I chose you

[B-A-C]

In some churches there a great deal of talk about the chosen, the elect. Those who God chooses.
I personally believe He chooses us all, but that's another topic. Some of the verses often used to support
this are....

Mark 13:20; "Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days.

John 15:19; "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

John 15:16; "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

We didn't choose Jesus, but He chose us. Why? Why did He choose us? If we continue on in this verses
it says.... "appointed you that you would go and bear fruit". (and that your fruit would remain)

We are appointed to bear fruit. There are many verses about what this fruit looks like, but again, that's
another topic.

This may comes as a shock to some, but not everyone Jesus chooses goes to heaven.

John 6:70; Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?"

Even though Jesus chose Judas, He knew who and what Judas was.

Luke 10:1; Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

Jesus actually appointed seventy "others" to go preach and spread the gospel. He even gave them authority
over daemons.

Luke 10:17; The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

.. and yet, even though Jesus chose them....

John 6:64; "But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.
John 6:65; And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."
John 6:66; As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

Some of Jesus's disciples that He chose.... withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

Even though Jesus chooses us, we need to choose Him back. We need to confirm His calling.

2 Pet 1:10; Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
2 Pet 1:11; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

We have to be "diligent to make certain" about His calling and choosing us.
We have to practice certain things in order to do this... (so that we won't stumble)
2 Pet 1:5-9 tell us what these things are that we should be practicing, but the point here is...
Even though Jesus chose us, we can still stumble.

Now all stumbling doesn't cost us our salvation (thank God for grace).

Jas 3:2; For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

But we can stumble to the point of going to hell. (practicing sin)

Mark 9:42; "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.
Mark 9:43; "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,
Mark 9:44; [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.]
Mark 9:45; "If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell,
Mark 9:46; [where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.]
Mark 9:47; "If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell,
Mark 9:48; where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.

It's better to get rid of the things that cause you to keep stumbling... than to be cast into hell.

 

[B-A-C]

A lot of the old testament is about Israel's relationship with God. This can be taken as an allegory to our personal relationship with God.
God chose the Jews.

Deut 7:6; "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
Deut 7:7; "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,

Again, even though God chose them....

Jdg 2:11; Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals,
Jdg 2:12; and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger.
Jdg 2:13; So they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
Jdg 2:14; The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He gave them into the hands of plunderers who plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies.

Even though God chose Israel, over and over again in the old testament they forsake Him, the Bible says they played "the harlot" with other gods.
It's difficult to tell how many times this happened because of overlap between some of the books of the Bible, but I can tell you, it wasn't once
or twice. In fact it wasn't only a dozen times.

But God had grace and mercy even back then.... to those who return to Him.

2 Chron 7:14; and if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.