“Therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:10,11)

Who are called? “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (acts 2:39). The Lord calls “whosever will.”

Now what is the purpose of the God calling whosoever will to come to Him? “That in the dispensation of the fulness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ” (Eph. 1:10). We are to be gathered together in Christ according to the grace of God. Seeing this, what is our duty? “Be even more diligent to make your call and election sure.”

Everyone is called; but the purpose of God is in Christ. When we tell the Lord day by day, “Here is my heart, Lord; I have made no change in the gifts; I want you to have it,” He will bind us with cords of divine love to the altar. We are then predestined with Christ. What He has, we have. He said, “Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand” (Jn. 10:28).

Those who are called are justified in Christ; therefore we have justification. But those who are justified are also glorified. If we can believe that, we have a wonderful amount of strength. Yes, “the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (Jn. 17:22).

Mark, it is past tense. The glory that God has given to Christ is our today. It is true that that glory does not yet appear, and the world knows us not, because it knew not Christ. But it is ours. Even now it appears in the form of grace. “ The Lord will give grace and glory; not good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Ps. 84:11). Peter says that believing we may “rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Pet. 1:8).

The glory is all ours and we have it now.

Waggoner, General Conference Bulletin, 1891, No. 12.