Today I would like you to turn in your Bible to the book of Romans. I would encourage all of you to get your Bible this morning and let's read in the book of Romans from chapter 9, Romans chapter 9, verse 11 and following. For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.

It was said unto her, that is, unto Rebekah, the elder shall serve the younger, as it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he saith to Moses, 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." That is, salvation is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God. Salvation is of the Lord, but of God that showeth mercy. Now here's the title of the message today. Salvation.

Is it by free will or is it by free grace? How is a sinner saved? By free will or by free grace? How many times have we all heard someone say this, God has given us a free will to either choose Him or to reject Him. Or I've heard people say this, God has done all He can do, the rest is up to you. I've heard others say this, make this statement, God wants to save you, but you won't let Him. But did you know that the Bible does not teach these things? Read the text again. From verse 16 of Romans 9, God said, Salvation is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. Let me give you some other Scriptures to build a foundation of salvation by grace.

James 1.18 says, Of his own will, of God's own will, beget he us with the word of truth. John chapter 1, verse 13, he said, We were born. not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." John 16, 15 says, you've not chosen me, but I've chosen you.

Now, it's most obvious to any person, any honest person, that salvation is all of God's will, God's work, and God's sovereign grace. The Bible does not teach that salvation is by man's choice, but rather of God's choice. The Bible does not teach that salvation is by the sinner's will, but rather by God's sovereign purpose. He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will. I've heard people say this, well, man's a free moral agent. Well, they're wrong on all three counts.

Man is neither free, neither moral, nor is he an agent. All mankind is not free. They're in bondage to sin. Men love darkness rather than light. Man is not moral either. We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God. And mankind is certainly not an agent. We have no ability or power to redeem ourselves from sin. We're aliens and strangers. Paul said we're without Christ and without God and without hope. You see, man is not a free moral agent. He's dead in trespasses and in sin.

Now, why make this an issue? Is it really that important to believe salvation is all of grace or whether salvation be of works or free will? Isn't this just theological hair splitting? Absolutely not. And here's the reason why. Free willism denies the gospel of God's saving sovereign grace. And here's how. I'm going to give you four reasons. Here's the first one. Now you listen to me. Don't tune me out this morning. You give me a hearing.

Free willism is a denial that God is God. Free willism, the religion of free willism, says God cannot do what He wants to unless we choose to let Him. If that's the case, who is God? Him or you? A God that cannot act without our permission is no God at all and simply an idol of our imagination. Who would worship a God like that? The only place where a sinner will worship is at the throne of a sovereign king. Thank God that the God of the Bible is God, that He is absolutely sovereign. Psalm 135, verse 6. Whatsoever the Lord please, that did He in heaven, in the earth, in the seas, and all deep places. Daniel 4, verse 35. All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

Isaiah 46, 11, I have spoken it, I bring it to pass, I have purposed it, I will do it." Sounds like somebody is in charge, doesn't it? God, my friend, He is God. These scriptures and many others undeniably teach that God is not in our hands, we're in His hands. God will have mercy on whom He will. Our Lord said, the Father hath given me power over all flesh, that I should give eternal life to as many as the Father hath given me. Now, here's the second reason. Free willism is a denial of what the Bible says about the sinful state of man.

It says in Ephesians 2.1, you were dead in trespasses and in sin. Men are alive physically and mentally. But spiritually, before God, He is described in the Word as being separated from God and dead in sin. All men are born spiritually dead. We are born sinners, shaped in iniquity. We are born with a corrupt nature and a deceitful heart full of evil. In Adam all died. In Adam all stand guilty before God.

And because of our condition by nature, dead in sin, Without God, we have no ability to obey the gospel any more than we have the ability to obey the law. Salvation comes by believing Christ. Salvation is received by believing Christ. But dead men, sinners, cannot believe the gospel unless God intervenes and does something for the sinner. What He cannot do for Himself, God must do. God must give us life that we might believe. Unless God intervenes, a sinner will never believe because he's dead in sin. A sinner believes because God has given him life. He does not believe to receive life. He believes because God has given him life in Christ. Now, here's the Scripture, 1 John 5, verse 1, Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.

You see, my friend, freewillism is a denial that salvation is of the Lord. Paul said this in 2 Timothy, 1, 9, God who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ before the world began.

Free willism is a denial that salvation is of the Lord. Here's the third point. Free willism is a denial of the effectual blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Freewillism says Jesus Christ died to make salvation a possibility for all if they will make a decision to make the blood atonement of Christ effectual for them. Now, in that scheme of salvation, who really makes the blood effectual? Come on now, be honest. The sinner or Christ? If you're honest, you'll have to say the sinner makes the blood of Christ effectual.

My friend, the truth of the gospel is that the Lord Jesus Christ stood as a surety of God's elect. That's what it says in Hebrews 7, 22. By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant established upon better promises. When Christ made sufficient payment for the sin of God's people, when Christ satisfied God's justice, the Lord Jesus Christ there at Calvary actually obtained and secured eternal redemption for His chosen people." You listen to what it says.

The Scripture says in Hebrews 9.12, Christ is our great High Priest, not with the blood of bulls and goats, but with His own blood He entered in once into the holy place and He obtained eternal redemption for His people. None for whom He died will ever perish.

Matthew 1.21 declares, Call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sin." God's justice cannot punish those for whom the Lord Jesus Christ died. That's why Paul said, there is therefore now in Christ no condemnation to those who are in Him. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ actually secured and obtained completely, 100% eternal redemption for all those for whom Christ died. And He died for His chosen, He died for His elect, He died for His church. Free willism is a denial of the effectual blood atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now here's the fourth reason, in closing. Free willism is a denial of the true meaning of faith.

Of faith. Paul said, For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast. Free willism makes faith a decision you make, rather than the gift of God. Those who have been taken up in this decisionism, in walking an aisle and making a decision and praying through and all these things, will always look back to some experience of the past as a ground of assurance, rather than looking to Christ alone who is salvation. Faith that's God-given trusts a person, not a decision.

Faith that's God-given looks to Christ alone, not an experience. Salvation, my friend, listen to me, will you? Salvation is not in an experience. Forget it. Don't look to it. Don't trust in it. Don't have any confidence in anything in the flesh. Salvation is in a person, not in experience. That's why Paul said we rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. The truth is we don't choose to believe. We believe because we have no choice. The sheep of Christ are drawn and driven to the Lord Jesus Christ because they have no option. All other doors are closed.

You remember what our Lord said to those apostles, His disciples in John chapter 6, when the multitude of the crowd walked away from Him and He turned to His twelve and said, Will you also go away? And Peter answered and said, Lord, to whom shall we go?

Thou hast the words of eternal life. We believe and are sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." You see, Peter had no option. He said, Lord, You have the words, Your salvation, Your life. I look to You. We believe and are sure that Thou art the Christ of God, the Son of the living God. You see, all the doors were closed. Peter was driven and drawn to the Lord Jesus Christ.

David put it this way, Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest. and causes to approach unto God. When God in saving mercy is pleased to regenerate a dead sinner and grant them faith, they willingly embrace the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 110 verse 3 says, Thy people shall be willing in the day of God's power.

The absolute worst thing that could possibly happen to any of us would be for God to simply leave us to our own depraved, fallen, fickle will. Listen to me. Man's will is always selfward and downward, never Godward and upward. Man's free will is like free running water. It always seeks the lowest course.

Thank God, my friend, I say thank God that salvation is by His free, unchanging, eternal and sovereign grace Not by my free will. Not by my works. It's not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. Now let's read that text again in Romans 9, 16. You see what Paul is saying here? He said, So then, salvation is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy. If you would like a copy of this message, Salvation by free will or by free grace. I'd love to hear from you. You write to me. You write to me and I'll send you a copy. If you would like a copy of this message, absolutely free. My address is 6088 Zebulon Highway, Pikeville, Kentucky, 41501.