I know this post is going to be very controversial from the moment it hits the progressiveu page, but it has been something that has been on my heart a lot lately. I was afraid to post anything on the subject of predestination (the idea that God chooses those who will come to know Him as personal Lord and Savior) because I was frightened that it would cause people to think that God is hateful and selective. Upon further thought, I realized that if the Holy Spirit is the One who draws people to Himself, then I have no fear of sharing what I believe to be the truth of God's character. It may be hard to swallow, but here it is....
Genuine faith in Christ is based on the initiation of the Holy Spirit. This is clearly evident in the life of Paul who was struck blind by the Holy Spirit on the way to Damascus. His original intent for this journey was to put many Christians in prison and persecute them. God, of course had other plans. The Lord spoke to him saying, "Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?" From there, the rest is history (no pun intended), He began preaching the Gospel to the very people he had intended to put to death.
This may seem hateful for God to choose those who come to know Him, but then who are we to judge the character of God? It says in the Bible that "for the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (2 Corinthians 1:18). God's wisdom is far greater than any man can know and "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong."
I for one am glad that genuine faith comes only from the Holy Spirit because if it were up to me, I am certain I would lose my salvation. But the Bible says that it is the Holy Spirit who saves and the Father who holds our salvation in His arms. Once we have become genuinly saved, there is nothing that can take us from the Father's hands or from His perfect love. Genuine faith lasts for eternity because it is a freely given gift from the Holy Spirit.
I certainly do not understand the character of God, but I know that as I read His Words I come to know him better. My original fear of posting this blog melts away...because the fear of posting it totally contradicts what I am trying to say. No matter how mad people get about this post and no matter how many nasty comments I receive about it, I know that God remains faithful and sovereign. He will open the hearts of those who need to hear and reveal Himself to those who He has chosen before the foundation of the world. Who am I to believe that I am the one who can bring others to know Christ? That is not my job; my job is to share Christ with others because He is willing to use me and then I allow the Holy Spirit to do the rest. The reason I share? (And I beg you not to think I am cramming this down people's throats because I am not!) Because I want others to know of His love. I have no way of knowing whether the Holy Spirit will choose to move in your own heart, so I want to tell you about the greatest love story ever told! I wouldn't share unless I was absolutly sure that God is real and that God is love!
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