The Chosen
As Christians we have lived in the West with a doctrine called “predestination” which has been taught to be an election of certain people to salvation and others to damnation. This doctrine has not only confused people, it has become an abomination, a horror—signaling a cruelty and an injustice that appears to be tolerated by nothing less than the Divine itself. If this is God, then many, fair-minded people want nothing to do with either Christianity or the God it professes and so flee the faith. This reaction is understandable and justified.
A support to this doctrine appears to be not only Paul’s teaching in Romans and elsewhere, but even Yeshua’s teaching concerning those who are chosen and those who are not. Do not his words support the cruel doctrine? On the surface it might appear to be so, but here is where an understanding that is more Abrahamic in nature, shared by the larger seeing of the Abrahamic faiths helps us to find not only balance, but clarity that can make sense of these words.
Coming to us from a long line of seeing that extends from the Hebrew experience with the Persians, and later with the teaching of Jesus, and then on into the Islamic teachings of Spirit, there is the understanding that something else is afoot. The teaching is this: there is war in heaven (and on earth), and malignant powers seek to consume and destroy. On the other hand there are powers which challenge, control and destroy evil in order to transform it all into good—this work is accomplished by an “angelic force” of messengers who enlist our support (recruit us into the Army of Light, as it were), and these beings who “choose to resist” are the “chosen ones.”
Not everyone is fit for or fitted to this struggle. Not everyone enlists in the Army of Light—but those who do are given special teaching and training, special strength, and “permission” to do this difficult work. If you work as aid and adjunct in this struggle, then you are considered the “chosen” (elected to the Work). Otherwise it is not your business, however, the force of the work done by the soldiers of light, brings benefit to all—those who we might call the ordinary civilians and citizens of heaven and earth.
The question is, then, do you dare to be chosen?
A support to this doctrine appears to be not only Paul’s teaching in Romans and elsewhere, but even Yeshua’s teaching concerning those who are chosen and those who are not. Do not his words support the cruel doctrine? On the surface it might appear to be so, but here is where an understanding that is more Abrahamic in nature, shared by the larger seeing of the Abrahamic faiths helps us to find not only balance, but clarity that can make sense of these words.
Coming to us from a long line of seeing that extends from the Hebrew experience with the Persians, and later with the teaching of Jesus, and then on into the Islamic teachings of Spirit, there is the understanding that something else is afoot. The teaching is this: there is war in heaven (and on earth), and malignant powers seek to consume and destroy. On the other hand there are powers which challenge, control and destroy evil in order to transform it all into good—this work is accomplished by an “angelic force” of messengers who enlist our support (recruit us into the Army of Light, as it were), and these beings who “choose to resist” are the “chosen ones.”
Not everyone is fit for or fitted to this struggle. Not everyone enlists in the Army of Light—but those who do are given special teaching and training, special strength, and “permission” to do this difficult work. If you work as aid and adjunct in this struggle, then you are considered the “chosen” (elected to the Work). Otherwise it is not your business, however, the force of the work done by the soldiers of light, brings benefit to all—those who we might call the ordinary civilians and citizens of heaven and earth.
The question is, then, do you dare to be chosen?
posted by Lynn Bauman at 7:16 AM
1 Comments:
That is pretty awesome. Thanks for sharing this new look at "chosen ones."
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