Deuteronomy 14:2 For
thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen
thee to be a peculiar people unto HIMSELF, above all the nations that
are upon the earth.
The children of Israel were chosen by God to be HIS people in the Old Testament.
Noah found grace in the sight of God and God saved Noah from the great flood.
Abraham was chosen by God and was given promises concerning the nations that were to come from him.
4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him;
And God gave promises to both Isaac and Jacob, Abraham's son and grandson.
God spoke to them also and made HIMSELF known.
To Isaac, God said: Go not down into Egypt; dwell into the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn
in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto
thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will
perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And
I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give
unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed MY voice, and kept MY charge, MY commandments, MY statutes, and MY laws. (Genesis 26:2-5)
God revealed HIMSELF to Jacob: And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.
And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
And,
behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham
thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee
will I give it, and to thy seed; And
thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread
abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south:
and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places
whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will
not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.
(Genesis 28:10-15)
9
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a
peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of HIM who hath
called you out of darkness into HIS marvellous light:
20 For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Later Jacob was renamed by God as Israel. HIS 12 sons were the children of Israel, the 12 tribes of Israel.
To Joseph,
one of the 12 sons, God revealed HIMSELF by dreams. His brothers hated
Joseph because the dreams showed Joseph ruling over them. So they sold
Joseph into bondage and Joseph was taken down into Egypt before the
great famine came on the earth. God gave wisdom to Joseph and therefore all that Joseph did prospered above all men. Pharaoh saw this and made Joseph a ruler in Egypt, 2nd only to himself.
70 men were the number of the children of Israel who went down into Egypt at the time of the great famine.
The
generations of the children of Israel spent 430 years in Egypt and when
they were delivered from Egypt by God, their number of men above the
age of 20 was 603,550. (Exodus 38:26)
Even under the years of adversity in Egypt, God multiplied them greatly as God said he would do in HIS promises to Abraham.
In all this we see when God reveals HIMSELF to an individual, God becomes their God.
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In
the New Testament, God chose people to Himself and opened their eyes to
see things of God and caused those individuals to be born again and God
put HIS name on them and gave each of them HIS Holy Spirit to teach
them and guide them and show them things to come. (Jn. 14:26 & Jn. 16:13)
The apostle Peter says:
I Peter 2
(We
were "chosen" by God for salvation and God "called" us out of darkness
by HIS Word and God opened our eyes so we could see the Word of God and
we were "born again" by the Spirit of God.)
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
The apostle Paul explains: 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. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. (Romans 9:15-16)
God
causes us to be born again as HIS own children. We no longer serve
this world as we once did but now God frees us so that we can serve
HIM. We are delivered by God and redeemed by God by the will of God.
God opens our eyes to see things of the kingdom of God. God causes us
to believe the Word.
Romans 6
21 What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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God speaks to us individually, we are called by God, and changed into new people by God.
The apostle Paul: And
as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round
about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou ME? (Acts 9:3-4)
Paul was traveling with several men and they saw that bright light and heard a voice speaking from heaven but saw no man and it was Paul (Saul) Jesus called by name.
And Paul explains that Jesus said to him: But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose,
to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou
hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, To
open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and
inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in ME. (Acts 26:16-18)
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Joan Boney: I was in my bedroom when God said to me by HIS Spirit: "Joan ... you know all those mistakes you've been making all these years. Those weren't mistakes. Those were sins." (August 5, 1975)
I was changed immediately, born again, chosen by God, even named by name by God.
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Pam Padgett: A
schoolmate was killed on a motorcycle. When this happened, Pam, for
the first time, realized someone her age could die. (God opened Pam's
understanding to see this.) Also Pam knew nothing she had learned in
the Catholic church could save her. Only God could save her. (God
showed her this truth.) So Pam called out to God asking God to save
her.
Many
people in Pam's circle heard of this boy being killed on a motorcycle
but there is no evidence that any of those people understood they could
also be killed and only God could save them.
God chose Pam among all those people and God revealed truth to Pam and cause her to turn to HIM.
Salvation is being chosen by God to salvation.
Acts 13:48 and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
God chooses each individual and opens the understanding for that individual and then that individual believes to salvation.
It is not that we choose God but rather God chooses us.
Thus the apostle Paul says:
Romans 9:18 Therefore hath HE mercy on whom HE will have mercy, and whom HE will HE hardeneth.
We are the chosen people of God as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the children of Israel were the chosen people of God.
And God reveals HIMSELF to us who are HIS chosen as HE revealed HIMSELF to those in the Old Testament who are HIS chosen.
Acts 2:47 And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Understanding
is from God. God opens our eyes and then we believe and understand.
It is not of our own thinking that we understand. God causes us to
understand and to believe HIS Word. Thus salvation is of God and we are
chosen by God.
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Ephesians 1
2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
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:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of HIS will,
6 To the praise of the glory of HIS grace, wherein HE hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In WHOM we have redemption through HIS blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of HIS grace;
8 Wherein HE hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of HIS will, according to HIS good pleasure which HE hath purposed in Himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times HE might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in HIM:
11 In WHOM also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of HIM who worketh all things after the counsel of HIS own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of HIS glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In WHOM ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in WHOM also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of HIS glory.
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