Sister Molly
The Scriptures you quote emphasise my point: "Trust in the Lord with your whole heart and do not lean on your own understanding" . Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated the Father's requirements: HUMILITY - OBEDIENCE - SUBMISSIVENESS TO THE FATHER's WILL. (Heb.10:6).
Further to that I cannot see any useful purpose being served in the unnecessary probing into the Scriptures. God's assurance should be enough and His warnings heeded:"These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you. As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him." (1Jn.2:26-27). We'd do well to take heed of what we read.
His assurance of our salvation if we abide by His rules should be sufficient for anyone: "…seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." (2Pet.1:3-11)
The message seems clear. Live your life in accord with the law that our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated, and what the Father expects of you, and you have no need to worry about mysteries being revealed and who is and who isn't a child of God. We are all His children, remember, and He will bring us all, regardless, into His kingdom in His good pleasure.
"For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers." (1Tim.4:10)
We must constantly bear in mind that His thoughts and ways are not the same as ours, and that what He says will be: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. (Isa.55:8-11).
"Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance." (Isa.45:22-23).
The main ingredient is LOVE all else fades into insignificance: "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1Cor.13:12-13)
Love
Roy (UK)
