Salvation Is An Act Of God

Q: What does the Bible say about God's role in salvation?

The Bible teaches that salvation is solely an act of God, not dependent on human efforts. The Scriptures make it abundantly clear that salvation is an act of God. Proverbs 16:1-6 states that the preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue are from the Lord. This underscores the truth that it is God who must act in the hearts of individuals to bring about salvation. An example of this is found in Acts 16, where Lydia’s heart was opened by the Lord to respond to the gospel. This shows that even a devoutly religious person requires God’s intervention to attain salvation.

Q: How do we know that salvation is a divine act?

The Bible provides multiple instances demonstrating God's initiative in salvation. The certainty that salvation is a divine act can be established through various biblical narratives and teachings. For instance, Philippians 2:13 states that it is God who works in us to will and to do for His good pleasure, emphasizing God's active role in our awakening and responsiveness to Him. Furthermore, John 1 clarifies that those who come to believe are born not of human will but of God. This aligns with the sovereign grace perspective that it is God who prepares the hearts of sinful individuals for repentance and faith.

Q: Why is understanding God's sovereignty in salvation important for Christians?

Understanding God's sovereignty provides assurance and eliminates the reliance on human effort. Recognizing God's sovereignty in salvation is critical for believers as it shifts the focus from human effort to divine grace. According to Proverbs 16:4, God has made all things for Himself, including the wicked for the day of evil, which illustrates His supreme authority over all creation. When Christians grasp this doctrine, they can find peace in God's plan of salvation, knowing that He alone determines who receives mercy. This understanding fosters humility and dependence on God rather than self-justification.

Q: What does the Bible teach about human ability to choose God?

The Bible teaches that natural man is unable to choose God without divine intervention. Scripture consistently portrays humanity as unable to seek after God in their natural state due to the corruption of sin. Proverbs 16:2 highlights that all the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but it is the Lord who weighs the spirits. This indicates that unregenerate individuals often seek self-justification rather than God's righteousness. Jesus reinforces this in John 3, explaining that people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Without God's sovereign action in preparing the heart, no one would choose Him.

Q: How does God act to save the sinner according to the Bible?

God saves the sinner through His mercy and truth, as well as the fear of the Lord. According to Proverbs 16:6, God purges iniquity through mercy and truth. This concept is integral to the understanding of salvation in the Reformed faith. The purging of sin is accomplished through the work of Christ on the cross, ensuring that He purged the sins of His people, providing complete salvation. Additionally, it is through a reverent fear of the Lord that individuals depart from evil, aligning with the witness of Jeremiah that turning comes from God’s initiative in the heart. Thus, God's actions are both redemptive and transforming.

Sovereign Grace Chapel, located at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. Welcome to the broadcast for today. My text that I will read for my message today is found in Proverbs chapter 16, one of the Proverbs of Solomon. In chapter 16, I want to read just the first six verses for this broadcast. Proverbs 16, verses one through six, where Solomon wrote these words, the preparations of the heart in man.

And the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. The Lord hath made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord. Though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged. And by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil.

That's Proverbs chapter 16, verses one through six. Now, the subject of this text, And I'm summing it up myself, but the subject of my text is this, and this will be my title, and as I said, I'm assured this is the subject. Salvation, here it is. Salvation is an act of God. I know that any of you who have been regularly watching these broadcasts, that it's like I'm constantly affirming this, and constantly declaring this, and constantly preaching this, that salvation is an act of God. The reason I do so is because it is. Salvation is an act of God.

Now, there are many voices out there who are claiming to speak for God. I understand that. And I understand for most folk, it's probably just totally perplexing, just totally confusing. Now, all, let me try to help you just a little here. Maybe God'll use this to just help you just a little.

All, after I preach, everybody out there preaching, all who concentrate on this, what man should do for God. All who concentrate on their message, their main thrust of their message, when you listen to them, they may speak of many topics, they may even mention God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and the church and prayer and faith and righteousness, but the major thrust of their message is this, what men should do for God. All of those, they're men pleasers. They're not sin of God. All who concentrate on what men should do for God are men-pleasers.

Solomon spoke from God, and he spoke to the honor and the glory of God. Solomon knew it's what God must do for men that makes the difference. Now, Solomon, neither Solomon nor me nor any other God-sent preacher is saying they're not things that men ought to do, but that's not the thrust of it. and especially when it comes to salvation.

Why? Because the preparations of the heart in man, in a man, do you see it? And the answer of the tongue from that man, what comes out of that heart and comes out of that tongue, our Lord said, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The preparation of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue is salvation. from the Lord.

So it's that simple. So I have six things. I want to look at six things. We have six verses. I want to look at six things here today in this broadcast. First of all, as I've already mentioned, let's see that God must act in salvation. We will see Solomon clearly saying that God must act in salvation. Again, the preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. And they have an example of that. And that example is clear in Acts chapter 16.

We read of a woman named Lydia. And she was even a woman which worshiped God. She was devout. She was a religious woman. She knew something of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And she worshiped God in what light she had. But that wasn't enough. Now listen to it. Remember, the preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Now listen to it, Acts 16, just two verses, 14 and 15. and a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshiped God heard us, whose heart, now listen, whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. So here we see the preparations of the heart in man is what?

It's of the Lord. The Lord opened her heart. She didn't have to open her heart. She couldn't open her heart. She was a religious woman, but she still needed salvation. whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which are spoken of Paul.

Now that's verse 14, look at 15. And when she was baptized and her household, she besought us, saying, if you've judged me faithful, you stay here. Stick around with us, abide with us. She said, we love you and the Lord you're preaching. Hang around for a while. Do you see it? Let's see God act in salvation.

And that's what God prepared the heart. And preparing the heart in a man. Preparing the heart in a woman. And the preparation of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. So simply stated that. There it is. You don't have to go do a lot of mumbo jumbo and a lot of psychological work. There it is. Here's the second thing. Let's see God expose man's corruption. Let's see God expose my corruption. Let's see God expose your corruption. Number two, verse two.

All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes. Do you see it? All the ways of a man are clean. Well, I know what I think. You ever heard that? Never said that. Well, I know how I believe. I know what I believe. I know who I believe. I know when I believed. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

Do you see it? But the Lord weigheth the spirits. Think about this. Unregenerate men and women, and I mean people who've never had their heart prepared, Therefore, their tongue cannot answer the right thing. Stay with us. We want to hear more about this Lord Jesus Christ. The unregenerate man or woman, they seek self-justification. We're constantly engaged in it, constantly engaged in it. But I want you to listen to what our Lord Jesus Christ said. And this is what is recorded by Luke in Luke chapter 18. And this is how the Lord Jesus Christ put it, Luke chapter 18, verses 9 through 12.

And remember, all the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes. but the Lord weigheth the spirits. He weighs where it's coming from. You ever heard somebody say, well, I know where I'm coming from. Well, the Lord knows where we're coming from, even when we're wrong about where we're coming from. Listen to what he said in Luke 18 and verses nine through 12. And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and they despised others. Two men went up into the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself.

Do you see it? God, you see it? God, I think, now he prayed it, but he prayed, he mentioned God, but he's praying what? Praying with himself. It's all about him, you see? It's all about him. Again, I say, unregenerate men seek self-justification. God knows our self-centered conceit.

Look at it. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, even as this publican. You see it? I fast twice in a week. I give tithes of all that I profess. But that old publican just stood afar off. Why did he cry nothing but this? God. God be merciful to me the sinner you see it again.

I'll tell you all the ways little man are clean his own eyes But the Lord way of the spirit, so we see God act in salvation We've seen that we've seen God expose men's corruption my corruption your corruption, but here's verse 3 We see the proper attitude of a regenerate man or woman. That's a person that God has prepared their heart Their tongue is ready to say the right thing. It's things about God's people and who God's people worship. So see the proper attitude of a regenerate man.

Verse three, commit thy works. Look at it. Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts. shall be established, you see? What's he talking about here? Think about it. The regenerate, I'm talking about the regenerate now. The commit thy works unto the Lord. Who's gonna do that? Only that person that has their heart prepared of the Lord. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. And let's see if this might help just a little.

Philippians chapter two. The apostle Paul put it this way. Philippians chapter two. In verse 13, speaking to some believers, some people who's had their hearts prepared of the Lord and their tongue has spoken, they confess that Jesus Christ was Lord to the glory of God the Father. And Paul put it this way. Verse 13 of Philippians 2, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Do you see that? You see, that's why God has the prayer of the heart. The will acts from the heart. The scripture is clear. The scripture is clear in the Old Testament, whose heart, it says it over and over again, whose heart made them willing. That's why the preparations of the heart is of the Lord. It must begin there. You see it?

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. My will and your will by our fallen Adam, by our nature, by our sinfulness is corrupt. Yes, we have a will, but it's not a free will. It's corrupt and deceitful just like our hearts are. And that's why the preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue must be from the Lord.

This is how our Lord Jesus Christ put it himself. And he was speaking with Nicodemus, and of course we know many of us are familiar with that, you know, you must be born again, but look at what Christ went on to say to Nicodemus. And in John chapter three, John records it, verses 19, 20, 21.

And this is what Jesus, and this is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world and it's Believe me, you look at this, that light was himself, him. Christ is the light. And he, look at, for this, and this is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world, and men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But, do you see it? But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. Do you see it?

It ain't about my will. It ain't about your will, that might not be good English, but it is sound doctrine. It's not your will nor my will, it's about the will of God. And even John made that clear in John chapter one. The people that believe are those who were born, not of blood nor the will of the flesh nor the will of man.

Why is it men keep crying up their will, free will, their will this? Because they hate the light. They do not believe that the preparations of the heart in man and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Oh, they may say it and quote it, but they don't really believe it. And here's why, because all their ways are clean in their own eyes.

But the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. Here's number four. Here's the fourth thing. Now listen to me. I want to summarize it, then I'll read the verse and show a couple of scriptures. Let's see the Lord sovereign over all. I said sovereign, that means he reigns. He is the one in charge. He's the one that rules. He's the one that holds everything according to his own sovereign purpose. Let's see the Lord sovereign over all. And listen, even the unregenerate. Even the lost They're all the same even the wicked.

Do you see it verse 4? The Lord hath made all things for himself. Yay Do you hear it? Yay, even the wicked for the day of evil This is what Solomon wrote, being moved by the Spirit of God to write about God and about man. Solomon is telling the truth about who God is, and he's telling the truth about who man is. And that's just the way it is. See him sovereign, see the Lord sovereign over all, even the unregenerate. Now I want you to think about this.

I'm gonna turn to Acts chapter four, and I'm gonna read you something that the apostles said Right after they were released from prison, others were gathered together, and these men, these apostles were released from prison, and this is what they said about God, this is what they said about man. Now remember, the Lord hath made all things from self, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. I'm saying that God is sovereign even over man's most vile acts. Listen to what it says in Acts 4, 25, 26, 27, 28. Who by the mouth of thy servant David hath said, why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together, look, against the Lord and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, that is, he is the Messiah, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together.

Now, they were against him, okay? They rejected him. They malked him. They crucified him on a tree. But look at what they say. for to do, they're praying to God now, for to do whatsoever, these are these wicked men, remember that, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. Do you hear those words? Now this is what the disciples believed. This is the God they believed. This is the Christ they preached. This is the wickedness of men they exposed. And yet what? The Lord hath made all things for himself, yea, what? Even the wicked, do you see it? The Lord hath made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Now let's just mark it down. It is what it is. This is how it is. We see the Lord sovereign over all, even the unregenerate. Now listen to me. I wanna turn to Matthew chapter 11. We're gonna read the words of our Lord Jesus Christ himself. And I'll read those words right after I make this statement. I'm talking here about verse four. See the Lord sovereign over all, even the unregenerate. You see, God is sovereign over all men. To give, now listen to me. God is sovereign over all men to give or to withhold his mercy as he pleases.

And this is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ prayed when he prayed to the Father. Listen to it, Matthew chapter 11, verse 25. Matthew records it. At that time, Jesus answered and said, I thank thee. So he's giving thanks to God, see? I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because, here's why I thank you. Now there's two reasons here why he thanks the Father. He thanks him, thanks him for it. Do you hear it? He thanks him for it.

Because thou hast hid these things from the wise and the prudent. Do you see it? You've hid it from some folk. and has revealed them unto babes. Now, there's so much I could say about that, but think about this. Yes, the wise and the prudent, God, he hid these things from them, but revealed them unto babes. It had to still be revealed to the babes. The babes weren't able, they're babes. They don't get it. the preparations of the hardened man and the answer of the tongues from the Lord.

But listen why this is so. Verse 26 of our Lord's Prayer. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. And that's exactly, that is exactly what Solomon is saying in Proverbs. the preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes, but the Lord weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. The Lord hath made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. That's the four, four of the five things. Now, here's number five. See God, now think about it, this is verse five. See God fixed as sure, See God fix as sure the ruin. of some. Do you see it? Verse five.

Everyone that is proud in heart. Now these others up here who's had their heart prepared, they're not proud, they're humbled now. They're contract now, they're broken now, they're bowed down now, but not these folks. You see it? Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination. That's a strong word, isn't it? Is an abomination to the Lord, though hand join in hand, though they all join together. as one individual single unit. You see it? Though hand join in hand, he, that is that proud person or those proud persons who've joined hand in hand, maybe they joined just their own hands, doesn't matter.

He shall not be unpunished. It's clear. The word of God is clear. And then let's listen to Jude's testimony. This is the brother, one of the brothers of Jesus Christ himself. And Jude wrote these words. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Christ Jesus and called. Mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Now listen to it, here it is. For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

That's exactly, and listen to what Peter said. 2 Peter chapter two, Peter put it this way. Folks, this is, I'm telling you, from Solomon in the Proverbs, who man really is, and who God really is. This is the truth of scripture. And I said, number, verse five is this, see God fix as sure the ruin of some. Second Peter two, and verse six. just verses one through 10. I'll read through it, just read it. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them.

Why? Well, he bought the right to every man. He prayed in John 17, one through three, Father, you've given me power over all flesh. Why? That I should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given me. Even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of, and through covetousness shall they with pretended or feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. God has not purpose to save all men. He fixes, as sure the ruin of some.

We've seen Jude's testimony. We're looking at Peter's testimony. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment, and spared not the old world, but saved Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing the flood upon the world of the ungodly. Do you see it?

When the angels fell, God left those fallen angels where they were. No hope, no mercy, no compassion. When the world was in rebellion against God, God saved eight people and that was it. and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemning them with an overthrow, making them an ensample of those that should live ungodly, and delivered just lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked, for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds." Now, here it is.

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished. But chiefly, them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise what? Government, that's God's sovereign rule. Jesus Christ has the government on his shoulders, Isaiah said it would be, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, not free-willed, no, what's it say? Self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Now folks, that's just the way it is. That's just the way it is, so we've seen this.

We've seen God act in salvation. We've seen God expose man's corruption. We see the proper attitude of the regenerate. We see the Lord sovereign over all, even the unregenerate, and we see God fix as sure the ruin of some, but here's verse six. See how God actually saves the sinner. Verse six, by mercy and truth, iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. Do you see those two things?

First of all, iniquity had to be purged, and according to the Apostle Paul in Hebrews 1, 1 through 3, God acted for the sinner in purging sin by the work of his son on Calvary's tree. It says, when he had by himself purged our sin, not made him purgeable, not made it possible for them to purge. Those that Christ died for, he purged their sins and sat down on the right hand of God the Father. And God also acts upon the sinner to repentance.

And that's exactly what we see. And by mercy and truth, iniquity is purged. That's the personal work of Jesus Christ. And by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. That's the work of the Spirit of God and the preaching of the gospel, where God prepares the heart and the answer of the tongue. God acts upon men, and Jeremiah was quite clear when he put it this way. Jeremiah 31, he said, verse 18, I have surely heard Ephraim bemoan himself thus.

Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned, for thou art the Lord my God. Surely, after that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh. I was ashamed, ye even confounded, because I did bear the reproach of my youth.

You see, that's exactly what Solomon's talking about. By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the Lord. Where does that come from? It's gotta be in the heart, in the preparation of the heart of the man. And the answer of the tongue's from the Lord. By mercy and truth, iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the Lord, men depart from evil.

Now just a closing thought, last minute or so. I have this closing thought. Is your hope of salvation in what you have done or what you're doing for God, is it? Is that the way you're being taught? Is that what your preacher's just hammered into you and hammered into you, you need to do this for God, you need to do this for Jesus. You need to quit doing this and start doing that. Is that where your hope's at? Is it? Or is God acting for you? and God acting upon you, your only hope of salvation. It cannot be both. Do you understand what I'm saying? Did that dawn, did that hit home on you? Did that chicken come to roost for you? You know what I'm saying?

Are you concentrating on what you're doing for God? I'm not saying things ought not be done for the Lord, not at all, but I'm saying when it comes to the heart, the answer to the tongue, it comes from God. Is that your hope or your hope on you and what you're doing? Or is your only hope upon God and what He has done in Christ? Amen.

Salvation Is An Act Of God

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's role in salvation?

How do we know that salvation is a divine act?

Why is understanding God's sovereignty in salvation important for Christians?

What does the Bible teach about human ability to choose God?

How does God act to save the sinner according to the Bible?

Sermon Transcript

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Salvation Is An Act Of God

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's role in salvation?

How do we know that salvation is a divine act?

Why is understanding God's sovereignty in salvation important for Christians?

What does the Bible teach about human ability to choose God?

How does God act to save the sinner according to the Bible?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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