I’m a disciple of Christ, and I serve the Lord Jehovah, the one true God of this world. God made me like he made every other person who has ever lived. So why am I one of the lucky ones to be gifted salvation unto eternal life in heaven? We know from scripture that God loves all his creatures equally and wants all of us in heaven with him forevermore. So why is it that only a very few people actually make it to heaven, and why was I chosen to be in that select company? Don’t get me wrong. I’m eternally grateful that God saved me, but what made God choose me over someone else? And when did God choose me? What did God see in me that made me worthy of his saving grace? When I look at the span of human history I’m guessing that probably only one out of every thousand people who ever lived will wind up in heaven. Why is it that the number is so small? The answer of course is Satan. God chose me for salvation because of my faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Peter 1:3 – As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory virtue.
2 Peter 2:9 – 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.
Ephesians 4:4 – There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling.
Galatians 1:6 – I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel.
You have to remember that God once made millions of angels to serve him in heaven. Each angel had their own mind but God didn’t give them a choice whether they wanted to serve God or not. As a result, one third of the angels rebelled against God under the leadership of Lucifer, the most powerful angel. God defeated Lucifer and his fallen angels and they were incarcerated on earth. God gave Lucifer the name Satan, which means “adversary.” Satan is our adversary, not God’s. The fallen angels that came to earth with Satan we refer to as demons. God made the universe, the earth, and man. God made man to be a citizen of heaven who will one day fellowship with Jesus in his sight forever. God put man on this earth to first find God and then to make the free will decision to serve God or Satan. There will be no more rebellions in heaven because God requires man to first decide that’s where he wants to live. You’d be wise to choose honor and glory in heaven forevermore over condemnation and dishonor in hell for all eternity. You’d be wise to choose joy, wonder and riches over pain, agony, and suffering.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 – But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Galatians 5:13 – For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
2 Timothy 1:14 – That good thing which was committed to you (salvation), keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us (believers).
Acts 2:39 – For the promise is to you and your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.
I know God gave man his word (our Holy Bible) to help us find God and to show us the way to salvation unto eternal life in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ, the son of God, as our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ came down from heaven to die on the cross in our place so that a merciful God could forgive our sins and allow man to choose service to God. God graciously put his Holy Spirit on earth to indwell all believers as our helper, so that each time the Bible is read the Holy Spirit is there with us ready to convict the hearer of their sin if their heart is ready to receive the gospel message of Christ and then accept God’s saving grace. If man chooses to serve the Lord by a profession of faith in Jesus Christ it’s the Holy Spirit that then translates the sinner from eternal death in hell to eternal life in heaven. It’s the Holy Spirit that writes the believer’s name in the book of life. Only God can save us. Jesus is God. The Holy Spirit is God.
Romans 9:11 – For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to the election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls.
1 Thessalonians 5:24 – He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.
1 Corinthians 1:9 – God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Philippians 3:13-14 – But one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Our personal salvation is the most important decision we’ll ever make because it lasts for all eternity. Man is an immortal being because God is immortal. God gave us a piece of himself at our conception so how could it be otherwise? It’s our destiny to live forever in heaven with our heavenly father as adopted sons of the Most High. But the thing is, to fulfill our destiny we must make the choice to serve God of our own free will before our heart stops beating because once we die it’s then too late to choose God. The die is cast. Let me be crystal clear; failure to choose God will result in man being hurled into the lake of fire and brimstone on the last day for all eternity where they will be in pain, agony, and suffering 24/7 forever. How long is eternity? A trillion billion years is only a day in eternity. Do you get the mental picture? Avoid that fate at all costs! Get on your knees before God right now and pray the sinner’s prayer to God in faith, and you will be saved unto eternal life in heaven because you have God’s promise and God cannot lie.
John 6:44 – (Jesus) – No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Matthew 22:14 – (Jesus) – For many are called, but few are chosen.
1 Peter 1:15 – But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
1 Thessalonians 1:5 – For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance.
What exactly is the “call” of God? There are dozens of Bible verses where God refers to calling man. In fact, 13 of the 16 Bible verses referenced in this blog up to this point were selected because they mention God calling us:
called us by glory
called you out of darkness
called us in one hope
called you in the grace of Christ
called you by our gospel
called to liberty
call for the promise
called into the fellowship
God calls, he will do it
It’s obvious to me that God, through his word, is calling all men to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Our salvation is the end result of God’s call but the means of that salvation is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the “good news” that Jesus preached during his ministry on earth. The important verse for me is Matthew 22:14, where Jesus said, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” The scriptures confirm that God has put eternity in the hearts of men so that we’ll know in our spirit that there is a God. Man will never be truly happy until they fill the void in their heart with the God who made them. In Psalm 19:1 God declares that all men know of the existence of God by what he has made. The Holy Bible has worldwide distribution so nobody can say on the last day that they couldn’t find the true God because the Bible is proof of God and it documents the path to eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. All a person has to do is read God’s word and believe it and if you don’t even open the Bible and give it a chance, that’s on you. On the last day there is simply no acceptable excuse for rejecting God’s saving grace.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 – He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Psalm 19:1 – The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Timothy 2:21 – Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter (sin/dishonor), he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Acts 10:42 – And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.
So God calls on all his creatures to be saved unto eternal life in heaven through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. However, Matthew 22:14 assures us that few are chosen. That means that while all men are called by God only a very few will actually take God up on his offer of eternal life in heaven in the presence of Jesus. God knows who will be saved and who won’t because he knows the end from the beginning. Still, God is just and fair to all men so he calls everyone. Every creature God has made has an equal shot at heaven. God did not make any man with the express intent of sending them to hell. God doesn’t work that way. God is love and he wants all his children to prosper. Believers make the free will choice to serve God by a declaration of faith in Jesus but it is God who then chooses the believer as a son of God who will then reside in heaven forever. It pleases God to save us because of our faith in Christ and we know God promises to save us and God cannot lie. Remember, we don’t save ourselves. Only God can save us. God through his mercy pulls us up to heaven because he made us and he loves us dearly. When God reaches his hand down to pull you up to glory don’t slap it away because if you do you’ll feel God’s wrath on the last day. Instead, grab hold of God’s extended hand and hold on tight. The Bible says no one can take you out of God’s hand.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
2 Corinthians 9:8 – And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work.
Hebrews 10:36 – For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receice the promise.
Revelation 22:12 – (Jesus) – And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
My question to you is this; “Have you answered God’s call?” If you haven’t; why not? The entire Bible is God’s revelation of Jesus Christ and his saving grace through faith in him. In his word God speaks literally and in plain language so that anyone can understand what the Lord is saying. I know Satan has put blinders over the eyes of nonbelievers so they cannot see the truth of God. I know that Satan has sponsored fake religions and false gods throughout human history in order to fool man and keep them from finding the one true God of creation. That’s why millions of nonbelievers are dying every day and going straight to hell. I get that. However, it’s the responsibility of every believer to do the work God has given them to do, which is to witness for Christ to the nonbeliever and help them overcome Satan’s interference in order to seek out God for their salvation. God made you, he loves you, and he’s patiently waiting for you to come to him. God won’t come to you but he’ll meet you more than half way. What are you waiting for? Let’s go! What do you have to lose? Only your immortal soul, because death could come for you today. The rapture could also occur at any moment and your opportunity to meet Jesus Christ in the air will be gone if you haven’t accepted God’s saving grace. I know the truth of God and I’m pouring my heart out to you in love so you’ll understand. This is my testimony of God!
Colossians 3:2 – Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.
Ephesians 5:15-16 – See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
James 4:2 – Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
Philippians 4:6 – Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.