DESIGNED
by God ...
GOD's
People..."Foreknown"... BEFORE the
BEGINNING of TIME
(
God's creational DESIGN of each of His
people )
A tablet
from the on-going INTERNET BOOK, "The Doctor's
Terrific Tablets"
http://www.terrific-tabs.com
(link
to home page)
by John
N. Todd III, M. D.
(link:
about the author of this
website)
The web-link to this
"tablet" is: http://www.terrific-tabs.com/print_before_begin.htm
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This "tablet"
correlates closely with other topics on this website:
INDIVIDUATION
by God
(link)
AND:
The
FRUITS of God's "trees" -- the INTENTION of
God
(link)
AND
What
do you POSSESS that was not GIVEN to
you?
(link)
AND: God's
EVOLVING Creation
(link)
AND: GOD's
People; who are they?
(link)
AND: CHOSEN
by God
(link)
11/00; 5/01; 10/01; 11/01; 1/02; 3/02; 5/02; 6/02; 8/02;
10/02; 2/03; 4/03; 10/03; 1/04; 4/04; 8/04; 1/05; 2/05;
10/05; 11/05; 11/06; 1/28/07
CLICK
HERE to go to the "FRONT
PAGE"
of "The
Doctor's Terrific Tablets"
CLICK
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INDEX of
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WEBSITE
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your thoughts to the author
Jeremiah
1: 4 (NRSV) Now the word of the LORD came to me
saying, 5 "Before I formed you in
the womb, I knew you; and before you
were born, I consecrated
you.
Psalm 139:
13 (NRSV) For it was you who formed
my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's
womb.... 16 Your eyes beheld my
unformed substance. In your
book were written all the days that were
formed for me -- when NONE of them as
yet existed.
Ephesians 1: 4 (NEB) "In Christ, He
chose us BEFORE the
world was founded, to be dedicated, to be
without blemish in His sight; and He
destined us -- such was HIS
WILL and pleasure -- to be
accepted as His
sons.... through Jesus Christ."
Isaiah 44: 24 (NRSV) Thus says the
LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you in
the womb: I am the LORD, who made all
things; who alone stretched out the heavens; who
by myself spread out the earth; 25 who
frustrates the omens of liars, and
makes fools of
diviners; who turns back the
"wise", and makes their knowledge
foolish; 26 who confirms the word of
His servants.... and fulfills the prediction of
His messengers....
Galatians 1: 15 (NRSV) But when God, who had
set me apart BEFORE I was
BORN, and called me through His grace,
was pleased to reveal His Son to me, so that I might
proclaim Him among the Gentiles, I did not
confer with any human
being.
And, see numerous other Biblical references,
below.
Question:
Does God design and select His own
individual human-beings -- His
chosen
ones (see link) -- before they are
"produced" for existence and function in this
world? The Bible repeatedly states that He does. The
scriptural references quoted above (and more below) are just
a few of the Biblical affirmations of this
fascinating point.
I consider these
Biblical quotations to be irrefutable. I
believe them.... and I accept them as the
truth from God. But.... there are still
"religious scholars" who do not understand and accept
this Biblical concept -- the truth that God's
accepted individuals are "pre-destined" to be
His people, and that they have been selected by God
"before the beginning of
time".
There are some church
"leaders" who equivocate on the validity of these
very frank Biblical statements.... concerning
this subject. In fact, there are those who teach that
we humans must "make a decision", and choose
to "accept" God before God -- who
created each of us, according to His own "specifications" --
will "accept" us (as if God does
not even exist without our
humanly acknowledgment and acquiescence). These same
"teachers-and-preachers" sometimes indicate that the
Almighty Creator of the Universe is "waiting" --
helpless, and powerless -- anxiously
waiting for us lowly human-creatures to utilize our
man-made free-will
(link) to accept Him.... and to
"believe" in Him. (I do not know of any
Biblical reinforcement of that
understanding.)
(As I have said before, those who agree with
certain parts of the Bible -- and
disagree with other parts of the Bible -- have put
themselves into a predicament, where they must "pick and
choose" what they consider to be
correct (true and "valid") in the Bible -- and what
they consider to be "erroneous". In effect, they
challenge the veracity of God's word,
thereby relegating the Bible to "just another book" on
ethics, history, and religion. That is, they must
design and invent a "religion" of their
own -- using humanly "logic" and guesswork as the source of
a mixed, homespun "philosophy", which will satisfy
their own personal decipherings.)
I, like many others, consider the Holy Bible to be the
"Gold
Standard"
of spiritual understanding -- the only genuine and reliable
"Reference" concerning the truth of God
-- and the truth about God. Obviously,
I do not comprehend every statement in the Bible....
no one does. And, it is true that there
are certain statements in the Bible that may be
subject to interpretation, and open to
a variety of worldly opinions. But.... there are
many, many precepts that are so clearly
described in the Bible, that they leave no
room for "interpretation" -- for those who hear
and understand the language
of God,
as expressed in the Bible.
So, that is the way I think and
believe concerning the following scriptural
references, which unequivocally state that
God's people have been claimed and chosen and
accepted by God -- before the
"beginning of time" (or in their mothers' wombs, or when
they were first born).... that is,
individuals selected in advance
-- by our Creator -- for His own
reasons -- reasons that we humans may never
understand, in this life. Read the following
scriptures, out loud, so that you can "hear" the
words of God, as you "see" them. Some of these
are repeated, from above:
1.) Romans 8: 29 (NRSV) For those whom He
foreknew, He also
predestined to be conformed to the
image of His Son, in order that He
(Jesus) might be the
FIRST-BORN within a large
family. 30 And, those whom He
predestined, He also called
-- and those whom He called, He also
justified -- and those whom He justified,
He also glorified. 31 What then
are we to say about these things? If God is
for us, who is against us ?
(See link Children
of God; Brothers of
Jesus.)
2.) Ephesians 1: 4 (NEB) "In Christ,
He chose us, BEFORE the
world was founded, to be dedicated,
to be without blemish in His sight; and He
DESTINED us -- such was His
will and pleasure -- to be
accepted as His
sons, through Jesus Christ."
Same
(NRSV) Ephesians 1: 3 Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places, 4
just as He chose us in Christ,
BEFORE the foundation of the
world, to be holy and blameless before
Him -- in love. 5 He
destined us for adoption
as His children, through Jesus Christ,
according to the good pleasure of
His will.
3.) Galatians 1: 10 (NIV) Am I now trying
to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I
trying to please men? If I were
still trying to please men, I would not
be a servant of Christ. 11 I want you to
know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is
not something that man
made up. 12 I did not
receive it from any man -- nor was
I taught it. Rather, I received it by
revelation from Jesus
Christ.......15 But when God, who
SET ME APART from
BIRTH, and called me by
His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son
in me, so that I might preach Him among the
Gentiles, I did not consult
ANY MAN.
Same
(NRSV) Galatians 1: 15 But when God,
who had set me apart BEFORE I was
born, and called me through His
grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me,
so that I might proclaim Him among the
Gentiles, I did not confer with
any human being.
4.) Psalm 139: 13 (NRSV) For it was
you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made. Wonderful are your
works; that I know very well. 15
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret --
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my
unformed substance. In
your book were written
ALL the days that were formed for
me.... when NONE of them as yet
existed.
5.) Isaiah 49: 1 (NRSV) Listen to me, O
coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far
away! The LORD called me BEFORE
I was born. While I was in my
mother's womb, He named me.
2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword. In
the shadow of His hand, He hid me.
He made me a polished
arrow. In His quiver, He hid
me away.
6.) 2 Thessalonians 2: 13 (NIV) But we
ought always to thank God for you, brothers
loved by the Lord, because, from
the beginning, God
chose you to be saved, through the
sanctifying work of the Spirit, and through
belief in the truth. 14 He called
you to this through our gospel, that you might
share in the glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
7.) 2 Timothy 1: 8 So do not be ashamed
to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his
prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the
gospel -- by the power of God, 9 who has
saved us, and called us to a holy life --
not because of ANYTHING we
have done -- but because of
HIS own purpose, and
grace. This grace was given us in Christ
Jesus, before the beginning of
time; 10 but it has now been revealed
through the appearing of our Savior, Christ
Jesus, who has destroyed death -- and has
brought life and immortality to light, through
the gospel.
8.) Jeremiah 1: 4 (NRSV) Now the word of
the LORD came to me saying, 5
"Before I FORMED you in the
womb, I knew you; and
BEFORE you were born, I
consecrated you. I appointed you a
prophet to the nations."
9.) Isaiah 46: 3 (NRSV) Listen to me, O
house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of
Israel, who have been borne by
me from your birth, carried from
the womb; 4 even to your old
age, I am He. Even when you turn gray, I will
carry you. I have made, and I
will bear; I will carry,
and I will save.
10.) Psalm 22: 8 (NRSV) "Commit your
cause to the LORD; let Him deliver -- let Him
rescue the one in whom he delights!" 9
Yet it was you who took me from the womb.
You kept me safe on my mother's
breast. 10 On you I was
cast from my
birth; and since my mother bore
me, you have been my God. 11 Do not
be far from me -- for trouble is near; and there
is no one to help. (JNT
note: a splendid and beautiful
reference ! )
Same
(NIV) Psalm 22: 9 Yet you brought me
out of the womb. You made me
trust in you, even at my mother's
breast. 10 From birth. I
was cast upon you
-- from my mother's
womb, you have been my God.
11 Do not be far from me; for trouble
is near, and there is no one to help.
11.)
Psalm 71: 5 For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O LORD, from my youth. 6 Upon
you I have leaned from my birth. It was
you who took me from my mother's womb....
16 I will come praising the mighty deeds
of the Lord GOD. I will praise your
righteousness -- yours alone.
17 O God, from my youth you
have taught me -- and I still proclaim your
wondrous deeds.
12.) Revelations 13: 8.... and all the
inhabitants of the earth will worship it --
everyone whose name has not
been written -- from the
foundation of the
world -- in the book of life of the Lamb,
that was slaughtered.
13.) John 1: 10 (NASV) "(God) gave the
right to become children of
God to those who believe in His name --
to those who were born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man....
but BORN of
God."
14.) John 3: 6 (NRSV) Jesus
speaking: What is born of the flesh, is
flesh; and what is born of the
Spirit, is spirit. 7 Do
not be astonished that I said to you, "You
must be BORN FROM
ABOVE."
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Look, now, at my
chapter on
The
Called, the Chosen, the Elect.
Note the
overlap in the Biblical truths in that section, as
compared with this chapter.
Remember this -- the Bible
reveals and expresses that which God
wants His accepted individuals to
understand about Him. The above-quoted Biblical
truths are not an invention of mine.... or some
far-fetched concept of an ancient "religious" writer.
These are precise quotations, from the Word of
God. (See again:
The
Gold Standard of Spiritual Truth.
You say you don't agree with these Biblical
quotations? Then, here is what you should do: Start
at "page one" of the Bible -- and "accept"
what you like, and "reject" what you
don't like.... then decide what you
agree with, and what you don't agree
with. After that, CONGRATULATIONS ! .... you have
now put yourself out on a limb,
inventing your own "religion".... and
writing your own ticket.... to
"acceptance" by Almighty God.
Good luck !
1/28/07
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