Weekly Bible Study – January 5, 2015

Doctrine of Election, Part 11.
Election and Logistical grace.

PLEASE READ FIRST

Scripture References, Word & Phrase descriptions: If available on the website you're viewing this on, a few links (i.e., those without an already written scripture quote or brief explanation) are hover pop-up active, meaning the scripture reference will just pop-up if you hover your cursor over it (don’t click on the link, just hover your cursor over it), they work best using the Firefox browser – pop-ups in Internet Explorer, Chrome & other browsers only appear for a few seconds at best. If you don’t have Firefox (or hover pop-ups aren’t available on the website you’re viewing this on), that’s OK, move your cursor off and on the link until it is read; or left click the link which will open the verse at the online bible; or you can always use your Bible to look up the verses.

Prepare yourself for learning the Word of God!

Before we begin, if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life), it is important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so take a moment to name, cite or acknowledge (confess) your sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father).

1 John 1:9 says: "If we confess our sins, He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (known sins) and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [unknown or forgotten sins]." NKJV (New King James Version) [italics added]

If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to have faith alone in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life:

John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." NKJV [italics added]

Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.

John 3:14-18 says: "¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV

Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:

Study to show yourself approved to God!

Grace Bible Church
Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries

The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings

STUDY TITLE:

Doctrine of Election, Part 11.
Election and Logistical grace.



OPTION: If you would prefer to go directly to the Grace Bible Church website to read this study message, all verse reference links are active there (but not hover active) and Enlarged Text is also an available option – right click the above link then left click “Open Link in New Window” or “New Tab”

Terms & Abbreviations used:

PPOG = Predesigned Plan of God
Human Good = Evil + Good Deeds while not in fellowship with God
OSN = Old Sin Nature
TLJC = The Lord Jesus Christ
SSE = Spiritual Self Esteem
PVTD = Positive Volition Towards Doctrine
+H - The Happiness of God
NVTD = Negative Volition Towards Doctrine
Doctrine = Bible Truth

To look up other “terms”, go to:

Alphabetical Listing

BEGIN BIBLE STUDY
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotes and references
are from the NASB – New American Standard Bible

Doctrine of Election, Part 10.
Election and Logistical grace.

We are still noting the principle of the Royal Family honor code as it relates to the doctrine of Election.

In ROM 8:33 we have an application to the doctrine of election and the privacy of the royal priesthood.

ROM 8:33-35, Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

The point here is that we are under surveillance by a super-natural system of demon investigators. According to EPH 6:12, Satan has demon investigators who constantly keep track of all believers to accuse them before the throne:

So we have in ROM 8:33, Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?

“Who” not only refers to human beings, but angelic beings as well! And there are two concepts taught in this verse:

a. The defense system against the accusations and the judging of Satan.

b. The truth that every believer must live his life as unto the Lord.

If you do not live your life as unto the Lord then of course there is inevitable failure. You will get trapped by the distraction of human viewpoint or the distraction of emotion. Or you will get deceived by human viewpoint, which will squeeze out of the soul the important factor, Bible doctrine. If you do not live your life as unto the Lord then you will allow others to bully you into:

1. Some system of personality imitation

2. Some system of asceticism

3. Some system emotional activity

4. Some system of program spirituality

Under the privacy of your priesthood, you must be able to define your life in terms of the PPOG, which means you must learn the technical language and vocabulary. Once you do, you as your own priest can analyze and evaluate your own life and your own problems, and apply doctrine and make corrections to your own life under the privacy of your own priesthood. God does not want you to depend on someone else for counselor for a crutch, God wants you to become spiritually self-sustained.

Therefore, the privacy of the priesthood demands that we learn doctrine so that we can define our situation at any given time. The Royal priest’s self-improvement is based on the function of perception of doctrine, not upon the advice and counsel of others. Any self-improvement based on the advice and counsel of others is really a set back. The Royal priesthood is designed by God to function under the concept of thought.

And no believer can think, apply doctrine, or solve problems through the mind or the personality of another Christian. This is why each one of us is a priest. To the extent that we seek counsel or advice, we’re not getting enough doctrine or we’re not using our own doctrine.

Initially, there is a place for giving advice for new believers, but as you grow you should begin to handle your own life. You should know when you’re wrong and when you’re right, and you should be able to utilize all the doctrine you have learned to advance to maturity. This is because only in spiritual maturity will you truly glorify God.


So, under the privacy of your priesthood, you have the right to assemble with other believers in a group, where your privacy is respected, to learn doctrine from your pastor teacher. The privacy of your priesthood permits the function of both your positive volition toward doctrine plus the right to metabolize and apply that doctrine to your own experience. The tendency is to get arrogant and want to apply it to everyone else’s experience. The only human dependence of the royal priesthood is the divine provision of your very own pastor teacher, and consistent positive volition under his teaching ministry.


In ROM 8:33 we read, Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; The word elect is noun eklektos which refers to those elected to privilege. And this is a reminder that we have been elected to be a member of the Church, also known as: The new creation; The Royal Family: The body of Christ: His sheep. And since we are members of the Royal family we are responsible to God and we are to live our life as unto the Lord, which means the privacy of your very own royal priesthood!

So, Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? The very simple answer “God is the one who justifies;

In other words; God is the one who will do the judging no one else has any businiess doing it. Our salvation and election does not depend upon human opinion or human observation. It does not depend upon what others think!

Isaiah eluded to this same principle in ISA 50:9 “Behold, the Lord God helps Me; Who is he who condemns Me?”

So, as a believer-priest who has been elected to have God’s highest and best, never let someone judge you or condemn you, live your life as unto the Lord and receive what you have been elected to receive. Do not let anyone hinder you from fulfilling the plan of God and rob you of your reward in Christ.

COL 2:16, Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink.

COL 2:18, Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize.

GAL 5:7, You were running well; who hindered you from obeying doctrine?

REV 3:11, “I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, in order that no one take your crown.”

2JO 1:8, Watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.

This leads us to our final two points in the doctrine of Election:

Point 11 in the Doctrine of Election deals with The Equal Opportunity under Election, the Divine Provision of Logistical Grace Support and Blessing.

Two aspects of logistical grace come to you from the justice of God to His indwelling righteousness in you.

First of all we have logistical grace support which is designed to sustain you. Logistical blessing is additional blessing, and more than just support. Both logistical grace support and blessing is provided for winners and losers alike, because both types of believers have the perfect righteousness of God.

MAT 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax gatherers do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

This verse means God gives all believers equal opportunity. The righteousness of God has demanded, ever since the moment of our salvation, that the justice of God sustain our life even through every stupid mistake and every dumb decision we ever make. The righteousness of God demands that the justice of God keep you alive to fulfill your personal destiny and what you’ve been elected for. All of us are alive by the grace of God after our salvation. The justice of God is the initiator of grace.

On a daily basis, the justice of God sends to the indwelling righteousness of God everything it takes to keep us alive and to sustain us, as well as given us the opportunity to have great and fantastic blessings. The justice of God sends undeserved blessings to all believers, winners and losers alike. This is why the wicked prosper, due to their equal privilege in God’s plan. All logistical blessing in the Christian life comes in this manner to the winner and loser alike. We do not earn or deserve any of it; it is a matter of grace. We’re not blessed because we give, witness, perform Christian service, or because of anything we can do or anything we are. That would be a compromise of the integrity of God. God blesses you only because you have His righteousness indwelling you; hence, His integrity is not compromised. The very air that you breathe, the food you eat, everything you have, the only reason you are alive is based entirely upon this principle of logistical grace.

This is why we have passages like LUK 12:22-31, And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. “For life is more than food, and the body than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; and they have no storeroom nor barn; and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life’s span? If then you cannot do even a very little thing, why are you anxious about other matters? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek for His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you.”

Our blessing is a matter of grace, just as our salvation was a matter of grace. We are saved by grace through faith, and we are sustained by grace.

The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life:
Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.