God’s Sovereignty Part 4

Subject – Our Holiness is Thru Jesus Christ
Text - Ephesians 1:4

It is an absolute fact that before the world or anything else was created, God in His Sovereignty elected a remnant of this world’s population to be His children. People can foolishly deny it all they want, but it is without question and without debate. “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world…” V.4 These elected are not only Israelites, they are not only Jews, they are people from all walks of life on the earth. It is true that God elected Israel as a Nation, but God also has a elect people that includes Gentiles. “And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?” Romans 9:23 - 24 God’s election was to both Jews and Gentiles, this is without question or debatable. People who deny the Sovereignty of God deny this because this proves the third point of T.U.L.I.P. which is “Limited Atonement”. This means that the blood of Jesus Christ was only appointed to atone a limited amount of people which God elected before the world began or in eternity past. People use out-of-context scriptures in an attempt to deny both election and limited atonement. Let us examine one, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2 Here as in other places the word “world” is used by the vast majority of people in an irresponsible way, like it also is in John 3:16, in neither places does God mean the entire population of the world. In both places it is referring to both Jews and Gentiles (the word world includes also Gentiles which are every nation outside of Israel) but not all of them. If God love everyone, He would have been forced to love Esau whom He hated, as well as any others that He did not love. If Jesus died for the sins of everyone in the world then no one would go to hell when they died because all their sins have been atoned for, saved people do not have un-atoned sins. “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” Ephesians 1:7

This brings us to the word “Holiness” which means - pure, or blameless – as we see the Holiness of God, as also we see in Christ, so are we holy as His children in Christ and the work He did on Calvary. While we are sinners on this earth, in heaven we will be pure and blameless because Jesus Christ cleansed us from all our sins. Not one single sin of God’s elect escaped the anointing blood of Jesus Christ. Paul explained this more in Colossians 1:22 “In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:” God does not see His elect as sinners, He sees them as holy and unblameable because Jesus Christ has cleansed them from all their sins. We also read in 1 Thessalonians 4:7 “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.” And one more passage, Titus 2:13 - 14 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” People pride themselves on their work, they even say that you cannot be saved unless you do good works, but that is not even possible. (1.) because God said many times that salvation does not include works, none. Eph 2:9, Rom 11:6 (2.) James says our works is because of our salvation he never said it was for our salvation or any part of it. James 2:17 “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” This is not saying works is a part of salvation, but rather the evidence of salvation. It is contradiction to read it as works being part of salvation, since God said salvation is not of works. As Christians our holiness is in Christ Jesus and thru His blood it is not because we lived holy because in this world we do not, we are sinners living in a sinful world, sinning till we die of Jesus Comes. Our only holiness is thru Christ Jesus death and the shed His blood to cleanse us from all our sins, otherwise we have un-atoned sins and will go to hell when we die. People in this world do not live sinless life’s because it is impossible in this flesh. People without perfect and pure holiness in Christ are lost sinners. Thank God for His election in choosing us as children and Jesus Christ for His atoning blood to make us holy. “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:” 2 Timothy 1:9 - 10