All Of Grace
Ephesians 2:8
"Salvation is of
the Lord!" From start to finish salvation is by the grace of God alone.
There is no part of salvation which is, even in the slightest degree, dependent
upon or determined by the will of man or the works of the flesh.
1. ELECTION is the free eternal choice of God's sovereign grace to
save some of Adam's race, without any consideration of personal merit,
potential merit, or pre-known merit (Rom. 9:11-13; II Thess. 2:13-14).
2. REDEMPTION is the particular,effectual ransom of God's elect
out from under the curse of the law by the death of Christ
(Isa.53:8;Gal.3:13;Heb.9:12).Man does nothing to make redemption complete, or
effectual.
3. JUSTIFICATION is the imputation of Christ's righteousness to
his people, without works (
4. REGENERATION is the spiritual resurrection of dead sinners to
life in Christ (John
5. SANCTIFICATION is holiness imparted to the child of God in
regeneration. The holy seed implanted, the holy nature created, bears fruit
unto God, not by the energy of the flesh, but by the power of the Spirit (I
John 3:9-10).
6. PERSEVERANCE is the believer's continuation in grace. It is
necessary. But it is not our work. It is the work of Christ, who gives us
eternal life, holds us in his hand, and will not let us go (John
7. HEAVEN is the reward of righteousness, bestowed only upon those
who fully deserve eternal glory. And it is ours, in all its blessed fulness,
not by anything we do, have done, or can do, but by the blood and righteousness
of Christ freely bestowed upon us in saving grace (Col. 1:12).
To make any part of
salvation dependent upon works is to deny the grace of God altogether and
trample under foot the precious blood of Christ (Gal. 5:1-4).
Don Fortner