“Now you are the BODY OF CHRIST, and members individually.” -1Cor 12:27

The BODY OF CHRIST is a description that is often used to identify His corporate Church. This includes all spiritually regenerated, elect believers, who are in Christ by faith. Each one is born-again spiritually and baptized by the Holy Spirit into the spiritual BODY OF CHRIST. -Rom 12:5; Eph 4:4-6, 11-13.

For as many is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, ARE ONE BODY, SO ALSO IS CHRIST. For by one Spirit we were all BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY–whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free–and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. -1 Cor 12:12-13

All Christians in the New Covenant spiritual kingdom have been baptized into Christ. There is no longer any division between Jewish believers and Gentile believers. All believers are one in Christ Jesus. Believing Jews and Gentiles are fellow heirs of the promises to Abraham and are true spiritual Jews in Christ. -Gal 3:27-28; Eph 3:6

BOOK OF LIFE

“But there shall by no means enter it (New Jerusalem) anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s BOOK OF LIFE”. – Rev 21:27

“And anyone not found written in the BOOK OF LIFE was cast into the lake of fire.” -Rev 20:15

The BOOK OF LIFE, which God opened for the final judgement that occurred in 70AD, proves without a shadow of a doubt that all of God’s elect are believers in Christ. It shows for all future generations in the New Covenant gospel kingdom that their salvation is secure in Christ. All born-again elect believers, and only born-again elect believers, have their names written in the BOOK OF LIFE.

[Note: Those first century translations saints, between Christ’s first coming in 22-30AD and His second coming Parousia in 66-70AD, were still required to go through the tribulation just before the Parousia. They were required to overcome the extreme persecutions that they encountered from the unbelieving Jews and Romans. The faithful were all found to be righteous in Christ and have eternal life with Him forever. They passed out of judgement into life. – John 5:24]

The Book of Revelation was transmitted verbally to the saints as it was read in the churches. No one, who read it out loud to the saints, was allowed to add to or take away from the words of that prophecy. Any of those who would fall away from the faith would discover that their names were not in the BOOK OF LIFE. This situation only applied to the first century people. It is not applicable to us today in the fully established New Covenant kingdom. – Rev 3:5; Rev 22:19

From all eternity before the foundations of the world, God chose, elected and predestined those who would be saved. His decree was determined by the secret counsel and good pleasure of the triune Godhead. It is for His eternal, immutable, and righteous purpose. It is a demonstration of His glory. It is out of His free grace and love that He predestined His chosen one’s eternal life in Christ, although there is nothing in them to cause Him to choose them. -Isa 46:8-9; Dan 4:35; John 6:64; 10:26-29; 17:2,9; Acts 13:48; 15:18; Rom 8:30; 9:10-13; 15-16; Eph 1:11; 1 Thess 5:9; 2 Thess 2:13-14; 2 Tim 1:9; 2:9

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavely places in Christ, just as HE CHOSE US in Him BEFORE the foundation of the world, that we sholuld be holy and without blame before Him in love, having PREDESTINED US to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the GOOD PLEASURE OF HIS WILL. -Eph 1:3-5

“For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Jesus Christ for good works, which God PREPARED BEFOREHAND that we should walk in them”.- Eph 2:10

Because God is God, He is sovereign and Almighty. Yet even so, He is not the author of sin, nor does He share any responsibility for the sin of sinners. Man is created so that he acts according to his strongest desires. Man, sins because he desires to sin. It is only when God changes a person’s heart through spiritual regeneration that he or she can have faith to believe in Christ. – John 1:12-13; 3:3-5; Eph 2:8-9

The will of creatures is not set aside because God had decreed all that should happen in time. This is a difficult concept for man to grasp. But suffice it to say that God is God; and man is man. God is righteous and Holy. Man is a sinner, always acting accordingly, in varying degrees. Praise, glory, and honor to God for the salvation that we have in Christ by grace. Without God choosing His elect, no one would be saved..

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by HIS OWN DESIRES and enticed. Then, when DESIRE HAS CONCIEVED, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death”. -James 1:13-15

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*When I read the word ‘predestined’, I realize that God knows the end from the beginning; therefore, He knows our every thought we will have and every decision we will ever make before we even existed. He ultimately knows who will believe in HIM before the foundations of the world was created. He knows all HIs creation intimately.

“For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
 My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.- Psa 139:13-18

We receive Christ by believing in and on Christ for our salvation and we MUST rest in the first commandment which Is LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND! – Matt 22:36

All my perfectly woven LOVE, ❤ Diana XO 🙂

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