I am a chosen child of God.
God chooses all those who are willing to choose Him. When I choose to be in a relationship with Christ, I become a chosen child of God. The Christian doctrine of election describes the action whereby Christ chooses all who are willing to choose Him. God chose me to be His very own. Therefore, anticipating the day I would become His, God patiently expends kindness, mercy, and grace upon His special love interest. I am His special love interest!
I choose to be in a relationship with Christ.
But what about you? Have you heard the call, weighed the choice, and decided to receive Christ? Did you respond by committing your soul, mind, life, and destiny to Jesus? That’s a big question, isn’t it? The fact that we receive the invitation is nothing short of miraculous. The God of love peers through the darkness of sin, the opposition of Satan, and the hardness of the human heart to bring salvation to us. In addition, the entirety of the Biblical record sets forth the divine effort to bring us to the place of knowing and choosing Christ. Therefore we adopt our identity in Him by virtue of being adopted by Him.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
Ephesians 1:3–11 ESV
God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
Election shows covenant connection.
To clarify, election emphasizes the crucial element of God choosing to be in a relationship with me and my choice to be in a relationship with Him. Throughout the Bible, God established covenants with His chosen people.
The term covenant “simply describes the formal binding together of two parties in a relationship, on the basis of mutual personal commitment, with consequences for keeping or breaking the commitment.”
ESV Study Bible notes re: Genesis 2:17
Additionally, these covenants reflected God’s promises to save His chosen ones from their destructive path. Only through a restored relationship with their Creator can people receive the original blessings promised by Him.
Abraham illustrates election.
For example, Genesis 17 illustrates God’s desire to personally connect with those who choose Him.
When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”
Genesis 17:1–2 ESV
“And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.”
Genesis 17:7 ESV
This intimate discussion between God and Abram evidences God’s deep desire to be in a relationship with individuals throughout the ages.
Blessed are those you choose
Psalm 65:4 NIV
and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
of your holy temple.
What is your choice?
As a chosen child of God, when I choose to be in a relationship with Christ, all that I possess within my influence becomes His and is hallowed unto Him to be used in accord with His good pleasure to accomplish His perfect will. Coming into a relationship with Jesus involves authority providing opportunity and, ultimately, a personal decision. What is your choice?
Insight Journal
- I choose God when . . .
- I don’t choose God when . . .
Excerpts from Marriages that Minister by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis. Available from your favorite book retailers, including Amazon and Redemption Press. (As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.)
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