How Do I Know If I Am One of the “Elect”? Core Ep 892

Questions answered on this episode:
[0:33] How do I comfort those who have lost someone in from COVID-19?
[6:50] I learned about the doctrines of grace a couple years ago, and have been struggling with great fear about not being one of God’s elect. It has really made me scared, and question that maybe I can’t approach Christ, even though I know He is the only one who can save us. Can Jesus reject someone coming to Him for mercy? What should someone struggling with this do or think about?
[11:02] What does it mean that the “first shall be last”?
[17:55] What comes first, faith or regeneration?
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Keywords: election, reformation, predestination, Bible, Christian, Core Christianity, Pastor Adriel, Adriel Sanchez, Bible question, Bible answers, Bible Q&A, the gospel, Christianity, Bible show, Christian show, Christian podcast, podcast, How Do I Know If I Am One of the “Elect”?

[@jessiemichelle5642]

Thank you. I have wondered about if I was an elect or not myself. I feel pretty confident that I am, I feel a connection with God and always have. But then I think about my friends and family that I try to witness to and they don't want to hear it or believe. What if they aren't one of the elect, am I wasting my time witnessing? One question I wondered out loud to God one day, actually a frustration, was concerning these friends. I said out loud, "God, I keep witnessing and I'm not seeing any results!" Suddenly I felt an answer that helped me. 'You keep planting seeds and I will water them.' Then I thought about how long it takes a tree to grow from a tiny seed and I understood. I said out loud with relief, "Thank you, Lord."

[@misfitstranger]

Exactly right, Jessie. You are called only to plant the seeds. It is God who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6&7). We don't know who God has chosen, thus we are commanded to "make disciples of all nations." And I couldn't agree more,...it's heartbreaking to realize that many people I know may not be among the elect. But that will never stop me from sharing the good news with them, the love of Christ, God's amazing grace...I, like you, will continue to plant the seeds and water them but leave the growth to our sovereign God.

[@christina6148]

First I want to say that you are about the most humblest Pastor who knows how to treat people with kindness and respect. Your show helps me a lot. I had a Mother who used to make fun of me since grade school and by the time I was 15 I was considered tramatized. I wish your church was near me but that won't stop me from reaching out to you in whatever time I have left in this cruel world in which even my brother who had Cerebral Palsy who got beat up all the time and my mother since she was already remarried pushed me and Jimmy aside. Thanks for being you and Bill too, God bless you both. Love you both.

[@misfitstranger]

Christ won't turn His back on us when we come to Him seeking mercy because it is HIM who has put it in our hearts to come to Him seeking mercy in the first place. Before Christ does a saving work in our hearts, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. We are completely unable to come to Him. We are unwilling to come to Him until He changes our will by creating in us a new heart. So the very moment He breathes into us the breath of life, takes our heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh, our will aligns with His will...we desire what He desires. So we desire Him because He first desired us, you could say. Therefore, it would be pointless for Him to give us the desire to come to Him seeking mercy and then turn us away. Thanks be to God that it is HIM who chooses, HIM who justifies, HIM who keeps us, and HIM who glorifies us in the end. Hallelujah! What a glorious thought!!

[@EdJr777]

Awesome answer!!! Thanks for stating God's mercy and our depravity so clearly. The day I discovered that God chose me (and I did NOT chose Him) and enabled me to respond to His call for salvation - that was the day I realized how precious and amazing my salvation really was. It was like winning the lottery - without buying a lottery card!!! 😂 I didn't seek after God, I didn't want Him in my life, but He chose me, pursed me and saved me. All glory to God. 🙏

[@misfitstranger]

@@EdJr777 , you nailed it, brother. He did indeed "enable" us to respond. If He hadn't done that, as Spurgeon said, "I never would have chosen Him, had He not first chosen me." Couldn't agree more about how knowing that I was chosen from before the foundations of the world makes my salvation all the more precious and amazing! Don't you wish you could make everyone professing Christian realize that truth? Rather than making me something special, it does exactly what you said....it gives ALL glory to God and leaves me humbly rejoicing in His mercy and grace.

[@syciuplyte8494]

calvinism 😕

[@Christ_saves_sinners]

I know ☹! I was hoping these guys weren't Calvinist, sadly I will have to mark and avoid their teachings.

[@syciuplyte8494]

@@Christ_saves_sinners Yup.