Quote:
Originally Posted by savedbysovereigngrace
So God does have His Favorites. The thing is though, His favorites are not determined by anything about them.
Whereas respect of persons is when we choose one because of something about them that distinguishes them from others. God does not do that.
He does not for instance choose a people based upon ethnicity, that would be respect of persons.  |
Here is my understanding of the term respecter: The Greek word is προσωποληπτης and means to receive ones "face" over that of another. This Greek word is derived from the word προσωποληπτέω, which means to show partiality of one over another.
So you're right, God
does not see a person based upon their ethnicity (face) or other traits they've received through creation, but rather God sees all people alike. Nor is God partial to one group of people over another, such as Israel over the Gentiles. So much for election being founded upon man. Election is not really about men (plural), but rather about
one person (singular). That person being Christ, who has preeminence in all things.
Isa 42:1 BEHOLD
my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
Psa 89:19 Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen out of the people.
Those
in Christ are elect
by headship, not by anything of them or based upon anything they do.
And who are those
in Christ? Subjectively speaking, all who believe. However, objectively speaking,
all men are in Christ. For we all live, move and have our being in Him, in Christ:
Act 17:28 For
in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For
we are also his offspring.
Job 12:10
In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
Col 1:17 and himself is before all, and the
all things in him have consisted.
God is also said to be the God of the spirits of all flesh:
Num 16:22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the
God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?
Here, a clear testimony is given that
all subjectively will be brought to spiritual life, in time,
in Christ.
Mat 22:32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?
God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
However, as yet, not all are
subjectively alive in Christ, but all are
called so, objectively,
as though they were:
Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead,
and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
As such, we are to know no man according to the flesh, but rather as
as though they were, elect in Christ:
2Co 5:16 Wherefore
henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
