TRANSFORMING LOVE (HE CHOSE YOU, PART 3).

CHAPTER 1
Part 3

YOU ARE Predestined and Chosen by God

To be His

“God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” (Ephesians 1:4)

The bible says, “Test and evaluate yourselves to see whether you are in the faith and living your lives as [committed] believers. Examine yourselves [not me]! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves [by an ongoing experience] that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test and are rejected as counterfeit” (2 Corinthians 13:5 AMP).

 A “little bit” of sin is still “some” sin. “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

No matter how you take the lists of sins mentioned in part 2 and pretty them up or minimize their wicked status; they remain sins to God.

Some people want to keep their sinful ways and God too. You can’t mix God’s holy ways and God’s righteous requirements to fit YOUR sinful lifestyle. “…for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?...” ( 2 CORINTHIANS 6:14).

God’s righteousness (Christ) is what cleanses you from sin. Even if you win the whole world on your side regarding your propensity for sin, it won’t save your soul (Mark 8:36).

God’s standard is holiness only. After becoming a new creation, exercising faith in Christ and walking in his holy ways will progressively cleanse you from your sinful behaviors.

There are places that you have become so tolerate of sin in your heart, thoughts, emotions, or behaviors; you have become dull to the impact they have on your relationship with God.

“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with lips, but their hearts are from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught” (Isaiah 29:13).

Also, “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12). Without God; humans “only” have a propensity for sin.

The holy orientation is identified with “..holiness..” “…righteousness…” “…peace…” “…truth…” “…pure thoughts…” ..life….” “…purity…” “…wealth….”….light….” “….Holy love…” “…stability…” “….sovereign…” “….goodness…” “….wisdom…” “..ever-present…” …cleanliness…” “…mercy…” “…grace…” “…forgiveness….” “faithfulness…” “…Holy Spirit power…” “…joy…” “…just…” “…majestic…” 

The angels in heaven call out to one another saying, “….holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is filled with his glory… (Isaiah 6:3).

Also, the bible tells us, “…..O Lord, for thou alone art holy….” (Revelations 15:4). God is totally separated from sin, evil, and darkness. God “only” has a propensity for holiness.

A holy orientation and a sinful orientation are obviously opposites and have nothing in common (Galatians 5:17).

You would never “knowingly” choose a companion to marry that had an orientation that was so different it automatically spelled disaster.

God tells you not to…”Be … unequally yoked …: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).

However, “…the things that are impossible with people are possible with God…” (Luke 18:27).

Habakkuk 1:13 tells us that God’s “…..eyes are too pure to approve evil [and wonders why he looks] with favor on those who deal [with a sinful orientation].” YET GOD CHOSE YOU.

None of us is without sin (Romans 3:10). Like Paul, many of us confess, “..I know nothing good dwells in me,  that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me…” (Romans 7:18-20).

If you think about it, you have a sin problem too. You want to do right in certain areas, but you can’t do right by yourself.

You need the holy God’s help/intervention or you will continue to do the very sin you don’t want to do. This is the struggle; between sin and God’s righteous ways.

Without God and the enablement of His Holy Spirit you can only “desire to do good,” but cannot truly experience it (Romans 7:22).

You can copycat off of other people and “do” excellent or exemplary Christ-like activities, but God wants you to be authentic and truly “become” Christ-like.

What next? What happens when a “holy” orientation and a “sinful” orientation choose each other to be in a relationship?  The question becomes, “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or a leopard its spots [the sinful nature] ? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil (Jeremiah 13:23).

Yes, God helps YOU. When two people marry they marry “into” another family or become a “part” of another family. 

They are immediately “in” that family once they are wed. You start using your new last name right away, if you are a woman, since your identity has changed.

After God chooses you and you choose God through Christ you are immediately “in” Christ and now a part of God’s family.

Your identity has changed. God says,  “….you are [now] a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9).

Everything that happens to you, in regard to your relationship with God, must be realized and responded to by exercising your God-given faith because it’s spiritual and supernatural.

You are “in” Christ and have become that unique “oneness” with God because you are “….a new creation; the old things are passed away; behold they are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

 EXCERPT FROM THE CHAPTER 

"HE CHOOSE YOU" FROM THE

BOOK TRANSFORMING LOVE

BY PENSACOLA H JEFFERSON
BUY IT HERE!!