{"id":37363,"date":"2014-11-20T08:00:23","date_gmt":"2014-11-20T16:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/?p=37363"},"modified":"2014-11-16T12:19:00","modified_gmt":"2014-11-16T20:19:00","slug":"jesus-elect-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redeeminggod.com\/jesus-elect-one\/","title":{"rendered":"Jesus is the Elect One"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jesus<\/p>\n

Did it ever occur to you that Jesus was unregenerate? He never had to be regenerated by God because He never lacked eternal life. He always had eternal life. In fact, Jesus is <\/em>eternal life (John 1:4-5; 14:6; 1 John 5:11-12). Yet even though Jesus is eternal life, Jesus Himself was elected by God. Jesus was chosen. \u201cA wide range of texts throughout the New Testament identifies Jesus as God\u2019s Chosen or Appointed One\u201d\u00a0(Klein, The New Chosen People<\/a><\/em>, 269).<\/p>\n

Robert Shank overstates the case when he writes that \u201coutside of Christ this is no election of any man\u201d\u00a0(Shank, Elect in the Son<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a027).\u00a0Nevertheless, it is safe to say that Jesus is the premier Elect One (Isa 42:1). Even when He hung dying on the cross, He was recognized by His enemies as being the chosen one of God (Luke 23:35).<\/p>\n

Again, does this mean that Jesus was chosen by God to sovereignly receive the free gift of eternal life from God? Of course not! Yet Jesus was elected by God from all eternity. What for? As we saw in the case of Israel<\/a>, God chose Jesus, not to be the recipient of regeneration, but to serve a purpose and fulfill a role in God\u2019s plan of redemption.<\/p>\n

Just as God\u2019s election of Israel was an election to service, purpose, and vocation, so also, God\u2019s election of Jesus was to service, purpose, and vocation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus was to be Israel\u2019s righteous remnant, a light to the Gentiles, and God\u2019s Suffering Servant (Isa 49:6-7; cf. Matt 12:18). \u201cThe Messiah, like the nation [of Israel], was chosen to do a task\u201d\u00a0(Marston and Forster, God\u2019s Strategy in Human History<\/a><\/em>, 147).<\/p>\n

What task did Jesus accomplish as God’s Elect One?<\/h2>\n

According to Jesus Himself, He came:<\/p>\n