For the purpose of this charge to the church, I want to use Philemon as the prime example of the church. I want to challenge you to feel about your church the way Paul felt about Philemon. I want to challenge you to be the kind of Christian Philemon proved to be.
The greatest thing about God is Who He is. The next greatest thing about God is what He has done. He has made “judgements” concerning sin and salvation. He has decreed “ways” to bring His people to salvation. No one else could do it.
Adam and Noah notwithstanding, God made His first major covenant of salvation with a cat named Abram. By grace, God called Abraham, in faith Abram followed God, and the original recipient of the Old Covenant became Father Abraham.
What the world throws away, God values highly (ref. 1 Corinthians 1:28). This is especially true when it comes to people, God’s people.
“The end justifies the means” is a Machiavellian expression that condones wrong-doing in an effort to make things right. Can Christians live by this motto, that a desired end justifies any and every means?
From a Christian perspective, there is no love greater than God’s love, and God proved it in the person and work of Jesus Christ (ref. John 3:16). Such love is received by grace through faith.
According to Paul in Romans 9, there is a great difference between God’s people and those who are not. One group is chosen, redeemed, and saved. The others are passed over, punished for their sin, and lost. What makes the difference?
Election, creation, fall, redemption, and consummation is God’s grand design. The Apostle Paul explains a great deal of it in Romans 9, 10, and 11.
Romans 9, 10, and 11 are extensibly about election, evangelism, and exaltation. “God’s purpose of election” (ref. 9:11) does not negate our responsibility to call on God for salvation (ref. 10:13) once we have been properly evangelized (ref. 10:14-17).
Our text at hand deals expressly with “God’s purpose in election” (vs. 11). It fits within a larger framework (Romans 9-11) that deals with election, evangelism, and exaltation.
