"To
The Praise Of The Glory Of His Grace"
In
the first chapter of Ephesians the Apostle Paul tells us three times that the
purpose of God in the salvation of poor, doomed, damned, hell-bent,
hell-deserving sinners is that we should be, "to the praise of the
glory of his grace." There are other divine attributes manifested in
the salvation of sinners by Christ. The wisdom of God devised the plan of
redemption. The power of God accomplishes the work of regeneration. And the
immutability of God is the security of our souls. In fact, all the attributes
of the triune God are gloriously displayed in the salvation of sinners! But
grace is the fountain head of salvation. Grace is conspicuous throughout the
whole work.
Grace
is to be seen in our election. "There is a remnant according to the
election of grace.” Grace is evident in our redemption. We have been "justified
freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
Grace is the basis of our calling. God "hath saved us and called us
with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."
Certainly, all who are born of God know that we are justified, pardoned,
adopted, accepted and blessed of God according to the riches of his grace
toward us in Christ Jesus.
I
see a golden thread of grace running through the whole of the believer's
history, from his election before all worlds to his admission into eternal
glory in heaven. All along the way, "grace reigns through righteousness
unto eternal life." There is no point in the history of a saved soul
upon which man can put his finger and say, "I did that. This part of my
salvation was my own work. I have this by my own merit." Every blessing we
receive from God, in time or eternity, comes to us through the channel of free
and sovereign grace in Christ.
"Boasting excluded,
pride I abase,
I'm only a sinner, saved by
grace."
Boasting is excluded because all human merit is excluded. In the
vocabulary of God's church "merit" is an unknown word. It is banished
from our speech forever. Our only shoutings over the foundation stone and the
top stone are -- "Grace, grace unto it!"
‘Twas grace that led me to
the Lamb, Who all my sorrows took.
‘Twas grace that taught my
soul to pray And made mine eyes o’erflow.
Yes, grace has kept me to
this day, And will not let me go!”
In its planning, in its purchase, in its performance, in its
preservation, and in its perfection our salvation is "to the praise of
the glory of his grace!"
Grace Baptist Church of Danville
- Grace For Today Radio Message #893
2734 Old Stanford Road -
Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
Donald S.
Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 859-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net