The Choices of God
1) God chose Abraham to bless all nations with the Messiah.
“Abraham will
surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth
will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will
direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the
LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about
for Abraham what he has promised him.” Genesis 18:18-19
Therefore know that only those who
are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that
God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham
beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." So then
those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Galatians
3:7-9
2) God chose Israel based on His love and covenant.
For you are a
people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out
of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his
treasured possession. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose
you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were
the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you, and because
He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has
brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of
bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Deuteronomy 7:6-8
“But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob,
whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you
from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I
said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected
you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am
your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my
righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed
and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish."
Isaiah 41:8-11
3) God chose the Messiah to bring justice to the earth.
“Here is my
servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my
Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not
shout or cry out or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he
will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In
faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be
discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the
islands will put their hope.” Isaiah 42:1-4
Yet He warned
them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen,
My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon
Him, And He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel
nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised
reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, Till He
sends forth justice to victory; And in His name Gentiles will trust."
Matthew 12:16-21
4) Jesus Christ chose His disciples including Judas.
And when it
was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose
twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter,
and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew
and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;
Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.
Luke 6:13-16
But Simon
Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life. Also, we have come to believe and know that You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered them, "Did I not
choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" He spoke of Judas
Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being
one of the twelve. John 6:68-71
5) Jesus Christ chose believers to have the Holy Spirit.
No longer do I
call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is
doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from
My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose
you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your
fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may
give you. These things I command you, that you love one another. John
15:15-17
But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is
no law. Galatians 5:22-23
6) Jesus Christ chose Paul to be His Apostle to the nations.
Now there was
a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said
in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." So, the Lord
said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire
at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is
praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and
putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight." Then
Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how
much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has
authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name."
But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to
bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I
will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake." Acts
9:10-16
"And since I could not see for the
glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I
came into Damascus. Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to
the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there,
came to me; and he stood and said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your
sight.' And at that same hour I looked up at him. Then he said, 'The
God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will, and
see the Just One, and hear the voice of His mouth. For you will be His
witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.'" Acts 22:11-15
7) God chose undesirable people to bring Him glory.
But God has
chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and
God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things
which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which
are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to
nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His
presence. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29
Listen, my
beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich
in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love
Him? James 2:5
Coming to Him
as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and
precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual
house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is also contained in the
Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame."
Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are
disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the
chief cornerstone," and "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense."
They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were
appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of
Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once
were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained
mercy but now have obtained mercy. 1 Peter 2:4-10