Ephesians 1:13 (KJV 1900) — 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
It would be wise to stay with the context here and include verse 12 with 13.
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Paul here
refers to himself and the other apostles and Jews who first believed on Jesus Christ, before the Gentiles trusted.
Paul was part of those chosen by God
for the praise of His glory,
proven by faith in Christ. Please note: If trusting Christ were something Paul
chose to do, the praise would not be to God’s glory! It is
only by the electing purpose of God that any depraved men would believe or trust God.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Having identified himself and Jews as first believers, he
now includes the Gentile Ephesians.
Please note: The word of truth
is not the means of obtaining the things listed, but of learning about them.
The gospel of your salvation is the good news of your salvation through the revelation of God’s mystery kept secret from the foundation of the world (
Rom 1:16;
I Cor 1:18,
24).
If these Ephesians or anyone else believes the gospel,
it proves predestination (
Acts 13:48).
A king could seal any thing with his signet, marking it as His own, much as a notary does today in sealing a signed document or a governmental unit does by its seal.
After believing, we were given
the seal and proof of our sonship, the Holy Spirit of promise, which gives internal and external evidence (
Romans 8:14-16;
Ephesians 4:30; 2nd
Corinthians 1:22;
5:5).
This is now the second time I have addressed this one scripture for you, no more. You can keep posting it all you desire to do, but it will be to no avail, per the scriptures:
Titus 3:10
“A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition
reject;”
Another assumption. You assume this speaks of salvation as opposed to service and the selection of a peoples who would serve as God messengers and from whom the Christ would come
Again, this has been addressed a few time. more than it should have been~but once more.
Context, Tom, context!
Romans 9:6-10~"Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth
"
Paul is addressing who
are and are not children of God
~not one word about service in these scriptures, that is
force into them by wicked men who hate the truth that salvation from sin and condemnation is totally by God's elections of pure grace according to the good pleasure of his will.
In the preceding verse the Apostle had shown that there was a difference among Israelites; now he refers to a difference in the seed of Abraham. The error of the Jews was, that they thought they were the children of God by being the children of Abraham. But in this, as the Apostle declares, they were in error. The promise to Abraham and his seed was not made to him and all his descendants in general, but to him and a particular seed. As the children of Abraham, they were all, indeed, in one sense the children of God. God says to Pharaoh with respect to them, ‘Let my son go.’ But the natural sonship was only a figure of the spiritual sonship of all believers of every nation. None but such are the spiritual seed of Abraham, whether among Jews or Gentiles.
For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sarah shall have a son.The birth of Isaac was
by promise, and without a miracle it
would never have taken place. But the birth of Ishmael was not by promise, but in the ordinary course of nature. Thus the children of God specially promised to Abraham were those who, according to the election of God (who had chosen Isaac in preference to Ishmael), were to come into a spiritual relation with Christ, who is emphatically the promised seed in the line of Isaac, Galatians 3:16. To them the spiritual blessings were restricted, while only the temporal advantages of the national covenant belonged to the whole of Israel.
The new birth of a elect sinner is by God's oath and promises of grace to the seed of Jesus Christ based upon what he did for them in the body of his flesh. There is absoultely nothing in these verses, or Galatians 4, which goes perfectly with Romans 9: 6-10 concerning service~any honest person seeking truth, truly knows this, only men whose hearts is bent to corrupt scriptures would fight against what is clearly written. Even the next few scriptures in Romans 9 would even prove it even more so, that it is speaking of mercy being shown toward whosoever God wills to show mercy. Some God hardens them by leaving them in their natural state without mercy being show toward them, others mercy is freely given to them to cause them to submit to him, not perfectly but overall considered. Enough said on thsi point.
Not of works but of faith
John 3:14–16 (KJV 1900) — 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:36 (KJV 1900) — 36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 5:24–25 (KJV 1900) — 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
John 20:31 (KJV 1900) — 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
I have addressed these more than once, but will do so one more time, after I return, or the first thing in the morning.
pick verses to form their doctrines.
