The Chosen Few amongst the many that are Called.

The Chosen Few amongst the many that are Called.

THE GOSPELPAUL

12/15/202410 min read

Rom 9:9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
Rom 9:10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of Elohim according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Paul often wrote of Yahweh's grace as it pertains to Election, that is to say that the Father chooses who to have grace on and who to reject. The "Christian world" seems to always focus on Paul's use of the phrase "not of works" while completely ignoring, not only who it is that is rejected, but what it is that the elect are chosen for. As with any teaching, it has to be brought into the light of Yahshua's Gospel (The Doctrine of Christ) in order to see how much leavening, if any, is in it.
Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Joh 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Those that are chosen are chosen out of the world and are not considered to be of the world any longer. These have been chosen for a purpose and that purpose is to go and bring forth fruit. This is the purpose that Paul is referring to in his letters when speaking of calling and election as shown in the below verses.
Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love Elohim, to them who are the CALLED according to HIS PURPOSE.
Rom 8:29 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.
Rom 8:30 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.
Those that are chosen have been Predestinated to be conformed into the image of Christ. Conforming to the Image of Christ is the destination. If Yahshua's Word's abide in us, we are abiding in Him. He is The Vine and we are the branches. If we abide in Him we will bring forth much fruit. Without Him we can do nothing (We are workers together with Christ).
Joh 15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I HAVE SPOKEN unto you.
Joh 15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Joh 15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7 IF YE ABIDE IN ME AND MY WORDS ABIDE IN YOU, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Yahshua was the Word made flesh and He walked the same path that He preached and did so perfectly. If His Words abide in a person they will walk as He walked, bringing forth fruit while being conformed into His image. This is the destination in the predestination as described by Paul.
The idea that is typically put forth concerning Election and Predestination is typically that people are chosen completely apart from any work or righteous standard. That is not what Paul taught and that is certainly not what Christ taught. Consider the below parable.
Mat 22:2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son,
Mat 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden(CALLED) to the wedding: and they would not come.
Note that Many that are called CHOOSE TO NOT come to the destination that they are being called too.
Mat 22:4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden(CALLED), Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
Mat 22:5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Mat 22:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
Mat 22:7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Mat 22:8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden(CALLED) WERE NOT WORTHY.
Clearly there is a standard and those that are called have to hearken unto that call in order to be counted worthy.
Mat 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid(Call) to the marriage.
Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.
At the end of the parable the man is cast away for not having the proper garment. This man was not counted worthy and not Chosen for something that he did not do. Note the similar language used in the below passage from the book of revelation.
Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife HATH MADE HERSELF READY.
Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of Elohim.
The true bride of Christ (the true church) CHOOSES to make herself ready and she does so by obeying the words of eternal life, bringing forth fruit and subsequently being conformed into the image of Yahshua the Messiah. She knows the voice of the Shephard and FLEES from the voice of strangers.
This coincides perfectly with the below passages from Paul's letter.
Eph 1:4 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:
Peter also spoke of calling and election and did so in a manner that compels the reader to choose to give diligence to make their own calling and election sure.
2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for IF ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
2Pe 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you ABUNDANTLY into the everlasting kingdom of our Master and Savior Yahshua the Messiah.
The Father chooses certain people but he is also seeking for certain people.
Joh 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth FOR THE FATHER SEEKETH SUCH TO WORSHIP HIM.
Joh 4:24 Elohim is a Spirit: and they that worship him MUST worship him in spirit and in truth.
He is seeking for those that are of the Truth. It is not enough to worship Him in Spirit only. He must be worshiped in Spirit and in Truth. His son came to testify of that Truth and we have to choose whether to receive His testimony or continue listening to the voice of strangers.
Look at what Yahweh says to all of Israel after He chose them. He chose them to walk in His ways but they had to choose as well.
Deu 30:16 In that I command thee this day to love Yahweh thy Elohim, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and Yahweh thy Elohim shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
Deu 30:17 BUT IF thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other elohim, and serve them;
Deu 30:18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
Deu 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: THEREFORE CHOOSE life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
Another example from the book of Isaiah.
Isa 65:11 But ye are they that forsake Yahweh, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.
Isa 65:12 Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: BECAUSE WHEN I CALLED YOU DID NOT ANSWER; WHEN I SPAKE YOU DID NOT HEAR; but did evil before mine eyes, AND DID CHOOSE THAT WHEREIN I DELIGHTED NOT.

Look at the passage from Roman's in it's entirety.
Rom 9:9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.
Rom 9:10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of Elohim according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
Rom 9:12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
Rom 9:13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.
Paul uses Jacob and Esau in order to exemplify what it is that Yahweh hates and what it is that He loves. Esau had very little self control and did not value the blessing and gave it up for a mere bowl of lentils. This was profanity to the Father.
Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or PROFANE PERSON, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: FOR he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
Repentance is a gift that has to be granted by Elohim. It appears that it was not granted to Esau though He sought it with tears. Jacob on the other hand valued the blessing so much so that He wrestled with Elohim all night and would not give up until He received the promise.

Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with Elohim? Elohim forbid.
Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of Elohim that sheweth mercy.
This clearly does not mean that there is no body running the race or that the runner can stop running and still be in the race. That wouldn't make very much sense. The person in the example is clearly in the running and running. The point being is that the person running has to understand that his ability to run or even his desire to do so is only due to Yahweh's mercy. Look at Pharaoh for instance.
Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Paul does not use Pharaoh and Esau in his examples so that the people he was writing to would stop running the race and give into raw emotion and selfish desire just as these two did. These two were not vessels unto honor but were unto dishonor and fitted for destruction.
Rom 9:19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against Elohim? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
Rom 9:22 What if Elohim, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
There is a very clear distinction between the vessels unto honor and the vessels unto dishonor. Look what Paul say's about this in his other epistles.
1Th 4:2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Master Yahshua.
1Th 4:3 For this is the will of Elohim, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
1Th 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess HIS VESSEL in sanctification and honour;
1Th 4:5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not Elohim:
Is Paul not speaking of choosing and doing as it relates to obedience and disobedience in order to be a vessel unto honor?
2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of Elohim standeth sure, having this seal, The Master knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
2Ti 2:20 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.
2Ti 2:21 If a man therefore PURGE HIMSELF from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.

Yahweh has called many but we know that not many will hearken or even hear that call. Does that mean that the called should not call upon Him? He chooses those that are His. Does that mean that those chosen should not in turn choose Him? Yahshua has an open invitation right now. He is calling and we have to choose to first hear His Voice and then to open that door... or not.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear MY VOICE, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.