A CHOSEN PEOPLE

For some 1500 years the Hebrew people were God’s chosen nation (Deuteronomy 7:6). They were chosen for a purpose, i.e., that through them God might bring his Son into the world for the salvation thereof (Genesis 12:3). Though their father Abraham was chosen because of his unswerving faith in God (James 2:23), his descendants did not prove themselves nobler or more righteous than other societies of people. True, there was always a righteous remnant among them (Romans 9:27), but time and again, the majority proved themselves unworthy of being God's chosen people. When at last Messiah came and they rejected him and the salvation he offered them, they forfeited their status as the chosen of God (Acts 13:46). Paul explains this in great detail in Romans 11. God did not cast off the people that he foreknew, i.e., the righteous remnant, but he did reject and cut off the nation, political Israel and all of its citizens who refused His Son (Romans 11:2-5; 20).

Today, it is Christians, of whatever race and nation that are the chosen people of God. Jesus speaks of his disciples as the elect "whom he chose" (Mark 13:20). Christ said, "I chose you out of the world" (John 15:13). Paul writes "God chose you from the beginning unto salvation... Whereunto he called you through our gospel..." (II Thessalonians 2:13-14). We were chosen "in him" i.e., in Christ "before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4). Peter says that Christians are "chosen by God and precious" (I Peter 2:4). We are "a chosen generation, a holy nation, His own special people" (I Peter 2:9 NKJV).

Christians are Abraham's seed. Thus Paul writes, "And if ye are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise" (Galatians 3:29).

The apostle addressed the question of who were the true children of Abraham in his letter to the Romans. "For they are not all Israel, that are of Israel (i.e. the nation). Neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children: but, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, it is not the children of the flesh that are children of God; but the children of the promise are reckoned for a seed." (Romans 9:6b-8).

The Hebrew nation was Abraham's fleshly offspring, just as were Ishmael and the sons of Keturah (I Chronicles 1:32). But we Christians are the spiritual children of Abraham, the children of promises, as was Isaac. It is our obedient faith in God that makes us his children. Thus he reasons that although both Ishmael and Isaac were sons of Abraham, it was Isaac that was chosen, and of Isaac's twin sons, Jacob was chosen over Esau.

The righteous ones of the Hebrews God called the remnant (Romans 9:28). When Jesus came, those who believed on him and sought salvation by trusting Him as God's appointed Savior, found acceptance. Those who sought to please God by pursuing the works of the Law of Moses found themselves rejected (Romans 10:9-17). "Because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Galatians 2:16).

In his analogy of the good olive tree, Paul describes the root and trunk as God's covenant people through the ages. The Hebrews had the privilege of being a natural part of that tree but because of their unbelief they were broken off and rejected. Gentiles who chose to believe in Christ were likened to the branches of a wild olive tree that were carefully grafted into the good tree so that they might bear fruit and be acceptable to God in Christ. He hastens to add that any Jew who came to believe could also be grafted back into Christ (Romans 11:16-24).

Being God's chosen is not just a privilege of which to be proud, it demands that we do our best to live up to God's expectations of us. He expected the Hebrews to believe in and accept Jesus as their Savior.

He expects his chosen people to be obedient to him today (Hebrews 5:8-9). Those who make the same mistake, as did the Jews will suffer the same fate they did.