The Sovereignty of God in Salvation

(Article for publication week of 8-4-2010 AD)


"Salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9).

The salvation of certain sinners to grace and glory is all of the Lord from first to last. Salvation is not, I repeat, salvation is NOT a joint effort between God and sinners. The natural state of man is such that he is powerless to do one thing to help the Lord in his salvation. We have not one thing that we can contribute to our salvation. The only thing we can bring to Christ is our sins. But thanks be to God! He is the Saviour of sinners.

Salvation is of the Lord in its inception.

Such a wondrous thing is beyond the comprehension of the natural mind of man. The truth that the thrice holy and sovereign God, would condescend to save poor sinners is a truth that could only have been conceived in the mind of God. That God would become a Man to die a substitutionary death that vile sinners might rise was never thought of by philosophers and poets. It is one of the great proofs of the veracity of God in His written word that such holy and lofty subjects could never have been thought up by the smartest of men. Only God could have even conceived such a thing.

 

Salvation is of the Lord in its planning.

It was God who purposed and planned salvation before the foundation of the world. Salvation was no afterthought or reaction with God. But He Who decreed all things in eternity planned salvation. God the Father chose a number that no man can number in His Son in eternal election before He framed the worlds (Ephesians 1:4). None of us would ever have chosen the Lord had He not first chosen us.

Salvation is of the Lord in its execution.

None of us would ever have thought of Christ, the Eternal Son of God coming into a sin-cursed world to work out a perfect righteousness for the elect of God, but that is the way that God executed His plan of salvation. Christ did not come into the world to try to save sinners, but He came into the world to save every one of His elect sheep that the Father gave Him in the everlasting covenant (Matthew 1:21). Not one for whom Christ died can ever be lost, for His blood has washed away ALL their sins and not one charge can be laid upon them (Romans 8:33). Every one for whom Christ died shall be saved without the loss of one.

Salvation is of the Lord in its application.

He sends His Spirit from above to quicken and call every one for whom Christ died (John 6:37). Every chosen vessel of God's mercy shall hear the glorious sound and be effectually called into salvation by the Holy Spirit Who, like the wind, blows when and where He please. The work of regeneration cannot be stopped by men. None can resist the Sovereign workings of the Holy Spirit. There has never been a sinner so stubborn , that God the Holy Spirit could not humble him down and bring him to the foot of the cross, pleading for mercy. There has never been one of Christ's sheep that was so far away, that the Holy Spirit could not draw him back to the sheep fold.

God is absolutely sovereign in salvation, from first to last. Thanks be to our Great God, salvation is of Him!

No Such Thing as "Luck"

(Article for publication week of 7-28-2010 AD)

"The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord" (Proverbs 16:33).

The word "luck" is a word that should be banished from our vocabulary. According to the scriptures, there is no such thing as "luck", for all things are foreordained by God. The casting of the lot is ordained by God, for He disposes of all things by His sovereign and absolute and all wise counsels. The movement of the heavenly bodies is by God's determinate counsel and foreknowledge. Every germ and bacterium on the earth is under the sovereign control of God. All atomic activity is by God's sovereign decree. God works all things after the counsel of His Own will (Ephesians 1:11). As our text this week says, "the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord".

Nothing in the universe is left to blind chance. The universe is governed by an all-wise God. God's eternal decrees are in accordance with His wisdom. Don't you see that the worlds are upheld by the One Who is all wise? You see, there is no wisdom in "luck". Those who believe in "luck" are simply saying that they do not believe in the all wise God. Now I know some of you use the word "luck" out of habit, rather than unbelief, but you should labour to eliminate the word "luck' from your vocabulary as much as you would labour to guard against unclean or blasphemous speech. You see, "luck" denies that God is absolutely sovereign. Actually, it ultimately denies that there is a God. There is no such thing as luck in a universe created and governed and upheld by Jehovah.

I thank our Great God that He rules, and over-rules all things for two glorious purposes; God's first great purpose is His Own eternal glory (Psalm 8:1; Romans 11:36). The whole idea of "luck" or "chance" ascribes no glory to God. Those who think that way are not giving God the glory that is due His holy name. Everything that happens in a universe governed and controlled by our Sovereign Lord is for His eternal glory.

God's other great purpose in all things is the eternal good of His people (Romans 8:28). God hath determined in Himself to do good to the objects of His love. We Christians know that our great God is too good to be unkind, and He is too wise to err. All things work together for the good of God’s chosen people. God is infinitely wiser than we. And He is infinitely more holy than we. So we trust Him that when things happen that are painful, He knows it will be for our spiritual and eternal good. He is good, and He is wise, and He will glorify Himself and work good for His people. There is no such thing as "luck", because God is absolutely sovereign.