God's election reflects His sovereign choice, determining who believes unto salvation, as seen in Acts 13:48 where only those appointed believed. He foreknows, predestines, justifies, and glorifies those He calls, drawing them supernaturally, as Jesus states in John 6:44 that none come unless the Father draws them. This choice stems solely from His will, not human merit or faith, selecting the foolish and base over the wise. Even saving faith is His gift, and without it, belief is impossible. As the potter shapes clay, God makes vessels for honor or dishonor, His reasons undisclosed, leaving us to respond with humility and submission to His purpose.

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The Sovereignty of God (Part Seven)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's election is a profound demonstration of His sovereignty, as seen in Acts 13:48, where only those appointed to eternal life believed. This appointment, or ordination, signifies that God has adapted or set certain individuals in a specific order for eternal life, a process involving predestination, justification, and glorification. He foreknew and predetermined to justify and glorify those He calls, summoning some while passing over others, as evident when the same message resonates differently among individuals. This divine calling mirrors a parent summoning a child, separating them from others for a specific purpose. God, through His Spirit, supernaturally calls and separates us, revealing Himself and His way, a revelation not granted to everyone due to human deception and preoccupation. Salvation is primarily an act of God, not a result of human merit, as illustrated by Israel's journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, which succeeded only through God's intervention. While God wills that none should perish and desires all to come to repentance, not every act is predetermined. Free moral agency exists, as shown by Israel's choices in the wilderness, where disobedience led to death despite God's will to bring them into the Promised Land. He does not force obedience but allows choices, judging accordingly, and may permit circumstances without predestining them, using them to test our responses. God's will is for us to reach the Kingdom of God, yet how and how quickly we progress depends on our responses. He continuously guides, corrects, and empowers us through His Spirit, giving both the desire and the power to accomplish His will, not our pleasures. This process requires working out our salvation with fear and trembling, taking what He has given to its logical conclusion, as Israel had to walk to the Promised Land after liberation from Egypt. God's election is not based on any inherent quality or faith within us, as He chooses the foolish, the base, and the despised, not the wise or mighty. He knows some intimately while others He does not, initiating a relationship to which we respond. His choice to call us stems solely from within Himself, with no external cause or merit on our part moving Him to select us for eternal life. Those not called at this time are appointed to a different role in His plan, not necessarily to perish, reflecting His broader scheme of salvation.

The Sovereignty of God: Part Six

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

From His nature of love and wisdom, God pre-determined what is right and beautiful, and He taught Adam and Eve His way of life, instruction now included in His Word. If we want to achieve His purpose and be in His image, we must limit our free moral agency to choosing whether to submit to the universal, life-encompassing standards He has already determined. Jesus' statement in John 6:44 clearly sets the tone, declaring that no one can come to Him unless the Father who sent Him draws them, and He will raise them up at the last day. This drawing is totally beyond our control; it is entirely a sovereign act on the Father's part. Jesus intimates that even He has no say in selecting those drawn to Him to be His disciples. Paul adds in I Corinthians 15:10 that by the grace of God he is what he is, and His grace toward him was not in vain. Not only is our calling a gift of God, but He also abundantly bestows other gifts to enable us to carry out our responsibilities in the church. God's calling is strictly His choice and not based on a person's accomplishments, personality, or character. He tenders His many gifts, further aspects of His grace, according to what He wants us to fulfill within His church. Saving faith arises from the knowledge God so graciously gives us through His sovereign will, meaning that only those whose hearts and minds God opens can believe to salvation. Even the faith that saves is a gift of God. Paul broaches the question of God's fairness in Romans 9:19-24, asking why He still finds fault if no one has resisted His will, and affirming that the potter has power over the clay to make vessels for honor or dishonor as He pleases. God fully expects us to be slaves of righteousness, understanding that in our relationship with Him, we experience both the joys of freedom as His children and the serious requirement to obey as His slaves. Understanding that God is sovereign and we are the slaves, and translating this into loving submission, are essential to our relationship with Him.

The Sovereignty of God (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's election is a profound demonstration of His sovereignty over all creation. He determines who comes into contact with His grace, each person in their own order, as ordained by the Sovereign Creator. It is not by our own doing that we are chosen, but by the grace of God that we are made to differ spiritually. What we have, we have received from Him, leaving us no ground to stand on before Him in pride. The choice of who believes unto salvation rests solely with God. Only those whom He elects to open the eyes of can truly believe, for even the faith that saves is a gift from Him. Without this gift, we would never believe unto salvation. This faith, distinct and singular, trusts and works because it relies upon the truth of God's message of salvation and His purpose. God makes His choice based on His own will, not revealing the reasons behind His selection. Whether one of a family, a house, or a nation is chosen, it is His prerogative as the Creator. Like a potter shaping clay from the same lump into vessels of different purposes, He has the right to do as He wills with His creation. We may not understand why one is chosen and another is not, but we are to glory in humility and thankfulness for the greatest gift given to us, recognizing the opportunity to submit to Him and, through His power, to become in His image.

The Sovereignty of God: Part Seven

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God's election is a profound act of His sovereign will, wherein He predestines some to be summoned to salvation while not calling others. This calling is specific, separating the chosen from the many, much like a parent calls a particular child from a group, disposing their mind to respond. God's summons is not without purpose; by His Spirit, He supernaturally inclines our minds and begins to reveal Himself and His way, appointing those He desires to understand at this time. Human nature resists this divine selection, often refusing to admit that salvation is far more an act of God's grace than a result of our own merits. As with Israel, whom God chose and led from slavery to the Promised Land through His sovereign acts, we too are entirely dependent on His grace. Israel did not choose God; He chose them, breaking their bondage and guiding them, just as He operates spiritually with us today. God's election does not imply that every act of a person's life is predetermined, for human choices, as seen in Israel's wilderness journey, demonstrate that fate is not fixed. Yet, His will is clear: He is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, though some will. In Elijah's time, God preserved a remnant by His influence alone, not because of their inherent qualities, and similarly, there is today a remnant according to the election of grace, chosen solely by His agency. To those who believe, Christ is precious, but to the disobedient, He is a stone of stumbling, appointed to a different role in God's scheme at this time. Scriptures reveal that not all are called now; there will be a future resurrection when others will be offered salvation. No cause apart from God's will moved Him to make us the special objects of His love, and we must guard against human nature's inclination to claim credit for His choice. Before repentance, our love for God was akin to the world's, based on tradition and false concepts, essentially an idol. True knowledge of Him comes only through His revelation, for no one seeks after God on their own. We believe because faith is His gift, and we are chosen not for any virtue within us, but simply because He willed it. This truth should humble us, inspiring overflowing praise, gratitude, obedience, and zeal for the immense grace given to the undeserving.

The Sovereignty of God: Part Three

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God's election, as revealed through His sovereignty, demonstrates His authority to choose and act according to His own purpose and will. He actively oversees the outworking of His plans, selecting specific moments to intervene and accomplish His ends. He has the power and the right to do as He pleases, with us or anyone else, often in ways that may seem mystifying to our limited understanding. For instance, He knocks down the walls of Jericho once and never repeats that miracle, heals Hezekiah but not Paul, and chooses to bless one while passing by others, showing that nothing He does happens randomly. His choices are not based on human works or merit but on His sovereign will. This is evident in His selection of Jacob over Esau before either had done anything, expressing His love for one and not the other. He seems to delight in pouring out spiritual blessings upon those least esteemed, as seen in His choice of the weak and lowly for His purposes. Grace reigns supreme, given freely as He pleases, ensuring that salvation is by grace alone and excluding all boasting. God's sovereign right extends to creating diversity and contrast in nature and humanity, distributing blessings unequally as He wills. He chooses to place people where He wants them, when He wants them there, as illustrated by John the Baptist's humble acceptance of God giving disciples to Jesus. This same principle guides the understanding that God calls whomever He wills, managing and directing His creation with purpose. His attention is especially focused on His church, with no part of its existence outside His sovereign dictates. As we face what is coming, we must decide who will be sovereign in our lives—whether the world, the coming Beast, or God, by faith, today, tomorrow, and forever.

Living By Faith and God's Grace

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

God's election stands as a deliberate act of unmerited divine choice that precedes any human works, knowledge, or faith. In Romans 9, the apostle illustrates this pattern through the example of Jacob and Esau, where God declares His love for Jacob and rejection of Esau before either child is born or has done good or evil. This choice ensures that the purpose of God according to election rests solely on Him who calls rather than on human effort, affirming that mercy belongs to God alone to bestow as He wills. The same principle applies to every believer, showing that personal calling into the spiritual creation is specific and purposeful, not random. Examples such as Jeremiah, John the Baptist, and David demonstrate that God may set apart individuals from the womb, removing any possibility that even the smallest work contributes to salvation. Because no partiality exists with God, this election extends to all members of the Body of Christ, each one important to His purpose. Election therefore undergirds the entire framework of grace, guaranteeing that salvation from beginning to end flows as a gift rather than an earned reward, while also requiring continued faithfulness lest one fall away.

Boundaries, Incursions, Migrations, and God (Part Two)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God's election stands at the center of the relationship between Himself and mankind. Estrangement began when Adam and Eve refused to believe what God says about Himself, about man, about sin, about death, and about the direction of human life. This refusal continues because man insists he can initiate contact with God through the strength of his own will. Scripture directly contradicts that claim. God is not a man that He should lie, and no word of His good promises has ever failed. Therefore the Bible contains no contradictions, and God never plays games with human destiny. Romans 3 states that none are righteous and none seek after God, so those who believe they are searching for Him do not know what to look for. John 15 records Jesus saying that His disciples did not choose Him; He chose them and appointed them to bear fruit. Romans 9 adds that election is not of him who wills nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy; His gift depends neither on human willingness nor on human effort. An unconverted person cannot lift himself into salvation, grant himself repentance, receive the Holy Spirit, or remove his own carnality. Only a power outside himself can raise him, just as only an external force can lift a Bible from a lectern. This exercise of divine choice flows from God's absolute, irresistible, and infinite sovereignty. He is under no law outside His own will and nature, answers to no one, and shapes every person and circumstance as He pleases. From the same lump of clay He forms vessels for honor and for dishonor. He extends mercy to whom He wills, as when He chose Jacob over Esau before either had done good or evil. He does not love every person to the same degree; love is directed by His sovereign decision. Before calling, every person is by nature a child of wrath, fully under the influence of the prince of the power of the air and incapable of turning to God. Yet God, rich in mercy, makes alive those He chooses, saving them by grace through faith. His election therefore originates entirely in His own will, remains consistent with His righteous character, and continues to govern the lives of those He has called from the moment of their calling onward.

The Faithfulness of God (Part Three)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God's election originates in heavenly places in Christ, where He chose believers before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before Him in love and predestined them to adoption as sons according to the good pleasure of His will. This choice establishes the source of all spiritual blessings and sets the standard for living by faith while separated from the world, cut out to reflect God's own character of purity and maturity rather than human standards. The development of this topic shows that election precedes any human action, including the work of Jesus Christ on earth or personal acceptance of Him as Savior, and it deliberately selects the foolish, weak, base, and despised to confound the mighty and humble the recipients. God grants His Spirit through this election so that the called may grasp spiritual truth, overcome the conflict between the carnal and spiritual natures, and produce well-being through right choices while avoiding grief to the Spirit through wrong ones. This sovereignty extends to gifting within the church, where diversities of ministries and manifestations of the Spirit are distributed individually as He wills, ensuring the body functions according to His purpose without equal distribution to all. Election also connects to the Book of Life, whose names are written from the foundation of the world because the chosen are in Christ, entering that record at the moment of spiritual rebirth through calling, repentance, and baptism. The broader message ties election to God's unchanging plan for a redeemed family and church that will fill positions in His kingdom, assuring the elect of His faithfulness while requiring them to make their calling and election sure through diligent addition of virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love so that they never stumble and receive an abundant entrance into the everlasting kingdom.

The Faithfulness of God (Part Two)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God elects individuals according to His own sovereign choice alone, establishing an unchanging pattern that begins with Abraham, whom He alone elected and called. He then elected Isaac rather than Ishmael, making Isaac the child of promise, and elected Jacob over Esau while both were still in the womb, ensuring that nothing Jacob had done contributed to the decision. This same pattern extends to all whom God elects and calls into His church, where His reasons remain locked within His mind and never rest on any good works performed by the person chosen. Those elected are designated heirs of salvation, separated solely by His choice to receive this gift, and are described as the children of promise who form the church. Election occurs according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, a term that encompasses not mere prediction but His active sovereignty in determining the course and timing of His purpose to create a family Kingdom in the image of the Son and Himself. This foreknowledge includes the general decision to save mankind yet focuses most specifically at this time on the smaller group within the church. Jesus Christ Himself was foreordained before the foundation of the world to serve as Redeemer and Savior, and the same predetermined purpose places the church in an intensified participation compared with physical Israel under either the Old or New Covenant. God has likewise foreordained others to share in this purpose, rendering election the dominant driving reality of life for those called. Because election originates in heaven and proceeds according to the counsel of His will, it supplies the solid foundation for trust in God and His Word, directing time and events toward the specific end He has ordained while requiring the elect to align themselves with that flow rather than the world's path to destruction. This understanding reveals how God perceives the elect as intimately united with Christ, the channel through whom every spiritual blessing flows and the sole source of the righteousness that justifies them before Him.

Free Will or God's Sovereignty?

Sermon by David C. Grabbe

God's election is presented as a deliberate act of divine sovereignty in which the Father chose specific individuals for salvation before the foundation of the world. He selected them in Christ to become holy and without blame, predestining them according to the good pleasure of His will and the counsel of His purpose. This choice occurred from the beginning and rests on His foreknowledge, resulting in names being written in the Book of Life at that time. Those appointed to eternal life receive the faith to believe the gospel, along with sanctification by the Spirit, justification, and glorification. The election also includes the application of Christ's blood and a call to obedience, forming an inseparable part of God's purpose to bring many sons to glory. This sovereign selection fits within the larger pattern of God's control over all things from the beginning of creation to the end, when He will be all in all. Yet the same material shows that election grants opportunity and the means for success without guaranteeing the outcome for every called person. Those chosen must still respond with obedience, and willful persistence in sin or neglect of the covenant can lead to falling away, removal from the Book of Life, and loss of the inheritance. Thus election and human responsibility operate together under God's overarching sovereignty, requiring the elect to choose life and blessing within the limits He sets.

Living by Faith: God's Grace (Part Three)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Grace implies empowerment for growth. It is the single most important aspect of our salvation, and His giving of it is completely unmerited on our part.

Servant of God, Act II: God's Gift of Faith

Article by Charles Whitaker

The story of Ebed-Melech goes far beyond a historical vignette. His story is an allegory of God's grace to the Gentiles.

The Faithfulness of God (Part One)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God has a very real concern for us, promising to never leave us. We have to strongly believe in His faithfulness to build a relationship with Him.

Why Is God Doing This, This Way?

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We must learn to see ourselves and our function as God sees us—as a distinct, unique entity, a holy people, a special treasure.

Facing Times of Stress: When God is Silent (Part Four)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Paul demonstrated inner peace during turmoil, showing consistency in times of instability and faith in God during persecution, fulfilling the role God gave him.

God's Workmanship (Part 1)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's creation did not end with the physical creation or our election, but God continues to work, giving us the motivation and the power to do His will.

Our Awesome Calling

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Jesus explicitly states that no one can come to Him except through the Father's calling. While most believe they can find God if they seek Him, the Bible disagrees.

'Before the Foundation of the World' (Part One)

CGG Weekly by John Reiss

We can praise God because He chose us individually to be part of His people, His Family. His choice happened ages ago, before this present creation.

What Is Your Calling Worth?

Sermonette by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God specifically chooses those He wants to be part of Christ's Body according to his purpose. It is a holy calling according to His purpose and grace.

Our Precious Calling

Sermonette by James Beaubelle

God has ordained that His chosen grow while residing in an environment of transience and corruption created by Satan and perpetuated by those rejecting God.

Recognizing Our Obligation

Sermonette by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

How different would our lives be if God had not called us? God's intervention in our lives improved their quality exponentially, and we must respond in kind.

The Vessels of Wrath

Sermonette by

Sometimes we see God as unfair, but when we remember that we are worthy of death, we understand that God has demonstrated far more mercy than harshness.

Maintaining Good Health (Part 6)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We can do nothing to gain the favor of God before our calling, but we are empowered by God to carry out a particular part of His plan to edify the body.

Limited Atonement

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The prospect of atonement and salvation is available to everybody, but only those called by the Father—not by an evangelical altar call—are eligible.

The Christian Fight (Part Six)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

Far more than on any other hero of faith, Hebrews concentrates on Abraham as the father of the faithful, the Bible's premier example of walking with God.

Can We Win People For Christ?

'Ready Answer' by David C. Grabbe

Most of the Christian world believes that it is the duty of believers to 'win people for Christ.' Yet the whole counsel of God reveals a larger reality.

Taking the Kingdom by Force

'Ready Answer' by David C. Grabbe

"The kingdom...suffers violence, and the violent take it by force." Scripture reveals what violence is meant, who "the violent" are, and how they take the Kingdom.

Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Six)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God's calling is personal and individual rather than general, opening otherwise closed minds, replacing spiritual blindness with spiritual understanding.

Elements of Motivation (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

We can become energized and motivated by our high calling and summons to do the will of God, seeing how vitally important we are to God's purpose.

Faith and the Christian Fight (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Everything that we go through has been engineered by God. We are His workmanship, created for good works, a response to the faith He has given us.

Deuteronomy (Part 2) (1994)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Deuteronomy, which is to be reviewed every seven years, provides us with vision and instruction for living in our spiritual Promised Land.

The Doctrine of Israel (Part Nine): Romans 11

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Paul poses two questions in Romans 11: Has God discarded Israel for all time? Will God graft physical Israel into the Covenant people of Abraham?

Belief with Obedience

Sermon by John O. Reid

Catholics and Protestants, because of lack of belief, do not find the Bible a sufficient guide to salvation. They claim to believe Christ, yet disobey.

Eating: How Good It Is! (Part Two)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

By studying eating in the experiences of those in the Bible, we plumb a deep well of instruction from which we can draw vital lessons to help us through life.

Abraham (Part Four)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Abraham is the only biblical character singled out as a type of God the Father. He is also the only one to be called 'friend of God,' and is a good model.