Tag: save his people

I heard news today of a well-known former pastor who has now renounced his faith and is now going down a different path.

And the question that is often asked at this kind of time is, “What happened? How could this happen?”

I don’t know. But this I know: people falling away is not anything new, even among church leaders.

In 2 Timothy, Paul wrote this of two people, Hymenaeus and Philetus, who had at one time been church leaders:

They have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and are ruining the faith of some. (2 Timothy 2:18).

But then Paul adds,

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, bearing this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his… (2 Timothy 2:19)

In other words, Hymenaeus and Philetus may have proved to be false believers (1 John 2:19), but God was never fooled. He knows exactly who are his own.

Which brings me to today’s passage, to something that I had never noticed before.

In talking to Joseph about Mary, the angel said,

She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

The key words: He will save his people.

We know from Ephesians 1 and Romans 8 that God knew from the beginning who his own were. That before the world was created, he had in love chosen people to be his own. Not because of any special qualifications they had, but because of his grace.

And having chosen them, he put his plan into action.

In doing so, he worked through former idolaters (Abraham), liars (Isaac), and connivers (Jacob).

He worked through outsiders (Ruth and Rahab), and he worked through adulterers (David) and backsliders (Solomon).

He worked through both good kings and bad kings.

He took one man and turned him into a nation. He led that nation out of slavery and made them a kingdom. He then sent them into exile for their sin, and by his grace brought them back out.

And this was all to what purpose? To save a people that he had chosen before the creation of the world.

And this he ultimately accomplished by coming himself into this world and taking on human flesh. He truly became God with us. And through the cross, he saved his people.

So what am I saying? Only God knows whether this pastor is truly His own or not. But if this pastor is, God will bring him back. That would be no great feat.

For when you look at that list I mentioned above, all of them had failed in one way or another. But because they were God’s people, he brought them back.

And that gives us hope. That no matter how far gone we may be, if we are God’s own, he will bring us back.

He will save his people from their sin.