“In Christ Shall All Be Made Alive”

1 Corinthians 15:22

The only hope of salvation and deliverance from that state and condition of spiritual death which we have incurred by the sin and fall of the first Adam is the free grace of God in Christ, the last Adam. As sin and death came by the doing and dying of the first representative man, Adam, so righteousness and life come to God’s elect by the doing and dying of the second and last representative man, the Lord Jesus Christ, the second Adam (Ps. 69:1-4). Salvation comes to sinners by grace alone. - By God’s Election and Predestination. - By Christ’s Redemption and Righteousness. - By The Holy Spirit’s Regeneration and Effectual Call.

Salvation must be by grace alone because sinners are so utterly ignorant that we could never know God if he did not choose us and make himself known to us by the sovereign operations of his grace. In so far as spiritual things are concerned, all men and women are more stupid and ignorant than brute beasts. Man is like a wild ass’s colt by nature in his rebellion, but far more ignorant. Even the ass knows his master’s crib! Man by nature is like the ox, strongly plowing the fields of iniquity, but again more stupid. Even the ox knows his owner! Even wild birds know the time of their coming and going; but no man knows the Lord God or his ways either of grace or of judgment. Therefore, as the horse rushes to battle, so man rushes on in sin to judgment and to hell (Job 11:12;.Isa. 1:3; Jer. 8:6-7)

Fallen man is so corrupt and depraved that he cannot and will not, if left to himself, seek the Lord, choose righteousness, or come to Christ. There is in fallen humanity a general corruption and depravity of all the powers and faculties of the soul which are all immersed in sin, and full of it. All the members of the body are willingly yielded as instruments of unrighteousness. There is in us all a propensity and proneness to all that is sinful, an inordinate desire after the lusts of the flesh and of fulfilling them. We all do by nature serve our lusts and pleasures. We serve our lusts as our highest pleasures by nature, because we are all by nature lovers of sinful pleasures more than lovers of God. There is, moreover, a disinclination to all that is good, even an aversion to it. We all hate good and love evil. Indeed, the carnal mind is enmity against God, and all that is good. Then, too, there is an impotency, an inability to do that which is good. Man is without strength, having lost it, and became unable to do anything that is spiritually good.

There is no possibility of salvation for any except by electing love, redeeming blood, and effectual grace. Yet, there is no possibility that any who are the favored objects of God’s electing love, Christ’s redeeming blood, and the Spirit’s effectual grace shall not be saved!

Don Fortner