Saturday, March 31, 2012

PREDESTINATION AND FREE WILL

Most professing Christians and preachers believe that all those who had died accepting Christ as their personal Saviour will end up in 'heaven enjoying eternal life of bliss'. Conversely, they also believe that all those who had failed to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour in this life-time will die 'burning in eternal hell fire'. But all these beliefs are false as they are not supported by Scriptures. Some even believe that only a small elite group of people are called to salvation and most people are predestined to be eternally lost forever. They are projecting God to be in the business of condemnation as an unfair Judge without giving them an opportunity to know the whole truth!

Such wrong belief stems largely from a misunderstood verse, ' Behold, now is the accepted time; behold,now is the day of salvation - 2 Cor 6:2' The Apostle Paul was quoting Isaiah 48:9 which states, 'In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you'. The King James translators wrongly translated it as 'the' when it ought to be 'a'. If as it is claimed, then the only acceptable time for salvation would be during the time of Apostle Paul in the first century, and we are all doomed! Clearly, the true meaning is when God revealed to you the truth, that is the time He is calling you as He had predestined you to be a son in His divine Family in the kingdom of God. But the offer is good only if you obey His laws and commandments to pursue Christ-likeness, that is, seeking His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Sadly, many are called but few are chosen (Matt 20:16; 22:14) - for they failed in their obligation to obey and abide in Christ.

God has given all mankind free will to choose their course of actions. They have to learn that there is a cause or causes for every effect, and they need to seek Godly wisdom to choose wisely. However, in this present age, God is calling only a small group of people to understand and obey His truth, in preparation for them to become rulers and priests in His coming kingdom of God (Rev 20:6). These men and women were predestined and chosen by God long before even they were born, ' He chose us in Him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will - Ephesians 1:4-5'. Hence, predestination is not about God determining who should be saved and who should be lost - for those who are not called in this age to be sons of God are neither saved nor lost, for their time of salvation has yet to come - but is all about God calling a small group of true believers to be the firstfruits (James 1:18) that will form the true Church of God for the fulfillment of His divine plan.

Many may wonder why God is favouring some whom He has called, in this present age, to be His sons and not others. The reason is that God knows each of us best even when we were in our mother's womb. He knows the make-up of every individual human being even before birth and who would best fit the task cut out for each of His sons in the kingdom of God. Do not forget that those who are called in this age has to undergo trials and tribulations - to overcome selfish ambition and desire, the temptation and deception of Satan and the riches and glamour of society. All humans who have ever lived but were not called in this life-time will be resurrected as reconstituted human beings (Ezekiel 37) to be told the whole truth, repentance and offer of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). They will have an easier opportunity for salvation as Satan will be bound, and the world would be a paradise at the close of the millennium age, after the restoration of all things by Christ and His saints ruling the world (Acts 3:21).

The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:29-30 puts it succinctly, 'For whom He (God the Father) foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He (Christ) might be the firstborn among many brethren. Morever whom He (God the Father) predestined, these he also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified'. These two short verses summarise God's Plan for His true church of God who will become joint heirs with Christ as brethren in the coming kingdom of God. Those who are being called, God's Holy Spirit is leading and guilding them to conform to the image of Christ (JUSTIFIED). When Christ return, they will be in the first resurrection (Rev 20:6), glorified as immortal spirit God Beings (1 John 3:9) to rule with Him in the kingdom of God (Rev 11:15).

Take heart, all who died without Christ are just 'sleeping in the grave'. Nowhere in Scriptures is it mention that God is trying to convert the whole world in this present church age. The verse in Matthew 24:14 states that the Gospel of the Kingdom is to be preached in all the world as a witness to the nations - not converting all of them! Come judgment day (Matt 11: 21-24), they will see the errors of their way and be given the truth and opportunity for salvation. God is preparing those whom He has called (and chosen) for the latter harvest yet to come in the millennial age. Then the saints shall be as gods (born again sons in the divine Family) leading many to salvation (Micah 4:5) in the kingdom of God.

Just as in the times of the Old Testament, God has chosen a special group of people as His special treasure (Exodus 19:5-6; Deut 7:6; Psalms 135:4). In these last days, God has also called a special group of people to be His special treasure - the true church of God - for His special purpose.  God has revealed special knowledge (Matt 13:11) with special reward (Rev 2:17) for a special group of people (special treasure) who truly love Him (1 Cor 2:9). If you are predestined and called, will you heed to accept the offer since you have found the 'one pearl of great price - Matt 13:46'?















Saturday, March 10, 2012

THE MYSTERY OF MAN

The educated man of modern times is a subject of much curiosity and is often, enigmatic. The higher is the educational attainment, the greater the ignorance of knowledge outside his area of expertise. It is geared primarily toward materialism - on how to make a full living - but not how to live life to the full. Much of modern education is centred on a combination of the agnosticism of evolution, the politics of Karl Marx, the economics of Adam Smith, the philosophy of Plato and the morals and social norms of Sigmund Freud. As such, higher education does not adequately address the purpose of mankind and human civilization. It also fail to teach that all things are a matter of cause and effect. For every resultant outcome - whether it is positive or negative - there is a cause or causes involved.

The primary sectors of human civilization in the form of government, family, education, business & finance, arts & entertainment are all secular, shutting out God in their scheme of things. They therefore are totally ignorant that Satan, as the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2b) is their ultimate master and are doing his bidding. Hence, mankind is facing mounting problems in all fronts, even its own survival, and no amount of higher education and technological breakthrough can solve these problems which are getting worse by the days! The root causes of these are spiritual.

 God's purpose for man is to instill character in him so that he can qualify to be born as an immortal spirit being with righteous spiritual character like Christ. But such righteous character cannot be attained overnight, it has to be acquired through hard work and much effort, involving suffering, sweat and tears at times, even to the point of physical death. Once this is done, man is ready to be born again as immortal spirit being, born of God into the divine Family of God incapable of sin (1 John 3:9). Then man will be complete and ready to restore God's government on earth which Satan had usurped by default due to the Fall of man through Adam and Eve.

All things physical is subject to change. But once made a spirit being, it is finished creation and is not subject to change. God's purpose for mankind on earth is to help restore the government of God on earth and to restore the physical creation of earth and the vast universe where the rebellious angels turned to ruin. In the process, God's purpose is for man to qualify to inherit as members of His divine royal Family to become God Beings just like Christ, albeit of lower status than the Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Man was first created of matter from the dust of the earth so that if he adopts Satan's "get way of life", he could be changed to God's "give way of life" - a life of love - and subsequently qualify as overcomer to become sons of God in the life to come. Should he refused to abide in God's way after being given the whole truth, then he will be blotted out of existence as if he was never born. Man current physical life is incomplete as it was inherited from Adam. But he will be made spirit being because of Christ the last Adam became a life-giving spirit (1 Cor 15:45-46).

Although man was created mortal and does not have self-containing life, God has given man a human spirit that when united with the Holy Spirit will beget immortal life beyond physical death. Man is not saved by the death of Christ, but only reconciled to God the Father by Jesus' death. We shall be saved by His life (Rom 5:10) - notice the future tense "shall be saved", as salvation will occur only at our resurrection! The teaching in most churches of the dead in Christ go straight to heaven is utterly false. For Christ said, ' No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven' (John 3:13). The Apostle Peter preached after Christs' resurrection and ascension to heaven on the day of Pentecost that David is both dead and buried (Acts 2; 29), 'For David did not ascend into the heavens (Acts 2:34), but fell asleep (Acts 13: 36). If the dead in Christ go straight to heaven, why is there a need for resurrection then? Some theologians claim that the resurrection is for man to have a bodily form to become complete. But the Apostle Paul categorically states that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 15:50), and the kingdom of God cannot be seen by the eyes of man (John 3:3).

All these truths should propel us to live life meaningfully with the overarching goal of inheriting eternal life in the kingdom of God when Christ returns to establish His kingdom on earth!