YOU
DON’T REALLY BELIEVE THAT SALVATION
IS
ENTIRELY OF THE LORD. -- DO YOU?
We all say that we believe
Jonah's confession, "Salvation is of
the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). But you do not really mean that, do you? I know that
the preachers I hear on radio and television do not believe that, "Salvation is of the Lord." So far
as I know, there is not another preacher in the city where I live who really
believes that "Salvation is of the
Lord”. If there is, I would like to meet him. They do believe that
salvation is partly of the Lord, but certainly not entirely of the Lord. And I
am sure that if you believed that
"Salvation is of the Lord,” you would not attend a church where it is
not preached. Perhaps you are saying, "I do believe that salvation is entirely
of the Lord." I truly hope that you do. Let's see.
To say that salvation is of
the Lord is to say that SALVATION IS IN
NO WAY DEPENDENT UPON OR DETERMINED BY MAN'S WORKS, WORTH, OR WILL.
Salvation is not the work of man, neither is it a cooperative effort between
God and man, God doing his part and man doing his part. Salvation is the work
of God alone. It is altogether the work of his grace. Human works and human
merit do not even enter into the picture. It is all of grace -- not grace plus
baptism -- not grace plus church membership -- not grace plus works. Grace
alone accomplishes salvation. Grace plus anything ceases to be grace. "If by grace, then it is no more of works:
otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more
grace: otherwise work is no more work" (Rom. 11:6). Man's works can
never merit salvation. Neither is it man's will that determines who will be
saved. Your salvation is not dependent upon your sinful will. It is dependent
upon God's sovereign will. God alone determines whom he will save. He does not
even consult, or ask the opinion of man. You are subject to God's will. God is
not subject to your will. He says, "I
will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I
will have 'compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that
runneth, but of God that showeth mercy" (Rom. 9:15-16). If God has
determined to save you by his matchless grace in Christ, you will be saved. He
will give you a new heart, a new nature, and a new will. You will delightfully
come to Christ in true faith in the day of his gracious, saving power. If God
has not determined to save you, if he does not send his Spirit to quicken you,
give you faith, and bring you to Christ, you will never come to Christ, because
you will never desire him. My friend, "Salvation
is of the Lord". He can be gracious to you, or he can pass you by. He
can save you, or he can damn you. It is entirely up to him. You have no claim
upon God; and you have no control over him.
GOD THE FATHER PLANNED OUR SALVATION. In his own eternal purpose and grace, before
the world began, God chose to save some people for the glory of his own great
name. He determined that he would send his Son to live and die as their
Substitute, and that he would accept the merits of Christ his Son for us. God
determined whom he would save, how he would save them, and when he would save
them, before the world began. Our names were recorded in eternity in the Lamb's
book of life. All the elect of God were, at one time, chosen and predestinated
unto eternal life. GOD THE SON PURCHASED
OUR SALVATION. In order to save his elect from sin, God's law, his truth,
his justice, and his righteousness demanded blood. Justice must be satisfied.
The sinner must die. Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ came as the Substitute and
Representative of God's elect. By his one great sacrifice in our place, he
satisfied the strict demands of God's holy law for his own elect. By the Just
and legal price of his own blood, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law,
and lawfully purchased salvation for his people. Then, at the appointed time,
according to God's own purpose, and because Christ redeemed us, GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT PERFORMED SALVATION IN
US. With Jonah, I rejoice to know and to declare unto you, that "Salvation is of the Lord!” Amen.