“This Is All My Salvation”
2 Samuel 23:5
When
David declared that the covenant of grace made by the triune God before the
world began was all his salvation, he was declaring that which is true of all
God’s elect. (1.) Our salvation was
accomplished from eternity. God’s covenant is more than his everlasting
plan, or even his eternal promise and agreement with his Son to save his
people. It was the virtual accomplishment of salvation. When Christ our Surety
struck hands with the Father, agreeing to redeem and save us, the Lord God
looked upon it as a thing already done (Rom. 8:29-30; Eph. 1:3; II Tim. 1:9;
Rev. 13:8). (2.) The everlasting
salvation of God’s elect is a matter of absolute certainty. That which was
provided, agreed upon, and promised by the Triune God in the covenant of grace
must come to pass (Acts
IF GRACE IS BELIEVED GRACE DOMINATES II
Corinthians 4:1-7
I am not an authority on preaching, pastoring, or anything connected with this the highest of all callings and the noblest of all works; but I am not a novice. I have been doing this work for a long time. One of the things I have observed over the years is this: Wherever the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ is believed and faithfully preached, grace dominates everything. We must not rashly judge or condemn any man or his ministry. Where people profess to believe and preach the gospel of God’s grace, let us be as lenient and charitable as possible in our judgments and statements concerning them. Having said that, I assure you that wherever grace reigns it radically alters these five things.
(1.) THE MESSENGER - A pastor or
preacher who has been saved by the grace of God, who knows, believes, and
preaches the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ, does not dilly
dally in the pulpit, playing with men’s souls. He does not waste his time
defending theological positions, promoting programs, inspiring self-righteous
morality, or working up frenzied fits of emotionalism. The man who has seen and
experienced the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is both humbled and
emboldened; and the burden of his soul is that those who hear him know, trust,
love, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:1-5). (2.) THE MOTIVE - The pastor and church convinced of and committed
to the gospel are no longer motivated by numbers, appearance, and success. They
no longer crave recognition. Instead, they are motivated by and crave the glory
of God (I Kings
Don Fortner