1. God has a
chosen people who must and will be saved.
“According as he hath chosen us in him
BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love” (Eph. 1:4). “...God hath FROM
THE BEGINNING chosen you to
salvation...” (2 Thess.
2:13). "(God) who
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" (2
Timothy 1:9). God, from eternity, chose a multitude from among
the fallen race of Adam and predestinated them to be the recipients of
eternal salvation. Nothing can frustrate the sovereign purposes
of the sovereign God of the Bible. These elected ones must
and surely will all be saved.
2. Jesus Christ
took upon Himself the guilt of the sins; past, present, and future, of
all these elected ones, and He died only for them
and efficaciously for them. He satisfactorily atoned
for the sins of the elect of God. “...and I lay down my
life for the sheep” (John 10:15).
The sheep are the elect of God. Jesus died for the sheep, and
only the sheep. “He shall see the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied...” (Isa. 53:11). Jesus will see, saved in Heaven, all
those for whom He suffered at
3. The Holy Spirit will effectually and irresistibly work the
salvation experience in all those chosen by the Father and redeemed by
the Son. “Thy people shall be willing in the day of
thy power...” (Psa. 110:3).
“Blessed
is the man whom thou choosest, and causest
to approach unto thee...” (Psa. 65:4). The elect
are by nature in the same condition as the non-elect. They are
totally depraved. Of themselves, they are unable and unwilling to
come in repentance and faith to the Saviour. But the Holy Spirit
works efficaciously in each one of them, giving them spiritual life in
regeneration, enabling them to genuinely hear the word of God which, in
turn, causes them to repent of sins and to receive Jesus
Christ as Lord and Saviour. "But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
WHICH WERE BORN, not of blood, nor of the will of the
flesh, NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN, BUT OF GOD" (John
1:12 & 13). All
those chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and
irresistibly born of the Spirit must and surely will all be
saved.
4. The means,
used by the Holy Spirit, by which the elect are regenerated and caused
to repent and believe the gospel, is the preaching of the blessed and
saving gospel of Jesus Christ. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the word of God” (Rom.
10:17). “...it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1Cor. 1:21). “..for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you
through the gospel” (1Cor 4:15).
“Of his
own will begat he us with the word of truth...” (James 1:18).
The Holy Spirit uses the gospel in producing the salvation
experience. We are not Calvinists. We are true
Missionary Baptists. Salvation comes by the word of God
working effectually in one who has been regenerated (quickened) by
the Holy Spirit. Men are not saved without the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit does not save men without the gospel. Those chosen by the
Father, redeemed by the Son, and effectually called by the spirit using
the gospel must and surely will all be saved.
5. There is a
predestinated time when each one of the elect will be brought to the
salvation experience by the Spirit using the gospel. “Thy people shall be
willing in the day of thy power...” (Psa. 110:3). “But WHEN IT
PLEASED GOD, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me
by his grace. To reveal his Son in me...” (Gal. 1:15-16).
Men do not just decide of themselves when they will be saved. Men
are not saved at the time others determine. God, who chose some
from among fallen mankind to be saved, also predestinated the exact
time when each one would be saved. See Acts 9:1-21 and Revelation
7:1-8. Samuel was saved as a young lad; the thief on the cross was
saved at the closing moments of his life on earth. Some are saved
at 8 years of age, some at 80. Why the difference? It was
not that the 80 year old was so hard-hearted and rebellious that he
would not let God save him till then, and it was not because the 8 year
old was willing so much earlier in his life; no, no, it was because God
had predestinated it this way. Those chosen by the
Father, redeemed by the Son, effectually called at the predestinated
time by the Holy Spirit using the gospel, must and surely will all be
saved.
Dear friends, you need to understand these five truths about the saving grace of God. You will never understand the Bible on the subject of salvation until and unless you understand these five Bible truths. May God bless our study of His Word.
- Joseph M.
Wilson - The Baptist Examiner