 Our sovereign God decides to whom He wants to give mercy. For example, He picked Isaac over Ishmael. He hardened Pharaoh. He chose Jacob over Esau before the twins were born. God bestows or denies as He pleases (Romans 9:9-18).
His divine will and pleasure also determine the salvation of humans. For those rejected by God, He withholds His Spirit from them, leaving them in their own ways. Christ ignored the rich and intelligent, such as the knowledgeable and religious Pharisees. Though they had seen His miracles and heard His teachings, they hardened their hearts to Him. God was obligated to keep His word and condemn them. Those elected to be saved go to the Father through Christ. They may be wicked, but their salvation does not compromise His words, holiness, majesty, truth, justice, goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. Through Christ, Father can save the greatest sinners without approving their wickedness. Father bestows salvation to the poor and foolish, the corrupted tax collectors, the prostitutes, the criminal next to Christ on the cross, and some hearing Christ’s teachings only once (Romans 9:23, 1 Corinthians 1:26-31). God chose to give the Jews the opportunities of His grace, leaving to perish gentiles, like the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans. But when the Jews rejected the Messiah, Father replaced them with other nations (Deuteronomy 7:7, Malachi 1:2-3). So, for those saved, be humble and praise God. Out of His sovereign pleasure, He chose them before they were born. One’s salvation and righteousness depend on His will and sovereignty (Deuteronomy 32:39, Psalm 115:3, Daniel 4:34-35, Matthew 11:25, 1 Corinthians 1:29-31, 6:9,11). But don’t count on God’s mercy and continue to sin. Beware that salvation is not under our control, though Father is bound by His word that anyone can go to Him through Christ (Hebrews6:13-20, 3:15). On the other hand, don’t be discouraged because of your wickedness. God can bestow salvation to the worst without compromising any of His attributes. God designs creation to glorify Himself and manifest His glory in all His characteristics, including His holiness, wisdom, mercy, justice, and sovereignty. It pleases God to exercise His sovereignty and bestow salvation. Glorifying Himself in our salvation pleases Him greatly. Summary of a sermon by Jonathan Edwards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr5DfgaIe1I 神在救恩中的主权 至高无上的上帝决定祂要怜悯谁就怜悯谁。例如祂拣选以撒而不是以实玛利，祂使法老刚硬，在双胞胎出生之前祂拣选雅各而不是以扫。上帝随心所欲地赐予或拒绝（罗马书 9:9-18）。 祂的神圣意志和喜悦也决定了人的救恩。 对于那些被弃绝的人，祂保留祂的灵不给他们，让他们偏行己路。基督选择忽略富有和聪明人，例如那些知识渊博和虔诚的法利赛人。他们中的许多人虽然见过基督的神迹，听过祂的教导，却不理会祂，导致他们的心更加刚硬。上帝需要信守祂的话语, 定他们的罪。 那些被拣选得救的人藉着基督到父神那里去。虽然他们可能是邪恶的，但他们的救恩并没有妥协上帝的话语、祂的圣洁、威严、真理、公义、良善、怜悯和信实。藉着基督，天父可以拯救最大的罪人而无需认可他们的邪恶。天父将救恩赐给贫穷愚拙之人、腐败的税吏、被人蔑视的妓女、十字架上钉在基督旁边的罪犯以及有些只听过一次基督教导的人（罗马书 9：23，哥林多前书 1：26-31）。 神拣选犹太人，给他们施恩的机会，让外邦人灭亡，如埃及人、波斯人、希腊人和罗马人。但当犹太人拒绝弥赛亚时，天父便用其它国家代替犹太人（申命记7：7，玛拉基书1：2-3）。 所以，对于那些得救的人，要心存谦卑，敬拜赞美上帝。 上帝出于至高无上的喜悦，在出生之前已经选择了他们。 一个人的救恩和公义取决于祂的旨意和主宰。（申命记 32：39; 诗篇 115：3; 但以理书 4：34-35; 马太福音 11：25; 哥林多前书 1：29-31，6：9,11）。 但不要指望上帝的怜悯而继续犯罪。救恩不在我们的控制之下, 虽然天父受自己话语约束, 任何人都可以藉着基督进到祂那里（希伯来书 6:13-20, 3:15）。 另一方面，不要因为你的邪恶而气馁。上帝可以在不妥协祂任何属性的情况下将救恩赐给最坏的人。 上帝设计创造来荣耀祂自己，并在祂所有的特征中彰显祂的荣耀，包括祂的圣洁、智慧、怜悯、公义和主权。上帝喜欢行使祂的主权赐下救恩，祂也非常乐意在我们的救恩中荣耀自己。 Comments are closed.
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