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MAKE YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE
LORD’S DAY, JUNE 7
2 Peter 1:10-11
1 Thessalonians 1:3-5
 
“God hath … chosen you to
salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth.”
 
MAKE YOUR CALLING AND ELECTION SURE
 
Verse 10 exhorts us to confirm our calling and election. These are two facets of God’s plan of salvation. “Election” refers to His sovereign, eternal choice of individuals to belong to Himself. “Calling” refers to His action in time by which the election is made evident. Our election took place before the world was made; our call takes place when we are converted. Chronologically, there is first election, then calling, then we realise we were chosen in Christ from all eternity.
 
We cannot make our calling and election more sure than they already are; God’s eternal purposes can never be thwarted. But we can confirm them by growing in likeness to the Lord. By manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, we can provide unmistakable evidence that we truly belong to Him. A holy life proves the reality of our salvation.
 
Living a holy life will keep us from falling. It is not a question of falling into eternal perdition; the work of Christ delivers us from that. Rather it refers to falling into sin, into disgrace, into disuse. If we fail to progress in divine things, we are in danger of wrecking our lives. But if we walk in the Spirit, we will be spared from being a castaway in His service. God guards the Christian who moves forward for Him. The peril lies in spiritual idleness and blindness.
 
Not only is there safety in constant spiritual progress, there is also the promise of richly-provided entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Verse 11 does not refer to the fact of our entrance but the manner of it. The only basis of admission to the heavenly kingdom is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. But some will have a more abundant entrance than others. There will be degrees of reward. And the rewards are here said to depend on the degree of one’s conformity to the Saviour.
(by William MacDonald)
 
THOUGHT: (Read Revelation 22:12.)
PRAYER: May I be so diligent in walking after Thee, Lord, that I have no occasion to stray from Thee.

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