Oh, to grace, our greater debtor,
I'm constrained to be. What a line out of a song. But we are debtors to the grace
and mercy of God. It's our only hope of salvation
to be saved by the work of Christ alone. And I echo Winston's Statement that he is glad to
be here where the gospels preached. I know you are too Well, you
can see the title of the message is biblical salvation is as I've
already been reminded This is a huge subject this could this
could well cover the whole of scriptures, but let me assure
you I've I've narrowed it down to a few thoughts. So I think
I'll get a message out of here You've known the gospel a long
time or whether you're just coming under the sound of it. So I Salvation,
as you all know, is a very important term in the scriptures. I mean,
I don't know of a term that could be said to be more vital or important
doctrine than salvation. And fallen humanity, men and
women in every generation, every age, want to know about salvation.
We all want to understand what it means to be saved. Everybody
wants to know how I can count myself among the saved. I mean,
that's That's just an issue we're all concerned about. The thief
on the cross asked Christ to consider. Remember him on this
matter. He said, Lord, remember me when
you come into your kingdom. He wanted to know about salvation.
The jailer at Philippi asked Paul and Silas on this matter,
Sirs, what must I do to be saved? In Luke 13, one questioned our
Lord, are there few that be saved? You see, this issue, men, think
about it. I know you've thought about it.
Salvation is the subject of interest to everyone, and the scriptures
are filled with exhortations for sinners to find themselves,
seek, find themselves among those that God counts saved. Look at
Mark 16 and verse 14. Christ is addressing His disciples
here after His resurrection. He says, afterward he appeared
unto the eleven as they sat at meat and upbraided them for their
unbelief and hardness of heart. Some had declared to them that
Christ had risen and they didn't believe him. Because they believed
not them which had seen him after he was risen. And he said unto
them, to his disciples, go ye into all the world and preach
the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized,
he that believes that gospel and is baptized shall be saved.
But he that believeth not shall be damned. So there's exhortations
like this and many others in the scriptures that exhort sinners
to understand biblical salvation. I could have entitled this God's
salvation. I could have entitled it true salvation as opposed
to the salvation that we have grown up under. But I entitled
it biblical salvation. It's not just an important term
in the scriptures. This is a very comprehensive
term. This covers a lot of doctrine.
It covers a lot of ground. And I've already told you, I'm
going to try to narrow it down to something we can all get something
out of. This term, salvation, reaches
all the way back to eternity, and it reaches all the way forward
to final glory. In other words, from eternity
to eternity, there's this time in between when God is declaring
His salvation, biblical salvation, to this world through the gospel.
The scriptures declare several aspects of salvation. Sinners
have been saved, sinners are being saved, and sinners will
be saved. Now that's what this lesson is
going to deal with. Those three specific things that we're going
to consider today from the scriptures. First, sinners have been saved. As I said, salvation reaches
all the way back to eternity. It starts with God choosing a
people. Look at Ephesians chapter 1,
verses 3 and 4. Paul writes to the Ephesians,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places
in Christ, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before
him. All the way back to eternity,
God bless the people. God chose the people in Christ
and blessed them with all spiritual blessings. What does that include?
It includes everything. It includes everything. Justification,
sanctification, regeneration, pardon of sin, everything that
you can think about in the way of salvation. Spiritual blessings
include everything. And somebody, a multitude of
sinners chosen by God have been blessed with all spiritual blessings.
Now note, these sinners were not chosen and blessed arbitrarily,
not without a cause, nor were they chosen because of anything
foreseen in them. A lot of people think, well,
God choosing a people. Election is just God looking
down to see what sinners would do and God choosing them on the
basis of what they would do. No, no sir, that is not biblical
election. not in any sense of the word.
God didn't look down any telescope of time to see that a sinner
would believe and choose them on that basis. But God was looking
at something when He chose sinners. He was looking at Christ. You
see, it says right there in verse 1, chosen in Christ. That's important. Christ was
the appointed representative, their mediator before God of
these who are chosen. He's their substitute who stood
in their place before God's bar of justice. He's their surety
who assumed their legal debt in eternity and came in time
and paid that legal debt in full. You see, we're chosen in Christ.
The fact that sinners have been saved, this is one aspect of
salvation now that sinners, you and I at one time in our lives,
and sinners in general by nature are totally ignorant of. This
is not something that will happen. It's not something that's waiting
to happen. It's not something that sinners
have to do in order to make it happen. This is something that
has already happened. It's done. It's finished. Christ
finished it. Now Christ spoke in anticipation
of His work on the cross just prior to His going to the cross.
Look at John 17 and verse 4. He's talking about the salvation.
He was about to work out here. 17.4 and verse 1, These words
spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father,
the hour is come. Glorify thy Son, that thy Son
also may glorify thee. As thou hast given him power
over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many
as thou hast given him. The Father entrusted the salvation
of a multitude of sinners to Christ. That's what it means
that He gave them to Christ. He entrusted their salvation
to Him. Verse 3, Christ said, And this is life eternal, that
they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the
earth, I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. Now,
when Christ spoke these words, this is before he went to the
cross, this is his high priestly prayer in John 17 there, before
he had actually done any of these things. How could Christ say
that He had already glorified His Father? How could He say
that He had already finished the work His Father gave Him
to do? It wasn't done yet. He hadn't gone to the cross.
He hadn't suffered, bled, and died. He hadn't established that
righteousness in time. How could He say it was done
before it was done? Well, He could say it was done
before it was done because it couldn't fail to be done. Christ
is God the Son incarnate. God in human flesh. When God
purposes anything to be done, It's as good as none, even before
it's done. Now you and I can't do that.
We can purpose something and there are multitudes of things
that could get in the way of our actually accomplishing what
we purpose to accomplish. But when God purposes something,
it's as good as done. And He can count it as good as
done. And He declares that in the scriptures. Christ could
declare his work done before it was actually done just like
his father could declare Abraham a father of many nations when
Abraham didn't even have a son. Look at Romans 4 and verse 17. Paul writes, as it is written,
this is God speaking, I have made thee a father of many nations
before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the
dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Abraham didn't even have a son.
He didn't have a child of any sort, and yet God said to Abraham,
I have made you a father of many nations. How could he do that?
Because God can declare a thing that he purposes done even before
it's done. Christ could declare his work
done in the same way that his father could declare Abraham
justified on the basis of Christ's righteousness charged to him
before Christ actually came in time and established that righteousness. Look at Romans 4 and verses 1
through 3. What shall we say then that Abraham,
our father, as pertaining to the flesh, has found? For if
Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but
not before God. For what saith the scripture,
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
Now, this whole chapter is about how Abraham is justified. Not
whether he was justified, but how he was justified. It says
he wasn't justified by works. If Abraham had done something
that caused God to justify him, Abel would have reason to boast.
But Abraham, nor any other sinner, has any reason to boast before
God. Because that last verse, Abraham believed God and it was
counted unto him. He believed what God said about
that promised seed. He believed that Christ would
come in time and put away the sin of every sinner God gave
him. And established the one righteousness
that makes it right for God to justify ungodly sinners. And
God charged. Abraham's believing was evidence
that God had charged the merit of Christ's work to him. even
before Christ came and actually established that work in time.
God counted Abraham righteous on the basis of the righteousness
Christ would come in time and establish. He declared the same
thing of Abel, testifying of his sacrifice that Abel was righteous
in Hebrews 11 and verse 4. And he said of Noah back in Genesis
7 and verse 1, he said, Thee have I seen righteous before
me in this generation. The 11th chapter of Hebrews is
about numerous Old Testament saints, it says, who died in
the faith, meaning they died giving evidence that they were
righteous on the basis of Christ's righteousness imputed alone. Christ could count his work done
even before it was done because he's God and what he purposes,
it's as good as done. On the cross, Christ declared
the work he was given finished. He declared it accomplished.
Look at John 19 and verse 30. These are some of Christ's last
words on the cross. When Jesus therefore had received
the vinegar, he said, it is finished, and he bowed his head and gave
up the ghost. There he had completed the work.
But it was a work that was certain to be done even before he went
here. God the Father, that's Christ declaring his work finished.
God the Father declared Christ's work finished and accomplished
by his resurrection of Christ from the dead. Now Paul writes
about this, we're talking about the first aspect of salvation. the fact that sinners have been
saved. And Paul declared this aspect
of salvation. And he's describing the work
and salvation that Christ had accomplished on the cross for
those he was given. He's also describing the work
and salvation that the Father had looked to and counted on
from all eternity. Look at Romans chapter 4 and
verse 25. I'll give you the context here
before I read this verse. It's not written for Abraham's
benefit alone, or with regard to Abraham alone, that God charged
the righteousness of Christ to him. But it's written for the
benefit of every sinner to whom righteousness is charged, who
believe on the same God Abraham believed in, the one that raised
up Christ from the dead, and then we'll pick up right here.
who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our
justification. Christ was delivered to the cross
because the sins of his people were counted to him. They were
charged to his account. He was raised again because those
whose sins he bore they stand justified based on the righteousness
that He worked out on the cross imputed to them. He was raised
again because His obedience unto death had met all the conditions,
fulfilled all the requirements, established the righteousness
by which God has always, even in eternity, always declared
these sinners forever righteous in His sight. These sinners Those
that said who was delivered for our offenses and raised because
of our justification? These sinners are not only not
legally guilty, that is, they're not charged with sin. Not liable
to any punishment because of sin. Not even chargeable. Can't
even be charged with sin. Now that's not only true about
them, but they're also justified in God's sight. In other words,
they're declared eternally, unchangeably righteous in God's sight, forever,
based on Christ's righteousness imputed. God has never viewed
these sinners any other way. This aspect of salvation is accomplished. Christ accomplished it. He finished
it on the cross. But it's the aspect of salvation
that God counted on counted done before the world began. A multitude
of sinners have been saved. This aspect of salvation is revealed
in a lot of places in the scriptures. One of the clearest is found
in Paul's writing to Timothy. And this is one of my text verses
for today. Look at 2 Timothy 1 in verse 9. He says here, who
has saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." According
to God's own purpose to glorify himself in the hearts of a people,
and according to the grace, all the means to accomplish that
purpose, And all those spiritual blessings mentioned in Ephesians
1, all that was given unto a multitude of sinners in Christ before the
world began. The angel told Joseph, call his
name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. When
Christ died on the cross, he fulfilled that prophecy. A multitude
of sinners has been saved. This aspect of salvation, this
first aspect, it's a foundational truth. And what I mean by that... Every aspect of salvation, the
other two we're going to look at here in a minute, they rest
on this aspect of salvation. It's key to understanding salvation
as the Bible records it. In other words, until you get
this right, that sinners have been saved by the finished work
of Christ, the righteousness He worked out, until you get
that right, You don't have any idea of salvation right whatsoever. Everything you think about salvation
is not biblical. It won't be backed up by the
scriptures. Until a sinner understands and believes how sinners have
been saved, they have no right knowledge, no scriptural knowledge
of how sinners are being saved or of how sinners shall be saved.
Now when I say sinners have no right knowledge, I don't mean
we don't have any ideas. We all have ideas about salvation.
I don't mean we don't desire to be saved. We do. But everybody
wants to be saved, but our ideas and desires are not scriptural.
They're not founded on the scriptures. The ideas and desires of the
natural mind are presumptions of the fallen, depraved human
heart. Now, these desires are illustrated
in the scripture as those on the broad way that's leading
to destruction, and those on that way that seems right unto
men, the end thereof. of the ways of death. That's
how they're illustrated. These ideas are about how fallen
sinners think, about how we imagine God saves. But they are far from
how God really saves. They're far from biblical salvation. These desires are about how sinners
want to be saved based on something found in us, and not based on
Christ's finished work alone. They're far from God's salvation,
which reveals Him to be just and the justifier of ungodly
sinners. And the Scriptures won't support
these ideas of fallen, depraved humanity. Look back at the outline. The first aspect of salvation. A multitude of God's choosing
sinners have been saved. Christ has redeemed them from
the eternal wrath they deserved. They are unchangeably righteous,
unchangeably justified, holy, and unblameable in God's sight
based on Christ's imputed righteousness alone, and they've been so in
God's mind and purpose before the foundation of the world.
That's the first aspect of salvation. The second aspect of salvation
taught in the scriptures is that sinners are being saved. Well,
if sinners have already been saved, why do they need to be
saved? Well, let's look at this, because
we'll gain some understanding here. Look at 1 Corinthians 1
and verse 18. Paul writes here, for the preaching of the cross
is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it
is the power of God. The verb tenses here in this
verse are both present tense, which simply means it's a continuous
action being spoken of. There are those who are perishing.
They are perishing. They haven't perished yet. No
sinners perished until they die in unbelief, unbelief of the
gospel, not resting in Christ alone. So they haven't perished
yet. But apart from the gospel and
placing no value on Christ, Seeing no need for His righteousness
imputed for all of salvation, these sinners remain aligned
with those who are perishing. In other words, if they go on
that way, they're on the broad way leading to destruction. And
if they go on that way, the end of that way is perishing. Then
there are those who are being saved. Continuous action. These
sinners have already been saved. God chose them and gave them
all spiritual blessings in Christ before the foundation of the
world. Christ redeemed them by his death on the cross, but they
are still in need of being saved. They must and shall be brought
to the knowledge of God who chose them and the Christ who redeemed
them. Paul describes this more clearly
in his letter to the Ephesians. Look at Ephesians 2, verses 8
and 9. These are some familiar verses to us here. Paul writes,
for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
Same continuous action here. By grace are you saved. By grace
you are being saved. You continue to be saved. The
sense of this verse is that those who have been saved from all
eternity, put in Christ, chosen in Him, and blessed in Him based
on His work alone, those who have been saved are continuing
to be saved. Based on the original of this
verse, it might read like this. Having been saved by grace, you
continue being saved by grace through the faith, through the
gospel. And that, that salvation that's
by grace, it's not of yourselves, not in any sense of the word.
That salvation by grace is a gift of God. It's not a works, lest
any man should boast. So, we're talking about sinners
needing to be saved who've already been saved. Who's Paul speaking
to here? By grace you are saved. Who's represented by the you?
The you are those sinners who have been saved, but still need
to be saved. If you look at the context here,
we go all the way back to Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 1. He says,
and you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. The you here is what we're identifying. Paul is speaking here of those
who are dead in trespasses and sins. He's speaking of spiritual
death. Now, that means a lot of things
to a lot of different people, but let me tell you some things
it doesn't necessarily mean. Being spiritually dead does not
necessarily mean condemned. It could mean that, but it doesn't
necessarily mean that. Nor does it necessarily mean
that you're living an immoral life. or a life of unconcern
about spiritual things. It could mean that, but it doesn't
necessarily mean that. Being spiritually dead simply
means that you're ignorant of, that you have no value for God's
redemptive glory. You have no knowledge or value
of the righteousness of God that's always revealed in the gospel.
You have no knowledge or value for how God is just to justify
ungodly sinners on the basis of Christ's righteousness imputed
alone. That's what spiritual death is. It's just to be ignorant
of how God is just to show mercy to sinners like you and me based
on Christ's work alone. A spiritual death is revealed
by a sinner's walk. If we look on further in the
context of Ephesians 2 and verse 2, Paul writes, wherein in time
past you walked according to the course of this world, according
to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now
worketh in the children of disobedience. We're talking about those who
are being saved in this life, in time. And he's describing
us before they come to salvation. Describing the walk here. You
walked You walked according to the course of this world. You
walked according to the direction of Satan, that spirit that's
still working in the children of disobedience. In other words,
we walked as everybody else. The elect of God, chosen, of
God, and given all spiritual blessings, walked just like everybody
else who's born into this world, by nature being ignorant of God's
way of salvation, of biblical salvation. We walked according
to the way our natural inclination took us, and according to the
way those who taught us taught us. We walked thinking that we
needed to do something, or that we had done something, by which
God had saved us and blessed us. And that spiritual death
was revealed in our walk. It's also revealed in a sinner's
conversation, which is just another word for walk or manner of living. Look on in Ephesians 2 and verse
3. Paul says, among whom also we all had our conversation in
times past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires
of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children
of wrath, even as others. Just in case some who are listening
to me, whether it's you or those listening by tape, just in case
somebody gets the idea, well, he might be speaking about himself,
and a lot of others, but he's not speaking about me. I've never
thought anything recommended me to God but the death of Christ,
the blood of Christ. Look at what Paul says there
in verse 3, among whom also we all. He includes himself, the
apostle includes himself. We all had our conversation in
times past. In the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling
the desires of the flesh and of the mind. Spiritual desires
to be saved based on something, anything other than the imputed
righteousness of Christ. We were by nature the children
of wrath. In other words, we acted just
like those who go on acting that way. You and I who sit under
the gospel and value the gospel, we know there's not another message
in this town that's preaching to Christ I'm talking to you
about here today. God has separated us under this
gospel, but they're still going on just like we were when we
were among them. All All without exception. Even those who have been saved
are born spiritually dead. You hath he quickened who were
dead in trespasses and sins. All are born walking in league
with Satan. All are born going about to establish
a righteousness of our own. All are born ignorant of what
Christ has already done to deliver the sinners that he was given
from the wrath we deserve. All are born ignorant of how
God can be doing right and show mercy to a sinner, how he can
be just and justify the ungodly. All are born walking among, looking
like, and acting like those who are perishing. Right there with
them, walking along with them, doing what they do, looking just
like they did. And Satan, who is called the
God of this world, he's content. He would love to have sinners
remain just that way. He loves to have a sinner on
a church pew where the gospel is not preached, thinking he's
saved when he knows nothing of how God saves a sinner by the
righteousness of Christ alone. He'd much rather have him there
than in a brothel or out on the riverbank. See, Satan's a spiritual
devil, but look at, let me back up the statement I made. Satan
would have all remained ignorant of God's glory in redemption,
ignorant of what Christ has done. Look at 2 Corinthians 4, verses
3 and 4. Paul writes, but if our gospel
be hid, it's hid to them that are lost, in whom the God of
this world, that's Satan, has blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them. Now he says
here that the God of this world has hid something from sinners. He's blinded the minds of somebody.
What has he blinded the mind to? He says here, Our gospel. If our gospel be hid. That's
what Satan is blinded sinners minds to. Our gospel. It means that which distinguishes
the gospel from all other messages that claim to be the gospel.
There's one thing, see, revealed in the gospel is not revealed
anywhere else. And that one thing is the redemptive glory of God.
It's how God is just, to justify ungodly sinners for Christ's
sake alone. It doesn't matter if you're the most moral, most
sincere, most dedicated religious person on the earth. If you're
ignorant of God's righteousness, if you don't see that God is
just, He's doing right to justify you on the basis of Christ's
imputed righteousness alone, none of that matters because
you're blinded by the God of this world and you're aligning
yourself with those in this world who are perishing. Now, how are
sinners delivered from such blindness? Well, I'll tell you how. God
sends them a gospel preachers. They're called by the gospel.
They're called by a holy calling. Look back at 2 Timothy 1.9. God
who has saved us and called us with an holy calling. They're
called by the gospel. It's not just any message. It's
a message that reveals how God is just to justify sinners on
the basis of Christ alone. That's the one thing that distinguishes
the gospel message from any other message that preaches a lot of
truth, but doesn't preach the one truth sinners need to know
in order for God to be glorified in their salvation. How are sinners
delivered? By the gospel. How are sinners
delivered from such blindness? God intervenes with spiritual
life. Look back at Ephesians 2 and
verse 1. He says, and you hath he quickened who were dead in
trespasses and sin. That's God giving a sinner spiritual
life. Those who are perishing are spiritually
dead. They remain in that death. They are those who continue seeking
salvation and acceptance with God based on something other
than the finished work of Christ alone. In other words, they are
those who remain ignorant of or placing no value on God's
redemptive glory. How He, based on Christ's work
alone, can be just to justify sinners. But those who are being
saved are those who are quickened. They're those delivered from
spiritual death. They're those given spiritual
life. Now this is the beginning point of a sinner being identified
with those that are being saved, and thereby identifying with
those that have already been saved. Sinners who are brought
to rest in Christ and repent of their dead works and idolatry,
those who come to see and value how God is just to justify them
on the basis of Christ alone, they're given spiritual life.
How are sinners delivered from such blindness? Look on at 2
Corinthians 4 and verse 6. He says, For God, who commanded
the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face
of Jesus Christ. God shines in the heart. He brings
them to a knowledge they didn't have before and a value for that
knowledge. The greatest need of fallen humanity
This is some statement I'm making. The greatest need. What's the
greatest need in this world? It's to hear the gospel. That's
the greatest need of fallen humanity. Remember Jim's lesson last week? I'll just remind you of the title.
The necessity of hearing the gospel. Belief or unbelief of
the gospel is what distinguishes between those who are perishing
and those who are being saved. A value for or no value for God's
righteousness, for God's redemptive glory, for the finished work
of Christ is that alone by which God justifies a sinner. That
is what distinguishes sinners between those who are perishing
and those who are being saved. That's why Christ commanded his
disciples in Mark 16 and verse 16, 15 through 16, to go in all
the world and preach the gospel. He said, Go ye into all the world
and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth not shall be
damned. Now Christ's command to His disciples
here, it's clear. Crystal clear. He didn't tell
them to go build soup kitchens. He didn't tell them to go feed
the hungry. He didn't tell them to go clothe
the naked. His message is single. Go preach
the gospel. Declare unto sinners what God
has done to save a multitude of His choosing by the doing
and dying of Christ alone. Declare a salvation already accomplished
by Christ for every sinner He was given. Declare the righteousness
Christ established by His obedience unto death as the only thing
that makes it right for God to declare any sinner righteous
in His sight. tell sinners about God's salvation,
biblical salvation. And those sinners that God chose
and gave all spiritual blessings to before the world began, those
sinners that Christ redeemed at the cross, those sinners who
have been saved, Those sinners will be made known under the
preaching of the gospel. They'll be made known in their
response to the God and Savior declared in the gospel. Everybody,
every sinner on the face of this earth needs a Savior like Christ,
who fulfilled all the requirements, who met all the conditions, who
left nothing for a sinner to do to stand righteous, forever
righteous, unchangeably righteous in the sight of a holy God. Everybody
needs a Savior like that. They need to hear the gospel.
They need to hear of this Savior. How can I tell if I'm aligned
with those who are perishing or if I'm aligned with those
who are being saved? Is God glorified in your salvation? In every attribute of His character?
Is He just? Is He doing right to save you?
He is if He's doing it on the basis of Christ's righteousness
and beauty alone. That's how you can tell. Is God
glorified in your salvation, or is He not? Do you think Christ
died for everybody, but some are going to end up perishing
anyway? God's not glorified in that salvation. That's not biblical
salvation. Let's go back to the outline.
Sinners have been saved from God's wrath by Christ's work
on the cross, and they're being saved, beginning with regeneration
and conversion. That's their beginning to value
God's redemptive glory, regeneration. Now, there's one last aspect
of salvation. Sinners will be saved. This is
one aspect not yet accomplished, even for those who've been saved
and those who are being saved. Look at Romans 8 and verse 22. For we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only
they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
that's the regenerate sinner, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves waiting for the adoption to wit, or namely, the redemption
of our body. For we're saved by hope, but
hope that is seen is not hope, for what a man seeth, what has
he yet hoped for? But if we hope for that we see
not, then do we with patience wait for it. No one has been
finally glorified yet. Not even the saints who've gone
on to be with Christ in heaven, in spirit. Not only them. Not
even them. But the justified, the regenerate
sinner, we see the reality of final glory in the scriptures.
We see it through the eye of God-given faith, and we hope
for it. We wait patiently for it. We know that it's certain
because that's what God's Word declares. Look at Hebrews 9 in
verse 28. It says, so Christ was once offered to bear the
sins of many, and unto them that look for him shall he appear
the second time without sin unto salvation. Christ came the first
time to put away sin. He came to bear the penalty his
people deserved and the penalty they would bear, except that
he came and bore it in their place. He's coming again without
sin, without even the presence, without even the influence of
sin, unto full and final salvation, final glory. The emphasis here
is that Christ is coming back for those who look. for Him. Are you looking for Him? Are
you looking for the Christ identified in the Gospel? Are you looking
for the One who came, became incarnate, put away the sin of
His people, brought in everlasting righteousness, that righteousness
by which God declares sinners righteous in His sight? Those
that look for Him, He's coming back for them. And those will
be saved. They will be finally glorified. Look back at the outline and
I'll close. Biblical salvation. Sinners have been saved. God
chose them in eternity. Christ died on the cross for
them and he accomplished their full salvation. They're being
saved. They're being brought under the
sound of the gospel to the knowledge of this Savior who's done everything
required for them to be declared righteous. And they will be saved
in final glory when Christ returns to get them. May the Lord enable
His people to rejoice in such a salvation and such a Savior.