25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
When I read in verse 28 how the Holy Spirit made the elders from Ephesus overseers, I see nothing that the elders did which implies they had anything to do with being put in that position. A man is not made a pastor, nor is a man made a deacon or elder by anything they choose to do. It was God’s plan from before time began that they would be doing what they’re doing. (Proverbs 16:9, 20:24; Jeremiah 10:23; Lamentations 2:17; Isaiah 14:27) A man may think that he chose to serve the Lord as a pastor, deacon, or elder, but it was actually God working in that man to make him want to do what God had already determined he would do (Philippians 2:13).
Paul also said in verse 28 that God had purchased His church with His own Blood. There is nothing here, nor anywhere else, that would lead a man to think that He purchased every single man who ever lived. I read passages like Ephesians 5:25 where Paul writes Jesus loved His church and gave Himself up for her. Why? Because it is ONLY His church that was chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4), it was only His Elect which comprise the church that are foreknown by God, predestinated, called, justified and glorified (Romans 8:29-30), and it is only His Elect that are drawn to Him (John 6:44). Now before you jump on the often misquoted Scripture John 12:32 that Christ will draw all men to Him, please go back and read Bible Truth #51.
If Christ DID purchase every man with His Blood, and Christ is now interceding with the Father FOR a man that God is sending to hell, is Christ not a failure? I’ve written this before but do so again:
1 - It is impossible the Son would not intercede for EVERYONE for whom He died. If Christ dies as their substitute, how could He not present His sacrifice in their stead before the Father? Can we really believe that Christ would die for someone He that did not intend to save?
2 - It is impossible that anyone for whom the Son did NOT die could receive Christ’s intercession. If Christ did NOT die on behalf of a certain individual, how could Christ intercede for that individual since He would have no grounds upon which to seek the Father’s mercy.
3 - It is impossible that anyone for whom the Son intercedes could be lost.
Now here is the real issue. Can we imagine the Son pleading before the Father, presenting His perfect atonement on behalf of an individual that He wishes to save and the Father rejecting the Son’s intercession? The Father ALWAYS hears the Son (John 11:42), would He not hear the Son’s pleas on behalf of ALL those the Son desires to save?
Furthermore if we believe that Christ can intercede for someone that the Father will not save then we must believe that either 1) there is dissension in the Godhead (the Father desiring one thing and the Son desiring something else) or 2) the Father is incapable of doing what the Son desires Him to do. Both positions are utterly impossible.
The bottom line is that Paul was telling these elders from Ephesus that a sovereign God made them overseers and to take care of the people for whom He died.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.