An Attitude of Gratefulness

Job1:20 “Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, 21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. 22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”

In times of great sorrow, it is often difficult to maintain the proper perspective on life. It is not uncommon for us to dwell on the negative rather than the positive things that are before us and in our past. In these verses (Job 1:20-22), Job has just been informed that all his children were killed in at one time in single wind storm. This is a great tragedy with which any loving parent would have great difficulty coping. However, Job’s reaction is the proper one.

We see that scripture says that “Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” In other words, Job’s reaction was quite proper within the context of being a believer. As believers, we can approach life and death with a different mindset. Job, rather than being sorrowful for what he had lost, rejoices in what he had been given. Yes, he had just lost all of his children, but he realizes that he was blessed to have ever had the experience of having them in the first place. So, rather than sulk in his sorrows, he cries out “blessed be the name of the Lord.”

We have so much to be thankful for in our lives everyday. With that in mind, we should adopt an attitude that shows thankfulness in all things. Some call this an “attitude of gratitude.” Maybe that is just a bit too glib, but there is some truth in that little phrase. If we can remember to be thankful for those things with which we have been blessed, we will have less time to sorrow over the things that have passed us by or have come and gone. So, we sorrow comes, focus on the things you do or have had rather than focusing on the losses. It will make life a lot more bearable and will certainly draw you closer to Christ

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Footnote: Pastoral Notes is a devotional and spiritual series published by Elder Marty Hoskins, pastor of the Zion Primitive Baptist Church of Brunswick, Georgia. This series is published on a sporadic basis expressing thoughts that may be useful for devotionals or family worship. These devotionals and articles may be freely distributed so long as they are distributed in their entirety and this footnote is attached. These devotionals can also be read in the Pastor’s Journal at http://zionpbc.org. Any comments, questions, or request for addition or removal from this email distribution can be directed to Elder Marty Hoskins at pastor@zionpbc.org.
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Why We Believe in Particular Redemption

Particular redemption is the belief that when Jesus died on the cross he suffered only for those that God chose to be saved and not for the entire human race. We are certainly a minority among Christians with this belief. If we are in such a minority then why do we hold such a belief?

We hold this belief for three reasons:

1. The Bible Teaches it.
2. Logic demands it.
3. Christ’s perfection requires it.

Scripture is clear that Jesus did not come to save the entire human race. In Matthew 1:21, the angel informs Joseph that he should not fear to take Mary to be his wife because the child she was carrying was conceived of the Holy Ghost “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Jesus came specifically to save his people, not the entire human race. Further, in John 6:38-39, Jesus himself tells us “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” Notice that Jesus says that he came to raise up all which the father had given him. He makes no claim to being a universal atonement for the sins of all men, but rather that he was here specifically for those chosen by God.

Scripture is also clear that not all the human race will be saved, but that some will suffer the wrath of God in hell. If this be the case, then God certainly, having perfect knowledge, would know the identity of those that would endure that wrath. If God and Jesus knew the identities of the children of wrath prior to the crucifixion, then logic would demand that Christ would have died to pay only for the sins of those that were not to receive the wrath of God. For if Jesus paid for the sins of any man that would eventually suffer wrath, God would be collecting payment for the sins of that man twice. There is no justice in collecting twice for one debt, and God is just. Therefore, Logic demands a particular redemption.

No one that has studied the scripture or claims to be Christian can argue that the word of God presents Jesus as the perfect saviour. It is his perfection that made Him worthy to pay for the sins of his people. One spot or blemish and he would not have been a worthy saviour. If Christ paid for the sins of one soul that ends up in hell, how can he be described as perfect? His perfection requires that all for which he died be saved and live in glory with the Father for all enternity.

Particular Redemption is the only doctrine that can adequately describe what Jesus did on the cross for his people. If you are a recipient of that grace, then it is not by chance. It is by God’s choice, and you were specially chosen and preserved by the death of Christ.

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Footnote: Pastoral Notes is a devotional and spiritual series published by Elder Marty Hoskins, pastor of the Zion Primitive Baptist Church of Brunswick, Georgia. This series is published on a sporadic basis expressing thoughts that may be useful for devotionals or family worship. These devotionals and articles may be freely distributed so long as they are distributed in their entirety and this footnote is attached. These devotionals can also be read in the Pastor’s Journal at http://zionpbc.org. Any comments, questions, or request for addition or removal from this email distribution can be directed to Elder Marty Hoskins at pastor@zionpbc.org.
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