GOD’S STANDING POLICY OF ELECTION

THE SETTING OF PEOPLE APART FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD - HAS BEEN GOD'S STANDING POLICY.

FELJUN B. FUENTES

ONE BELIEF COMMONLY held by many today is that service to God could validly rendered to Him by practically all people in the world regardless of religious belief or affiliation. This notion is based on the unwarranted assumptions that all men belong to God by virtue of creation and that all men are equal before the Creator. It has been conceived further that man reserves for himself the freedom of worship which entails his option to choose the manner by which his service to God could be made or to attend any religion of his choice.

Very contrary to this belief, our study will prove that service to God, though this could be done by men in various ways exhibiting genuine devotion zeal, is but an exclusive right, a distinctive privilege to those whom God Himself had chosen to deify Him. It is God, according to His divine justice and purpose, who makes provision or means by which service acceptable to Him should be rendered by all men.

The conception that all men have the right to serve God by virtue of creation is proved erroneous by the fact that election – the setting of people apart from the rest of the world – has been God’s standing policy. It is God Himself who singles out people to serve Him, according to His will.

Let us now proceed with understanding the meaning of election in the biblical context, least we be confused that this refers to the choosing of certain individuals as leaders through the political exercise also referred to as election.

THE MEANING OF ELECTION

By election, in the biblical and therefore, religious sense, we refer to the choosing of people by the divine authority – the Almighty God. This means that God, the Father of Creation, sets apart people from the world for the purpose of recognizing them as His chosen people, to render worship worthy to Him. Even our Lord Jesus Christ, testifies that God’s people are chosen from the world. He said of the early Christians:

 “You did not choose me; I chose you and appointed you to go and bear much fruit, the kind of fruit that endures. And so the Father will give you whatever you ask of him in my name.” (Jn. 15:16, Today’s English Version)

Surely, Jesus Christ proves to us succinctly that there is such a procedure of choosing people who are to bear spiritual fruits or acts of piety before God, His father. It is also clear that election has never been man’s option. Rather it is always the Lord God’s through His appointed messengers. Christ Himself, who was God-sent, said, “You did not choose me.” On the other hand, He chose His own disciples as clearly stated in the verse immediately quoted.

When one has been chosen by our Lord Jesus Christ, inasmuch as He is the Son of God and His appointed Savior, people whom He elects or chooses also become the people of God. This truth has been documented in the first general epistle of Apostle Peter which says:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (I Pt. 2:9, Revised Standard Version)

This verse was made with reference to the early Christians or the members of the Church that Jesus Christ founded during His public ministry. The Christians were called “a chosen race,” “a holy nation,” and “God’s own people.”  To be true Christians then is not a matter of claim. Rather, as Apostle Peter said, the same people were called out of darkness and brought into God’s marvelous light.

The people who are to be called as God’s nation have to be chosen because they were, prior to their calling, not people of God. They were people of the world and have to be set apart for God’s divine purpose. These conditions were clarified by Apostle Peter in his letter:

“At one time you were not God’s people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God’s mercy, but now you have received his mercy.” (I Pt. 2:10, TEV)

So, people in the nation of God were once upon a time people of the world. Prior to their election, they were not God’s people and were not familiar with God’s mercy. However, when they were called into the Church (particularly in the Christian era) they finally became God’s people and have been given access to His mercy.

It follows that those who were chosen or elected into the service of God no longer belong to the world. They were chosen from the world and therefore do not belong to it as they once did. In the Gospel according to Apostle John, Jesus was quoted as saying:

“If you belonged to the world, then the world would love you as its own. But I chose you from this world, and you do not belong to it; that is why the world hates you.”  (Jn. 15:19, Ibid.)

Indeed, even prior to the Christian era, people have already been set apart by God. This has been the issue and will continue to be so until the day of Judgment because this is God’s everlasting policy. He chooses people to serve Him:

“Remember that the Lord has chosen the righteous for his own, and he hears me when I call him.” (Ps. 4:3 Ibid.)

Let us now trace in biblical history the documented accounts that serve as conclusive evidences to the truth that election or the setting apart of people has been God’s standing policy since the beginning.

FIRST PEOPLE WHO WORSHIPPED GOD

God formed man on the sixth day of creation. He created Adam and Eve and united them as husband and wife – as the first couple they begot children, popular figures among which were Cain and Abel.

Both Cain and Abel gave their offerings to God even after their parents had fallen from His grace. Cain who was a farmer brought home of his harvest as an offering to the Lord whereas Abel who was a shepherd brought the best parts of the first lamb born to one of his sheep.

The Lord was pleased with Abel’s offering but rejected Cain and his offering to his consternation and fury. Cain became so consumed with envy that he slew his brother, thus committing the first murder.

Later in their lives, Adam and Eve had another son to replace Abel who was killed by Cain. His name was Seth. Seth had a son whose name was Enoch (cf. Gen. 4:1-12, 25). “It was then that people began using the LORD’s holy name in worship.” (Gen. 4:26, TEV).

Even as early as the patriarchal era, God had already set people apart from the rest of the world. In this case, it was Seth and his descendants who worshipped the name of the Lord.

But, these, people were not able to hold fast unto their distinctive and proper relationship with their Creator. They had not preserved their singular advantage of being set apart to the exclusion of the rest of the world, they mingled with them and mixed with them in marriage. The Bible documents this:

“When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they choose.”(Gen. 6:1-2, RSV).

Consequently, the people of God had turned impure and this no longer pleased the Lord who separated them from the rest of the world to become His own people. The Lord was disappointed at this and, as a result, He decided to wipe them out and create a new people, a new generation who would fulfill His will.

Clearly so, though it is God who created all men, He maintains His policy of setting people apart from the world. Those people who are chosen are to be recognized as His own people.

Never has He found pleasure with His own people mixing up in marriage with those who are not. Even from the very beginning, mixed marriages between God’s people and those who are not has been abominable sin. Here is the biblical account:

“The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.

“The Nephilim were on the earth in those days – and also afterward – when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

“The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

“The LORD was grieved that he had made man on earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

“So the LORD said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air – for I am grieved that I have made them’. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” (Gen. 6:2, 4-8, New International Version)

To put into effect His will that a new people be created to replace the unfaithful generation, God decided to cause the great flood to end all life on the face of the earth and save Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all mankind. I will destroy them completely, because the world is full of their violent deeds. I am going to send flood on the earth to destroy every living being. Everything on the earth will die, but I will make a covenant with you.” (Gen. 6:13; 17-18, TEV)

NOAH AND HIS FAMILY

The patriarch Noah and his family were to begin the next generation of people to be set apart by the Almighty God. When the descendant of Seth began to turn away from the Lord Almighty by mingling and marrying with people of the world, God worked according to His standing procedure. He decided to create a new nation to be called His own. He chose Noah and his family to begin this new generation. The Bible narrates this as follows:

“Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

“Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.

“I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.

“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark – you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.” (Gen. 6:9, 11-13,17-18, NIV)

For God’s will to be fulfilled, He ordered Noah to build an ark of cypress wood with rooms in it. God also gave Noah the specification for him to follow (cf. Gen. 6:16-16). After this, God commanded Noah to take into the ark a specified number of males and females of every creature to be kept alive with them. He was also ordered to take food for these animals and for his family (cf. Gen. 6:19-21, 7:2-6). Then the Lord ordered Noah and his family to enter into the ark for their safety against the great flood. The Bible records:

“The LORD then said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

“And Noah and his sons and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.” (Gen. 7:1, 7, NIV)

Then came the rain sent by God on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights and floodwaters inundated the earth. For 40 days, the flood kept coming on the earth. The waters increased and the ark floated as it was lifted high by the waters above the earth. And the flood that stayed for 150 days left those inside the ark alive. The Bible records:

“Every living things that moved on the earth perished – birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Every living things on the face of earth was wiped out; men and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the air were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.” (Gen. 7:21-23, Ibid.)

Because of God’s anger, He “did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others.” (II Pt. 2:5, Ibid.)

After the great deluge, God blessed Noah and his sons. He ordered them to, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1, Ibid.). God also established his covenant with Noah and his descendants after him (cf. Gen. 9:8). From the sons of Noah (namely, Shem, Ham, and Japeth) came the people who were scattered over the earth (cf. Gen. 9:18-19).

These people made up the generation of God’s chosen servants, also during the time of the patriarchs, after the great flood. However, as the descendants of Seth who were chosen by God prior to the great deluge failed to continue with their distinctive position before God, the descendants of Noah also earned God’s disappointment. Here is the account of the Bible:

“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

“They said to each other, ‘Come let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly’. They used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar. Then they said, ‘Come let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth’.

“But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other’.

“So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel – because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.” (Gen. 11:1-8, NIV)

Remember that Noah and his family were commanded by God to increase in number and to replenish the earth. However, the descendants of Noah had chosen to band themselves together and not to scatter as the Lord wanted them to do.

As these people have opted to go against the will of God, the Lord decided to scatter them by confusing their language. When God confused their language, it was only then that these descendants of Noah went their separate ways.

Thus, we see the end of another generation of people who once enjoyed that blessed position of being God’s chosen people.

Did God uphold His policy of setting people apart to be His own after this. Who were the next generation of people chosen by God?

FROM THE BEGINNING OF this study, we have set ourselves to prove that people are not at liberty to worship God in any manner that they so desire. Service to God could not be validly offered to Him by practically all people according to their own will and regardless of religious belief or affiliation. On the other hand, it is God Himself who sets people apart from the rest of the world and gives them the exclusive right and privilege to render worship acceptable to Him.

This policy of choosing people to worship God has stood from the very beginning. It is God’s standing policy and will be the issue until the end – the day of Judgment. This will be proven as we continue to trace the history of God’s people as documented in the Holy Scriptures.

ABRAHAM WAS CHOSEN

As we have learned previously, the descendants of Noah turned away from God. They were commanded by God to increase in number and replenish the earth, after the great flood. However, they chose to band themselves together and not to scatter as the Lord wanted them to do. They opted to contradict the will of God and became unfaithful to Him. So, God decided to scatter them by confusing their language and as a consequence, the descendants of Noah went their separate ways (cf. Gen. 11:1-8). Thus, we see the end of another generation of people who once enjoyed the blessed position of being God’s chosen people.

But, that did not end it all. God’s policy of choosing people to serve Him continued. He called Abram who was later to be named Abraham.

“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you’.” (Gen. 12:1-3, New International Version)

This constitutes the call of God for people to serve Him. Notice that it was God Himself who chose Abraham. Abraham did not come to God to offer his service. Neither did he volunteer to God or approach Him to merit such distinctive position.

Abraham was first called by God and was ordered to, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” He was certainly set apart from the rest of the people. Then, God established his covenant with Abraham.

“When Abraham was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your members’.

“I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” (Quote Gen. 17:1-2, 7-8, Ibid.)

This covenant between God and Abraham is meant to last forever such that any individual who deifies or serves God should be able to trace his connection to this covenant which God Himself established. It could therefore be said without fear of contradiction that the vital right to worship God stems from the covenant God made with Abraham. This will be proven in the course of our study.

But, why did God choose Abraham? Or, why did He set Abraham apart from the rest of the world then? It is because of his standing policy. After being abandoned by the descendants of Noah, there should be people who would continue to serve God. It should be recalled that it has been His procedure to “set apart the godly for himself” (cf. Ps. 4:3). He sets apart people who should belong to Him.

With the election of Abraham came the covenant between him and the Almighty God. Consequently, Abraham seed in the flesh was to inherit that covenant as the Bible clearly points out:

“The covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac he confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant.” (Ps. 105:9-10, NIV)

This covenant made by God with Abraham, everlasting as it is, took effect through Isaac (son of Abraham), Jacob (son of Isaac), and Israel (descendants of Jacob). This established Israel as the chosen nation of God.

ESTABLISHED AS GOD’S NATION

Israel was chosen and set apart by virtue of God’s love to them because of the promise He made to their father’s. He faithfully kept the oath He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is for this reason that the Israelites were chosen to be His people:

“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God, the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, out of all the people that are on the face of earth. It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love upon you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples.

But it is because the LORD loves you, and is keeping the oath which he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh King of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” (Dt. 7:6-7, 8-9, Revised Standard Version)

Indeed, Israel enjoyed a unique and exalted position over and above other nations in the world. Unlike any other nation at that time, her people were recognized as God’s own and had the Lord as their God:

“There is no other nation on earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own people. The great and wonderful things you did for them have spread your fame throughout the world. You drove out other nations and their gods as your people advanced, the people whom you set free from Egypt to be your own. You have made Israel your own people forever, and you, LORD, have become their God.” (II Sam. 7:23-24, Today’s English Version)

Let us not overlook one important point here. This is the fact that Israel was not chosen by God in consideration of the size of her population. It was not because the Israelites were more in number than any other people that God set His love upon them and chose them. For, indeed, as the Bible testifies, they were the fewest.

It cannot be validly argued therefore that because a group of people numbers greatly that the Lord will have to choose it to be His own. Let us not return to the subject from which we have digressed for a while.

WITH THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO SERVE

In view of the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, only the nation of Israel during their time had God. The rest of the world then was godless. This is the testimony of the Bible:

“Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, ‘Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant’.” (II Kgs. 5:15, NIV)

Even Apostle Paul, in one of his letters, decisively confirmed the truth regarding the unique and exclusive position of Israel at that time. He said:

“They are Israelites, and to them belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.” (Rom. 9:4, RSV)

Of all the many people on earth, it was only the Israelites (at that time) who were recognized as God’s children, they were with the right to worship Him, the sole recipients of His statutes, and to them, says Apostle Paul, “belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.” Those who were “foreigners to the covenants of the promise,” not being citizens of Israel, were “without hope and without God in the world.” (cf. Eph. 2:12)

ISRAEL FELL FROM THE GOD’S GRACE

But, Israel did not remain faithful to God. The Bible testifies that this nation had broken the covenant:

“They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers. Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will bring to them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them. The town of Judah and the people of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they will not help them at all when the disaster strikes. You have as many gods as you have towns, O Judah; and the altars you have set up to burn incense to that shameful god Baal are as many as the streets of Jerusalem’.” (Jer. 11:10-13, NIV)

Israel became unfaithful to God and broke the covenant by committing idolatry. They became idolatrous and did not worship the true God. And because of this unfaithfulness and disloyalty to God, He decided to deliver Israel to utter destruction:

“So I will disgrace the dignitaries of your temple, and I will consign Jacob to destruction and Israel to scorn.” (Is. 43:28, Ibid.)

So, goes the end of another generation of people who once enjoyed the exclusive right and privilege to worship God. Israel lost its blessed position of being God’s chosen people. It is no longer recognized by God as His nation, no longer the people of His own.

But, did God continue to uphold His policy of setting people apart to serve Him? If He did, then whom did He choose next?

BEFORE INDENTIFYING THE next generation of God’s people, we might as well recall at this point of our study that Israel once enjoyed the blessed position of being God’s chosen nation. It was to the ancient Israelites that God’s promise to Abraham found its fulfillment. The everlasting covenant He made with Abraham took effect through Isaac (son of Abraham), Jacob (son of Isaac), and Israel (descendants of Jacob). Thus, the nation of Israel, having been established through the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham, had that exclusive privilege of being counted as God’s own people.

But, in spite of the privilege only these people received from God by virtue of His promise, the ancient Israelites lamentably failed to live up to His expectation. Instead of being obedient to His commandments, they became unfaithful to Him. They return to iniquities of their forefathers and refused to listen to the voice of God (cf. Jer. 11:10-13). They turned to idolatry and detestably worshipped other gods. Consequently, this caused God to decide unfavorably against Israel by delivering this nation to utter destruction (cf. Is. 43:28). That ended the glory of Israel and her history as a nation chosen by God to be His own.

Likewise, let us not forget that the covenant made by God with Abraham was meant to be everlasting one if its effectivity would have to end with the termination of Israel’s right and privilege? Inasmuch as this covenant was made to last forever, then we could fairly expect a replacement for Israel, that is, another people to be recognized by God as His own. This is in consonance with God’s standing policy of election. Regarding this, Apostle Paul wrote:

“‘Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: ‘Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved for the Lord will carry out his sentence on earth with speed and finality’. It is just as Isaiah said previously: ‘Unless the Lord Almighty had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, and we would have been like Gomorah’.” (Rom. 9:27-29, New International Version)

Apostle Paul mentions about the remnant of Israel who would be saved when the Lord would carry out His sentence or judgment on the world. Clearly, the nation of Israel had a remnant so that the covenant God made with Abraham would continue even after the nation of Israel (as a whole) had turned away from Him. That covenant ratified by God was not annulled or rendered as void when the Israelites (ancestors of whom was Abraham himself) abandoned Him. Apostle Paul further explains to us:

“What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.” (Gal. 3:17-18, Ibid.)

This passage of Scriptures from the letter of Apostle Paul explicitly declares that the covenant is to be passed on to a future generation. And its effect was intended to be realized in the remnant who is also regarded as Abraham’s seed.

THE SEED OF ABRAHAM

Apostle Paul’s exegetical explanation as recorded in the New Testament states that, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scriptures does not say ‘and to seeds’, meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed’, meaning one person, who is Christ.” (Gal. 3:16, Ibid.)

Our Lord Jesus Christ is Himself Abraham’s seed. He is the remnant to whom God had spoken of His promises. But, the Apostle Paul, addressing the early Christians, said further that, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29, Ibid.)

Clearly, Israel was replaced by our Lord Jesus Christ and those who belong to Him. Christ and those who belong to Him are together considered as “Abraham seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  

Any claim to being of God should trace its connection to that everlasting covenant made by Him with Abraham, this covenant being meant to last forever. After the era of the Israelites, therefore, people may still enjoy the right and privilege to worship God by belonging to our Lord Jesus Christ. Otherwise, the validity of their worship of Him, being detached from the covenant, would end up as nothing better than empty claim.

At this point it has to be clarified how people may belong to the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be embraced by the covenant. In Ephesians 2:15, this is recorded:

“By abolishing in his flesh the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of two, so making peace.” (Revised Standard Version)

As stated in the scriptural passage immediately quoted, Christ created in Himself one new man to effect peace. It is through this that people can have access to the covenant.

THE ONE NEW MAN

Now, which is this one new man? What compose the one new man? The letter of Apostle Paul to the Colossians records that our Lord Jesus Christ,”…is the head of the body, the church…” (Col. 1:18, NIV). The one new man is composed of one head and one body. Jesus Christ is the head and His body is the Church. The union of Christ and His Church is duly emphasized here. With the absence of either of the two – head or body – the one new man would not be created. Christ (the head) and His Church (the body) have to be joined together as one to form the one new man.

One might argue, at this point in our study, that this violates the provision of God’s covenant with Abraham which takes effect in the remnant who is our Lord Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul explained clearly that, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say’ and to seeds’, meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed’, meaning one person, who is Christ.” (Gal. 3:16, Ibid.)

On the contrary, it was also the same apostle who clarified in a later passage that even those who belong to Christ are Abraham’s seed and are themselves heirs according to promise (cf. Gal. 3:29). Notice that they who belong to Christ are collectively taken as one because He founded not many bodies or many churches but only one, with Himself alone as head – this union therefore of the head and the body or of Christ and His Church is that which is called the new man.

To the early Christians or to the members of the Church founded by Christ for the purpose of making accessible the covenant and man’s salvation, has the following been said by the apostles:

“For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” (Rom. 12:4-5, RSV)

The members of the body or the Church, though indeed many, constitute or form only one body. This one body is joined to Christ who is its head. These two, Christ and His Church, are but one in sight of God – one new man.

So, only those who are the children of the promise are reckoned or counted as Abraham’s seed or offspring and are partakers of the covenant. These are the only people who are counted as seed relevant to the promise of God to Abraham. The Bible states:

“It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned’. In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” (Rom. 9:6-8, NIV)

It was with complete confidence that Apostle Paul counted the early Christians or members of the Church of Christ as children of God. Said he, addressing them, “Now we, brethren, like Isaac are children of promise” (Gal. 4:28, RSV). Certainly, as confirmed by Apostle Paul, the members of the true Church of Christ are counted as children of promise. They are rightly to be called seed of Abraham. As such, they are also granted the exclusive privilege to deify God and to share in the promises He gave to Abraham.

THE CHURCH JESUS CHRIST FOUNDED

In connection with the new one man, Christ undeniably founded a Church during His public ministry. This Church which was an organized body of believers was called the Church of Christ. To Apostle Peter, our Lord Jesus Christ said:

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Mat. 16:18, NIV)

This brings us to the conclusion that the Church which Christ founded is necessary in relation to the covenant God made with Abraham. It is through this particular Church that people could gain access to the promises God gave to Abraham. It is grossly wrong to assert that the Church is not necessary for man to be saved. Such assertion is simply baseless.

Others claim that the Church is the conglomeration of the various churches or group of people who believe in our Lord Jesus Christ though separated from one another and not organized as a body of believers. But, the Bible says otherwise:

“There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:4, Ibid.)

Indeed, the body of Christ or the Church of Christ is an organized unit to whom belongs the disciples of the Lord. This is why it is Christ’s body and is analogous to a literal human body with different parts functioning according to the dictates of the head. The same is true with the Church of Christ. As a single organization, her members share “one hope,…one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.”

In order to be embraced by God’s covenant to Abraham, Christ commands people to enter by him. This people have to observe lest they fail in their objective of serving the true God in the manner acceptable to Him. Christ unequivocally declares in John 10:9, “I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be save,..”(RSV). Whoever refuses to obey this command will surely lose the opportunity to receive God’s blessings attendant to his covenant with Abraham. They will not be saved on the day of Judgment.

On the other hand those who have complied with the command of our lord Jesus Christ to enter by Him, collectively become His body or members of His Church:

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of  it.” (I Col. 12:17, Ibid.)

“He is the head of the body, the church,…” (Col. 1:18, Ibid.)

When the Israelites lost their right to glorify God because of their unfaithfulness to Him, Christ established His Church so that God’s policy of election would inexorably stand.

Thus, the only means by which people could obtain the right to deify God after the era of the prophets or Israel is through the Church of Christ. And those who have come into the Church are the only ones to be saved through the grace of God. The grace of salvation goes with the exclusive privilege to serve God. The Bible says:

“For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” (Eph. 5:23, NIV)

On the other hand, those who refuse to enter the Church of Christ are considered as aliens to the covenant. They are strangers and have no hope and no God in the world:

“Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from the citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12, Ibid.)

THE PROMISED LAND

Which land did Abraham hope for? Was it not the land of Canaan the Israelites were able to occupy? The Holy Scriptures says:

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundation, whose architect and builder is God.

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own.

“Instead, they were longing for a better country – a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Heb. 11:8-10, 13-14,16 Ibid.)

Abraham hoped for the city prepared by God. Since the members of the Church of Christ are embraced by the covenant God made to Abraham, they likewise await the same because they are co-heirs of the city prepared by God.

The Bible also describes this city where God’s people will reside:

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things had passed away.” (Rev. 21:1-4, Ibid.)

But, was the Church of Christ in the first-century able to hold on to that blessed privilege of being God’s chosen people? Did that Church founded by Jesus Christ in Jerusalem remain in God’s grace?

** Note: (The first-century Church of Christ fell into the way of apostasy, the fulfillment of prophecies of Christ and his apostles. See article “Ang Naganap na Pagtalikod ng Unang Iglesia Ni Cristo.”)

AFTER MAKING a careful study and analysis of the events that took place in biblical history, we can decisively conclude that indeed God has made His policy of setting people apart to serve Him stand in the course of time. The biblical record coherently exhibits such pattern. This truth finds significance in those who are embraced by God’s election because this means that they have been chosen by God to be His own and to them have been reserved His promises.

Inasmuch as the Church of Christ in the first century fell in the way of apostasy, people who live in these last days are confronted with the problem of determining which among the churches existing today is the next generation of God’s people and then learn how they could be counted among them.

It must be remembered that Lord Jesus Christ was the one who announced the establishment of His Church (cf. Mat. 16:18). It was also He who commanded the apostles to propagate the word or spread the good news (cf. Mk. 16:15-16). But, He also foretold the apostasy as He foresaw the falling away of the Church from the true faith (cf. Mt. 24:9-11). After the death of the apostles, the Church of Christ was altered from her pure or undefiled form into becoming the apostate church, i.e., the Roman Catholic Church. That ended another generation of people who had once enjoyed the blessed position of being God’s chosen ones.

But, consistent with the policy of God since early time, the re-emergence of the Church was also prophesied by the Lord. This means that God’s election continues and that the turning away of the first-century Church of Christ was not yet the final chapter in the history of the Christian Church.

During His public ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ prophesied:

“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (Jn. 10:16, King James Version) Jesus Christ Himself said that his other sheep (referring to God’s people,) (cf. Ezek. 34:31; Ps. 79:13) “shall be one fold” or one flock. What distinguishes the “other sheep” of Christ from the rest is that they are “not of this fold.” When Jesus Christ said that the other sheep are “not of this fold” and that they would become one fold, he meant that these people were not physically present during His time one earth. And that they would have to come at a time in the future, “shall be one fold.”

What is referred to in the prophecy of Christ by fold or flock when He said that his other sheep “shall be one fold” was explained in the Acts of the Apostles:

“Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, to feed the church of Christ which he has purchased with his blood.” (Acts 20:28, Lamsa)

It is clear that the sheep of Christ are His disciples who are members of the Church He founded. When He spoke of His sheep who are in the flock or fold, He was referring to His followers inside the true Church. But, when He particularly mentioned His “other sheep…which are not of this fold,” He meant not those physically present in the Church of Christ of the first century. He said that they were “not of this fold.” They were not to be counted as members of the Church of Christ then. They would be the sheep of Christ in a different period of time. They would be brought to exist or become one fold or Church of Christ at some future place and time. This means that even though the Church which was founded in the first century fell in the way of apostasy, the Church would again be seen to exist on earth at the appointed time and place. It would reemerge sometime in the future. But would this not make two churches established by Lord Jesus Christ? Definitely no!

The Church as one organization was founded in the first century but her members at that time did not make up the entire flock or Church. Her membership would also include those prophesied to come into existence in the future. The future members together with the first-century Christians, therefore, would complement the whole organization of the Church founded by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Even the apostles who were aware of the impending apostasy after their demise knew that the true Church would once more come into existence. They also knew that there would be other Christians who did not belong to the first-century Church – that they were not of the fold mentioned by the Lord Jesus Christ.

In Acts 2:39, Apostle Peter testified regarding the members of the Church who were promised to receive the Holy Spirit in the following words:

“The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (NIV)

This particular passage refers to the totality of the Church of Christ or her entire membership which was promised to receive the Holy Spirit. Apostle Peter mentioned here three groups of people. He declared that the promise is “for you,” “your children,” and “for all who are far off,” (This third group of people were yet to be called into the Church at the time this passage was recorded).

The other sheep mentioned by our Lord Jesus Christ were the same people referred to by the apostles as “all who are far off.” They were not in the first-century Church of Christ because they were yet to be set apart or called into the faith. They would be chosen by God at a future time and place.

The Acts of the Apostles as translated by C. H. Rieu points out the same with the rendering, “and to all those in distant times and places.”

On the other hand, those who were already in the Church of Christ during the first century were the Jews and the Gentiles:

“…even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles?” (Rom. 9:24, NIV)

Converts from among the Jews as well as those from among the Gentiles became the early members of the Church of Christ (cf. Col. 3:15; 1:18; Rom. 16:16). The Jews and Gentiles who became the members of the early Church were the ones referred to by Apostle Peter as “you and your children” in Acts 2:39. When Peter said, “the promise is for you,” he was referring to the house of Israel of the Christian Jews of the first century (Acts 2:36), and when he said, “and your children,” he was referring to the Gentiles or non-Jewish converts who were considered as children of the Jews according to the preaching of the gospel by Apostle Paul (cf. I Cor. 4:14-15; Eph.3:6).

THE APPOINTED PLACE AND TIME

We have seen earlier that those yet to be called into the Church, as introduced by Apostle Peter, are from “far off.” Where is this place called “far off”? A corresponding prophecy recorded in Isaiah tells us exactly where this “far off” place is, where the Church of Christ would once more surface or emerge:

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.

“I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘do not hold them back’. Bring my sons from after and my daughters from the ends of the earth.” (Is. 43:5-6, NIV)

Dr. James Moffatt, in his translation of the Bible renders Isaiah 43:5 as follows:

“From the far east will I bring your offspring, and from the far west I will gather you.”

Justifiably, Dr. Moffatt specified the east in Isaiah 43:5 as the “far east” because the Hebrew term used for east in the said verse is mizrach and not kedem. The difference between the Hebrew term kedem and mizrach is clarified in Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, as follows:

EAST. The Hebrew term descriptive of the east differ in idea, and, to a certain extent, in application; (1) kedem properly means that which is before or in front of a person, and was applied to the east from the custom of turning in that direction when describing the points of the compass, before, behind, the right, and the left, representing respectively E.,W.,S.,and N (Job xxiii. 8,9); mizrach means the place of the sun’s rising, and strictly answers to the Greek anatolh and the Latin oriens; sometimes the full expression is used (Judg. Xi. 18; Is. Xli. 25), and sometime kedem and mizrach are used together (e.g. Ex. Xxvii. 13; Josh. Xix. 12), which is after all not so tautologous as it appears to be in our translation ‘on the east side eastward’. Bearing in mind this etymological distinction, it is natural that kedem should be used when the four quarters of the world are described (as in Gen. Xiii.14, xxviii. 14; Job xxiii. 8,9; Ez. Xlvii. 18 ff.), and mizrach when the east is only distinguished from the west (Josh. Xi. 3; Ps. 1.1, ciii.12, cxiii. 3; Zech. Viii. 7), or from some other one quarter (Dan. Viii.9xi.44; Am. Viii.12), exceptions to this usage occur in Ps. Cvii. 3, and Is. Xliii. 5, each however, admitting of explanation. Again, kedem is used in a strictly geographical sense to describe a spot or country immediately before another in an easterly direction; hence it occurs in such passages as Gen. Ii. 8, iii. 24, xi. 2, xiii. 11, xxv. 6; and hence the subsequent application of the term, as a proper name (Gen. xxv. 6, eastward, unto the land of Kedem), to the lands lying immediately eastward of Palestine, namely Arabia, Mesopotamia, and Babylonia [BENEKEDEM]; on the other hand mizrach is used of the far east with a less definite signification (Is. xli. 2, 25, xliii. 5, xlvi. 11)” [vol. I p.637] (underscoring supplied).

Clearly, therefore, the appointed place where the sons and daughters of God will emerge is definitely the Far East. We believe this to be the Philippines which happens to lie in the Far East.

“The Philippines were Spain’s share of the first colonizing movement in the Far East…” (World History, vol. I, p. 445)

Concerning the geographical location of the Philippines, Horacio dela Costa, S.J., in his book, Asia and the Philippines wrote:

“It cannot be without significance that the country which stands almost at the geographical center of the Far East, the Philippines, should also be that in which Christianity has taken the deepest root…” (p. 169)

Regarding the time, the prophetic calendar also states when the emergence of God’s children in the Far East would take place. In Isaiah 43:6, the prophecy mentions the time as the “ends of the earth.’ “Ends of the earth” does not refer to the “end of the earth.” The “end of the earth” is the end of the world (cf. Mt. 24:3), whereas the “ends of the earth” refers to the time when the end of the world is near (cf. Mt. 24:33).

How could it be known that the prophetic period “ends of the earth” has begun? The Lord Jesus Christ said, “when you shall see all these things, you know that it is near” (cf. Mt. 24:33,NIV). But what particular event marks the beginning of this period? The Lord Jesus explained:

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

“Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

“All these are the beginning of birth pains.” (Mt. 24:6-8, NIV)

The period “ends of the earth” will begin with a war. According to another prophetic description, relative to the topic in question, Isaiah describes this war as one involving armies of nations of the world in which the mountains shall be soaked with the blood of the slain (cf. Is. 34:1-3). Indeed, history bears record of such a war, the first war of global proportions. This was the war that broke out in the year 1914 which the annals of history recorded as the First World War. Therefore, the prophetic time “ends of the earth” translates to 1914 in our civil calendar. It is at this appointed time that the emergence of God’s sons and daughters would take place in the Philippines.

In fulfillment of the prophecy, the Church of Christ  or Iglesia Ni Cristo was registered with the American colonial government in the Philippines on July 27, 1914, concurrent with the outbreak of the First World War.

THE OTHER SHEEP WILL BE ONE FOLD

It is practically acceptable to many that Christ established His Church in the first century. After all, He was physically present to establish His Church at that time. What many find hard to believe is that Christ founded His Church in the Philippines in 1914, at a time when he had already ascended to heaven. But, the prophecy of Christ recorded in John 10:16 states:

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.” (NIV)

The Lord Jesus Christ need not descend to earth and personally preach the gospel again because He Himself declared the following to His messengers even in the first century:

“‘He who listen to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me’.” (Mt. 7:24, Ibid.)

The voice of the Lord Jesus Christ which His other sheep would listen to refers to His teachings. Those who listened to His teachings and fulfilled them are likened to wise men who built their house upon the rock. That rock is Christ (cf. Acts 4:10, 12) and the house built upon the rock is the Church (cf. Mt. 16:18). Therefore, those who listened to the teachings of Christ became His followers, His disciples, or His sheep. They make up the Church of Christ.

What is needed therefore in order that the other sheep form the Far East would become one fold is a God-sent messenger who will preach the gospel of Christ. Was there such as messenger commissioned by God to preach the gospel in the Philippines in 1914?

THE MESSENGER IN THESE LAST DAYS

The prophet Isaiah prophesied the emergence of the Church of Christ in the last days and he also prophesied the commissioning of God’s messenger at the prophetic time “ends of the earth.”

“I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant”; I have chosen you and have not rejected you.

“So. Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Is. 41: 9-10 Ibid.)

One uniqueness of this chosen servant called by God from the “ends of the earth” is that God will uphold him with the right hand of His righteousness. God’s righteousness is the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation. (cf. Rom. 1:16-17)

Where this messenger would come from and what his mission would be were explained in a related prophecy, also from the prophet Isaiah:

“From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.

“Listen to me, stubborn-hearted, you who are far from righteousness.

“I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendor to Israel.” (Is. 46:11-13, Ibid.)

This man who would come from a far country in the east (mizrach) or the Far East would be instrumental in bringing God’s righteousness to the people. Through his preaching of the gospel, the other sheep from the Far East would become one fold, thus the reemergence of the Church of Christ. The fulfillment of this chosen servant is none other than Brother Felix Y. Manalo who preached the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) in these last days.

THE INSTRUCTION OF CHRIST

How then could people in these last days benefit from this work which God established for man’s salvation? What does the Lord Jesus Christ instruct people to do in order to be counted among His other sheep?

“Therefore Jesus said again, ‘I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved’.” (Jn. 10:7, 9, Ibid.)

The instruction is clear: enter through Christ, the door of the sheep. Where can we find those who have entered through Christ?

The Revised English Bible renders John 10:9 in the following manner:

“I am the door; anyone who comes into the fold through me will be safe.”

Clearly, one must come “into the fold” or join the Church of Christ to be heir to God’s inheritance and be saved from eternal punishment. One who has entered through Christ finds himself in the fold or inside the Church of Christ. Even Protestant and Catholics authorities concur with this truth:

“…Christ is the Door of the sheep: (v.9) By me (….through me, as the door) if any man enter into the sheepfold as one of the flock, he shall be saved;…” [Matthew Henry’s commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. III p. 595-596]

The Jesuit priest, John A. Hardon points out the reference of “fold” or “flock” in his book, The Catholic Cathecism:

“The Church of Christ is also a sheep fold, whose unique and indispensable entrance is the Savior. In more simple terms, the Church is the flock,….” [p. 209]

Therefore, The Church of Christ which reemerged in the Philippines in 1914 was elected or chosen by God to be His own in accordance with the policy that He had set forth from the beginning. This Church is the last generation of people set apart to serve the Almighty God until the appointed day of Judgment.

Fortunate are those who have embraced this work which God established in these last days through the preaching function of His messenger, Brorther Felix Y. Manalo. Blessed are they inasmuch as their salvation rests on solid grounds. As the sheep of Christ’s fold in these last days, they have the assurance of His promise:

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”(Jn. 10:27-28, NIV).