This teaching that a person must willingly submit their life to the death of the cross with Christ–it seems foolish to the worldly mind. But this cross experience is the equalizer, for it places all of mankind in the same location before God. And that is a place of weakness.
To admit that you can’t make it anymore in this old world, that your old life is selfish and devoid of true love, that you are in need of someone stronger than you to lift you out of the mire of evil thoughts and actions–that is weakness.
The worldly mind would think, how utter pathetic! How weak and helpless! But it is this very weakness that God has chosen! “God has chosen the weak things of this world to confound the things that are mighty” (I Cor. 1: 27).
The apostle Paul is saying that God has chosen those who know they are weak, for the Word also declares, “God resists the proud but gives grace/favor to the humble” (I Pet. 5: 5).
How does a person know if they are one of the elect or chosen ones [“the elect” and “chosen ones” come from the same word in the Greek http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1588&t=KJV ]? This is an all important question, for since God does choose out certain individuals, and we are to “make our calling and election sure,” we do need to sincerely explore His election or choices to do His work in the earth. (II Pet. 1: 10).
And this leads us back to this question. Who does God choose to be in His elect? God has chosen the weak, the ones who have endured the sufferings of Christ. These are they who have willingly submitted their old selves to be “crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2: 20; Rom. 6: 6-11).
God has chosen these weak ones. They are the elect of God, chosen by Him to turn this world upside down–to “confound the things that are mighty.”
The power comes into a Christian’s life after we humble oursleves “under the mighty hand of God.”
God has chosen this extremely humbling form of death for His elect to prove them to see if they be found worthy. For crucifixion is the most humbling of all ways to die. Thank God He provided our Savior Jesus/Yahshua the Anointed One to bear the physical, literal crucifixion for us. Then it is our turn to follow our Example and yield to the spiritual crucifixion that puts an end to our old spiritual nature, to our original sinful old heart. We do this by faith and begin to walk in the new heart we receive from Him. Through study of His Word and communicating with Him, we grow in this grace/favor that He has bestowed upon us, seeking “first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.”
Reblogged this on Precious Sheep Of Renown.
Thanks again for spreading the word! kwh