Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Since we believe that the Bible
is the verbally inspired Word of God, then we believe every
word in it must be considered important. There is no part of
the Scriptures which is superfluous or unnecessary. We may not understand
the purpose and import of every word, and we might misapply those
words by misreading or ignoring the context in which they are
spoken. But this does not change the veracity or necessity of
each one. It is a sign of poor scholarship
to ignore the proper context in which these words are presented,
but it is downright shameful and dishonest to try to seek
to wrest or change their meanings or their order to fit our theology. The Bible always means what it
means, even when those truths are inconvenient to our established
dogmas. The prevailing notion about salvation
which one hears proclaimed all across our land and even around
the world is that Christ is an available Savior. We are told
that each and every individual on the planet can have salvation
if they will just comply with a few conditions. Salvation is
presented as an equation which has a part which Christ has performed
and a part which is left up to men to perform in order to complete
the equation and bring about the desired result. This is an
exercise of man's grandiose consideration of his ability to determine his
own destiny, and is a disregard of the fact that salvation is
a gift of God's grace, rather than a reward for meeting certain
conditions. The ship of free will sails proudly
across the ocean of man's self-esteem, but runs aground on the words
must and shall, and is destroyed by the same one who says, I will
have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion
on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy.
Peter said there is none other name under heaven given among
men whereby we must be saved. He said we must be saved and
not we might be saved, because Christ is predestined to be the
Savior, who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times for you. Even as the
angel instructed Joseph, thou shalt call his name Jesus, for
he shall save his people from their sins. It is folly to consider
that he who rules over all things should somehow not accomplish
his own will. But our God is in the heavens.
He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. If he must or shall
save his people, then it follows that Christ has an elect people
who shall be saved. Elect according to the foreknowledge
of God the Father, through the sanctification of the Spirit,
unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. If He has an elect people who
must be saved, then it follows that Christ alone must save them.
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is the flower
of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth
away. Those whom He has ordained unto eternal life are described
as dead in trespasses and sins. How else can they be saved unless
He saves them? If Christ alone must save them,
then it follows that Christ alone has obtained their salvation.
They are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb
without blemish and without spot. This is a redemption that redeems
and a salvation that saves. Not one drop of the precious
blood of Christ was shed in vain, nor has it fallen to the ground
without accomplishing exactly what he purposed. If Christ has
obtained their eternal redemption by the shedding of His own blood,
becoming their substitute, then it follows that Christ has saved
them, not only from the penalty which was associated with that
sin, but from the effects of it as well. The only barrier
between the God of heaven and His elect bride, whom He has
loved from the beginning, is the sin which doth so easily
beset us. Our foolish hearts were darkened by it, and our
consciences were full of offense and enmity towards Him. Yet it
is that which Christ has performed for us and brought to light through
the gospel that has given us a conscience void of offense.
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God? Not only are the
saints of God justified by the blood of Christ as pertaining
to the just penalty prescribed by the law, but they are forever
satisfied in heart and mind by that very work and must be saved
by it. Grace and peace be multiplied
unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
according as his divine power hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him
that hath called us to glory and virtue. whereby are given
unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye might
be protectors of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust. If you would like a free
transcript of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.