by Jamie Pantastico | Jan 15, 2024 | Daily Encouragement |
This compilation of Bible verses clearly shows God’s choice of Israel as His special people and their separation from the Gentile nations. These verses span the Old Testament, including Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Exodus, 1 Kings, Psalms, and Isaiah. They highlight Israel’s distinct identity as being chosen by God, separated from other nations, and designated as God’s special treasure and inheritance. The emphasis on Israel’s unique status is evident in the passages, affirming the biblical truth that God has chosen the nation of Israel as His own.
‘When the Most High divided their inheritance to the nations, When He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the children of Israel.’
Deuteronomy 32:8
The nation of Israel and the Jewish people remain the apple of His eye, but today, and since around 70 AD, they have been blinded (Romans 11:25) to the benefit of the whole world (Romans 11). Ultimately, they rejected Jesus as their Messiah, and along with the Romans (Gentiles), they crucified Jesus. God has committed the whole nation to disobedience so that He can pour out His mercy and grace upon all mankind.
Romans 11:32 captures this profound truth:
“For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.”
Although Israel’s present condition involves a spiritual veil, the unchanging nature of God assures us that He remains true to His promises. The covenantal commitments made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as well as the nation of Israel, will, without a doubt, find their complete fulfillment in the unwavering faithfulness of God, who remains constant throughout time—today, tomorrow, and forever.
Here are a few Bible verses that highlight God’s choice of the nation of Israel as His own and their separation from the Gentile world:
Chosen as a Special People:
Deuteronomy 7:6:
“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.”
Separated from the Nations:
Leviticus 20:24:
“But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples.”
Distinct Identity:
Exodus 33:16:
“For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth.”
A Peculiar Treasure:
Exodus 19:5:
“Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.”
God’s Inheritance:
1 Kings 8:53:
“For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be Your inheritance, as You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.”
Set Apart for Himself:
Psalm 135:4:
“For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for His special treasure.”
God’s Chosen People:
Isaiah 41:8–9:
“But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, ‘You are My servant; I have chosen you and have not cast you away.'”
These verses clearly show the special relationship and separation of Israel as a chosen people of God.
To truly understand the Bible, one must know these truths. We must know and understand that scripture is a progressive revelation. One must identify the differences between law and grace, Israel and the body of Christ, which is His church, and Peter and Paul.
by Jamie Pantastico | Jan 14, 2024 | Daily Encouragement |
Foreknowledge is an attribute of God. It is one of the aspects of God’s omniscience, which means God’s all-encompassing and perfect knowledge. Foreknowledge specifically refers to God’s knowledge of events, choices, and outcomes before they occur in the course of human history.
This attribute underscores the fact that God, being outside the constraints of time, possesses a complete understanding of the past, present, and future. It is not limited to mere awareness but includes an intimate knowledge that allows God to see and comprehend the intricate details of every moment in time.
As an attribute, foreknowledge showcases the depth and perfection of God’s understanding, emphasizing His control and authority over the unfolding of human history.
Here are 10 Bible verses that delineate the sovereignty of God as exemplified in His foreknowledge.
1. Romans 8:29
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
2. 1 Peter 1:2
“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.”
3. Acts 2:23
“Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death.”
4. Isaiah 46:10
“Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'”
5. Psalm 139:16
“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book, they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.”
6. Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
7. Ephesians 1:4-5
“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”
8. 2 Timothy 1:9
“who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.”
9. Amos 3:7
“Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.”
10. Matthew 10:30
“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
by Jamie Pantastico | Jan 14, 2024 | Daily Encouragement |
The theological debate between God’s sovereignty and mankind’s free will has been a contentious topic since the apostle Paul came on the scene. Examining the truth and reality of God’s foreknowledge, we begin to uncover the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God in His “choosing” the elect.
…whosoever will… + …He has chosen us…
God’s Unwavering Sovereignty and Foreknowledge
The book of Romans illuminates the depth of God’s sovereignty and foreknowledge in Romans 8:29: “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
Here, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the direct connection between God’s foreknowledge and the predestination of those who respond to the gospel. God’s choice is not arbitrary but a purposeful selection rooted in His sovereignty, omniscience, and foreknowledge. In other words, God, in His foreknowledge, already knows who will believe the gospel and who will reject it.
Human Choice and Free Will
Even as God’s sovereignty stands unwavering, the Bible upholds the reality of human free will. Joshua 24:15 unequivocally declares, “And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the river or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
This verse underscores the inherent capacity for choice granted to humanity by God. God’s choosing aligns with the acknowledgment of personal responsibility and the significance of the individual’s faith in the gospel or rejection of the truth in “unbelief.” No one seeks after God, but all mankind has been given enough light to know God and escape condemnation (read Romans 1 and John 1:9; Romans 1:20).
Chosen by God Through Divine Foreknowledge
The divine choice, revealed in Ephesians 1:4-5, takes on a profound clarity: “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.”
God’s choosing is intentional and absolute, and it is made clear that He chooses those because of His foreknowledge. This “choosing” is not subject to chance or human merit but is a testament to God’s sovereignty, power, and omniscience—the already knowing of those who will respond to the gospel with authentic faith. On the other hand, those who choose to reject the gospel in unbelief seal their destination in the lake of fire.
A Definitive Conclusion
When studying the topic of God’s “choosing,” scripture reveals God’s foreknowledge aligns seamlessly with His sovereign will, and human free will exists within the bounds of His divine order. As we examine God’s foreknowledge, we do so with the assurance that God’s choice is not random but a purposeful, deliberate selection based on His foreknowledge of hearts that surrender to Him by believing the gospel alone by faith alone.
‘Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!’
Romans 11:33
by Jamie Pantastico | Jan 10, 2024 | Daily Encouragement |
Hebrews 11:28 recounts the faith of the Israelites during the Passover, applying the blood to their doorposts. In that moment, their faith, trust, believing in God’s instructions (His word) saved them from a certain death. Similarly, in this age of grace, our faith determines our salvation. When God sees our faith alone in the gospel— when we believe that Christ’s shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection saves us—He saves us.
Romans 3:24–25, Ephesians 1:7, and 1 Peter 1:18–19 highlight the significance of Christ’s blood, emphasizing that we are saved by grace through faith in His blood. Because without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22) Let this truth be a source of encouragement: we are saved by the blood of Christ.
Verses:
Hebrews 11:28
“By faith, he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.”
Romans 3:24-25
“being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness.”
Ephesians 1:7
“In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
1 Peter 1:18-19
“knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
by Jamie Pantastico | Jan 9, 2024 | Daily Encouragement |
Hebrews 1:1-3
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
“If Christ’s finished work on the cross was enough for Him to sit down at the right hand of the Majesty on High, then let us rest assured, for indeed, ‘It is finished!’ Embrace the completeness of His sacrifice and find your rest in the assurance that the work is done—once and for all.”
In God’s great plan of redemption, Christ’s flawless work on the cross is the culmination of all that God does. The resounding declaration from Calvary was not a tentative “to be continued” but a triumphant “it is finished.” As the sinless Lamb, He bore the weight of our transgressions (our sins), and with arms outstretched, He declared perfection in the death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
The image of Christ seated at the right hand of the Majesty on High (God the Father) is the divine proclamation of a completed work. There, at the pinnacle of heaven, He sits—having purged our sins by Himself. The redemption price, once and for all, paid in full. There is nothing left undone, nothing left for us to add.
The redemption story concludes with an invitation to all: come as you are and believe. Simply, wholly, believe by faith alone in the finished, perfect work of Christ. By faith alone, we find not just redemption (salvation) but a profound peace that comes from resting in His flawless, finished work of the cross.
The gospel
‘Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, ‘
I Corinthians 15:1-4