05 October 2023
Jesus kept talking about the Kingdom of Heaven in terms of parables, and rarely said anything that could be interpreted literally. It follows ancient Hebrew tradition and that of the wider Ancient Near East, going all the way back at least as far as Sumer. Those civilizations and cultures as a whole felt that it was impossible to even grasp things of the spiritual realms with the human intellect, much less talk about them without using symbolism. It is not a subject understood in the head, but in the heart.
This applies to the Doctrine of Divine Election. Aside from simply asserting that election is a major element in how God deals with us, Paul really didn't have much to say in terms of content. It is real and you'll never understand it in your head, nor describe it in words. All we have are some parables about it. Stop trying to understand it; embrace it.
Learn how to apply it. Your human choices are limited. Instead of fighting that issue, let's just figure out what it requires of us. No amount of information, skill and charisma you might have can change someone from spiritually dead to spiritually alive. No spiritually dead human can choose to be alive. They can't even grasp the concept; their spirits are dead, and their minds are incapable.
Only God can change that. Leave it in His hands. Don't emphasize a kind of evangelism that relies on cerebral information. Rather, demonstrate the gospel so that those whom God calls can recognize the message. You are the message, same as Jesus. Divine truth is always personified, not static and objective. Words of testimony won't mean anything until you have established your moral authority. We teach people to observe every command of Christ by demonstrating what that means.
How would someone know they are spiritually alive? It becomes a valid question because a great many people have been so seriously abused in their psyches that they hardly know whether they are coming or going. Not all of us will seize that assurance of God's Presence; some will wonder for a very long time. Their fleshly nature will keep stirring up confusion about it.
When I have counseled people in the past, the starting point is that overwhelming sense of commitment. You are the only one who can answer this: Are you truly committed to Jesus as your Lord and Master? I make it a point to talk about it in feudal terms. You must understand that your life is forfeit, whether dead or alive. He owns you and everything you can claim as yours. He can dispose of any or all of it on the slenderest whim, and you must know for sure that it's all in your best interest.
In other words, you cannot rely on the intellect of your flesh, but must learn to operate from your heart. It's not a question of how accomplished you are, but your commitment despite the difficulty you have in telling your flesh, "No!" It's not performance, but desire.
There are a few clinical symptoms of spiritual birth. One is the simple fact you are no longer alone inside your soul. There's a voice that is independent of your fleshly desires, and typically contrary to them. You'll have a burning sense of urgency about doing what's right, never mind whether you actually know what is right. You'll probably feel guilty quite a bit early in this shift to spiritual living.
A related symptom is this sense of humility. If necessary, it will slam you to the ground to get your attention. It's not as if you suddenly don't struggle with human arrogance. Rather, you become aware of a Presence that drives you toward humility.
And while the depth, and the selection of people, may be limited at first, you'll sense a growing warmth toward your fellow believers. If warmth hasn't been your thing before, then you'll start feeling like giving people a break when you wouldn't before. You'll start feeling a sense that you should favor certain people, no matter how they disappoint you.
Your convictions will come to life. Instead of what you know in your head, you'll start sensing a matrix of propriety that doesn't always make sense intellectually. It will represent a change in what you thought before. Certain things just ought to be a certain way, and you won't be willing to debate over it.
One of those strong values is a reverence for God. Connected to this will be a growing reverence for Scripture. You will know instinctively that this is His book, whether you understand it or not. It will be more than just sentimental vigor; it will call to you as a living thing. Nobody will have to convince you that the Bible rules. It's the same thing with being hungry for prayer and worship. It's all part of the same package. Even the most badly wounded souls coming out of emotional abuse from a horrific childhood somehow manage to care what God thinks.
These are miracles of change, things you could not possibly do on your own in the flesh. You might be able to fool others by pretending, but it won't be long before you realize you cannot fool yourself. Something somewhere is going to break.
Spiritual birth is an eternal truth that invades your awareness at some point and time here below. We don't gain it; we simply recognize it. Something in your experience triggered and you realized you were called. You now have obligations, a sense of duty that is different from anything prior.
You know beyond all doubt that you are owned.
Comments
Fun and Prophet
[Root for the word "elect", ek-lego, in 1 Peter 1:
==> to select / choose out of, by a highly deliberate choice (i.e. real heart-preference) with a definite outcome.]
Like an earthly marriage, perhaps every reciprocal human act of agreement and ratification cements, enriches the covenant. Somehow our maturing "yes," more than involuntary, is important.
Responding to the matrix of propriety -- excellent term -- embodies the "yes."
Catacomb Resident
Amen. Election does not eliminate all choice; it limits choices. You can certainly choose to ignore or fight the call, and life will be much harder than it has to be. Or, you can go along with it and harvest the fullness of Election's blessings.
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