ONCE --- ALWAYS  SAVED?    PREDESTINATION??

 

By Frank Guasto

 

I would say that once one has been saved, it becomes an eternal, unchangeable, irrevocable truth; that is of course if you are looking at it from our Creator’s perspective.  The Holy One knowing all things in advance of our awareness should not be a deterrent to our faith walk, if it was, then our walk would not be a walk of faith, would it?   If we trust YHWH to be a God of justice and mercy, then by faith it is every believer’s duty to search out His Word to guard it, keep it in high esteem, and do our very best to obey it as we are led with the help of the Ruach Ha Kodesh.(Holy Spirit).

 

[It is] the glory of God to conceal a thing, (word S-1697) but the honour of kings [is] to Search out a matter. (word S-1697) (Prov 25:2)

 

Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, “My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” (Isaiah 46:10)

 

WHO IS WORTHY?

 

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Ro 3:10)

 

They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Ro 3:12)

 

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Ro 3:23)

 

(For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) (Ro 9:11  )

 

and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. (Ro 33:19b)

 

Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will [have mercy], and whom he will he hardened. (Ro 9:18)

 

Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? (Ro 9:19)

 

Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed [it], Why hast thou made me thus? (Ro 9:20)

 

Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? (Ro 9:21)

 

[What] if God, willing to shew [his] wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: (Ro 9:22)

 

And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had afore prepared unto glory, (Ro 9:23)

 

That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus). (Eph 2:7)

 

There are none who are worthy, therefore God claims and exercises His right by reason of His sovereignty over men, to dispense His mercy as He sees fit. So, should the creation dictate to the Creator what should or should not be?

 

THE CHOSEN - THE ELECT: ----------- Who are they?

 

CHOSEN-----Strong’s 0977                     BACHAR -To choose, elect, decide for…

ELECT -------Strong’s 0972 from 0977   BACHIYR - chosen, choice one, chosen one, elect of God

 

The chosen of God that will enter into His kingdom are those who will pass through this physical life into “The World To Come,” and are the ones He has chosen to inherit eternal life solely by His grace. These are the chosen ones who God has predestined in His foreknowledge, and are those who keep the commandments of God and hold the testimony of Yeshua.

 

And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Rev 12:17)

 

Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua (Rev14:12)

 

And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. (Rev14:13)

 

According as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Eph 1:4 )

 

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Messiah Yeshua to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (Eph 1:5)

 

WHO HAS HE CALLED?

 

“Many have been called (invited) but few are chosen” (hand picked)  (Matt 22:14)

 

where God’s patience toward the many is that He wishes none to perish but for all to repent (return to their original “God intended” state.) (2Pet 3:9)

 

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John3:16)

 

WHY HAS HIS ELECT BEEN CALLED?

 

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. (Ro 8:28)

 

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren (Ro 8:29)

 

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Ro 8:30)

 

NOTE: See references at the end of this writing. Ref A

 

IF WE HAVE BEEN PRE-ELECTED BEFORE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH, WHERE DOES FREE CHOICE ENTER IN?

 

Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, “My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” (Is 46:10)

 

For I [am] YHWH, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob (Israel) are not consumed. (Mal 3:6)

 

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath: (Heb 6:17)

 

That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (Heb 6:18)

 

Pre-election and choice need not be in competition with one another, because if we truly believe in God we should likewise believe God, and therefore obey His Word (All of it). The choices we make in this life end in only one of two possibilities…they are choices unto destruction or eternal life. Could this be reason why Scripture says for us to ...

 

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil 2:12b)

 

And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. (Mat 10:22)

 

CHOICES

 

Come let us reason together! If God is not a liar, does not change, and His Word is forever settled in heaven, and he declares who His elect are before the foundations of the world, it also seems reasonable to me that God might just know something beforehand of what our choices will or will not be. Do you think that we can be gracious enough not to blame God for knowing something in advance that we do not? He does say in Ephesians that we are His workmanship created in Messiah Yeshua unto good Works (mitzvoth) which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Well, how are you walking…are you making every effort to please your Creator& Master? Or, do you have another master?

 

John 1:1       In the beginning was the Word, (Yeshua -YHWH) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (… and the Word became flesh, John 1:14).

 

Christianity, apart from all other religions, believes that God the Father and God the Son are one and the same, and that Yeshua is the personification of the Written Word of God. Yeshua tells us repeatedly that He and the Father are one. He instructs us over and over in His word to walk as He walked and to keep His (Yeshua-YHWH) commandments. It is our choice if we wish to walk as Messiah walked, IS IT NOT?

 

Is Yeshua the Judge - OR-  is the Word the Judge - OR-  is there a difference?

 

And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. (John 12:47)       He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. (John 12:48)

 

For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. (John 12:49)

 

And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak. (John 12:50)

 

According to what we have just read the only standard for judgment in the last day is the Word, and if Yeshua and the Word are one and the same, and Yeshua is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever (Heb13:8), then everything depends on what we do with the Word-Yeshua. Right?

 

So Messiah was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin (not to deal with our sins again) unto salvation. (Heb 9:28)

 

Yeshua answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)

 

He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: (Heb  10:28)

 

Who was the one who gave the Torah - Law (Instructions and Teachings) to Israel?

 

If we truly believe in the Scriptural roots of Christianity, we believe that Yeshua ALWAYS did what the Father did. He never once transgressed the Torah, because if He varied from it even in the very slightest, He would be a disobedient Son and therefore could not be our Passover Lamb.

 

For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, (Torah) till all be fulfilled. (Mat 5:18 )

 

HOW DO WE COMPLETE THE RACE?

 

For if the firstfruit [be] holy, the lump [is] also [holy]: and if the root [be] holy, so [are] the branches. (Ro11:16)

 

And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, (Thebelievers of the nations-gentiles) wert grafted in among them, (Judah) and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; (Ro11:17)

 

Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. (Ro 11:18)

 

Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. (Ro 11:19)

 

Well; because of unbelief (disobedience) they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: (Ro 11:20)

 

For if God spared not the natural branches, [take heed] lest he also spare not thee. (Ro 11:21)

 

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in [his] goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Ro 11:22)

 

And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. (Ro 11:23)

 

For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural [branches], be grafted into their own olive tree? (Ro 11:24)

 

Let us be sure to understand that salvation and sanctification are two sides of the same coin. Salvation is not an event; it is a process, just as repentance is not a one time thing. Please, never… ever, forget that! Peter, in his second epistle, instructs us how to add to Godliness by and…and…and…and.

 

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (2Pe1:3)

 

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (2Pe 1:4)

 

And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge (2Pe 1:5)

 

And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness (2Pe 1:6 )

 

And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity (Agape or “love”) (2Pe1:7 )

 

For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2Pe1:8)

 

But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins (2Pe 1:9)

 

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:  for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (2Pe 1:10)

 

Therefore brethren, hear what Paul says; “Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Messiah, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.”  (Phil 2:16)

 

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Heb 12:1)

 

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. (1Cor 9:24)

 

With these things being “absolutes” and clearly defined in the Bible, something said earlier deserves being said once more. “Pre-election and choice need not be in competition with one another because if we truly believe in God we should likewise believe God, and therefore obey His Word (All of it). The choices we make in this life end in only one of two possibilities…they are choices unto destruction or eternal life.”

 

Shaalu Shalom Yerusahalyim !!!

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

 

REFERENCE: A

 

For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Ps 1: 6 )

 

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jer 1:5)

 

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Mat 7:23)

 

God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. (Ro 11:2a)

 

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. (2Tim 2:19)

 

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. (2Tim 2:20)

 

Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: (1Pe 1:2)

 

Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, (Eph 1:5)

 

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (Eph 1:11)

 

The king’s heart is in the hand of YHWH, as the rivers of water: He turneth it whitherso ever He Will. (Pr 21:1)

 

And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the LORD shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt, and ye shall be gathered one by one, O ye children of Israel. (Is 27:12)

 

The  flowing of the river: the Aramaic identifies it as the Ferath/Euphrates, which never dries up except once. These delineate the Land of Israel. (Gen. 15:18) Thresh...Gathered up: picked up as when gleaning, separating the wheat from the tares. Aramaic, "brought near". One by one:  Jer. 3:14.

 

End of File      [Back to Main Page]