These Israelites were in the dark as much as the Gentiles. All the nations were covered in darkness and even when Jesus arrived and brought the light of life into the world, many drew back from His light preferring the darkness of sin to the exposure of their sin to lead them to desire salvation. I think it is very hard for us to truly imagine what the world was like then with all the generations of man going back to Adam and Eve, and at the time of the flood, and after the flood when those who followed God did so because God called them (Noah, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, the prophets). The rest of humanity was turned away from God completely.
Ever since Jesus was born, lived, died and rose for us, the light that comes from God, that is spiritually rather than physically, has shone out into this sin ravaged, sin enslaved world transforming the elect one by one through the work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating, giving the us the ability to believe and the desire to believe in Jesus as we hear the Gospel truth. All these 20 centuries since Jesus' birth, the world has been enlightened by the truth and hope of the Gospel ever-increasingly to the point that at this time we probably live in the most Christianized humanity of all the prior centuries combined. The impact of the believing Church in our own microcosm of our family and friends, community, city and out into the macrocosm of the entire world.
I was thinking about the wisdom of God's choice to elect before all time every person He would bring to faith. These elect are from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation in all generations. How important it is to spread the Good News of the coming of our Savior and King so that we can reach every one of our brothers and sisters to-be.
I come from a tradition that celebrates advent season which not only focuses on the birth of Jesus in His first advent, but looks forward to His second advent at the end of this age. see Pt. 4
These Israelites were in the dark as much as the Gentiles. All the nations were covered in darkness and even when Jesus arrived and brought the light of life into the world, many drew back from His light preferring the darkness of sin to the exposure of their sin to lead them to desire salvation. I think it is very hard for us to truly imagine what the world was like then with all the generations of man going back to Adam and Eve, and at the time of the flood, and after the flood when those who followed God did so because God called them (Noah, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, the prophets). The rest of humanity was turned away from God completely.
Ever since Jesus was born, lived, died and rose for us, the light that comes from God, that is spiritually rather than physically, has shone out into this sin ravaged, sin enslaved world transforming the elect one by one through the work of the Holy Spirit in regenerating, giving the us the ability to believe and the desire to believe in Jesus as we hear the Gospel truth. All these 20 centuries since Jesus' birth, the world has been enlightened by the truth and hope of the Gospel ever-increasingly to the point that at this time we probably live in the most Christianized humanity of all the prior centuries combined. The impact of the believing Church in our own microcosm of our family and friends, community, city and out into the macrocosm of the entire world.
I was thinking about the wisdom of God's choice to elect before all time every person He would bring to faith. These elect are from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation in all generations. How important it is to spread the Good News of the coming of our Savior and King so that we can reach every one of our brothers and sisters to-be.
I come from a tradition that celebrates advent season which not only focuses on the birth of Jesus in His first advent, but looks forward to His second advent at the end of this age. see Pt. 4
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