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God's Plan for All Mankind
Read Isaiah 45:18-25
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (v. 22).
What does God want me to do? We ask God to reveal His will for our lives in so many areas. What school should I attend? What career should I pursue? Who should I marry? Where should I live? What church should I attend? In these areas, God's will is certain to vary from person to person. There is one area, however, where God's will is the same for all of us. Verse 22 tells us that we are all to look to Him for salvation. Second Peter 3:9 tells us that He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God wants all to be saved. The “whosoever” in John 3:16 applies to us all. Have you received God's gift of salvation? If not, confess and repent of your sins, and believe in Him for salvation. Do your unsaved friends understand what it means to be saved? Do they know that it is God's plan for their lives? (Daniel Merkley)
I am happy today, and the sun shines bright,
The clouds have been rolled away;
For the Savior said, whosoever will
May come with Him to stay.
“Whosoever” surely meaneth me,
Surely meaneth me, oh, surely meaneth me;
“Whosoever” surely meaneth me,
“Whosoever” meaneth me.
— James E. McConnell (Public Domain)
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p style="text-align:center;">“Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).
This devotional is the Wednesday, January 25, 2017 entry of Opening the Word.
Pray for Your Church
Father, I pray for my local church. I thank You for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I praise You for the blessings You have bestowed upon us and ask for continued grace.
You know the needs of our congregation. (List specific needs here). I pray that, according to Your will, You would give healing to those who are suffering with physical needs. Encourage them, despite their pain, to live for You. I pray for those with financial needs. Supply what they lack. Provide for them, as a sign of Your love and grace. I ask You also to remember those who are under heavy burdens of stress, etc. Lighten their load. Let them know that You are with them, to help them through these trials and to give grace for every hour.
Father, help our church to be a light of love and holiness to this community. May we be known as a people who love God and one another. Increase our influence for Christ in our world. Thank You for all this. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
A Gospel For All
Lesson 10 - February 5, 2017
Focus Text: Romans 10:1-17
Central Truth: The steps to salvation are simple and plain so all may be saved.
Objective: By the end of this lesson my students should be able to clearly explain how a person can know Jesus Christ as his Savior.
Lesson Outline:
- The Person (Romans 10:1-7)
- The Plan (Romans 10:8-13)
- The Proclamation (Romans 10:14-21)
Notes to the Teacher
In "God's Word for Today" William Snider writes:
Definitions are imperative. Be prepared to define “election,” “foreknowledge,” and “free will.” What was God's intention for the Jews, and how does it compare to His mission for the Church in our day? Discuss the character of God and the necessity of maintaining a proper image of our Heavenly Father. Be prepared to portray the sovereignty of God in a positive and uplifting manner to your class. Consider the reality of our humanity and its reaction to divine sovereignty. How does sovereignty relate to evangelism? How does the sovereignty of God relate to the future of our world? Relate this lesson with the promise found in Romans 8:28.
Source: Studies in Romans: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 54.
How Should We Understand Predestination?
In "Doctrinal Discussion" Omar Lee writes:
Election, in Arminian circles, has generally been placed in three categories:
- Election (choice) of individuals to perform special tasks.
a. The twelve apostles.
b. Paul as a chosen vessel.- Election (choosing) of nations, bodies of people, for special privileges.
a. Abraham's seed through Isaac.
b. The Church.- Individual election because they have conformed to His conditions. That is, through grace by faith they have believed in Him (adapted from Wiley's Intro. to Christian Theology).
From this discussion, we draw these conclusions:- That a sovereign God has everything as well as all people in His control.
- That having created man, He predestined a plan to recover them when they sinned.
- That He elects (chooses) as His own those who elect (choose) to believe and thus meet His conditions.
- That as election is only if we believe, therefore, to fail to believe or to decide to abandon our belief results in judgment and final damnation.
It is good to know that God has a predestined plan for our complete restora-tion to fellowship with Him throughout the ages. Our choice makes the difference!
Source: Studies in Romans: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 56.
What is God's Election?
In "Word Focus" Glenn McClure writes:
The phrase the purpose . . . according to election is virtually equivalent to “the electing purpose.” God's electing purpose is according to His grace, not human will or human works (cf. Rom. 11:5). We may ask if this election is of a predetermined plan that selects certain men to salvation or a predetermined plan that provides for man's salvation. The verb form of this word occurs in Ephesians 1:4 and seems to answer this question: “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.” Thus we see “the purpose of election was character, and therefore from among the children of Abraham according to the flesh, God made selection of such as believed, because through faith, character is formed” (G. Campbell Morgan). Cremer points out that this “cannot be taken to imply a division of mankind into two classes according to a divine plan before history began; it simply traces back the state of grace and Christian piety to the eternal and independent electing-love of God” (Biblical-Theological Lexicon of N.T. Greek).
Source: Studies in Romans: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 52.