God's Elect or World's Elite? XXXV

"For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation" 

(Psa. 132: 13)

In this chapter we will continue our look at how the believer is the truly "noble," the "high born," or "noblemen," though they are not so in "this present evil age." The "noble" of this world, says the apostle, are rarely "called" of the Lord, do not occupy high status with the Lord. The noble of this world have a high status in this world, being the unbelieving world's "elect," its elite. But, those who are noble through a new birth of the Spirit are God's elect, though not man's choice. This nobility in spiritual birth we saw involved being "born of God," the Father, and being "born of woman," of Zion, of Jerusalem "the mother" of all believers, of the church via her evangelism. This is the believer's nobility, his being spiritually "well born."

The "children of God" or "children of Zion" are "chosen" by God and make up a chosen race, and in them the human race is preserved. 

God's Chosen Generation

"But you are a elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that you may show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (I Peter 2: 9).

"Race" ("generation" KJV) is from the Greek "genos" and "nation" is from "ethnos," and "people" is from "laos." "Genos" denotes that people who have a common father, family, and ancestry, people who are kin. "Ethnos" denotes ethnic peoples with their own political entities or communities. Thus, all believers together, of whatever time and place they were born and lived, are of one race, of one family. They are a special "generation" because they have been born into that clan of people through the birth of the Spirit.

Notice also the word "royal" as connected with this "elect race." Again, by the new birth believers are born of royalty, being sons and daughters of the Lord, the King of kings. The people of this kindred family are related to each other, each having the same father and mother. They are "the generation of your (God's) children" (Psa. 73: 15), those begotten of his Spirit and through his word. "God is in the generation of the righteous," said the Psalmist. (Psa. 14: 5) He also spoke of this generation as being "the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah." (Psa. 24: 5-6) They are the "generation" of the Lord but not by natural generation of the flesh, but by a "regeneration." 

This new generation of the Spirit is the new birth, a second generation. The first birth or generation is of "corruptible seed," or "after the flesh," but the second generation is "of the Spirit" and "through the living and abiding word of God." (I Peter 1: 23-25) Those who are generated only once (in physical birth) die twice, experiencing the "second death" when they are forever consigned to the Lake of Fire (Gehenna). However, they who are twice born experience death only once. (See Rev. 2: 11; 20: 6,8,14) 

By natural birth men are "children of wrath" (Eph. 2: 3), a morally corrupt and depraved seed, an "evil generation" (which Jesus often mentioned). By natural generation a man is born morally "degenerate." The sinner's generation is a being born children of wrath and is a "degeneration" morally and spiritually. On the other hand, by spiritual birth men are "children of God" and "children of light" and "children of the day" (I Thess. 5: 5), as well as "children of Zion" as we have seen. Those born only once, of the flesh, are children of the night, children of darkness, and children of the Devil. (See John 8: 44) They are "a wicked and adulterous generation," (Matt. 16: 4) an unholy people. To be born into Adam's family is to be "born in sin" (Psa. 51: 5) and eternally lost. To be born into "the second Adam's" family is to be born in holiness and righteousness and eternally saved.

Notice also how the "chosen generation" (or race) are a "special people," are unique in their status and positions, being priests and kings, a "kingdom of priests," people who are "set apart" and distinguished, people who are holy. (See Rev. 1: 6; 5: 10) Moses addressed Israel of old in these words:

“For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; “but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." (Deut. 7: 6-8)

Here the gracious sovereign choice of God for Israel to be his special people, a "special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth," an "elect" people, is stated and affirmed. It is unmerited. There was nothing in the people that merited this choice and favor. He emphatically says "the LORD did not set his love on you nor choose you because you were..." Believers are the ones to whom the above words properly apply and not to those who are mere physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. John the apostle says to believers "we love him because he first loved us." (I John 4: 19) Paul often reminded believers that they have been "saved by grace" (Eph. 2: 5) and "through God's mercy" (Titus 3: 5). 

As in the above passage, so too do the new testament writers tell us both how sinners are saved and how they are not saved. Both are necessary. Sinners must be told how they are saved, how to be saved. But they also must be told how they are not saved for the obvious reason that all men have erroneous ideas about salvation by their carnal beliefs. Thus we see many texts which say that sinners are NOT saved by "works," by "the law" or by "keeping the law," nor by "works of righteousness" done by human free will and effort apart from God, not by following natural understanding, etc. 

In the new testament Paul says that believers were "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy," to be that "holy people" described by Moses. (Eph. 1: 3-4) 

Royal Family Heritage

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." (Eph. 3: 14-15)

The Greek word for "family" is "patria." It denotes a person's kin, his lineage and ancestry, his genealogy. It not only denotes a physical connection but a sameness of character and traits by which that family is known and recognized. There is in the definition of "family" both the idea of "immediate family" and that of the "extended family." Thus, in the case of Israel, there was the extended family of the entire Jewish people, the family of Israel. But, within that extended family there were the twelve "tribes," and they were thus twelve families. Then, there were the smaller families within these twelve, and smaller families within them, down to the smallest family of a man and his wife and children. 

Being "in the family" generally involves being born with privileges of family, with inherited rights, property, riches, titles, etc. God's people have a family "heritage," an inheritance, an estate. Those who receive Christ, as we have previously observed, are given right, title, and privileges in becoming the children of God, in being "born of God." (John 1: 12-13) Contemplating this lofty status of believers, the apostle John warmly exhorted believers to "see what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." and we may well add an exclamation mark and have him say "look at the kind of love the Father has given to us!" And, "look at our designation, how we are called the children of God!" There is no higher contemplation for any human being. He then says that this status and title is "the reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is." (I John 3: 1-2)

Another word for "family" is "house" as in "the house of Israel" (Acts 2: 36; 7: 42; etc.) "House" is from the Greek word "oikos" first meaning house or dwelling, and then secondly those who inhabit the dwelling, i.e. the family or "household." In describing the family of believers, those born of God, Paul styles them "those who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6: 10) And, writing to Hebrews he says: "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." (Heb. 3: 6) And he says elsewhere: "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." (Eph. 2: 19) Jesus said:

"It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?" (Matt. 10: 25)

Here Jesus identifies his disciples, believers, with "them of his household," he being the "master of the house." Believers are of the "house of Christ" as Joseph, his earthly father, was "of the house of David." In fact the anti-typical "house of David" is the "house of Christ," for he is the super or anti-typical David. God promised to build David a "house," that is, a family dynasty. Wrote Isaiah:

"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." (Isa. 9: 6-7)

"The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; So he shall open, and no one shall shut; And he shall shut, and no one shall open." (Isa. 22: 22; See also Rev. 3: 7)

Jeremiah also agrees, saying:

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth." (Jer. 23: 5)

Amos also speaks of Christ as being the true David who, by his resurrection and glorification, will restore the dynasty of David. He wrote:

“On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, And repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old; That they may possess the remnant of Edom, And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,” Says the LORD who does this thing." (Amos 9: 11-12)

By the believer's union with Christ they are ordained to rule with Christ, David's Lord, and the anti-typical David, and are accounted as being of David's house and dynasty. 

Family Dynasty

In some translations the word "dynasty" is given for the word normally translated as "house," and so the "house of David" means the "dynasty of David" and "the house of Christ" means "the dynasty of Christ." "Dynasty" is defined by the dictionaries as "a line of hereditary rulers of a country" or "a succession of people from the same family who play a prominent role in business, politics, or another field" as in "the Ford dynasty." It may also denote "a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time" or "born into a powerful political dynasty a baseball dynasty." 

What a dynasty is the "house of God" and "the house of David"! The "house of Israel" after the spirit! To them belong the "inheritance" appropriate for those who are "children of God." It is an inheritance involving land and territory, yea, the new heavens and new earth, a "better" and "heavenly country" (Heb. 11: 16). They will then be earth's new "gentry," a "landed gentry," holy aristocrats and rulers. "Gentry" is from the old French word "genterie," from gentil, meaning "high-born, noble, well-born," and also carries the connotation of being "genteel and well-bred people," that is, "of high social class," the very thing Paul discusses in his Corinthian epistles, as we have seen. 

But, the "inheritance" of the family of God does not involve only land, but other possessions, and rights and privileges, some of which we have previously observed. Believers are of the highest social class, but this, as the apostle John said "does not yet appear" to be so, for now, "in this present age," they appear to be mostly of the weak, the despised, the unimportant, the low class, the uneducated, the commoners, etc. 

The adjective "patrician" ("of or like a person of high social rank") may also therefore be applied to the children of God and in the "age to come" this will become apparent. 

Was Jesus high born, of noble birth? Yes, and no. As the divine Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, he is truly high born in a sense as is no other. As far as his being the "son of God" in his humanity, as Adam was called, he also in some respects was high born and in other respects he was low born. He was of the seed of Abraham and David, a royal seed. But, he was born in a stable, to poor parents, and in this respect he was low born, and in this he identified with his people who are mostly of the low born ('not many high born are called'). 

Jesus has the noblest of birth and family heritage, both as respects his humanity and divinity. He is the true "nobleman." All believers, all united to him, all born of God, are true noblemen through and in him. The other Greek word for "nobleman" is "basilikos" and denotes royalty. This is also applicable to the children of God for they "shall reign of the earth" as we have previously observed. He was humbly born that we might be royally born. Praise be to his name!