Christ’s Pre-Eminence In Salvation

Colossians 1:18

The Lord Jesus Christ, as our Savior, is pre-eminent in the whole affair of our salvation. We must never think of salvation as one thing, or one event. When you think of God’s salvation, never limit it to your experience of grace. Salvation is the whole work of grace by which we are brought from the gates of hell into the gates of glory. It includes far, far more than any of us have ever imagined. But of this we are assured - In the whole work of salvation Christ is pre-eminent. "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (1 Cor. 1:30-31). There are at least ten things clearly revealed in the Scriptures as different aspects of salvation. And in all ten of these things Christ is pre-eminent. In the covenant of grace these ten things were agreed upon by the triune God, secured for us, and looked upon by him as being done from eternity (Rom. 8:29-30).

1. Election - We were chosen in Christ unto salvation before the world began (Eph. 1:4).

2. Predestination - In love God predestinated us to be conformed to Christ (Eph. 1:5; Rom. 8:29-30).

3. Redemption - We have redemption through his blood (Eph. 1:6). With his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us (Heb. 9:12).

4. Justification - We are justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that is in Christ (Rom. 3:23-28).

5. Forgiveness - Redemption, justification, and forgiveness go hand in hand. It is impossible to have one without the other two (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14).

6. Regeneration - The new birth is having Christ formed in you by the power and grace of his Spirit (2 Pet. 1:4; Col. 1:27).

7. Sanctification - Christ is our sanctification. We were set apart in him in divine election as the objects of God’s grace to be made holy (Jude 1). We were declared to be holy when Christ washed away our sins at Calvary (Heb. 10:10, 14). And we have our Savior’s holy nature imparted to us in the new birth (2 Pet. 1:4).

8. Preservation - Christ keeps and preserves his chosen, redeemed, called sheep in the arms of his almighty grace. Our preservation by him secures our perseverance in him (John 10:27-30).

9. Resurrection - When Christ comes again we shall be raised up from the dead by the power of God. Every chosen, redeemed, regenerate sinner shall be raised up to glory in the last day (1 Thess. 4:13-18).

10. Glorification - When we have been raised up from the dead, all God’s elect shall be glorified together, transformed into the very image of Christ, and made to possess that very glory that he now possesses as our glorified Mediator (John 17:5, 22).

Don Fortner