church without pastoral leadership cannot expect to be equipped to unify together for the cause of Christ.  Jesus Christ has so given the office of Pastor to His flock to function as an "undershepherd" that is delegated authority to equip the saints to unify around the mission and majesty of Jesus Christ.  Insofar as the Pastor loves His Lord, His family, his people and the scriptures will determine how well He is able to be used of God to be a catalyst for unity.  So the unity desired by Jesus requires great effort, reliance upon the Trinity, active pastoral leadership and fourthly....

Commitment to Sound Doctrine. Ephesians 4:13-15
Doctrine is the vocabulary of faith and is the handmaiden of sound preaching, Christian conversation and Christ-honoring worship.  Just as Jesus spoke His words over the sea of Galilee to bring forth calm and still waters, the church needs to hear the voice of Christ preached by the scriptures and taught through sound Biblical doctrine to calm the periodic restless waves in the church.  1 Timothy 4:16 "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you." 

What happens when the church abandons the grace of sound doctrine? The church forgets who she is and becomes a turbulent sea.  She forgets who she is and Whose she is and soon starts looking more like the world.  Contrary to what many may teach, when doctrine is abandoned in the name of unity, confusion and disharmony results. 

So g.r.a.c.e based unity in Christ's church requires great effort, reliance upon the Triune God, active pastor leadership, commitment to sound doctrine and one more important element, namely...

Emphasizing Body Life . Ephesians 4:16
Body life is essential, since it emphasizes the Spirit given gifts of believers.  Christian unity does not mean uniformity - where everyone is the same.  Unity rather implies diversity orbiting around and connected to a common point. The New Testament uses the imagery of "the body of Christ" to picture what it looks like when every member is doing their part and serving one another for His glory. (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; 1 Peter 4:7-11). Christians should be working toward the common goal of God's glory in Jesus Christ.  The pastor by himself cannot do it all, nor the deacons, nor only a handful in the church.  The call of "all hands on deck" is issued by the Captain of our salvation as He steers the mighty ship of the church militant through the sea of history.  The church is a living organism, a body, with Jesus Christ as the head. (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Colossians 1:18)  When the members of the church are functioning together as a body, "body-life" emerges, with the local church functioning as one person.  Soon the sweet aroma of Jesus Christ's love and truth is released and the community around takes notice. (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)   

ConclusionAs we close today's post, we have witnessed the following five ingredients necessary for the g.r.a.c.e based unity prayer for by Jesus:

1. Great effort.  Ephesians 4:1-3
2. Reliance upon the Trinity. Ephesians 4:4-6
3. Active pastoral leadership. Eph 4:7-12
4. Commitment to sound doctrine. Eph 4:13-15
5. Emphasis upon body-life. Eph 4:16

These are the five things necessary for Christian unity.

Endnotes:
1. Much like the American flag is a sign of the previously agreed upon formation of the United States by the founding fathers, water baptism is a sign of the previously founded salvation granted by God the Father through faith to the believer who was united by the Spirit to Christ in spirit baptism. (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; Romans 6:4-5) In water baptism the Christian is publically professing in obedience the wonderful salvation that was prior to the water baptism and privately received by faith in the heart. 

2. Much confusion abounds over the issue of baptism and can only be cleared up once we understand the scripture's teachings on "spirit baptism" and "water baptism", and how both constitute the "one baptism" spoken of by Paul.  Causally and subsequently connected to the Spirit's act of "spiritually baptizing" the believing sinner into Christ at salvation is the obedient re-enactment of that by means of one's public profession of faith in water baptism.  Water baptism is the symbol that is prescribed by Christ to point back to the Spirit baptism.  In scripture, a symbol or sign serves to signify a prior spiritual reality or experience of grace.  Therefore when the scripture says "One Baptism", there literally is only "one" in the sense that the water baptism is causally connected to the prior experience of saving faith, wherein the Spirit joins the believing sinner to Christ by Spirit baptism.  Water baptism does not impart saving faith nor the gift of the Spirit.  The Spirit Himself comes to the sinner in grace and in the gifting of faith the sinner responds by believing and repenting of their sins.  Water baptism is a subsequent, public declaration of prior saving faith. The Spirit joins me to Christ in His ministry of Spirit baptism, with the water baptism simply declaring that prior spiritual experience. 

Thumbnail sketch of Sovereign Election and Human Responsibility

Acts 13:46-48 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I have placed You as a light for the Gentiles, That You may bring salvation to the end of the earth.’” 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

In yesterday's post we began talking about the practical benefits of the doctrine of God's elective purpose in the life of the Christian. Election stands as a Mount Everest in the teaching of scripture.  The picture above depicts Mount Everest as seen from a space craft orbiting earth.  We must remember that even if we can gain a big picture view of Sovereign election, we can never fully comprehend how it fits with human responsibility nor comprehend its intricacies.  As W.A Criswell, the famed Baptist Preacher of old notes, though we may fly over the mountain of God's Sovereignty and glimpse all of its sides, there is still the matter of what lies in the mountain and in the depths of the earth that we cannot see.  

In today's post we will do a quick fly over of an issue that always emerges when discussing Sovereign election - namely the other scriptural issue of human responsibility in salvation. The treatment below is more of a thumbnail sketch than a full treatment.  May you be blessed today as you read and study in God's word.

Election is the basis for the believer's calling an identity

In Psalm 105-106 we see what the Baptist Faith and Message calls "God's Purpose of electing grace" as the basis for Israel's calling and identity. Roughly 100 times is God's electing purpose of nations or salvation mentioned in the Bible, with three references to God's "chosen ones" in these two Psalms. (105:6,43; 106:5)  God's Sovereign purpose is mentioned concerning Moses as God's "chosen one". (Psalm 106:23)  Then of course with reference to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, we see God's purpose of elective grace at work in their lives. (Psalm 105:8-24) Interestingly Hebrews 11 mentions all of these men and notes that they all exercised true saving faith in the One who called them - hence human responsibility.    Article V of The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 explains what is going on in passages such as these: "Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. "  

Man alone is responsible for rejecting the gospel

So then, if anyone rejects the Lord and His offer of the Gospel and dies in their sins, who is to blame?  Scripture spells out pretty clearly that Israel was at fault for the consequences of their rebellion. (Psalm 106:6)  Mankind is responsible for the rejection of the Gospel. (Psalm 81:11-12; Romans 1:20-25) God is credited for the reason behind a person's freely choosing to believe the Gospel. (Acts 13:46-48, Ephesians 2:8-10)  So if God's purpose of Grace explains why anyone gets saved, then how is anyone able to believe and remain in their salvation? Psalm 105:1-15 and  Romans 15:4 tells us that by the word of God proclaimed in the Gospel do people believe and remain firm in their faith.  Romans 10:17 plainly states - "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God."  

God's grace is the reason why anyone believes the Gospel

Upon such hearing, all those who call upon the name of the Lord in saving faith will be saved. (Romans 10:13) So then Who gets the credit? Jesus Christ in His grace and Word is the author and finisher of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2) Because of His grace, a person truly and freely believes and is justified by faith alone or credited with the righteousness of the Lord. (see Psalm 106:30-31)  You and I dear friend will never full comprehend how Sovereignty and human responsibility "fit together" in the realm of salvation.  We must affirm both because the Bible affirms both.  To deny one at the expense of the other or to mix both together in any measure will lead to an understanding different than the scripture.  All we know is that God's Sovereignty and human responsibility complement one another and do not contradict.  When we see either Sovereignty or human responsibility in the scripture, we can assume that the other is in close proximity. (compare John 1:12-13, John 6:37,44)

Conclusion
Only God can design a salvation wherein His Sovereignty and human responsibility are present without contradiction.  If anyone rejects the Good News of Jesus Christ, it is because of their doing.  Today thank God for your salvation.  Secondly thank Him for His Word which keeps you in His salvation.  Thirdly pray for your unsaved loved ones and friends that that they would respond by grace through faith and be saved to the glory of God.