Today's encouragement comes from Revelation 17:14b, where we read these words:
" . . . and those who are with Him [Christ] are called, chosen, and faithful."The Bible clearly teaches that God elects some (not all) people unto salvation in Jesus—and that He then places them into His church (cf. Eph. 1:3-6). But what is sometimes not emphasized enough is the fact that those who are *truly* chosen, and therefore *really* redeemed, *will be "faithful" and/or per-severing* in this life.
. . . In other words, there is no such thing as an unfaithful "chosen” Christian person. If we *are* chosen by God, in His sovereign grace, we *will be* faith-ful in Christ and His church. Some people (hypocrites) have a false assur-ance in this regard. They believe in the doctrine of so-called “eternal secur-ity”—but they do not possess the goods of real perseverance in Christ. Let all of us be *true* Christians, who humbly knowledge that we are chosen (de-spite ourselves), and show our election by our being faithful to God and His covenant.
[Puritan quote of the day: "Going to hear a sermon in jest has proved some men's conversion in earnest.” —John Flavel, in, "The Mystery of Providence"]
