Great Doctrines of Salvation, Foreknowledge / Predestination

Okay, today we're going to talk about foreknowledge. I'm going to kind of jump around with the questions, so don't get nervous if it isn't 1, 2, 3, 4. In God's planning of His creation, does it seem logical that God would know and determine all the aspects of His plan before He started?

What do you think? Understand the question? Understand the question? Do you think it would be logical that he would know and determine all the aspects of his plan before he started? That would be a good idea. I don't think so. He's got to have a plan. He'll build a skyscraper without any plans and just start scratching. Sure.

I mean, to come at foreknowledge from the viewpoint of man's understanding is to limit yourself as to what it is. So explain the difference between man's knowledge and God's foreknowledge, if you can. Man's knowledge is based on what is already here. Okay. How does man arrive at his knowledge? He's got to study. He's got to read. Is a man's knowledge finite? It's finite. Whereas God's knowledge is infinite.

Yeah, man learns either through study or experience or in the case of biblical knowledge, he learns through revelation, right, from God. Man can predict the future outcomes based upon the knowledge he's obtained. Right? If I'm going to predict something, it's going to be based on how much information I have. How about God's foreknowledge? Is it limited? No. How about is it limited to the outcome of events?

What do you think? Now, have you guys heard the term open theism? You heard that term, you know what it means? Maybe you don't. I mean, not that you should. But open theism is kind of a new heresy floating through the church. And of course, I send my son to Denver Christian Schools, and that's the Christian Reform, and the center of the Christian Dutch Reform is Calvin College, and guess where open theism got its start? Right there!

Open theism is this, basically, that God doesn't know the future, and that he's You can change God's mind or he can be persuaded to go one way or another. So they go in the Old Testament and say, well, you know, Moses changed God's mind. God repented about this or changed his mind about that. He does a best-guess scenario based on the fact that he's God, but he doesn't absolutely know the future precisely.

There's more nuances to it than that, and it's based on a guy who wrote a book about 15 years ago, and he sat around in the book, he said he sat around for about 10 years thinking about this, and without studying the Word, he just was thinking about it, and he came up with this theology. And so now it's being taught, it's even being taught in Denver. John had a teacher last year that taught it in his classroom. And when they got to talking about creation, you know, and thank the Lord, John jumped all over her.

Well, she thought that the six days of creation, the day could be a thousand years. John raised his hand and said, no way, it's 24 hours. And so they had a poll in the class and John and another guy thought it was 24 hours. The rest of the class said, well, it could have been anything. So he emailed Arnold Firkenbaum and got an answer back. The word yom means 24-hour day, that's all it means. It's the only thing it means, 24 hours.

So God's foreknowledge is not limited to the outcome of events. He foreknows, why? Because he foreordains all things. His foreknowledge is not dependent or waits upon events, he knows. But it is the knowledge God has for his own eternal purposes. So what does the statement that God foreknew us really mean?

Everybody in this room was foreknown by God to be in Christ. What does that mean? That he knew what you would do? That you would believe on his son? In other words, is foreknowledge just knowing how things are going to work out? Is that what foreknowledge is? It's not limited to that.

He knows you as a person. He knows you as a person. He knew you as a person before you ever showed up on the planet. What do you think about that? He knew you personally. When God created you in his mind, did you exist? What do you think? God created you in his mind, did you exist? Yes. Yeah, I think you did. Sure. He knew you personally and your personality. He created your personality to be unique. in his mind before he ever had, before he ever showed up on the planet, see? And he's always known you where?

In Christ. That's right. That doesn't make any sense, does it? How could that, how could that be? How could he always known you in Christ? I mean, there certainly was a time in everyone's in this room's existence where you weren't in Christ, is that right? So how do you explain the difference? How do you explain that obvious contradiction there?

It's true about Christ. It's true about us. Right. Do you understand what he just said? When the Spirit of God takes you out of Adam through the cross and puts you in Christ, what's the makeup of the man you go into? Is he finite? He's infinite, right? And the Word of God says that Christ is the Lamb slain from the foundations of eternity, right? Okay.

So, from a timeline, maybe it's, you look at it like this. Don't you think that at the minute that you believed on the personal work of the Lord Jesus and you were placed in Him, that from that point forward of your existence was in Christ and that your future is assured because you're in Christ, right? Do you think that way? Do you also think that from that point backwards, also his history is now your history?

So God could say, well, I've known you in Christ from the foundations of eternity. How could he say that? Because once he put you in Christ, what happened to you? And you've been placed into a man who isn't time-space restricted. He's eternal. See that? So his history is your history. So I can say that your old man was crucified. You were on the cross with Christ 2,000 years ago even though you were only born whenever. See that? Because once you're placed into Christ, your history in Adam is over. Now your history is Christ himself, so you're an eternal man, not only forward but back.

Maybe you look at it, God's knowledge isn't sequential. We think sequentially. Do you understand what I mean? We learn one, then two, then three, then four. God doesn't function like that. God has all knowledge in play all the time right now. He doesn't have sequential thoughts. Do you see that? All of knowledge is in play all the time right now with God.

So when you start talking about foreknowledge, what is there that God doesn't know? And it has very little to do with events or sequence of events. So when it comes to salvation, does God only choose those who He knows are going to believe in His Son? What do you think? How many think, yeah, I got one? How many think, maybe, no? Nobody put their hand up. How many are too chicken to raise their hand?

So, what's the reason a person believes? Because God knew... I mean, does your salvation depend on the fact that it's up to you? And so it's up to you, and so God said, well, I know that Jim is going to believe, so I'm going to pick him. Is that what it is? What do you think? Explain it to me. God doesn't want anybody to perish. So last week we talked about election. So does God only elect those who he knows are going to believe? Or does he specifically choose people to believe on his son?

He doesn't? Then how does it go? If he's got all knowledge and he worked out this plan of creation from beginning to end with every nuance in it before he created the first atom, did he leave anything up to you? What do you think? He left it up to you to make the decision as to whether you believe. believe what he sent Christ here for, and if you believe that, that's it. So how do you deal with the verse that says, I was chosen from the foundations of eternity? How do you deal with that one?

If you're in Christ, Christ is the chosen one. He's the anointed one. So if you're in Christ, you are chosen by being in the chosen. Did I get into Christ before I was born or afterwards? When I believed. And then when I believed, I was identified into Christ who is an eternal being. But the whole issue is, in God's foreknowledge, he knew that I would believe and so therefore he chose me. What do you think?

If foreknowledge means that God only knows events, then you'd have to agree with that. But foreknowledge doesn't mean that. Foreknowledge means that He knew you personally then. He knew what you were going to do, but He also knew you as a person before He ever created. You were created in God's mind way back then. He's always known you in Christ. He's not limited to time and space. Here's the problem, as we talked about last week.

If you hang your hat on the fact that God sends out salvation to everybody and he waits for men to make up their mind, and God would have to do it that way because he has to be fair. He's holy, righteous, and good, but he's also loving. But he's got to be fair above everything else. So let's eliminate all of God's attributes except for fairness. Let's say the only thing of his glory is fair. Fair is that we all go to hell. That's exactly right.

And man is of such a character that if God doesn't act upon him, he isn't coming. He isn't coming, and God has no obligation to act on any man. Do you agree with that? Is he under any obligation to extend his salvation and to woo a man to Christ? No, he's not.

Has God been totally satisfied about the sin issue? Has he? How about this guy's sins over here? Is he satisfied about that guy? Sure he is, because Christ paid the penalty for all the sins of the world. Doesn't mean this guy is saved, but God is satisfied about those sins because he was the offended one and Christ couldn't satisfy a holy God if he just paid the penalty for the sins of the elect. You see that?

Because then there would be sins all over the place that are still offensive to him that weren't paid for. It's that they're only applicable to those who are in Christ. It's applicable in terms of not meeting them, but he's satisfied, he's propitiated about the sins of the world, all of them. But won't, at the Great Throne Judgment, won't people be judged on their works, on their sins?

Absolutely. Absolutely. But he's already satisfied by them. Their sins stay with them because their sin nature stayed with them. But their condemnation is not based on their works as much as it is of who they think Christ is. That's right. What do you think of this man? That's what it comes down to. If the sins of the world have been paid for, then what's the issue? The issue is, what about Christ? Isn't that the issue? Yes or no? Yes. Absolutely. That's why it's unpardonable. The reason it's unpardonable is because the opportunity is there to believe, and if you don't believe, you don't enter in.

So how would you pardon? Let's say that you're God and you effectuate this salvation and you offer it to men, and here's your requirement. All you have to do is believe that I fixed it. If you don't believe I fixed it, you don't get the benefits. Does that make an unpardonable sin not to believe? Sure it does. Sure it does. But you as God, I'm satisfied. As a matter of fact, if I wasn't satisfied, I couldn't offer you salvation because of my holiness and my righteousness. I wouldn't do it. I can't do it. I have to condemn you. See that? And you're a sinner. One sin is all it takes. And the first time you sinned, you did it in Adam, so everybody's toast. See that? The only sin that somebody's going to go to help for is unbelief.

It's not all just a list. But yet you say that there's also a judgment. There's a great wide-throat judgment. You're based on what your works are, the works of the flesh. But the issue is... Because that's why they're trying to prove that there are more. Sure. Because the basis is, I've done enough good, as opposed to... But technically that's the only reason why, is unbelief, because I didn't believe, right?

John 14, is it 14 or somewhere, where the Lord Jesus tells his disciples, I've got to go and I'm going to send the Spirit when I go. And what's he going to do? He's going to convict the world of sin. Isn't that his job? Why? What's the sin he's convicting them of? Because they did a bunch of bad stuff and I'm going to remind them constantly that they're doing all this bad stuff. Well, what is sin? What is sin? What is sin? Bad things? Missing the mark. That's right. So it's missing the mark. What's the mark?

Christ. So it goes back to Him, doesn't it? If Christ is the mark, or the standard, or the bar, then in order to be acceptable to God, you have to arrive at the mark, don't you? If you fall short, you quote sin. Okay? So Christ is the mark. So here comes the conviction of the Holy Spirit. What's he saying? You're missing the mark, you're missing the mark, you're missing the mark. The issue is because they don't believe on me. That's what he said. He said the reason they're convicted is because they don't believe on me because I go to my Father. have no excuse.

He doesn't say anything about the bad stuff they do. It all centers around him, right? Is that right or not? So, there's no question when a person is being drawn to Christ that what's he being shown by the Spirit? That he isn't in very good standing with God.

And it may be because of his sinfulness, but more often than not, it's just this lack of standing. It isn't the fact that I'm a murderer. That may be true, or I'm this or that or another thing. It's just that I as a person have no standing before God whatsoever, and I can't do anything to fix it. The Holy Spirit presents me with the Savior, and the issue is that if I believe on Him, If I believe He is the Savior and He did die for my sins, He was buried and resurrected, then God says, I will save you for all eternity.

And that's all you know. What do you know beyond that? How much information do you have beyond that? I mean, you can have a lot in here, but the basic solid information in terms of what the gospel is, which we'll talk about next week, that's it. You don't need any more than that.

And so if you believe it, what happens? God's, quote unquote, He saves you. We'll talk about salvation last week. Go ahead. When you talk about people who believe, you know, they're presented with God's word and they believe, but like in other churches, you really have to start telling them, okay, you know, if you believe you need to do this, this, this, and this, and they start adding things on top of it, isn't there a fight between them? Somebody believes that God puts them through where they try so hard in their flesh I think it's a pretty broad line.

The issue is this. God says to me, if you believe in the person and work of my Son, I will save you. And as we talked about in the identification class, the thirty-four things that happen to us the minute we believe, all those things instantly become true of us, all of them, positionally. And God sees us in that realm only.

Now I may, in my own ignorance or my own arrogance, add a few laws or a bunch of laws or decide I'm going to live in a certain way. I now know the secret. I just need to get smarter. I need to become a theologian because if I become a theologian, I'm going to be a much holier guy. Maybe I never get to the basic stuff that God lays out positionally to me.

Do they get to the point where they're trusting, believing plus? Well, they get to the point where they're trusting what they know and what they believe rather than what the Word says. Because I think in the beginning most of them were perfectly fine believing and that's it.

But then they get into other things and they see it's not matching up so they try to fix it. Especially if you're in a covenant realm because the salvation message is pretty good and very clear. But the minute you're saved then here's all the rest of this stuff that gets stuck on you. Now that you're a Christian you better start acting like one and here's how they look. and here's the rules that they abide by.

Well, that doesn't change. When we talk about position and condition, your condition has no effect on your position. None. Agree with that? You're in Christ, in the Beloved for all eternity. As Romans 8 says, you have been justified, you have been sanctified, and you have been glorified positionally.

The kind of life you live has nothing to do with that position, and that position is what God deals with you on alone. Your ignorance, your stubbornness, your arrogance, your sinfulness can't affect the position. It certainly affects how you live and whether you have an intimacy with Christ, whether you behold his glory, whether you rest or not, or you are grinding all the time to be better. And the Spirit of God, you know, the great thing is the Spirit of God knows all that, takes all that into consideration before you're saved, knows what the job he's got to do, to do what? What's he trying to do to every Christian? To conform us. To conform us to the image of Christ, right? How do you get conformed to the image of Christ? There's only one way. How?

Walking in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit? Nope. What's that? Beholding Christ, that's how you do it. And when you're walking in the Spirit, that's what you are doing. You're beholding. But beholding is the key word. The conformity is because you're beholding. If you're under any kind of legal system, guess who you're beholding? Because legalism causes you to focus on your performance, your obligation, your duty, your choices, your energy, your spiritual push-ups. Beholding the glory of the Lord Jesus is the great freedom because you're free from you. You're free to behold Him.

And the minute you start thinking about yourself, guess what's happened? You missed the mark. It doesn't sound sinful, but you can't function in the flesh and not sin. Do you see what I mean? If you're functioning out of a sinner, you sin all the time because you don't live by faith in Christ. Simple equation. Now, back to... How did we get off on that?

Is God's foreknowledge dependent upon anything in man? You sure? What do you think? Has God already determined the outcome for believers? Sure. And if you're comfortable with the fact that God foreknew you as a person in Christ before the foundations of eternity, then you're very comfortable with, hey, he chose me, I'm really thankful. I don't think you can discuss, we've talked about this before, you can't discuss foreknowledge or predestination with a person who's lost, because that's not the issue with them. What's the issue with them? That's the only issue. Their salvation is the only issue. God sends his salvation out to all men, whosoever will may come. No restriction. But you only find out, I think, after you're saved that you were chosen.

It doesn't seem fair. That's the way it goes against your mind. It doesn't seem fair. The White Throne Judgement, he said, he parted from me, I never knew you. Isn't that interesting? Never knew you. Not in the time-space, I never knew you. But foreknowledge means that he did know you even before you showed up on this planet. I'll repeat this and we'll move on.

If you look at foreknowledge as God knowing events that are going to happen, then you get a little squirrely when you think about salvation. But if you look at foreknowledge that it's more than that, it's a personal, intimate knowing of a person, then it changes the equation. That God knew you as a person. He knew you and created you in his mind and knew you in Christ before he ever created the first Adam.

A-T-O-M. See that? He knew you. He didn't know this guy in Christ. That's kind of squirrely, isn't it? Not fair! So what's the difference between election and foreknowledge? So when it says those who he foreknew, he also forepredestined. You're saying that there's a distinction between those who he foreknew in Christ and those who he foreknew. like non-believers.

He doesn't know them intimately. He doesn't know them in Christ. He doesn't know them in Christ, but he doesn't, like when he was born he didn't know everything about their emotion, their feelings, their soul. Everything. He knew everything about them. Yeah. And the reason he knew everything about them is because that's the way he made them. Right. You know, he made them that way. Excuse me? He knows just as much about them in their physical makeup, but he doesn't know them as a son. He doesn't know them as being in Christ.

In other words, the simple question is, does election mean that God specifically chose some to salvation? Does it mean that? Salvation out to whosoever will. So when the great white throne judgment comes along, what's he going to say? You don't have an excuse. It's like Romans 1 with the issue of all men. Men don't have an excuse before him. Why not? Because he says, look, I've revealed myself to you in my creation and in your conscience. I've done that. And so you're without an excuse. If you won't be thankful and you won't honor me as God, You see? It's the same thing with salvation.

I mean, they're going to be... I think a man is going to stand before a holy Christ in all of his glory at the great white throne judgment and he's going to look them right in the eye and say, you know what? It's a good thing you didn't pick me then and it's a good thing you're not picking me now. Where's the door to hell? Every single one of them are going to do that. Because I don't think we... because we're all a bunch of good guys in here. We don't appreciate the darkness and the evilness of sin. that those that are outside of Christ will stand before Him in all His glory and choose hell then because it's a better option in their minds than Him. I think you see that in a lot of people today. Sure you do. There's a defiance. Sure you do. It's obvious. We don't think we're that bad, but we are.

What do you think about I think there's probably a lot of groups that say this because they're bragging about the kingdom of God. I think it comes from that they believe that some people haven't heard of Christ or been able to make the decision for Christ. So if they go out and tell them, then Christ will return. Like they'll bring it about sooner or something.

You know who else has that same theology? Islam. They have the same mindset, don't they? They have to go convert the world for Allah. And if you don't buy it, you get the sword. Isn't that their whole agenda? Convert the whole world to Islam. The post-millennial viewpoint is the same way. That Christ will not come back until the gospel has been preached everywhere and men are under the mosaic law and living good, then he'll come. That's their philosophy. The problem is it isn't biblical.

What? I forget where it is, but it says all are without excuse. That's right. Well, and like the Great Commission that would go into all the nations and preach the gospel, you mean there's some place on the earth that the gospel hasn't been preached in 2,000 years? Where? Tell me where it is. What's that? Well, in the Catholic Church I was in, it wasn't there. The problem is, I don't know if it's in Acts or someplace where it says that the gospel has been all over the world even then. Isn't that interesting? The point being this. The post-millennial view leaves the requirements up to man.

Whenever you do that, you end up skating on thin ice and you deny the foreknowledge of God. God puts into play, okay, I'm going to give you 5,000 years and if you don't cut it, I'll give you another five. Well, we'll wipe out this generation and we'll get some better guys next time around. or I'll send you out in the desert, we'll go up to Kadesh Barnea, we'll send the spies in the land, and then when they come out, if you believe me, we'll all go in, if you don't, we're going out in the desert, you're all going to die, we'll get a whole new group of guys, we'll come back, and then you all guys who believe them will go in.

That's the mentality. Rather than the viewpoint that God is sovereign, he's all-knowing, and he predetermines things, and it's his creation, and he does it in his time frame. And the issue with a man is real simple, you believe or not. Do you or don't you? And you can't look at God and say, you know, there's a guy stuck. Well, to make it even simpler, there's a person who is born a mental vegetable, can't think, cogitate, or an aborted fetus.

It's not fair that they don't hear the gospel. Really? Is that fair? Is that fair? All of those abortions that have happened in this country in the last ten years, all of those lives that didn't hear the gospel, is that fair? Do they deserve salvation? What do you think? Do they deserve a chance? No, they don't. No, they don't. That's a cold one to swallow, isn't it?

I used to be a real stickler on that until Donovan got pregnant. You know, change your mind when it's your own. And I read Lewis Berry Chafer one day, it was really a softening thing. He said that the work of Christ on the cross was so complete and it satisfied God so completely that he can save anybody any way he wants. So I look at aborted fetuses, it's up to God. It's not up to me. I know my son shows up on the planet and we're praying that he's going to get saved. Once you're here, you have one obligation and that's to believe in Christ. That's our response. But if you don't ever make it here, what's God going to do?

None of them deserve it like I didn't deserve it. But he can do whatever he wants. because he's free now to do it because the sins of all of them have been paid for. He's totally free to save anybody any way he wants. And to choose who he wants and to do whatever, to extend his grace and mercy and his love, out it comes.

So that made me real comfortable with kind of being, oh gee, I better not be so rigid on this. Typically God is so gracious that, you know. You could say that he saves all the aborted fetuses. You could say that, I don't know. Maybe he does. Because I would see, well you'd see that their human nature doesn't have a chance to get in the way. That's true.

We've got five minutes to talk about predestination. That's about all we needed. What does it mean? It means to be appointed to a certain outcome beforehand. It means to mark out before, to appoint to something beforehand. How many times do you think the word predestination is used in the Bible? If you've read the chapter, you know. How many times? We love the debate about that word. I was going to say six times, but that looks like five and a half to me. Six times. Six times is the only place it's used.

Romans 8.29, For whom he foreknew, he also predestinated to what outcome? To be conformed to the image of his Son. You and I are absolutely predestined to that outcome, and guess what? You're all going to make it. It's like I tell John, he's 15, you'll make it to be a man, trust me, you'll get there. You'll all be conformed to the image of Christ.

Why? Because he said so, that's why. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, those he also called, and whom he called, those he also justified, and whom he justified, those he also glorified. Ask yourself this question, how come sanctified isn't in that verse? I mean, wait a minute, he jumped right from justified to glorified. What happened to sanctified? How come it ain't there? How come it isn't there? Yeah, and is this position or condition here? Absolutely.

Okay, Ephesians 1, chapter 5, having predestinated us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ. You all, we've talked about when an adoption in one of the classes, what it is and what it means. Are you now an adopted son? With all the rights and privileges that go with an heir? Yes, you are. How come? Because God predestinated it that way. So far have we talked about the lost yet?

Ephesians 1.11, In him also ye have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of Mike's will. No, no. His will. His will. Don't you love the arrogance of your sin nature that thinks you can have something to do with this? That you're a causer or that you're an effectuator of some kind?

Acts 4.28, to do whatever your hand and your purpose determine before it be done. Whose hand? Who did the determining? The Pope, right? No?

1 Corinthians 2.7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before ages for our glory. So you're going to be glorified. Who decided? You did?

No. So do any of these passages refer to the lost? None. So to engage in predestination discussions with a lost person is superfluous. It's a waste of time because there's nothing you're going to find in the Word of God that says some have been predestined to salvation and some haven't. You won't find that. Whosoever will may come. Once you're in though, Lots of really cool stuff has been predestined for you.

And you know what? You can't shortchange the outcome and you can't add to the outcome. I mean, how can you add to being conformed to Christ? You hit the mark. You're totally conformed. What can you add to that? I'm waiting. My answer is okay. So name some of the three determined things that God will bring to pass for his own if you're a believer. Name some of them. I've got nine of them. What do you think?

The first one is conformity to the image of Christ. Give me another one. Glorified. Justified. Give me another one. Adopted as sons. Heaven and inheritance. Yeah, how about the 34 things we learned? Yeah, how about all of those? All of those are pre-determined. All of them. Can't miss any of them. How about good works? Sure, you miss any of those? Those been pre-determined? Oh, you mean I can't add to them? I'm a really hard-working guy, I can add six. God will be more pleasing with me. Get bigger rewards, smaller fire?

How about blameless in all your ways? Isn't that a cool one? It's predetermined that you are going to be blameless in all your ways. What is that? Why doesn't predestination affect the way God's call goes out to the unsaved? Why doesn't predestination affect any of the ways in which God calls an unsafe person? That's right. It has nothing to do with the unsaved. It's important to know that. Let's see. Did I miss any question? Was the cross predetermined? Really? Even before Adam sinned? How about Lucifer? The cross was predetermined. Isn't that cool?

Acts 4.27, For truly against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, who were gathered together to do whatever your hand and your purpose determined before it was done. The interesting thing, when you study the Gospels and you look at the Lord Jesus' attitude about the cross, there is no question that he's constantly saying, I'm on my way to be crucified. That's what I'm doing. I'm on my way there. It's been determined already. And when Peter tries to stop him from going, what does he call Peter? Satan. Are we out of time? Let's see. Did I have you read John 17? Was that one of the questions?

And determine the things that the Lord Jesus prays for concerning you? Go home and read John 17 with this in mind. How many things are in there that Jesus prays to the Father about concerning things that are true of you? There are 27 of them in there. Read that prayer based on what Jesus prays concerning you as a believer.

Give you eternal life. You are a property of Christ. You are known of the Father and the Son, and so you are given eternal life. You have been manifested to the Father. You have kept his word. All things are from the Father. We believe that Jesus is God and came from the Father. He prays not only for us, but he prays only for us and not for the world. None is lost, not a single one, because you are then and always have been the property of God.

We have his joy fulfilled in his. We are not of the world. We are sanctified through his word. We are set apart. We are sent into the world by him. Christ is set apart for our benefit. He not only prays for those believers, but for us. We've become one with God.

And I was thinking about that the other day, and we'll close with this. One of the things that I think we forget sometimes is that prayer in John 17 where the Lord Jesus said, look, Father, I want them to be one in me as I am in you. I want them to be one in us. Our natural minds think dualistically, and we always think of, I'm here, and I'm studying, and Christ is over here, and I've got to do whatever is required of me, and we forget that the Lord Jesus is talking about we're one, and that's the purpose, and that's a predetermined purpose, that we might be one in him. So if you're functioning as one in Christ, what about your responsibilities as a believer? What's happening to those?

Sure. Sure they are, because you're in the life that does it. Oh, I got responsibilities. Where? Where do you have them? If you think like this, him and me, and rather than oneness, then I'm always focusing on my responsibility, rather than him. If I understand oneness with him, I can rest. You see that? Because he is my very life. And if He is my very life, guess what? He isn't missing any of the requirements. Your responsible man died at the cross. He did the one thing that was required to do, believe on the Lord Jesus. And once you did that, that's what happened. We're going to close.

Father, thank you for this time. We thank you for your incredible grace towards us The fact that you've predetermined us to be conformed to the image of your son by beholding his glory is just information that's wonderful, Father. We thank you. We pray in your son's precious name. Amen.