Hi Rick,
Yea, well I never heard a audible voice tell me I'm elect either. But you know I don't think God will let us know for sure, because our flesh could not handle that kind of knowledge properly, we would get all puffed up about it or whatever. But if we do believe these truths and 'want' to obey then we certainly can have hope and hope is a very good thing to have.
Rom 8:23 However, not only the creation, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
v. 24 For we were saved with this hope in mind. Now a hope that can be observed is not really hope, for who hopes for what can be seen?
v. 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet observe, we eagerly wait for it with patience.
Here is something that Ray said that I think applies to this.
http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,4472.msg34384.html#msg34384 -----
[Someone ask the question: is that why Christ was always in prayer?]
Well yes, it’s like the old saying; act like it all depends on you and pray like it all depends on God. That’s the way you should live your life. He could not help but pray.
What appears to be contradictions are not contradictions, when you have a higher spiritual understanding of what it’s talking about.
Let me show you a perfect example and it sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not.
Phi 2:12 “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
Doesn't that contradict this whole thing, we’re saved by grace and not of works? And now we’re to work out our own salvation? What is that? How do you explain that? “ Of Myself I can do nothing…” (John 5:30), and he said YOU can do nothing (John 15:5), He said to the apostles. Then Paul says “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Well it does sound like a contradiction. Read the next verse, He tells us why. ‘For,’ now that word always means ‘because,’ it’s another word for because.
Phi 2:13 “For(because) it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”
Some of you probably still don’t get the answer, but it is there. Work out your own salvation, is not the jest of that saying, He is not saying, work out your own salvation(.) No, he’s saying “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, that’s where the emphases is, on fear and trembling, not on work out your own salvation. You work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, why? Because it all depends on God. If God doesn’t do it, it won’t happen, IT WON’T HAPPEN. So we live in fear and trepidation.
v
You think, 'I shouldn’t have done this or that.' That’s right you should think that way. You should think that... 'I shouldn’t have done that,' because then you're learning. When you learn, you will then put that into practice. Because God doesn’t have you learn things so you can’t put them into practice, He has you learn things so you CAN put them into practice. But the only way you will learn them, is if you see how stupid it was, and you say if I had it to do over, I wouldn’t have done that. So YOU HAD TO DO THEM! Because that lead to a lot of trouble and pain and sorrow. But did you learn your lesson? 'Well yea.' Then don’t do it again, okay, now their back on track.
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mercy, peace and love
Kat