Mike Eddy (member of Gospel of Grace Church)
God's great salvation of grace is freely given to those He loved with an everlasting love that is before time and creation of this world (2Tim.1:9). Christ Jesus is called the lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8). God purposed before creation to send forth His Son to save a people given by the Father to the Son to deliver them and them only. God set His love upon them, that is His love is only in Christ. That love was (and is) in Christ where all the church dwells (they are the remnant, elect, children of God, the sheep, spiritual Israel which are all synonymous)- Look at Romans 8:39 "...nor height nor depth, nor any created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. " Who are the us that can't be separated from the love of God? Look back up to verse 28. Those who love God, those who are the called according to His purpose. Again verse 29 -They are the foreknown (which means loved intimately before creation, Adam knew Eve and she conceived) they are the predestined to be conformed to His (Christ's) image, they are the called, (verse 30) they are those justified and glorified- PAST TENSE. They are God's Elect (chosen by the Father and given to Christ) from verse 33 (see John 6:36-40,10:11-15, 25-30, 17:1-9). His love is particular and NOT universal, those He loves He saves!
From Ephesians 1:3-6, "He choose us (referring to all saints, verse 1, especially saints at Ephesus- The Church!) in Him, that is Christ, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love." The amazing thing about God's love is that it saves! His love does not dwell with those in Hell, His hatred and wrath dwell with those. God did not love Esau or Pharoah but Jacob (Rom. 9:6-21). He loved Mary, Martha, and Lazuras but did not love Judas. (John 11:5, John 6:70-71, what reason would Scripture speak about Jesus' love for them if He loved all people!) Therefore Christ died for those He loved those He would give spiritual life and faith in THIS Christ to. (Isaiah 53:10-12) They shall call Him Jesus for He SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE from their sins (Matt. 1:21). Yes, Christ Jesus loves His people and that love never fails to accomplish their salvation. This is not the jesus preached and taught about in the vast majority of so-called churches today. That jesus is a false christ, a failure because he loves everyone, died for everyone but never saves because he is a lie, not the Way, Truth, and Life.
