Let us behold the audience of Lord Jesus Christ saying "
you did not choose Me, but I chose you" (John 15:16) and "
I chose you out of the world" (John 15:19, includes salvation).
By the time Jesus bestows these blessings to all believers in all time,
Judas Iscariot departed, so that leaves 11, not your "the twelve apostles", but truly the eleven,, so you are in confusion.
At the time Jesus bestows these blessings to all believers in all time,
Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias (Acts 1:21-23) were also present, not your "the twelve apostles", but truly a minimum of 13 persons is contextually established,, so you are in confusion.
At the time Jesus bestows these blessings to all believers in all time (see John 15:16-19),
the Lord explained "If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you" (John 15:20) JUST ONE VERSE AFTER JOHN 15:19, so this word of Christ's is in context with the manner the world persecutes Christians as Christ's words recorded in Mark 13:1-37 including "What I say to you I say to all" (Mark 13:37) THUS CONTEXT EXISTS BETWEEN JOHN 15:16, JOHN 15:19, JOHN 15:20, AND MARK 13:37, so you are in confusion.
You do not keep Lord Jesus Christ!s words recorded in John 15:16-19 because you think that this Word of God is inapplicable to Christians today! Lord Jesus has something to say about people who do not keep Lord Jesus Christ's words "
If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words" (John 14:23-24).
Friend Of Jesus (John 15:15) Relation To Exclusive Choice By Jesus (John 15:16)
Lord Jesus immediately adjacently joins persons chosen by Jesus with selfsame persons being friends of Friend Jesus (
John 15:15-16).
""
I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you" (
John 15:15-16) says Lord Jesus.
A friend of Jesus does not choose Jesus, but Jesus does choose the friend of Jesus (John 15:15-16), and a friend of Jesus does what Jesus commands (John 15:14) by the appointment of Jesus (John 15:16) thus being a friend of Jesus by the Christ's choosing (John 15:14-16).
FREE-WILLIANS DISAVOW CHRIST'S WORDS OF "
YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME" (
JOHN 15:16) FOR THEMSELVES WHILE AT THE SAME TIME DECLARING THE WORDS AS EXCLUSIVELY APPLICABLE TO THE APOSTLES; THEREFORE, FREE-WILLIANS DENY BEING A FRIEND OF JESUS WHICH JESUS COVERS IN THE SAME SAYINGS OF JESUS.
A friend of Jesus marvels at the glorious exclusive work of God's salvation of man; on the other hand, an enemy of Jesus steals the exclusive glory of man's salvation from God by saying things like "I chose Jesus" or "I accepted Jesus" resulting in the following implications to free-willian philosophy:
- the enemy of Jesus rejects Jesus * Who says Who He is, and Jesus declares Himself Sovereign, the exclusive Controller, in man's salvation.
- the enemy of Jesus does not receive the sayings of Jesus * for the enemy disavows Jesus' sayings about God's exclusive choosing of man (John 15:16, John 15:19 includes salvation).
- the enemy of Jesus thinks the enemy compels God to provide salvation; in other words, the enemy of Jesus thinks that God must obey man's command for salvation to enter the heart of man, also without a man's affirming decision (choosing of Jesus) there is no salvation for the man.
- the enemy of Jesus gets the glory, yet God does not give His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8).
* "
He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day" (
John 12:48).
In their hearts self-willed persons (
2 Peter 2:9-10) in effect remove themselves from being friends of Jesus.
By the Power of God, for God's glory (
Isaiah 42:8), the friend of Jesus bears good fruit/works because apart from Jesus a person can do nothing (
John 15:5).
By the Power of God, by God's grace, for God's glory (
Isaiah 42:8), the friend of Jesus is saved from the wrath of God because Jesus, Lord and God (
John 20:28), says "
I chose you out of the world" (
John 15:19).
We Christians believe the Christ exclusively chooses persons unto salvation:
- "you did not choose Me, but I chose you" (Lord Jesus Christ, John 15:16), so God chooses people to be friends (John 15:15, the prior verse) and to believe (John 6:29) and to be born again (John 3:3-8) and for righteous works (John 3:21, John 15:5) and to repent (Matthew 11:25) and to love (John 13:34) and unto salvation (John 15:19 the same passage).
- "I chose you out of the world" (Lord Jesus Christ, John 15:19, includes salvation), so God exclusively chooses people unto salvation.
- "What I say to you I say to all" (Lord Jesus Christ, Mark 13:37 - Jesus had taken the Apostles Peter, Andrew, James, and John aside in private and said this), so all the blessings of God mentioned above are to all believers in all time.
The only way for free-willian philosophers to acheive free-will is for free-willians to add to the Word of God, and it is written "do not add to His words or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar" (
Proverbs 30:6).
We Christians hear Lord Jesus loud and clear "
you did not choose Me, but I chose you" (Lord Jesus Christ,
John 15:16) and "
I chose you out of the world" (Lord Jesus Christ,
John 15:19, includes salvation)! Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty! Praise the Father, praise the Son, praise the Spirit, One True Holy God!