ELECTION AND CONVERSION

   Jews were elected to be God’s people: “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto Himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth” (Deut 14:2). What is the “for” for? “Ye are the children of the Lord your God.” (Deut 14:1).  “Chosen” means that they were “elected” — those called by His Name: “For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy Name” (Isa 45:4). God’s “Name” is Jesus the Christ. Hence, Jews were the eventually chosen to be Christians. But were they the first to be chosen?

  There was an issue there — so were Gentles! Adam was not Jewish; he was cosmopolitan; not a citizen of Judea, but a citizen of the world! God promised (Gen 3:15) to provide a Savior for Adamkind, not just Jacobians, or Israelites. However, if Christ is the “Doctor” for the healing of sin, Jews were made first in line subsequent to Adams.

  Because of Abraham’s faith in trusting the Good Doctor, they were then made the first to be allowed the “vaccine,” so to speak. Of course, the vaccine is blood, not taken by itself as the Jews did, but taken with water (1 John 5:6). That blood and water was the propitiation of the ultimate sacrifice (John 19:34) — the Lamb of God for all the sins of all people’ to wit: “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2).

  “Election” is not grace because some would be left out. Those who had faith first deserved healing first. If they stood in line first, nobody else would be allowed to cut in line with one provision — that they could voluntarily leave or go to the back of the line. (If they doubt the Good Doctor.) As such, Jews were elected to be first in line for healing, but of their own choosing, they could go to the back of the line. Why would they do that? Paul quoted Isaiah because it was not a new doctrine; “Because their hearts have grown dull” (Act 28:27). The faith that Abraham had, had waned. In other words, they were not “elected” to be Christians but elected to be first in line for spiritual healing. And not because they had randomly been chosen, but because of the faith of Abraham that was accounted to him as righteousness (Rom 4:3).

  The Jews, in apostolic times, resisted God’s grace. His grace was Him dying for them, but they rejected the gift. Thus, “irresistible grace” just as “election” is arrogance. Calvinists have the arrogance to believe that they alone shall be saved. They have the same mindset as the Jews in Paul’s time! Why should they listen when they already know that they have already been chosen? How would they care what it takes to be “born again” when they were born that way? Why would they worry about perishing if they could not resist God? The situation of the Jews in Paul’s time is a refutation of Calvinism in our time.

  Isaiah saw the time that Jews would forfeit their election to be in the front of the line. He saw Jews turning away from the faith of Abraham, and Paul reminded them of that when he wrote, “For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Act 28:27; Isa 6:10).

  The key word is “turn.” The elected can either turn away from God or turn to God. Turning to God is conversion. If elected for Heaven, it would be impossible to be converted since conversion would be biological.

  The point that Jesus is the Good Doctor and that He heals is paramount. Jesus did not come only to heal the Jews or the Calvinists; He came to “heal the nations” (Rev 22:2), or all Adamkind. Hence, the Edenic Covenant comes before the Abrahamic Covenant because God gradually threshed out who was in line for salvation.

  In the Edenic Covenant, all were elected because Eve was the mother of all. Satan got to Cain, and his line was terminated with the flood. Cain got into chosen Seth, but Seth’s line left the line, also with the flood with a few remaining.

  Then there were eight! Noah and his family were left to be “healed.” The line was by then very short. Then Ham sinned, and the line was reduced again. Then Shem’s line came to the front. When were the line of Shem chosen to go to the front of the line for healing? “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant” (Gen 9:27).

  Shemites were the Arabs and Jews. When Ishmail got his own covenant, then the people were reduced to the Hebrew people. Thereafter, Ishmaelites became pagans and Muslims, and then there were few.

  Then, Absalom rebelled, and the ten tribes were lost to oblivion, and then there were two. The two became one with the country of Judah, and Jews became the elect to stand in front for healing. When Christ died, then the Jews were divided again until only a remnant believed, and then Paul saw them step out of the line? And with that threshing, who truly believes that they are secure? That is arrogance because your place in line depends on your faith!

  The promise that Japheth would dwell in the tents of Jews came to pass when the Jews rejected Jesus. The “tents” are tabernacles and means the souls of men filled with the Ghost of Jesus. The Jews required persuasion for the Holy Ghost to enter human temples, and they went to the back of the line. The Canaanites, represented by the Muslims, guard Paradise. Unrealized to them, is that they serve Shem because Jews did not care for the Temple and neglected Paradise. Once the servants (Muslims) are no longer required, they too will fall out.

  Salvation is fully healed. The mind, soul, and body will be healed. That is glorification. Conversion is the healing of the mind, death is the healing of the soul, and resurrection is the healing of the body. The prescriptions for eternal healing are the Ten Prescriptions (aka, the Ten Commandments). The “Ten Words,” or sayings of Jesus, are the prescriptions for eternal life, and as my commentary said yesterday, they are the Lamb’s Book of Life. What Jesus said when He wrote the shalls and shall nots, are prescriptions for eternal life. The Jews saw them as commandments, but Jesus refined them to love. Love conquers all (1 Cor 13:1).

  Gentiles became God’s chosen and peculiar people as Jews voluntarily went to the back of the line (1 Pet 2:9). All were chosen and all can leave the line or get off the path. That is our choice that God does not make for us!

(picture credit: alamy)