PASTOR BOLA BELLO
ROMANS 8:29-33 (NLT): ” 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn[a] among many brothers and sisters.30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory. What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.
We are immortal because we are spirit people. We have embraced the grace for immortality. The Spirit gives life, the flesh profits nothing. Whatever profit it looks like the flesh is giving will fritter away in the long run.
There are many brethren but there are usually the First Begotten. There is a progression from Predestination to Calling to Justification to Glorification. With God on our side, victory is a done deal. God delivered His son to die for the purpose of raising those of us that have been called. Anyone who embraces the call comes into justification. As it was difficult for Abraham to give up Isaac, it was also difficult for God to give up His Son Jesus Christ. If God could give us Jesus, He has no problems giving us everything that pertains to life and godliness in addition. Since the God that justifies has elected us, it is difficult for anyone to lay anything to our charge. We are very valuable to God. He went all the way to kill His Son for our sakes. We are the elect of God. Some are elected by appointment; some by bestowal and some by attainment ([biblegateway passage=”Philippians 3:11″ display=”Philippians 3:11″]). The elect are point men in the scheme of the things of God. Election is a promise of baptism into God. The Principle of Election in our context is not by popular opinion. It is by divine opinion. Election is the prerogative of God.
ISAIAH 45:4-5(NLT): “And why have I called you for this work? Why did I call you by name when you did not know me? It is for the sake of Jacob my servant, Israel my chosen one. 5 I am the Lord; there is no other God. I have equipped you for battle, though you don’t even know me,“;
COLOSSIANS 3:1(NLT): “12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.”;
HEBREWS 4:15(NLT): “15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.”; [biblegateway passage=”ISAIAH 42:1-6″ display=”ISAIAH 42:1-6″]
Election comes with clear-cut intentions. It is nothing mystical. We are elected for specific purposes. Election comes with job description. Election is a great redemptive work. Election projects God’s commitment to a man that is committed to the things of God. Election confines us to walk in divinely charted paths. It is about assignment. Election comes with huge responsibilities. Election talks about priesthood. The elect stand in the gap between God and man, reconciling them ([biblegateway passage=”I Peter 2:9″ display=”I Peter 2:9″]). The elect brings God to man and man to God.
Many of us do not live up to our election because we are complacent. Some of us pursue it with misdirected aggressiveness. As God’s elect, we need to have bowels of mercy like Jesus Christ who is always touched by our infirmities.
ROMANS 1:1(NLT): “This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News.”;
I CORINTHIANS 1:1(NLT):“ This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosthenes.”,
[biblegateway passage=”I CORINTHIANS 12:6-29″ display=”I CORINTHIANS 12:6-29″]
The First Elect of God is Jesus Christ and He is the ultimate template of what other elect should be. By faith, we are God’s elect but in reality we are in the process of becoming all that God has designed us to be as God’s elect. Election is a prestigious status. It confers on us the ability to stand in for God and act on His behalf. Election is a separation to the Gospel of God, we are called to represent the gospel. We get elected by the will of God. Election is an operation in the life of God.
II CORINTHIANS 4:3-4(NLT) : “3 If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. 4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.“
The essence of our election is to restore sight to the blind, bringing them also into the election. Election is hanging over every man born of woman but only those that believe the gospel come into it. Having seen the light, we must ensure that as many people as possible that are still in darkness also come into the light, as such, becoming the elect of God themselves. Election is a process whose end point is glorification.