Ephesians 1:1-23

The question we need to ask when reading verse 4 of chapter 1 is: "How many were chosen before the foundation of the world?" Were the chosen only those who have believed? If that be the case, then once again, what do we do with passages such as 2 Corinthians 5:19? What do we do with men like "Peter, James and John" and all of the disciples who denied Jesus at the cross? Why should they be chosen after turning their backs on the Gospel of God's Grace and believing that they could be justified by the law of Moses after being justified by the faith of Christ and had begun in the Spirit?

I always tell people: "Make sure that you cover all the bases if you are going to take things out of context." Friends, if we isolate verse 4 of Ephesians and preach it in light of "some are chosen and others aren't" then the question becomes: "How do we know for sure who the chosen ones are and who were the ones that were rejected?" Is it the ones that have sinned less that will be chosen over those who have sinned more? Doesn't the bible say that ALL have sinned? So if all have sinned and according to Evangelical Christian doctrines, no sinner will make it to heaven, then how do we know who are the chosen and who aren't the chosen?

Besides, who wants to be the best sinner who entered heaven? So it boils down to this: "Either God chose, predestinated, accepted, redeemed and adopted ALL, or He chose none. To say that God has chosen some and not others on the basis of "believing" is pure heresy and witchcraft. That's exactly how the "3 Amigos" had gone back to believing. "Peter" was famous for thinking along these perverted bias lines. "No way Lord. I will not touch nor eat anything unclean." In the book of Acts we read about how God told "Peter" not to call unclean that which God had cleansed. "Peter" had the same mentality the Christian Pulpit has today.

"The believing will be chosen to heaven and the unbelieving chosen for hell." Paul called such a doctrine a doctrine of "demons." Friends, when did God make His decision to choose? Was it before or after the foundations of the world? Was it before anyone believed or after everyone believed? Think about it? This will set you free if by chance you have doubt as to how many God chose. For if God only chose the "believing," then the sacrifice of the cross was all a joke and in vain. That would mean that this Gospel is of works and not of grace and the whole world is still in their sins.

Notice that verse 4 begins with the word "according." "According as He hath chosen us in Christ." Now, who is it according to? Did it say according to how man has chosen who will be saved or did it say according to how God has chosen? This is very important because man as a whole is left completely out of the picture and gets no credit for what God had already planned to do way before man was molded out of clay. Friends, the "US" in verse 4 is not talking about those who have believed. The word is used as an ALL inclusive. If we were to get meticulous, then it can be said that only the people being addressed in Ephesus were the only ones chosen since Paul is addressing the letter to them. THINK!

The simple and unbiassed fact is that God has chosen ALL way before the foundation of the world, and He had already chosen ALL to be made holy, and without blame before Him in love. It was the unconditional love of the cross that moved God's heart to choose All, forgive ALL, redeem ALL, save ALL, accept ALL, and it was all made possible because of the finished work of the cross. Religion doesn't see it like this because they do not understand grace and they live by the old doctrine of "Sheep and Goats." The word "US" means "ALL." If it be only some, then we are ALL going to hell since Paul said that there are none righteous no not one.

Man made religion and their witchcraft doctrine of self-righteous theology have been lying to us all of these years. In God's eyes and because of the cross there is no one unholy. The whole world stand holy, righteous and blameless before God because Jesus took off His robe of righteousness and exchanged it for the world's filthy rag robe of unrigteousness. Friends, there is no such thing as a "good believer." God did not choose to bless the believers only. He did not choose to give grace to believers only. He did not choose to be at peace with believers only.

Think about it. Who was it that Jesus said he had come to die for? If God only chose to redeem, predestinate, accept and adopt only those who believe, obey and do everything "goody goody," then God lied and Jesus died in vain. The evidence is clear. Jesus came for the sick and the unrighteous, and that includes everyone that has ever been born on earth. He came for the good, the bad and the ugly. No exceptions. He did not just come for those who selfishly, self-righteously and holier than thou believe that they were the ones who God chose. In other words, God did not come for those who still preach the doctrines of the "Far-you-see's" and "Sad-you-see's."

The church of today is doing no better than what the "3 Amigos" were doing..."Excluding." Justifying themselves and believing that it was them that God has chosen, predestined, redeemed and adopted. They see a word like "predestination" and "us" and they blow it out of proportion by coming up with the same exact attitude of the religious hypocrites of Jesus' days. The days of the "3 Amigos." Days of legalism, exclusion and religious doctrines of "demons." Making the cross of no effect. A doctrine of "Religious Morality." Repulsive, disgusting, and totally prejudicial. Thank God that the saving finished work of grace at the cross was not left in the hands of men.

To be continued...

Grace N Peace

Eddie Narvaez