Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The world is full of religious
men who are quite convinced of their own ability to perform
works of righteousness which they feel will make them gain
acceptance with the Lord. They often think of the gospel
as a means of their salvation as they purport that by their
belief of it they somehow can change their own destiny. The
scripture is abundantly clear that salvation is of the Lord,
but that does not stop the preachers of free will from assuring men
that God gives everybody a fair chance and a square deal, and
that they can be saved whenever they get good and ready. They
convince the ignorant that the destiny of a man is in his own
hands. The salvation of the sons of
God is in no wise left to chance, nor is it in any way dependent
on something that they must do or can do. The God of heaven
and earth has predestined the salvation of his people just
as surely as he predestines the orbits of the planets about the
sun or the falling of a sparrow to the ground. If He has predestined
their salvation, then He has also predestined all of the events
that lead up to their salvation, their election in Christ before
the foundation of the world, their fall into sin, and the
very means whereby their redemption is accomplished are all absolutely
foreordained by Him who changes not. It would make no sense whatsoever
to consider that God intends to save his people from their
sins and then that he would leave their fate in their hands. Pelagius
was a fourth century theologian who systematized the doctrine
of free will. Modern followers of Pelagius
preach that God has very little to do with a man's salvation,
only providing a limited means and ultimately leaving it up
to the choice of men to either receive it or reject it. Therefore,
the means of their salvation is in their faith rather than
the cross of Christ. When faced with the prospect
of eternal damnation, those who are of this mindset seek to argue
with God and to present their supposed works of righteousness.
This can be seen in the Pharisee who went down to the temple to
pray and had the audacity to point out the difference between
himself and the publican as a basis for acceptance with God. God's
children believe that he is just in all things, and his justice
is sure and good. They rejoice in it and own it
to be good, even though they should ultimately perish. Job
said, though he slay me, yet will I trust in him. The sons
of God are given a hope in Christ, but should they be deceived in
their own mind about their standing in him, yet they would bow down
and worship him in the day of judgment, even while the fires
of hell swallowed them up. They can do nothing else but
testify that His justice is right, and to perish in that pit would
be but what they deserve. They shall in no wise expect
to receive anything from His hand on the basis of any supposed
merit or good works. Many try to argue that God does
right based on His law, but we believe that God does right based
on His own will and purpose. There is no law that governs
God except Himself, and we bow before Him and glorify His name. The people of God rejoice in
God's justice and own it to be good even when the wicked prosper.
Nothing is more disconcerting to the man who is convinced of
his own righteousness than to see the triumphing of the wicked.
Even the sons of God are perplexed at this observation, but yet
they bring no railing accusation against the one who can do with
his own as he sees fit. We envy them not, for we know
what their end shall be. Our triumph is in Christ. Now
thanks be unto God which always causeth us to triumph in Christ. The children of God rejoice in
the justice of God and own it to be good because Jesus Christ
is both just and the justifier. God is bound by no law, yet he
has willingly designed the purchase of the people in Jesus Christ
to fulfill the law which he established for the very purpose of their
redemption. To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness,
that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus. The basis upon which the true
sons of God expect to be accepted by the Father is the justifying
work of Jesus Christ in their behalf, wherein He has become
sin for them that they might be made righteous, according
to the imputation of His righteousness to them which was purchased by
His own blood. For He hath made Him to be sin
for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness
of God in Him. We are not waiting for this to
occur, but are rejoicing that He has already fully accomplished
it, that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for
God to lie, we might have strong consolation who have fled for
refuge to lay hold upon the hope that is set before us. Have you
fled to Christ for refuge, or do you cling to your own righteousness,
faith, and obedience? Christ alone is the salvation
of His people. For a free CD containing 15 of
these radio broadcasts, send an email to forthepoor at windstream.net