Alright, let's open our Bibles
to 2 Timothy chapter 1. Over these past few weeks, may
have been months, I've been trying to get my mind
and your mind, our hearts, of course I can't control the heart,
I'm not saying that I can, but into this issue of salvation
and the reason I really the Lord laid these messages upon my heart
was because you know we most of us here this morning I would
say we claim to have been saved and most people that we run into
today claim to be saved but I'm afraid that so many people they
really do not understand biblical salvation What does it mean to
be saved? And so I've been preaching a
series on that. I've taken each message and made
them an entity in itself. So I mean, it's not that you
have to hear one upon the other. I hope you do listen to all of
them, though. And you test me by the word of God. That's what
I want. That's what I want you to do. I was thinking about in
the message tonight of Jeremiah, you know, Jeremiah makes a plea
for Judah because he says, well, the problem with the nation is
that the preachers, the prophets, have told him a lie. And the
Lord responds to him. He said, well, that's right.
The prophets have told him a lie. And I'm going to judge him for
him. But I'm going to judge the people that followed him, too.
So that's your responsibility. It's my responsibility to bring
the word of God to you. It's your responsibility to check
me out. And I don't mind that. Listen,
I'm one of those fellas, I really don't mind it. I know a lot of
preachers say they don't mind, and then the first time you ask
them a question, they make you feel, put you in the dust, you
know. But I'm not like that. I don't.
I mean, this is serious business. This is salvation. This is eternal
matters, and I'm really serious about this. And I want us to
be able to study together. But what I've done, I've used
2 Timothy 1 as a base text for all these messages, basically,
because what I've done is I've divided salvation, what I think
is the Bible presents it into four realms. And remember I call
them realms because salvation is a kingdom. Christ is the king,
he's the savior, he's the king's savior, and his people are the
saved subjects of his kingdom. And the first realm was the eternal
realm. Salvation is presented in the
Bible as a matter of eternity. Older than creation itself. That's
the source and origin of salvation. In the eternal mind and heart
of Almighty God, who himself is eternal. God does not change
his mind. God is not playing chess with
us. We make our move and then he
makes his counter move. Salvation is not plan B. It's the plan of the ages all
along. Isn't that right? We read about
that in Romans 8. According to His purpose and
His grace. Look at 2 Timothy 1 there in
verse 9. God who hath saved us and called
us with an holy calling. Not according to our works, but
according to His own purpose and grace. His purpose. What is His purpose? To glorify
Himself. And the salvation of His people.
And how does he do that? By grace. And where does that
grace, who does it rest on? He says, which was given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began. That's an amazing thing
to me. But that's part of this realm
of salvation. It's an eternal matter. God chose
a people and gave them to Christ. Put all the responsibility of
our salvation upon Him. And then the second realm I called
the legal realm. And that has to do with the ground
of salvation. This grace, this purpose of God
in grace, Romans 521 tells us, reigns through righteousness. That word righteousness is justice. God's law and justice. You see,
the people whom God has purposed to save are sinners. And sin deserves the just punishment
of death. The wages of sin is death. Somebody
has to pay that penalty. That's the issue. That's where
the glory of God resides. And either the sinner has to
pay that penalty in an eternity of hell, or somebody whom God
appoints, someone who's able, someone who's willing stands
in our place as a substitute and a surety and of course that's
the Lord Jesus Christ. So when we talk about the legal
realm of salvation, we're talking about the person and the finished
work of Christ to redeem his people from our sins. That's
what we're talking about, the blood of Christ, the righteousness
of Christ. Christ fulfilling all the conditions
of our salvation, and ensuring and securing that salvation. Christ as the author and finisher
of our faith. Who is Jesus Christ? His name
shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from their
sins. And his name shall be called
Emmanuel, which being interpreted as God with us. He is God in
human flesh. And if he's not, then there's
no salvation for sinners like us. And if he didn't accomplish
redemption on the cross, if he didn't put an end to sin and
finish the transgression as was prophesied in the Old Testament,
if he didn't establish an everlasting righteousness of eternal value,
the righteousness of God, because he is God in human flesh, then
there's no salvation for sinners like us. If he didn't do it. And that's the legal realm. That's
the court of God's justice. We were saved in eternity past. We were saved at the cross. That's
what he's saying. And then the third realm is what
I'm dealing with now. In fact, this is the fourth message
on the spiritual realm. And this will be the final message
on that. The spiritual realm. That's the fruit of salvation.
That speaks of the application of salvation to us in time. It
speaks of the new birth. It speaks of the Holy Spirit's
work in us. When God, that which God purposed
from eternity, and that which Christ purchased in time, when
the fullness of the time had come, he redeemed us, is applied
to each and every one of God's people, Christ's sheep, in time. And that speaks of the calling.
Look here in 2 Timothy 1, who hath saved us and called us with
a holy calling. That's a powerful calling. That's
an invincible. You know what that is? That's
the calling of the gospel, the calling of the gospel. And I
want to conclude that today because I want to, I want to show you
something about this salvation as applied to God's people. And
basically what I'm going to go into today is to show you why
those who are truly saved can never be lost. can never lose
that salvation. I want you to see why the scripture
teaches that. There are those who teach you
can be saved one day and lost the next. They don't know the
salvation of this book. I'm telling you. Read this book. Now the fourth realm is the glorified
realm. That's us in glory. And I'm going
to start that next week. So you can just hold on to that
thought. But I want you to see this. Last time I preached, I
gave you the fact that salvation in every realm is an act of God
by His grace through the Lord Jesus Christ upon His people.
It's an act of providence. What is providence? That's God's
government of all things. That's God working all things
after the counsel of his own will, Ephesians 111. That's God
making certain by his power that all things really do work together
for good to them that love God. He's on the throne. He does whatever
he pleases. That's him, that's God. And in
this act of providence, as it applies to our salvation, what's
the first thing that he does to apply this salvation? He brings
us under the preaching of the gospel. The good news. Paul wrote
in Romans 1 16 for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it
is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to
the Jew first and the Greek also for therein is the righteousness
of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just
shall live by faith. So he brings us under the preaching
of the gospel the good news not a lie but the truth. Christ said
the truth will set you free. It will liberate you. The faith
that God gives to believe comes by hearing and hearing by the
word of God. So there's the act of providence.
And then secondly, it's an act of spiritual birth. It's under
the preaching of the gospel that God brings his people to faith
in Christ and to repentance of dead works. Look over in John
chapter one with me just a moment. John chapter one. And look at verse 11. John 1, 11. This is the new birth. Christ said in John 3, he told
Nicodemus, you must be born again or you cannot see or enter the
kingdom of heaven. You must be born again. Several
reasons we must be born again. Number one, because Christ died. That's what he said in John 12.
If I be lifted up on the cross to die, I'll draw all unto me. Second reason is because we're
born spiritually dead. We fell in Adam. And man is spiritually
dead. He's not physically dead, he's
spiritually dead. He has ears, but not spiritual
ears. He has eyes, but not spiritual.
He has to be given those in the new birth. He has to be given
spiritual life. But look at verse 11 of John
1. He says, He came unto his own and his own received him
not. Okay? But look at verse 12. But
as many as received him. Now there's those who receive
him not and those who receive him. Now which one are you? Which
one am I? Well, I claim that I've received
him. How about you? You say you've
received him. You know what that means. That
means believe in him. Receive him by God-given faith. Now,
there are those who receive him not. And there are those who
received him. Which one are you? Now, what
makes the difference? Why did you receive him? Why
did I receive him and somebody else didn't? What's the reason? Is it because I'm a better person?
Less rebellious? less contentious or whatever. Is that the reason? Well, if
that's the reason, then don't talk to me of salvation by grace.
You're just better than the rest of them. But look what the Bible
says. Now, here's what the Bible says.
So, and I say that emphatically because I want you to see if
you're arguing, you're not arguing with me, you're arguing with
this book. Your matter is not with me, it's with God. Look
at it. Verse 12, but as many as received
him, to them gave he power. Now that word power there is
privilege or right. It's not ability. But he gave
them the right to become the sons of God, to claim to be a
child of God. Am I a child of God? What gives
me the right to say I'm a child of God? You see? Well, I've received
Christ. And he says, even to them that
believe on his name. Now look at verse 13, which were
born. They were born. Now, you know
he's not talking about physical birth there. Because those who
received him not, they were physically born too, weren't they? Which
were born. Now, born how? Not of blood. Now, he says that because the
Jews who claimed to be children of God because of their physical
connection with Abraham. Well, we were born that way.
You're not born a child of God now. were born in sin, dead in
trespasses and sin. So which were born not of blood,
and then he says, nor of the will of the flesh. That's another
way of saying the works of the flesh. It wasn't your works that
brought about this new birth. There's some people say, well,
how are you born again? Well, you believe and then you're
born again. Oh, no, that's not what the Bible teaches. No, sir. The new birth does not come as
the result of us doing anything. It's the power of God. And then
he says, which were born nor of the will of man. It's not
of the will of man. Say, well, you will to be born,
or you want to be. No, man by nature doesn't will
to be born. He doesn't want this. But of
God, they're born of God. You see that? Now that's part
of this spiritual application. That's the new birth. That's
where the Holy Spirit imparts life, spiritual life, to a dead
sinner. It's a resurrection. It's a regeneration. It's a washing of the water of
the Word, the Scripture says. It's the giving of a new heart.
The creation of a new spirit, new life. Gives us new motives,
new goals, faith, repentance, love. All of those gifts and
graces of the Spirit. And then these last two, these
last two acts, this is where I want to major on a little bit
this morning. And this is how I want to conclude this on the
spiritual realm of salvation. And here's what it is. The third
thing is an act of preservation. And what I'm talking about there
is that's the preserving grace of God in the lives of His people. God not only saves us and brings
about the new birth, but God, by His grace through Christ,
He keeps us. He preserves us. He will not
let us go. He won't let us go. Because I want to tell you something.
If He ever did let us go, we'd be let go. We'd go, wouldn't
we? That's the nature of a sinner.
That's who we are, you see. That old hymn, Come Thou Fount,
prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I
love. You see, that's that sinful flesh that we still have. We
have to fight it. What keeps us from going the
way of sinful flesh? God keeps us. Salvation in the
Bible is an act of preservation. He said, I won't let you go.
And he said, I'll never leave you. I'll never leave you or
forsake you. If he ever did, we would be,
we would be lost. That's the way it is. And if
you don't believe that you don't know yourself, you haven't seen
the reality of self. That's true. It's an act of preservation,
but then also salvation. Here's the fourth thing. It's
an act of perseverance. Perseverance of the Saints, we
call it. That's what the Bible teaches.
What does that mean? That means that a true child
of God, chosen before the foundation of the world, redeemed by the
blood of Christ, justified by his righteousness imputed, born
again of the Spirit, he won't leave Christ. She won't leave
Christ. They won't do it. Now why is
that? Well, let me give you some reasons
here. Now, some of these will fall under preservation, some
of them will fall under perseverance, but they're all the salvation
that God freely gives his people in Christ. But look back at 2
Timothy 1. Now, he says it here, verse 9,
God who has saved us and called us with an holy calling, not
according to our works, see this salvation, is not based on our
works. You know, some people say, well,
it starts out by grace, but then it continues by your works. Not
according to the Bible. And somebody said, well, I know
old so-and-so. He made a profession when he was 12 years old, and
look at him now. He's not saved now. Let me tell
you something. You don't know anything about
old so-and-so. All you can know about anybody,
including yourself, is what this book says. And beyond that, salvation is
not a one-time act. And I'm afraid that's where most
people get confused about this thing. When did you get saved? Do you ever hear that question?
And they automatically go, well, when I was 12 years old, I walked
and I got, you know, I did all that. You know, I had no, listen,
when I did that, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. other than I knew that there
were a lot of adults who were pleased. And that's what I wanted. I wanted
to please them. I walked and I got baptized,
had no idea what I was doing. I couldn't tell you what that
preacher preached because I wasn't listening. I didn't care. I just
wanted him to get through. That was my goal, to get through
it, you know, hoping it wasn't a long message. But I had no
idea, but I was saved, as they said. I wasn't saved. And I know
I'm not just making fun of people. I'm telling you what I went through.
And let me tell you something, it was a hindrance to me for
years. A hindrance until God removed
that hindrance. I will tell you, if you have
to go back to your early years to prove your salvation today,
you're in trouble. My question to you is this, what
is your hope today? Who is your hope today? Who are
you looking to and resting in today? Is it Christ and Him crucified
or all your achievements and attainments with or without the
help of God in the past? Salvation is not a one-time act.
Salvation is a lifetime led by the grace of God in total submission
and dependence upon Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's what
salvation is. Sometimes we as Christians may
act like we ought to act. Sometimes we won't. That's right. But it's a lifetime. A lifetime
lived in total submission to and dependence on Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. I'm telling you right now, here's
the way it is. I've preached the gospel for almost 30 years
now. And I don't know how much longer the Lord will allow me
to do it. But if it's 30 more years when I lay my head down
to die, I'll still live and die in total dependence upon Jesus
Christ for all salvation. I won't be able to claim one
second of my life lived as a Christian as my right and title to inner
glory. Not one second, not even the
best second. It will always be Jesus Christ
and Him crucified. He is my salvation. Always has been. Always is and
always will be. It will never change. That's
right. Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
today and forever. You can't say that about Bill
Parker. You can't say Bill Parker the same yesterday, today and
forever because you might hit me in a bad day. You might hit
me on a good day. But He's the same yesterday,
today, and forever. His blood is the same. Washes
away all my sins. But you see folks say, well now,
salvation, salvation starts out with grace, but then it's conditioned
on your keeping on, keeping on. Not according to the Bible. My
friend, that's not the covenant of grace. Let me give you these
things. The first thing that we need to see about this salvation
and why those who are truly saved cannot leave it is this, and
I want you to turn to 2 Samuel 23. Go back to the Old Testament. Old Testament, 2 Samuel 23. The reason we cannot lose it is because
true believers, those who are truly saved, are part of an everlasting
covenant of grace. Everything we are, everything
we do that's pleasing to God, everything we have by way of
salvation is part of an everlasting covenant of grace. Now I want
you to look at 2 Samuel 20. These are David, King David's
dying words. Look at verse one, now these
be the last words of David. Now, in case you're wondering
which David he's talking about, he says, David, the son of Jesse. That makes him, what, the great
grandson of Boaz and Ruth? He said, and the man who was
raised up on high and anointed of the God of Jacob. What does
the Bible mean when it says the God of Jacob, specifically? Sometimes God is identified as
the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Sometimes as the God of Israel.
A lot of names for God. What is focused in on the meaning
of this phrase, this term, God of Jacob? Well, you ever read
about Jacob? What he was and what kind of
person he was? Let me give you one word for
Jacob in his personality, his character and conduct. Scoundrel. Read about it. Read about it. The reason that he's identified
here as the God of Jacob is he is the God who saves sinners. I like that. Over Malachi 3,
6, I am the Lord, I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob are
not consumed. That's right. Well, does that
give Jacob and all the other Jacobs license to sin? No. Absolutely
not. But it does show this, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. Not those who would cooperate,
not just those good people who were better than those who didn't
receive him. And he says the sweet psalmist of Israel. But
I want you to look at verse 5. Here's part of David's dying
words. Now listen to this. Although
my house be not so with God. Now what's his house? That's
his family. If you ever read about David, when David died
in the latter years of his life, his family was a mess. It was a mess. His kingdom really
was a mess. Wasn't it? And you know whose
fault it was? David's fault. Messed up big
time, didn't he? And yet he's called the sweet
psalmist of Israel here. Isn't that something? You mean
the same guy wrote Psalm 23? His family was messed up? I mean,
these preachers today, they tell you if you follow God and do
this and do that, everything's going to be okay. Don't they? I heard one this morning. That
book we were looking at yesterday. I claim this I claim that you
know and all that You know, I'm telling you now it's just a grab-by
they look at God like he's a genie in a bottle Give you three wishes He said although my house be
not so with God now look at this yet he that is God hath made
with me an everlasting covenant That's that everlasting covenant.
And look at how he describes it. Ordered in all things. That
covenant's been set in order in all things. Now who ordered
it? God did. You see, that's the
eternal realm. And sure, this covenant, this
everlasting covenant is ordered in all things and it's certain.
It's sure. Now how can it be sure? It's
based on a surety. And who is the surety of this
covenant? Well, what did the sweet psalmist
of Israel say about it? He said, the Lord is my shepherd.
I shall not want, lack. Christ is the surety. David's
not the surety of it. If David were the surety of this
covenant, it would be a failure. If you were the surety of it,
it would be a failure. If I were the surety of it, it
would be a failure. You know, these people, they
talk about, well, Christ died, but his death means nothing until
you cooperate or believe. You know who the surety of their
salvation is? They are, not Christ. Because
according to them, those in hell, his blood did as much for those
in hell as it did for those in heaven. You make the difference.
You're the surety. Huh? That's not this salvation. Christ is the surety of the covenant
of grace. And he says, this is all my salvation. This is everything in my salvation.
Not just part of it now. He says it's all my desire. It's
all I want. You know why it's all he wanted?
Because he knew himself. He knew he was a sinner. He knew
if it was conditioned on him, it'd be a failure. He says, although
he make it not to grow, that is in his house. His house. Look over at Hebrews chapter
7. Here in Hebrews 7, it's talking
about the law of Moses. Israel under the law of Moses.
And under the law of Moses, law given at Sinai, the nation had
conditions put upon them in order to maintain and stay in the land
of promise. You can read about them in Deuteronomy
29. Some scholars call it the Palestinian
covenant, and that's okay. In other words, he said, now
he gave them the land, his calling of Israel, his redemption of
Israel out of Egypt and his bringing them together, that wasn't conditioned
on them. That was based on the covenant
made with Abraham 400 and some years before. But their maintenance,
their keeping that land and flourishing in that land was conditioned
on their national obedience. And he told them that. When you
obey, the crops will grow, the rain will fall, and you'll stay
in the land. Now, what do you know about the
history of Israel under that covenant? You know they failed,
don't you? They failed miserably. But the
prophets always spoke of a better hope. There's something better
coming. Now, what was that? Well, you've
heard me say it before. Oh, there's a better class of
people coming. You know, God's going to raise up America. And
they're going to be a whole lot better than Israel. Well, you
know that's not so. The better hope was not based
on a better class of people in the future. The better hope was
right here. Look at Hebrews chapter 7. Look at verse 19. He says, For the law made nothing
perfect. That's the law of Moses. Couldn't
save. Couldn't forgive. Couldn't do
anything. Couldn't bring in righteousness. But the bringing in of a better
hope did. By the which we draw nigh unto
God. Now what is that better hope? That's Christ. Christ is
the better hope. Not you. Not me. And look at
verse 22. He says, By so much was Jesus
salvation made the surety of a better testament. That word
testament is covenant. Christ is the surety of the everlasting
covenant. Why can't I lose salvation? Because Christ is my salvation.
That's why. He's the surety of it. He met
all the conditions of every condition. Listen, here's what I'm saying.
Everything that God required of me in order to save me, preserve
me, and bring me to glory is found in perfection in Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. That's what I'm saying. Now the
question is, is he my hope? Is he your hope? Can you sing
my hope? Can you sing from the heart?
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
And I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus'
name. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. You say, well, my hope's based
on my faith. Well, you better have perfect
faith then all the time. You say, well, I may lose it,
but I'll get it back again. You think more highly of yourself
than this Bible does. You understand what I'm saying? Well, here's the second reason.
True believers, now let's see, we're preserved. We're part of
an everlasting covenant of grace. Christ met the conditions. That's
what the gospel is. It's the preaching that Christ
Jesus, the God-man, came and by His death on the cross, met
those conditions, fulfilled those conditions for His people. All
righteousness for His people. Secondly, true believers, those
who are truly saved, born again by the Spirit, are preserved
by the power of God's grace in Christ. We're preserved by the
power of God's grace in Christ. We have the Holy Spirit's continual,
indwelling presence. And He'll never leave us. We
have the life of Christ within. Look over Galatians chapter 2.
Let me just show you this. Look at verse 19. Galatians chapter 2, verse 19. This is how God preserves us.
He's given us His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the third person
of the Trinity, to indwell us. And Christ lives within us by
His Spirit and by His Word. Look at verse 19, Galatians 2.
For I through the law am dead to the law. I'm going to come
back to that in just a moment. He said that I might live unto
God. I'm crucified with Christ. Nevertheless,
I live, even though I died with Christ. He's my representative,
my substitute, my surety. He put away my sins. My sins
were charged to Him, and He died. His righteousness is charged
to me, and as a result, I get life. Yet nevertheless, I live. Yet not I. I'm not the source
of that life. That's what he's saying there.
That life didn't come from me. It wasn't a spark of good that
some preacher fanned by doing this or persuasion. I'm not the
source of it. Christ is. Christ liveth in me. Christ liveth in me. That's what
salvation is. It's Christ living in me. Christ living in you. How? By
His Spirit and by His Word. John said it this way in 1 John
2, he says you have an unction from the Holy One, an anointing.
And he says that life which I now live in the flesh, that is in
this physical body, I live by the faith of the Son of God.
That's the faith of the Son of God. We have faith in the Son
of God, but we live by the faith of the Son of God. He's faithful.
And it says, who loved me and gave himself for me. And I do
not frustrate the grace of God, for if righteousness come by
the law, then Christ is dead in vain. He preserves us, you
see, by the power of his grace. And here's the third reason.
Now stay right there at Galatians 2, look back up at verse 19 again.
Now listen to this very carefully. True believers Those who are
born of God, truly saved, cannot lose salvation because they cannot
be charged with sin. They cannot be charged with sin. Now you say, whoa, wait a minute. You just got through saying how
sinful we are. How much we are sinners. What
do you mean we cannot be charged with sin? I mean this. Now listen
to it. Though there is much sin in us,
even now, and there is much sin done by us, even now. Now you realize now that anything
less than perfect holiness and righteousness is sin. Do you
realize that? You say, well, I'm doing my best.
Well, unless your best can equal, you say, I'm doing my best to
love everybody. Well, you should do your best.
I should do my best to love everybody. But unless my best effort to
love everybody equals Christ perfect love, it's still sinful. What's one degree less than holiness? Sin. Sin's missing the mark. What's the mark? Perfection.
You say, well, nobody can do that. That's right. That's why
salvation is by grace. That's why you can't be saved
by your works. You see? Though there is much
sin in us and much sin done by us, yet God cannot and will not
charge us with sin or condemn us for it. He will not do it. Now why is that? Look at Galatians
2.19. For I through the law am what? What does that say? Dead to the
law. Dead to the law. What is it to
be dead to the law? It means the law cannot condemn
you. It means the law can require no obedience as to attaining
or maintaining salvation. How did you become dead to the
law? What was the purpose of becoming dead to the law? That
you may sin the more? No, that I might live unto God,
he says. Live a life of obedience to God. Not to be saved, but because
I already am. And how did you get that way?
Verse 20, I'm crucified with Christ. Go back to Romans 6. Romans chapter 6. A true believer
cannot be charged with sin. The only way, the only way that
God can condemn a sinner is to charge that sinner with his sins. But look, look at Romans chapter
6. He says in verse 6, he says,
knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him. That is
the old man is talking about our standing in Adam under the
covenant of works. that the body of sin might be
destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin, for he
that is dead is freed." That word freed there is justified. That means you're cleared of
all guilt. We're justified from sin. Cleared of all guilt. Righteous
in God's sight. Jump across the page to verse
4 of chapter 7. How did all this come about?
By your believing? No. Do you believe? By the grace of God, I hope you
do. But how did all this come about? Verse 4, wherefore, my
brethren, you are become dead to the law by the body of Christ,
by the death of Christ. He died for my sins. He was made
sin, Christ who knew no sin, for us that we might be made
the righteousness of God. My sins were charged to him by
his stripes. I was healed. All my iniquities
were laid upon Him. His righteousness is imputed
to me, charged to me. And so I'm dead to the law. I
cannot be charged with sin. Turn the page, Romans chapter
8. Look over at verse 31. He says, what shall we then say
to these things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? He that spared not his own son,
but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also
freely unconditionally give us all things? Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect? It's God that justifies. Who
is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather,
that is risen again, who's even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. You know what it is to be
lost? It means you don't know the way. Do you know the way? Well, Christ
said, I'm the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto
the Father but by me. And those who say, well, you
can be saved one day and lost, they might as well say, you can
be justified one day and condemn the next. God can charge you
with sin one day and then not charge... That's not the God
of this book, friend. Can't happen. True believers
cannot be charged. The Lord Jesus Christ came into
the world to destroy, purge, remove, and take away the sins
of His people, and He's done it. Behold the Lamb of God. All the sins of God's elect people
were laid upon Christ. He bore them in His own body
on the tree. He endured and satisfied the
complete wrath of God for them and bore them all the way. The
Son of God redeemed us from the curse of the law, made an end
of our sins, justified and sanctified us by His blood, and God Almighty
through that work of Christ has so thoroughly blotted out our
sins that He does not hold them against us. He will not. Well, this salvation is a complete
salvation. It's a great salvation. And true
believers cannot lose it. Once saved, All we save. Say it how you want to. Security
of the saved, security of the... You say, well, does that give
you a license to sin? No. No. This salvation is not
a one-time act. We come to Christ and we continually
come to Christ. It's an everyday thing. It's
the preserving by God's grace in the faith. And true believers,
the Bible says we have been saved, we are being saved, and we will
be saved. That's glory. We'll talk about
that in the next message. But having been given spiritual
life, eternal life in the abiding knowledge of Christ, we've been
brought into a living, abiding union with Christ. We've been
made partakers of the divine nature. We've been brought into
fellowship with God through Christ. And we're part of the body of
Christ, of which Christ himself is the head. And we couldn't
lose it no more than the head can be cut off. We couldn't lose
it no more than Christ could lose his throne. He continually
intercedes on our behalf, pleading the merits of his precious blood
and his infinite righteousness. So that's salvation in this book.