This book is written to the elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father.
Elect means to pick out, to select. Those chosen by God to salvation.
I know there is a great debate in the church over what Elect means. And just for sake of clarification, I'll say that I lean reformed and therefore hold to the position that it's all God's doing. He chooses to bless those whom He wants to and elects them for salvation. At some point in the future as I have time. I'll try to go into the reformed position. Although I know that this has been debated for centuries and greater minds than mine have discussed, debated, and argued this subject. There have been books and lengthy debates and councils throughout church history that have discussed at length the Remonstrance and TULIP. So I'm not sure that my feeble attempts at a synopsis will do justice. But I may try sometime, just for the sake of trying.
Foreknowledge is the foreordained, predetermined relationship in knowledge of God
Why were some elected? For obedience! They are set apart from sin to obey Jesus. True salvation produces obedience to Christ. So why is it that so many in the church are willfully sinning? Perhaps it's because we do not know what the scriptures say.
Psalm 119:11 says--Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Or perhaps we are not looking in the mirror of God's word and being cleansed
Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
But in order to grow in the Lord, we must be in the Word. I Peter 2:1-2.
We are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation. (verse 5) This is a good verse of the P in TULIP. Perseverance of the Saints.
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