Before Determined

"What He determined to do was to save us all, and He did that through Jesus Christ, not for a generic worldwide mass of humanity but for each individual by name."

WHEN THE heart of God, His desires for us, His nature in us, is no longer part of our thoughts and choices, then we fail to be the image of Christ that we were created to be. We no longer look like Him nor sound like Him but like the unsaved, carnal world around us. Hatred spun from strife and rumor and criticism, even from facts, is not like Him. He is love in a capacity far beyond our ability to grasp it. Most don’t try to grasp it.

There is a passage from Romans 8 that throws this picture wide before us. The SLT of verses 29-30 says, “For whom he before knew, he also before determined of the form and image of his Son, for him to be first born in many brethren. And whom he before determined, these he also called: and whom he called, these he also justified: and whom he justified, these he also glorified.”

Notice the words “before determined.” God KNEW BEFORE and DETERMINED BEFORE, to make it more understandable, the entire human race. This is not His planning to save some and not others. That is human reasoning and error. It is, instead, that He knew all our lives, when we would be born and to whom, and who would hear Him and who would not. Not as a choice on His part, but on ours. What He determined to do was to save us all, and He did that through Jesus Christ, not for a generic worldwide mass of humanity but for each individual by name.

We cannot fathom this, but God is very specific. See the details of what He’s created. Look at the design of molecules and diatoms. They have proven crimes based on miniscule creatures that live in bodies of water. Under the microscope what swims there is incredibly specific, not just in environment but in life. What is unseen by the human eye on a day-to-day level comes down to the finest elements that God created to work BANG together. His life fuels all beings. A-L-L. Even what makes the cruel, violent, and devilish speak came originally from Him, though He has reduced them to nothing but lying voices.

The human body is formed from part of Mom and part of Dad that fuses together and becomes an entirely new being. How beautifully specific this is. Minister Jesse Duplantis in his visit to heaven, a number of years ago, saw the souls of children floating around the Father, waiting to be born on the earth. Some have pooh-poohed this idea out of human thinking. Once more, not asking the Spirit for interpretation and revelation. And this is essential to us. We must stop “figuring things out” on our own and walk with Him 24-7. We must lay down our methods of discernment and understanding and hear Him speak.

In short, we must know Him, and any in or out of the church who resort to strife and hatred to make their point, destroying other men’s lives, guilty or not-guilty of anything, do not know Him at all. He sent Jesus to earth to forgive not to judge. Jesus is the Judge; these are His words. And what kind of judgment do you honestly think He gives? Mercy is God’s only method of measurement. He’s not looking for education. The apostle Paul was educated and murdering people. He’s not looking for appearances. Jesus said to the religious scholars that though they dressed well and preened for looks on the streets, that was all the attention they would ever get (Matthew 6:5). On this earth, men would see them, but in heaven they would find no place.

“I never knew you,” He will say (Matthew 7:22-23).

Owning a Bible does our heart no good if we don’t take it to heart as the overflowing love of a gentle Creator who went to the extreme to save each one of us, BY NAME, by becoming one of us and dying like us.

“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” (Matthew 6:5)

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matthew 7:22-23)

“But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (James 3:14-16)


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com