Effie Darlene Barba

Step by step through this series, I have tried to lead you and myself into a deeper understanding of who God is before we begin to look at the question of predestination versus free will.  Please bear with me to the end of this writing before making a conclusion or closing your mind. The first verse for which this series began was found in Ephesians 1: “3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” 

photo used by permission ©istock

God existed in His same state of love before the idea of time was created. Indeed, when asked the question is it free will or is it predestination; my answer is yes.

The very thought of predestination for many believers and non-believers brings an outcry of what they might say is an unjust nature within God.  The crowds might say, “How dare He not choose all or by what criteria would He choose one while condemning another!!”  Then why was freewill a necessary part of being able to see God’s beauty and to seek after Him as one’s greatest treasure or to be able to experience loving Him because of experiencing the grace of being adopted though unworthy?  If I was unable to look into the depths of darkness within my own selfish, self-exalting heart, would I be able to experience the joy that grace brings?  Would I be able to experience the magnitude of

Continue reading “THE GOOD PLEASURE OF GOD’S WILL (PART 5)”

In this series, we have explored the truths of God’s great pleasure and delight in His son. We have shown that the love, joy, beauty and delight which He has within the trinity is like a fountain forever overflowing which He desired to lavish it upon another. Thus, He meticulously created the heavens and the earth so that His beauty might be displayed. Within that beauty is the great Excellency of His vast diversity from the tiniest microbe to the vastness of beauty within the Galaxies. He then created man within His own image of body, soul, and spirit. Funny, He chose one of the smaller planets of the vast Universe to place mankind upon. Knowing that man would choose to worship the creation more than the creator, chasing after counterfeit self-exalting joys; He ordained a plan of salvation. That plan of salvation would mean that He pour out His wrath against sin upon His Beloved Son. To not demand justice, would make Him Unjust and thus His own Righteousness would be tainted and He would no longer be pure light. Why would Joyous, Happy, Loving God be willing to feel the pain, rejection, and agony of striving with mankind? Hebrews 12:2 gives us a glimpse of why where it speaking of Christ says, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame”. What was the joy that was set before him? We get to see the heart of that joy when we read John 17 which is the prayer that Jesus prayed before going to the Garden of Gethsemane. I do urge you to read the entire chapter; but for here let me share with you parts from that chapter.

“⁶ I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.⁷ Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.⁸ For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.¹³ And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves….¹⁷ Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth….²⁰ Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;²¹ That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.²² And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:²³ I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.²⁴ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world….²⁶ And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

The great Joy that would allow God to endure the evil for a time, is the Ultimate Joy of lavishing His love, joy and Glory on all who would believe. Again looking to Romans 9: “²² What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:²³ And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,²⁴ Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”

Look at Psalm 5:”⁴ For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.⁵ The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.¹¹ But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.¹² For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”

Which brings us to “chosen”, predestination, versus free will. That is more than we can finish today and will be tomorrow’s subject. Know this, if you feel the call of God upon your heart today; then, come and drink from the fountain of life today.  2 Corinthians 6: 2 “now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

©2014 Effie Darlene Barba

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post.  I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

In part two we looked at that which is God’s Greatest Pleasure, Greatest delight, and greatest joy which is His Son, Jesus Christ.  That love being so great that it overflowed in its magnificence and glory.  Thus God desired to lavish that same joyous love upon others who could see it, feel it, relish it and reflect it back—thus He created man in His image with body, soul, and spirit.  He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden every evening.  He shared His love, His joy, and His Glory with them.  He gave them all they ever needed; yet, it is obvious that they did not even realize what a tremendous treasure they had.  For mankind to understand and to truly experience the joy, man needed free will to choose God and to choose to follow His commands.  God only wanted their joy and for them to recognize the love He lavished on them.  Alas, having never felt His absence; they did not recognize the magnificence of His presence.  When tempted by Satan with the suggestion that God was holding out on them by not allowing them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; they quickly disobeyed.  Before that they had been protected from evil in their innocence.  God in perfect righteousness knew of evil which is the absence of His pure light.  Just as darkness of its own does not exist, total darkness is the absence of light.  Evil is the absence of perfect righteousness (God).  God who is the essence of perfect joy, perfect love, perfect beauty and perfect glory recognizes that where evil exists there can be no true, eternal happiness for the soul of man; thus, God hates evil and all evil deeds.  Yet, you might answer, He allowed it.  Why?  He could have wiped out all of creation in one sweep of His hand the moment Adam sinned, but He didn’t.  Let us go one step farther, He being omniscient; knew before He created heaven and earth exactly what Adam would choose.  Indeed, Salvation’s plan was in place before the creation.  Before the creation, He knew the agony that His beloved Son would endure as He bore the fullness of His own wrath against sin; yet, He created man anyway.  Why? 

used by permission of Ronald Barba ©2011 Ronald Barba

⁸ But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5

We could say, because He is God and can do whatever He wants with creation and we would not be far from scripture.  Look at Isaiah 46: “⁸ Remember this, and shew yourselves men: bring it again to mind, O ye transgressors.⁹ Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:¹¹ Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it.¹² Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness:¹³ I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry”.  Paul when addressing the church at Rome actually answered that very question

Continue reading “The Good Pleasure of God’s Will (Part 3)”

God is an overflowing fountain filled with Great Joy and Love.  In His fullness of love, joy, glory and perfect righteousness; He needs nothing more to fulfill Himself.  He is complete.  God, the Father loves the Son with such tremendous love; the son existing from eternity past as part of His triune being.  Father, son was the best way for God to illustrate this relationship in a manner that our finite human minds could comprehend.  So let me try to help you understand this relationship; because this becomes crucial in our understanding God’s Will as well as God’s great love and pleasure in His son.  In order to begin to comprehend God’s great pleasure, we will need to travel back to the creation where ^“God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).  Note God (singular) said Let US (plural).

 

 

Photo used by permission Sarah Barba ©2013 Sarah Barba

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead  Romans 1:20

He created man with Body, Soul and Spirit.  Just as God is Body (Christ-the Son), Soul (The Father) and Spirit (The Holy Spirit); thus, He created mankind in His image as a triune being.  There are moments when the Scripture refer to Christ’s willingness to obey the Father, even to die on the cross in humble obedience to the Father’s will.  Yet, if you have ever ordered your body to get out of bed in the morning and found it

Continue reading “The Good Pleasure of God’s Will (Part 2)”

THE GRACE AND GLORY THAT IS THEE

Chosen, redeemed how could it be

Your love reached out and rescued me

From sin’s dark chains I’ve been set free

My heart now whole and filled with glee

 

Oh Lord I cannot understand

All that you have for me now planned

It is upon your love I stand

And journey through this broken land

 

Your Love Divine, I hold so dear

Your voice alone I long to hear

Your words so precious to my ear

Your hope your joy is ever near

 

No other love could mean so much

As your sweet voice and gentle touch

All other loves pour forth as such

Because your love I first do clutch

 

Your love in me doth so compel

To all the world, I must now tell

As praise for you within doth swell

And Thus, Sing forth a great noel

 

Oh, Lord, I ask of thee this plea

To void my heart of all that’s me

So that the world might only see

The Grace and Glory that is thee

 

©2013 Effie Darlene Barba

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post.  I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.