The Lord’s Chosen - 1 Corinthians 6:14

  
And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. - 1 Corinthians 6:14

    Jesus came with a purpose and it wasn’t to fascinate us with His philosophy. It wasn’t to dazzle us with His miracles. And it wasn’t to set an example with His moral behavior. He came for one reason and one reason only - “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.” - 1 Timothy 1:15.
    With Easter upon us there will be every conceivable error made about the day of Christ’s resurrection, starting with colorful eggs and pink bunnies to the erroneous idea that He came to save all of humanity. He did not. According to His own words, Jesus did not die to save all of humanity.
 “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.” - John 17:9. No, Christ came to save those whom God the Father had given Him from before the foundations of the world. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” - John 6:37. The Bible clearly illustrates that the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is sufficient for all but efficient only for the elect of God.
    For many, this presents a quandary. Didn’t Jesus die for all mankind? Not according to Holy Scripture.  According to the one source we have for revelation about Jesus Christ, the Bible emphatically states that it is God’s chosen whom are saved by Christ’s selfless sacrifice upon the cross. “But that’s not fair,” you object. Why is Jesus’ atoning death good for the salvation of some but not for others and who makes that call? At this juncture I would suggest that fairness and justice is not what you really want. Fairness and justice wouldn’t save any of us since we are all born in sin. What we want, what we pray for is mercy! Who makes that call? “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’  So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.” - Romans 14-16. And as Romans clearly states - God will show mercy upon whom He decides to show mercy.
    Let’s face it: there are those who couldn’t care less about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is just another day off of work, a day of hiding Easter eggs, filling baskets with candies and toys, and an excuse to BBQ on a pleasant Spring day. Would you really expect or believe that Jesus suffered through His passion, death by crucifixion, and resurrection for those God had not directly chosen for salvation? That would be a clear and cut case of “universalism,” which the Bible clearly does not teach! “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Matthew 25:46.
    If Universalism were true there would be no such place as hell. There would be no need for such a dismal and dark place. Christ wouldn’t have to “save” anyone! But Scripture has proclaimed - “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” - Hebrew 10: 29-31.
    Let us come to the Lord’s table on Resurrection Day acknowledging our sinfulness in humble repentance and know that we are indeed the Lord’s chosen.