September 17th, 1942

We promised again to try to write some more on the above subject; so we will try to write a few more lines on the same, This time we will begin by quoting (Deuteronomy 7:6-7,8): For thou, art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the Lord loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with
a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt. Here we have the plain statement that the Lord had chosen Israel to be a special people unto Himself. He set His love upon them, and chose them, not because they were more in number than other people. Neither did He choose them because they were a good people, or better than other people. (Deuteronomy 9:6) “Understand therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness; for thou art a stiff necked people.” The Lord did not choose them because they were better than other people. True, this choice was not unto eternal life, but they were chosen by Him as a special nation, and He set His love upon them as a nation. But national Israel were, a typical people, and typified spiritual Israel. Abraham was chosen of the Lord, and was the father of this great nation. God promised him that He would make of him a great nation, and promised him an heir. Isaac was the premised heir. “Now, we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.” -(Galatians 4:28). Ishmael was not the child of promise. He was born after the flesh. His mother was a type of the old covenant given on Mount Sinai. Sarah was a type of the covenant of grace; so, in the type, Isaac represented the children of the covenant, the children of God, the children of promise. “And if ye be Christ's, then ye are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” -(Galatians 3:29). So was Jacob a promised child, and was a type of the Lord's children. The Lord made a promise concerning Jacob before He was born, and even before he was born God said He loved him. “The Lord's portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.” -(Deuteronomy 32:9). The Lord chose Jacob, to bestow the blessing upon him, and passed Esau by, and did not love Esau. He did Esau no harm, but simply left him alone. He was under no obligation to bless either Esau or Jacob; but He saw fit to bestow mercy and grace upon Jacob, and bestowed the blessing upon him, God loved Jacob and chose him before he was born to bestow the blessing upon him. Jacob's name was changed to Israel. “And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name.” -((0) (Genesis 35:10). Israel, as a nation, were God's chosen nation, and were a type of spiritual Israel, God's chosen people. God did not choose national Israel because they were good, or because they did good, nor because they made
choice of Him. This choice was without any condition on the part of Israel, and without any good in them causing Him to choose them. But He made choice of them that they be a peculiar people unto Him. This being true, the Lord made choice of His spiritual Israel without any good in them causing Him to make the
choice. The choice was made without any reference to good in them. He did not choose them because they were better than other folks, but of His own will and good pleasure. It was just because it was His will thus to do; it seemed good in His sight. If sinners in nature were left to themselves not one would ever choose the
Lord. One would necessarily be compelled to first think upon the Lord in order to choose Him. David says, “The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” -((0:4) (Psalms 10:4). If the Lord had not chosen the sinner, and after the choice, and according to that choice,
given the sinner a new heart and a new life, that sinner would never have even one good thought about the Lord; for while he is yet in that wicked state God is not in his thoughts. It follows, then, as a necessary fact and conclusion, that the sinner must be changed first in order that he have one right thought of the Lord. It is the Lord's work to give the sinner a new heart; and as it is His work to do this, He certainly has chosen to do that work when He does it; and if He has chosen to do that work, He has, most assuredly, chosen the ones in whom He does the work. If you are Christ's then you are a child of promise. God the Father promised you to
His Son; He gave you to His Son. “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” -(Psalms 2:7-8). The Father gave some to the Son. But this was before we had existence. So you were given to Him before you had existence. The Son chose those whom He asked for, and the Father chose those whom He gave to the Son. The choice of the Father and the Son were the same. And the Son has left this statement on record for our consolation and comfort and assurance: ''And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” -(John 6:39). Paul's hope of living with God in the glory world was based alone on the promise of God and His power and faithfulness to perform and to fulfill His promise. “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” -(Titus 1:2). From this we see very clearly that Paul's hope was based alone on the promise of that God who cannot lie. We also learn from this that God promised eternal life before the world began. He did not bestow or impart eternal life to anyone before the world began, but He made the promise before the world began, and eternal life was the thing promised. As He made this promise, persons who did not yet exist must have been embraced in the promise. He either promised eternal life to all the race of Adam, or to a part of the race, or to none of the race. If He made the promise to none of the race, then none of the race will receive eternal life. But either some of the race or all of the race will receive eternal life. If all the race receive eternal life, then Universalism may be the truth. The Universalist says there is no such thing as an eternal hell, or place of eternal punishment. If there is no such place as that, then the Lord Jesus did not save a single one of all the race of Adam from anything at all; and so His death was all in vain, and He accomplished absolutely nothing by His suffering and death. This virtually denies that He was the Son of God, and to deny that He was the Son of God is to virtually deny the Bible being the truth; and to deny the Bible being the truth is to virtually deny the very existence of God. But some of the race receive eternal life. As God cannot lie, and as He promised eternal life before the ages of time began, then all who were embraced in the promise will  receive eternal life. He promised eternal life to all those who were given to the Son. It must be true, then, that He made choice of those who were embraced in the promise. If your hope of heaven is based alone on the promise of God, and His faithfulness and power to perform what He promised-based alone on the work of
the infinite Jehovah God, and not on any worth, or merit, or righteousness of your own- not even your thinking on His name, nor on your choice, nor your acceptance of Him, or anything under heaven that you have done, or can do, or may do- just as Paul's hope was based alone on the Lord, then you are a child of promise, and God made choice of you before you ever had existence; and He has brought you into divine relationship with Himself by the work of the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Holy Trinity; and the Lord Jesus will raise you up at the last day in His own image and likeness; and eternal joy and bliss will be yours. May His richest blessings rest upon you, is our humble prayer. C. H. C.