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Sure of Our Calling and Election

There is a reason why our God tells us in Scripture that His name is Jehovah. For a truth to which we must hold on to tightly is that He is unchangeable. Never may we say that He was or will be different from what He is now. He Himself says in Malachi 3:6 , "I am the Lord, I change not." In fact, the Hebrew word translated here as "Lord" actually is "Jehovah," which means "I Am." Thus here He says, "I am the I Am."

When then we read in II Peter 1:10 that we must "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fail," we take the position that Peter is speaking here of what we have and desire, not what God will do and desires. We can become doubtful about our salvation and calling as well as our election. We must make sure in our hearts that God called us and elected us eternally and unchangeably. We must give diligence for the confirmation of this in our minds.

We must strive to obtain assurance, by a holy walk of life, that we are God's children who will receive everlasting blessedness. For in verses 4-9 he tells us that if we lack faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity, we are blind, cannot see afar off, and have forgotten that God purged us of our sins through His Son and His cross. We do not make our calling and election sure in God's mind. It is sure in Him Who is the I Am and changes not.

Very urgent therefore is our calling here to strive to grow in faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity. For as we do that we become sure in our minds that God called us to be His children, and did so because He eternally elected us to be such. The important question here is whether our walk of life gives us this assurance that God called us and elected us to be His covenant people. Take hold then of this word to give diligence to become stronger in your faith that you are a child of God.

Read: II Peter 1

Meditations on the Heidelberg Catechism

Through the Bible in One Year
Read today:
Daniel 1 ; Daniel 2:1-23 
1 Peter 3:8-22 ;   1 Peter 4:1-6 
Psalm 119:65-80 
Proverbs 28:14 
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Quote for Reflection:

"We should not think of our fellowship with other Christians as a spiritual luxury, an optional addition to the exercises of private devotion.  We should recognize rather that such fellowship is a spiritual necessity; for God has made us in such a way that our fellowship with Himself is fed by our fellowship with fellow-Christians, and requires to be fed constantly for its own deepening and enrichment."     —J. I. Packer

Last modified on 24 November 2018

Additional Info

  • Date: 25-November