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2
TIMOTHY 2:10
At 2Timothy
2:10 "the chosen ones" does not refer to the nation of Israel.
"For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the chosen ones, that
they also also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus along with
eternal glory."
The word is eklektos in the plural (tous elektous). Paul uses the elektos in
the same way that he used eklgoā at Romans 11:5, 7 and 28.
The eklogā (chosen group) is the new priestly body composed of both Jew and
Gentile individuals.
Each individual of course is saved based on personal faith in Christ.
Paul is dedicated even in the most severe of sufferings to maintain his
ministry of proclaiming the gospel so that any who are of the elect (the
eklogā), that is ANY who might become members of the elect, would hear and
respond.
Romans 11:5, tells us that there is a remnant according to the election of
grace (kata eklogā charis).
Eklogā refers to God's plan (policy) for salvation, which is His CHOOSING.
The remnant is saved according to the standard of God's plan of election
which operates on the principle of grace. The principle of grace is
explained at Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith,
and this (salvation) is not out from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not
out from works."
The process is:
1. Called: invited through the communication of the gospel. Rom. 10:14-15
2. Faith: positive response to the gospel which is faith in Christ. Rom.
10:10-13
3. The believer is placed into union with Christ. IN CHRIST. Eph. 1:13-14.
4. God accepts and chooses that person who is now in Christ.
He chose us in Christ. Eph. 1:4.
Rom. 9:22-33
The plan of salvation.
God desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
1Timothy 2:4.
God is not willing for any to perish but for all to come to change of mind.
2Peter 3:9.
Change the mind and believe has been the core of the salvation invitation
since John's ministry started.
Mat. 3:2; Mark 1:4, 15; Acts 20:21.
"God so loved the world . . . so that whoever believes in Him will have
everlasting life."
THESE - "the world," "any" and "all men," become the "vessels of mercy" at
Romans 9:23.
The vessels of mercy are ALL the world, but in actuality is comprised only
of those who believe in Christ.
"So that He might make known the riches of His glory to vessels of mercy,
which (vessels) He prepared beforehand for glory."
Romans 9:24, "even us." These are the believers of the present era, both Jew
and Gentile.
The offer of salvation is to both Jew and Gentile. Rom. 1:16.
The "body" of the elect group is the body of Christ. This is a spiritual
entity comprised of all who trust in Him, both Jews and Gentiles. And in
that spiritual body there is no distinction between Jew, Gentile, bond,
free, male, female, but all are ONE in Christ. Gal. 3:26-29.
God has a plan for the "vessels of mercy" which He prepared "before the
foundation of the world."
The plan for the vessels of mercy is that all who believe in Chirst would
share in His glory; the glory of everlasting life.
Rom. 2:7, 10; 8:18-23; 1Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:18;
1 John 5:11-12, "he who has the Son has the life."
Israel as a nation rejected the offer of salvation. Mat. 23:37; Luke 19:44.
But Paul has a strong desire specifically for the salvation of the Jewish
people.
However, it is an individual issue.
The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes; to
the Jew first and also to the Gentile (Greek). Rom. 1:16.
V. 10:4, "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone who
believes."
10:5-17, God's universal provision of salvation through the proclamation of
the gospel.
10:18-21, The nation failed.
11:1-5, God has not deserted the Jewish people. There is a remnant among the
Jews who have trusted in Christ.
Actually, that remnant (to Abraham) is composed of both physical Jews and
symbolic Jews.
The Gentile believers are the offspring of Abraham through faith. Gal. 3:7,
29.
Thus, the new priestly body is composed of both Jews and Gentiles. Rom.
9:24, "even US, not from among Jews only but also from among Gentiles."
Rom. 11:5, "in the same way then, there has also come to be at the present
time, (a particular GROUP)
a remnant according to the CHOOSING (election) of grace."
Rom 11:7, "What then? Israel did not find what it was looking for, but the
chosen group (eklogā, election) did find it.
The rest were hardened."
Paul uses the "chosen" as a shortened form of "the remnant according to an
choosing of grace" that he mentioned in verse 5. These are the believers of
the church; the "even us" of Romans 9:24.
ISAIAH
This is exactly what Isaiah described at Isaiah 65:1-16.
These are the many individuals and the nation as a whole who reject the
invitation to embrace the Messiah.
Isaiah 65:2, "all day long I have spread out My hands to a rebellious
people."
Mat. 23:37, "How often I wanted to gather your children together . . . but
you were not willing."
The nation as a whole is the CHOSEN of God.
The nation as a whole is the SERVANT of God.
Isaiah 43:10, "you are My witnesses, declares Yahweh.
And My SERVANT whom I have CHOSEN."
But when the nation rejects God; specifically rejects Jesus as the Messiah,
God will disown them and remove them from the FUNCTIONAL position of chosen
and servant.
But while they are still in the position of "servants" God will deal with
them - the nation so as to not destroy all of them. Isaiah 65:8b, "so I will
act on behalf of My servants in order not to destroy all of them."
Isaiah 65:9a
"And I will bring forth a Seed from Jacob, and an Heir of my mountains from
Judah."
Thus, God will bring the Messiah into the world and those who truly believe
and trust in Him will be a remnant from the nation and still be known as
CHOSEN and as SERVANTS.
Isaiah 65:9b
"And My chosen ones shall inherit it, and My servants shall dwell there."
Isaiah 65:10 looks to a distant future national blessing upon Israel in the
Messiah's earthly kingdom.
But for the nation; for those who reject Jesus as the Messiah:
Isaiah 65:11, "But as for you who forsake the Lord and forget my holy
mountain, who practice a false belief system (spread a table for Fortune,
and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny):
Because "I CALLED BUT YOU DID NOT ANSWER, I spoke but YOU DID NOT LISTEN.
Is. 65:2.
You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me." V. 65:12b
Mat. 23:37, "you were unwilling."
Isaiah 65:12a, "I will destine you for the sword, and all of you will fall
in the slaughter."
1. Removal of their status as CHOSEN and SERVANT. Mat. 21:43, "the Kingdom
of God will be taken away from you."
Mat. 23:38, "your house is being left to you desolate." The priestly
function (house, as at Heb. 3:2-6) will be removed until the time that the
nation embraces Jesus as both Messiah and Savior. "For you will not see Me
again until you say, praised is He who comes in the name of the Lord." verse
39.
2. Physical destruction of the nation: Luke 19:41-44; 21:20-24.
So, as a result, the word THE CHOSEN (elect one, singular) does not now
refer to the nation.
Since Israel lost its FUNCTIONAL status as God's chosen nation and the
chosen ones are now comprised of those who trust in Jesus as the Messiah, it
is THOSE chosen ones who are in view in Christ's subsequent teaching. Thus,
the chosen ones in Matthew 24 refers to those who "take over" from Israel's
failure. These will be designated as "My servants," and will be called by a
new name (Isaiah 65:15). Instead of being called Israel, they will be
specifically known as "the called out ones" - the church (ekklāsia). Mat.
16:18; 1Cor. 10:32; 1Tim. 3:15.
THE CHOSEN ones (the elect ones), as those who trust in Christ as Savior
through accepting the calling (salvation invitation) are viewed as distinct
and separate from the nation of Israel.
But, the church is comprised of both physical and symbolic Jews and
accordingly fulfills the statement of
Rom. 11:5, "in the same way then, there has also come to be at the present
time, a remnant according to the CHOOSING (election) of grace."
As seen above, that remnant (to Abraham) is composed of both physical Jews
and symbolic Jews.
The Gentile believers are the offspring of Abraham through faith. Gal. 3:7,
29.
Thus, the new priestly body is composed of both Jews and Gentiles. Rom.
9:24, "even US, not from among Jews only but also from among
Gentiles."
The status of chosen is then given to a different group of people and it is
THEY who are now called, My CHOSEN ones and My SERVANTS.
And He will give that new group another name.
Isaiah 65:13-15. DURING THE CHURCH AGE
Verse 13 Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
1. My SERVANTS will eat, drink, rejoice:
The NEW servants will have spiritual prosperity. They will have spiritual
food and drink and experience the peace and joy of spiritual life by their
relationship with God through trust in the Messiah.
John 10:10; 14:27; 15:11; 16:1, 33.
Those who accept Jesus as the bread of life, will never hunger (John
6:32-35), and those who accept the water of life of Christ's salvation
provision (John 4:14) will never thirst.
2. but YOU will go hungry; go thirsty, be put to shame:
The Jewish people who reject Jesus and come under the discipline of national
ruin and dispersion.
Isaiah 65:14
1. My SERVANTS will sing out of the joy of their hearts:
2. but YOU will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of
spirit.
But the nation of Israel, its citizenry scattered throughout the world, will
be in spiritual and societal misery. Leviticus 26:36-39; Deut. 28:64-67;
Isaiah 57:21.
Isaiah 65:15
1. YOU will leave your name for a curse to my CHOSEN ONES.
the name Jew has been feared, disrespected, hated and maligned all through
the years since the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Jewish people
throughout all of history have inherited the stigma of the generation that
crucified Jesus. And the Jewish people unknowingly claimed this very curse
upon themselves in Christ's trial before Pilate. Mat. 27:25, "His blood be
on us and on our children."
1 Thes. 2:14-16; Luke 24:20; Acts 2:22-23; 3:13;
2. the Sovereign Lord will put you to death.
the nation of Israel will be destroyed. About 1 million, 100 thousand Jews
are killed by the legions of Rome. The temple will be demolished, and their
cultural heritage will be blown to the wind, to be remembered and practiced
only by families and individuals as they are scattered throughout the world
as slaves and wanderers without any focal point for their worship other than
copies of the scriptures, which God allowed to be preserved.
3. but to his SERVANTS he will give ANOTHER NAME."
And the NEW priestly body will be known by a different name other than Jew
and Israel; they will bear the very title of the Messiah - Christian
(Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). Or perhaps the new designation would be,
"the chosen ones," (the elect, Col. 3:12; Rom. 8:33; 2 Tim. 2:10). Mat.
16:18 uses the word church, ekklesia, to describe this new priestly body. It
means, "a called out entity." All seem to relate to the "another" name.
Paul uses eklogā in the same way at Romans 11:28, "from the standpoint of
the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of the
election (choosing), they are beloved for the sake of the fathers."
It is the same "election of grace." It is the same salvation provision that
is available to all peoples.
They, as are all peoples, are the objects of divine love. (John 3:16; Rom.
5:8).
Even though they are enemies of the cross; of the gospel of Jesus Christ,
they are still loved by God and the message of "repent and believe the
gospel" will continue to be proclaimed to them until finally, "all Israel
will be saved."
Rom. 11:30-32
Because of the whole salvation process: the rejection of Israel, the
acceptance of the Gentiles; the establishment of the church, the gospel
proclamation of the church - many out from the Jews will become saved.
The whole process is to provide salvation mercy to ALL.
Even though the nation failed and was removed from participating in the
promises made to "the fathers," the fact of those promises was not removed.
The Jewish people, as part of "God so loved the world," can participate in
the election of grace through faith in Christ. And later the NATION itself
through those Jews (the 144k bond servants) who trust in Christ after the
rapture will again become participants in the "olive tree."
And later, the entire nation will consist only of believers. Rom. 11:25-27.
"For all Israel will be saved."
Paul uses eklogā at 1 Thes. 1:4, knowing the election of you.
That is, in view of your participation in THE election (of grace).
In view of the fact that you are in the plan of God; in the kingdom of
light; saved from the penalty of sin.
Peter uses eklogā at 2Peter 1:10, make certain (bebaios, firm) your calling
and election.
This does not mean to SECURE their salvation, as in KEEPING it, but rather
to the idea of making their salvation status functional. That is, fulfill
the priestly function of representatives of the kingdom of God here on
earth.
This is the same thing that is mentioned at Hebrews 3:6 and 14, "firm (bebaios)
until the end."
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