Apostle Paul

[gallenwalsh]

Was the Apostle Paul " chosen" ? Sounds like it to me, from what I can understand. Paul obviously did receive the "begetting" of gods spirit seeing as how at one point his shadow passing over someone healed them. I do not think God works that dramatically today, but I would think that if a person were to receive god's spirit it would be no small matter and you would not be wondering if it happened or not. If that were the case, could one receive god's spirit in this life and come up physical in the resurrection ? I would like to think that if god were to begin that work in you he would finish the job . Any comments welcome..

[Roy Coates]

I cant answer for sure the "chosen" question Paul sure seems that way to me, we'll find out in the resurrection
I am certain that of God starts His work in you He will finish it.

[Deborah-Leigh]

Hi Gallenwalsh

Thank you for this topic.

Destruction is part of the work of God. ALL will be restored, healed, made to see the truth and corrected. Non will be lost.

Paul would have avoided returning to Rome where the Spirit of God warned him he would be executed for his faith, if it were not in God's Plan for Paul that he receive the better resurrection through the privilege and honor of laying down his life. Only God can complete His work done by the encouragement of His Spirit to be found worthy to death, for faith in and OF Christ.

Paul was faithful and proven to death. This was God's achievement that Paul not once took for granted throughout his ministry to Rome, Ephesus, Corinth etc etc.  

Confirmation of Paul's election to his crown of righteousness is not found in his earlier letters. Confirmation appears where conclusion meets it, in Paul's last and final letter ever written.

2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

So yes, I believe Paul is chosen and made an Elect of God's work in him made visible and on record for us all to see. The way was to follow Christ,  to suffer, endure and overcome to death.

Arc

[Kat]

Hi Gallenwalsh,

I think that Arc shows from the Scripture that Paul did endured to the end. Here are a few more Scriptures to show Paul considered Himself of the chosen.

Rom 1:1  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

1Cor 1:1  Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God,

1Tim 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;

2Tim 1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

Tit 1:1  Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
v. 2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

In this transcript 'Can We Lose God's Spirit...' it talks about being chosen in this life.


http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php?topic=7047.0 -----------------------

Reader:  1John 5:13  These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 'This verse above tells me if I believe in Jesus I have eternal life.'

Comment: (CLV) "These things I write to you that you who ARE BELIEVING in the name of the son of God MAY BE PerCEIVING that you have life eonian."

Do you see how it's all in the Greek aorist imperfect tense.  It's not past tense, period.  "ARE believing," that's a process.  Well what is it when you are stopping believing, what happens?  Well we'll see what happens. Yes it's true if you "ARE believing." 
v
One must not just "believe," but rather the person who has these promises "IS BELIEVING" or they 'are doing' something.
v
We read Rom. 8:14-17 For all who are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  V.15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a Spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"  v. 16  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God, v. 17  And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, IF indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

"IF!" Do you see that word there, IF.  When will we all be millionaires this time next week?  IF we win the lottery.
v
So it says, "IF indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."  What does that mean to suffer with Him?

2 Tim 3:12  All those who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
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When it says IF, what it is saying?  IF you live such a godly life that people persecute you for doing the right thing, that's how you are sons of God. 
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2Cor. 1:22 Who also seals us and is giving the earnest of the spirit in our hearts.

He "is giving."  Now if He gave it and we have it and it's a done deal, He doesn't have to still be giving? You talk about things that people have no concept of what it's all about.  I'm not saying that to puff me up, like I understand and they don't.  I'm just saying that these things are so simple and they are so familiar with them and yet they really don't know what they mean.

Like for example, all the churches have communion.  Some like the Worldwide Church of God had it once a year, because it really came on the Passover and the Passover comes once a year, not every month, not every morning, but every year.  Some have it four times a year and I think back when I was in that little Methodist church, we had it four times a year.  Some have it once a month and I don't know if anybody has it once a week.  They either have it once a month or then you go into Catholicism, every day. 
But here's the point, why do you have it every day?  They may say, 'well we were told to remember Him and just do this.'  Well they are missing the whole point. 

The bread and the wine, they symbolize something.  They don't symbolize your obedience to take this, so that you will remember that Christ shed His blood for you.  That's not what it's about.  He didn't say 'look' at the bread 'look' at the wine, this symbolizes My body and this symbolizes My blood and then put it back on the table.  No, No, No EAT this bread, EAT IT.  How often do we need nourishment?   "Give us this day our daily bread." ( Matt 6:11) And likewise the wine...

1Cor. 11:25 "This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it..."

You see?  This is something you have to do everyday!  You drink of His blood, you eat of His body, this is our spiritual nourishment.  Yes this is symbolic.  I mean you don't have to send for Paula White's junky communion set, that's unbelievable nonsense.  You don't have to have one in your house and you don't have to have a little sip of wine and a little bread and all that.  You LIVE it.  If you live the spirit, you don't have to keep practicing the ritual.
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I would think that if a person were to receive god's spirit it would be no small matter and you would not be wondering if it happened or not. If that were the case, could one receive god's spirit in this life and come up physical in the resurrection ?

Yes a personn can receive the Holy Spirit and then 'lose' it, then they wouold come up in the 'physical' second resurrection to judgment.

http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php?topic=7047.0 ----------

Can we lose out... well we read the Scripture that if you sin willfully - willingly there is no more sacrifice for you.  Now look at this verse, many people probably never really saw it before. 

1 John 3:15  Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal (eonian or age lasting) life abiding (the Greek is "staying or "REMAINING")  in him.

So the Greek is staying or remaining.  Now if you just read that without all the background that I'm giving you, then you get the feeling that, well he won't be given God's abiding life.  No, he already has it.  The only way something cannot stay in you or not remain in you, is if it's in you.  Do you follow that?  It's in you. 

He's not talking to Barbarians here or infidels, he's talking to the congregation who have the spirit of God.  But he says if you hate your brother the spirit of God will no longer stay with you, it will no longer be in you.  If the Spirit of God is not in you, you are no longer His.  Then you are going to the judgment.  That's just how simple that is.
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Here are a few more places where it talks about what it mean to be chosen in this life.

http://www.forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,2059.0.html ------------

Those whom God has foreordained to be the elect will always be the elect. The chosen elect cannot be lost.  But you and I do not know exactly who is and who isn't an elect. Only God's knows those who are His, and therefore, we can never let down our guard, because we might only think that we are elect.  I have seen and witnessed this with my own eyes where those who appeared to be elect, turned and now blaspheme the name of the Saviour they claimed to worship a short while back.


http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php?topic=4452.0 -----------

Dear Roy:  Yes, Strong's does give an alternate to "adoption" for the word "unibotheia," and in fact the "alternate" is his FIRST definition is "the PLACING OF A SON...SONSHIP." 

         Webster's New Twenteth Century Dictionary Unabridged:"sonship"--"the STATE OF BEING A SON"

        Romans 8:15....

        "But you have received a spirit of SONSHIP"  (Rotherham's Emphasized Bible)

         "...but a Spirit which makes us SONS"  (The New English Bible)

         "...you have received the Spirit of SONSHIP"  (Moffatt Translation)

         "...you received the Spirit of SONSHIP" (New International Version)

         "...but you received a Spirit of SONSHIP" (Emphatic Diaglott).

         "...but you got the spirit of SONSHIP" (Concordant Literal New Testament) Etc.

         We are not merely adopted into the Family of God, but rather God has "BEGOTTEN us" [Gk: 'beget, be born--regenerate']" (I Pet. 1:3). And:  "Being BORN AGAIN [same Greek word], not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God..."  (Verse 23).

         No, our final destination is to be BORN into the Kingdom of God, not just an "adoption." Some bibles do not ever use the word "adoption."  Even if we were to accept these Scriptures as "adoption," we still have the added knowledge that we are to be BORN into the Kingdom of God.

         We are all "called," but is that our final destiny?  No, there is also (in addition to the called) those called ones who are CHOSEN, and even among the chosen, there must be the FAITHFUL (Rev.17:14).  Judas was called and chosen, but he was NOT FAITHFUL UNTIL THE END!!

        Hope this helps your understanding.

        God be with you,

        Ray