"Many are called, but few are chosen" (cf. Matt. 22:14).
The wise men or magi did seek Jesus, and wise men still do; this was to show us that Jesus' gospel is for the world at large and not just specifically for the Jews. Paul proclaimed a universal gospel for all, Jew and Greek, or Gentile, alike. It was unheard of for Jews at that time to even believe Gentiles could be saved, but Jesus said in John 10:16 that He had sheep of another fold, and they must come to Him too.
One hard saying of Jesus and many refused to walk with Him upon hearing this (cf. John 6:66), was that a person could not come to Jesus unless the Father granted it (cf. John 6:44). Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (cf. John 15:5); that includes believing in Him. The Holy Spirit must woo or we won't come; if we come to Christ alone, we leave alone too. The disciples refused to leave Jesus because He had the words of eternal life. Our job is still to present the gospel message to all who will listen and to proclaim it, defend it, and demonstrate it, but not to debate it. Caveat: We cannot argue people into the kingdom; infidels are seldom convinced by debate.
Now Peter realized the gospel was for everyone in essence when he said in Acts 2:39 (ESV): "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself [reference to the inward call]." This makes reference in passing to the doctrine of election, whereby God elects some to believe and passes over (the doctrine of preterition) others, and lets them go their own way without Him into eternity to receive justice, not mercy. God is unjust to no one; some receive mercy and grace, and others receive justice--if God were obligated to be merciful or gracious, it wouldn't be grace but justice. God need not save anyone! Some receive mercy, some justice, but God is unjust to no one; mercy is a form of non-justice. We must bear in mind the primacy of grace: It is written in John 15:16 (NKJV) that Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you...."
Why do some people respond and others don't (Arminians cannot answer this without contradiction), but from the work of grace in their hearts to quicken them to faith, that makes them repent and believe by conviction and regeneration? As Paul says in Romans 11:7 (ESV): "... The elect obtained it, and the rest were hardened." One must realize "Salvation is of the LORD,"(cf. Jonah 2:), and not of us and the Lord--it's solely the work of grace in our hearts. Theologians call this salvation "monergistic" (one-sided), as opposed to synergistic, which means working in cooperation with God or contributing to it--it is the work of God alone. Who are those who believe but the elect? Note Acts 13:48 (ESV): "... as many as were appointed to eternal life believed." We have indeed "believed through grace,"(as the gift of God) as Acts 18:27 stipulates.
The whole point of election is that we cannot prepare ourselves for salvation, no pre-salvation work, or do any work that is worthy to deserve it: Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands; we are not elected because we believe (called the prescient view), as Arminians suggest, but we are elected unto faith because of grace, for "grace reigns through faith," as Romans 5:21 suggests (J. B. Phillips says, "grace is the ruling factor." This saying that God's call is efficacious and we cannot resist it. (note Romans 9:19 (J. B. Phillips): "...' If this is so, and God's will is irresistible, why does God blame men for what they do?'" God, is, therefore, in the business of making the unwilling willing--or turns hearts of stone into hearts of flesh metaphorically speaking (cf. Ezek. 36:26; Jer. 24:7).
Note: There are two kinds of calls: the outward one of the gospel (cf. Titus 2:11); the inward call of the Holy Spirit, which is irresistible and effectual (cf. Acts 5:32). Many are indeed called, but few are chosen, as Matt. 22:14 claims. We are to "... be even more diligent to make our call and election sure..." (2 Pet. 1:10, NKJV. And cannot do it apart from grace.
Now, even though the gospel message is for everyone, and no one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be lost or disappointed, God is the one who chooses whom will be saved and on whom He will have mercy as His divine prerogative (cf. Romans 9:15). God even hardens whom He will (cf. Romans 9:18). Our destiny is in God's hands, not ours.
The final proof of the efficacy of God's call is in Romans 8:29-30 (ESV, italics mine) [called the Golden Chain of Redemption by theologians], which militates against prescience and guarantees eternal security: "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son ... And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified..." This is interpreted to mean by exegesis that God loses none in the shuffle between predestination and justification. All who are called are justified, not just some; this is a reference to God's call, not man's call, and there is no exception of believers being called who lose their salvation or justification in God's eyes.--no one is "un-justified" nor "un-born." Note that there isn't one legitimate example of anyone in Scripture losing his salvation. Soli Deo Gloria!
The wise men or magi did seek Jesus, and wise men still do; this was to show us that Jesus' gospel is for the world at large and not just specifically for the Jews. Paul proclaimed a universal gospel for all, Jew and Greek, or Gentile, alike. It was unheard of for Jews at that time to even believe Gentiles could be saved, but Jesus said in John 10:16 that He had sheep of another fold, and they must come to Him too.
One hard saying of Jesus and many refused to walk with Him upon hearing this (cf. John 6:66), was that a person could not come to Jesus unless the Father granted it (cf. John 6:44). Jesus said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (cf. John 15:5); that includes believing in Him. The Holy Spirit must woo or we won't come; if we come to Christ alone, we leave alone too. The disciples refused to leave Jesus because He had the words of eternal life. Our job is still to present the gospel message to all who will listen and to proclaim it, defend it, and demonstrate it, but not to debate it. Caveat: We cannot argue people into the kingdom; infidels are seldom convinced by debate.
Now Peter realized the gospel was for everyone in essence when he said in Acts 2:39 (ESV): "For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself [reference to the inward call]." This makes reference in passing to the doctrine of election, whereby God elects some to believe and passes over (the doctrine of preterition) others, and lets them go their own way without Him into eternity to receive justice, not mercy. God is unjust to no one; some receive mercy and grace, and others receive justice--if God were obligated to be merciful or gracious, it wouldn't be grace but justice. God need not save anyone! Some receive mercy, some justice, but God is unjust to no one; mercy is a form of non-justice. We must bear in mind the primacy of grace: It is written in John 15:16 (NKJV) that Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you...."
Why do some people respond and others don't (Arminians cannot answer this without contradiction), but from the work of grace in their hearts to quicken them to faith, that makes them repent and believe by conviction and regeneration? As Paul says in Romans 11:7 (ESV): "... The elect obtained it, and the rest were hardened." One must realize "Salvation is of the LORD,"(cf. Jonah 2:), and not of us and the Lord--it's solely the work of grace in our hearts. Theologians call this salvation "monergistic" (one-sided), as opposed to synergistic, which means working in cooperation with God or contributing to it--it is the work of God alone. Who are those who believe but the elect? Note Acts 13:48 (ESV): "... as many as were appointed to eternal life believed." We have indeed "believed through grace,"(as the gift of God) as Acts 18:27 stipulates.
The whole point of election is that we cannot prepare ourselves for salvation, no pre-salvation work, or do any work that is worthy to deserve it: Our destiny is ultimately in God's hands; we are not elected because we believe (called the prescient view), as Arminians suggest, but we are elected unto faith because of grace, for "grace reigns through faith," as Romans 5:21 suggests (J. B. Phillips says, "grace is the ruling factor." This saying that God's call is efficacious and we cannot resist it. (note Romans 9:19 (J. B. Phillips): "...' If this is so, and God's will is irresistible, why does God blame men for what they do?'" God, is, therefore, in the business of making the unwilling willing--or turns hearts of stone into hearts of flesh metaphorically speaking (cf. Ezek. 36:26; Jer. 24:7).
Note: There are two kinds of calls: the outward one of the gospel (cf. Titus 2:11); the inward call of the Holy Spirit, which is irresistible and effectual (cf. Acts 5:32). Many are indeed called, but few are chosen, as Matt. 22:14 claims. We are to "... be even more diligent to make our call and election sure..." (2 Pet. 1:10, NKJV. And cannot do it apart from grace.
Now, even though the gospel message is for everyone, and no one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be lost or disappointed, God is the one who chooses whom will be saved and on whom He will have mercy as His divine prerogative (cf. Romans 9:15). God even hardens whom He will (cf. Romans 9:18). Our destiny is in God's hands, not ours.
The final proof of the efficacy of God's call is in Romans 8:29-30 (ESV, italics mine) [called the Golden Chain of Redemption by theologians], which militates against prescience and guarantees eternal security: "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son ... And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified..." This is interpreted to mean by exegesis that God loses none in the shuffle between predestination and justification. All who are called are justified, not just some; this is a reference to God's call, not man's call, and there is no exception of believers being called who lose their salvation or justification in God's eyes.--no one is "un-justified" nor "un-born." Note that there isn't one legitimate example of anyone in Scripture losing his salvation. Soli Deo Gloria!
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