The Mercy of God: The Lord Jesus Christ

Introduction: The previous chapter,” Man’s Sin and His Accountability to God,” gave us the grim predicament the human race is in because of our sin. We know that our earth is cursed and every single human being is born in sin from the moment of conception. Sin continues on and manifests itself in our nature and complete being, to the point where we clearly evidence the fact that we are dead in our soul or spirit being. The situation of mankind is dire and eventually leads to total destruction in physical and spiritual existence. These facts, as substantiated by God, Himself, through His Word, are very bad news for all of mankind. The dreadfully bad news of our sin and eventual destruction must be known and understood before we can appreciate the incredible and miraculous good news of the Gospel. That is the Gospel of The Lord Jesus Christ which we find in His Word, The Bible. The word, “Gospel,” means, “Glad Tidings,” or, “Good News.” The Good News is that there is a way of escape for mankind from sin, death and destruction. It is through the Mercy of God: The Lord Jesus Christ. He alone has the power to redeem us from death. He alone has the ability to “save” us. Many today, use the word, “saved” in describing the religious condition of their lives and have no idea what they are saved from or worse yet, if they are truly saved. To be “saved” can be understood as we look at a four step prerequisite that God performs completely by His power, without any contribution on our own, whatsoever. The churches throughout the church age and today, along with many famous pastors, teachers, theologians and evangelists have taught people how they can be saved. They have taught people that they can get themselves saved. Every church or denomination has a “salvation plan. “ For example, If you accepted Christ, or if you say this particular prayer, or if you get baptized in water, or if you believe on Christ, or if you come up to the altar, or if you make confession of faith, or if you are confirmed, or if you do this or that, then you can be saved. The onus is on the individual to do, “something” in order to become saved. God knew that Man in his sinful nature, would devise ways in which to reconcile himself with God by inventing other religions and distorting God’s Word. Man sinfully attempts to get right with God on his own terms. However, this is completely contrary to what the Bible teaches about salvation. We must know that the entire Bible is God’s Law. The Bible is a Law book, written by God. All of mankind is subject to the Word, The Bible, God’s Law. God, Himself is subject to His Law. “for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” (Psalm 138:2b) The solution to mankind’s predicament because of his sin must meet all of God’s lawful and legal requirements that are set forth in God’s Law, The Bible. There are four required and indispensable actions that God, and only God must do in order for a person to be saved, given a new soul, given eternal life. They are required for every person who is given salvation, without exception.

I. Election

A. The Elect are Predestined: Because we are born spiritually dead, through Adam, “For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” (Romans 7:9), we cannot, “get ourselves alive.” We cannot get our spiritual lives back by something we do. Something that is dead, is dead. Something that is dead cannot make itself alive. So in order for a person made alive, or become saved, that person must be given spiritual life by an outside agency. God is the giver of the spiritual life. He is the only one who can give spiritual life. He is the only one with the power to give spiritual life. This spiritual life is a gift from God and is given completely independent of anything a person has done, or can do. “For by grace are ye saved through faith(Christ); and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”(Ephesians 2:8-9) The Doctrine of Election is that God chose certain people to become alive spiritually or saved. This was done before he created the universe and this is the Doctrine of Predestination. “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:” (Ephesians 1:4) “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:” (II Thessalonians 2:13) “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:” (Ephesians 1:11) God wrote the names of the elect in the Book of Life before he created the universe. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him (Satan), whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8) “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.” (Revelation 17:8) These verses teach that God wrote the names of the elect in the Book of Life and those who were not elect, where not written in the Book of Life. A clear distinction between elect and no elect, saved people and unsaved people. All before the world was created. The Elect were chosen based on God’s mercy. Not because of anything these people would do during their lifetime. God refers to His people as the elect. “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.”(Matthew 24:22) “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:31) “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”(Colossians 3:12) The Elect have no qualifications such as, race, “For there is no respect of persons with God.”(Romans 2:11) “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.”(Colossians 3:25)A person’s knowledge education, health, social status in this world, or anything whatsoever, could qualify them for being elect except for the Mercy of God. In fact the Bible teaches us that the vilest of sinners where elect, the adulteress woman in John 8 and the thief on the cross in Luke 23. Over the centuries, different denominations and church’s taught that a person’s good works or their faith would get them salvation The Bible teaches that good works and faith are the result of salvation and a new soul. God chose His elect before their birth, without taking into consideration any future actions they would perform. “(For [the children] being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)” (Romans 9:11) Election has nothing to do with our will or our efforts. “So then [it is] not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” (Romans 9:16) Election of an individual is purely by God’s own pleasure, nothing of our own. “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,” (Ephesians 1:5) God’s grace is His favor and its’ by His grace that some are elected, for no reason of our own. “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,” (II Timothy 1:9) The good works the elect do after salvation are a result of God’s election, not the cause of salvation. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10) Our salvation, God’s election, are a result of a decision He made, not a decision we think or feel we made. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” (John 15:16) Anyone who is elected by God, will believe and become saved by God. “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48) God causes His elect to believe, He does all the work in salvation. He must give us new life in our spirit being and cause us to believe because we are born spiritually dead and cannot seek, decide, make a decision, have faith, believe or accept Him. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Romans 3:10-11) God foreknew the elect. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”(Romans 8:29) We know that God know all things before they happen so the word foreknew does not mean future knowledge because God already has it. The Bible says that when God, “knows” someone, it means He has a special regard for them. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”(Jeremiah 1:5) The emphasis here is not that God knew Jeremiah, for God knows all things. God had a special regard for Jeremiah. God uses the word, “know” in regards to His elect. “The Lord knoweth them that are his.”(II Timothy 2:10) The Lord declares in Matthew 7:23, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” This verse shows us that knowing has to do with special regard for the elect because here we see how He does not know the non-elect unto salvation. Of course God knows all things, yet, He uses the word, “know” in relation to the elect with special regard as opposed to the non-elect. The Bible tells us that the vilest of sinners may be elect.

B. Grace: The word has more than one implication or definition, but in regards to man’s salvation it means, “favor” “good will” “loving-kindness” “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” (Ephesians 2:5) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:” (Ephesians 2:8) Grace is the gift of favor, good will, loving-kindness of God to His elect. God knew each and every individual who would be born before He created the world. He also knew that each and every human born from Adam and Eve would be rebellious, sin-ridden, spiritually dead people. By His Mercy and Grace, He chose an elect people for Himself, to redeem, knowing full well, that these people could do nothing for themselves, especially being good enough to merit His Grace.

II. Atonement

A. The Elect And The Lord Jesus Christ: Those whom God elected unto salvation before the world began were given to The Lord Jesus Christ. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) For Christ to have the elect given to Him by God the Father, the sins of the elect have to be accounted for. God’s perfect Law requires that mankind, who was created in the image of God, that every individual must pay the penalty demanded by God’s law for their sins. Even though certain individuals were elected by God, and given to Christ for an eternal possession, Christ could not have them unless the penalty for the elect’s sin was accounted for and paid. God’s Law says the penalty for sin is death. Therefore, no individual, no elect person could come unto Christ because that person would have to pay the penalty for their sin which is death. Therefore, in an act of remarkable and incredible mercy, Christ Himself, Eternal God, took upon Himself the sins of the elect, the sins of those whom were given to Christ, by God the Father. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:4-6) “All” in this verse means all the elect. Because Christ paid for the sins of the elect, He had to take on a human nature. He had to become the Son of Man. Christ had to legally qualify as a substitute for the elect. He took upon Himself the punishment of eternal death on behalf of the elect. He bore the Wrath of God on Himself to redeem the elect. Christ demonstrated the payment for the sins of the elect on the cross. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:”(Galatians 3:13) On the cross Christ was forsaken by God the Father. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?(Mathew 27:46) To be forsaken by God is description of the horror, terror and awfulness of being under the Wrath of God. Christ had to successfully pay for each and every sin that each individual person elected to salvation committed. Only The Lord Jesus Christ could pay for an eternity’s worth of sin on behalf of each one of God’s elect. Only God Himself could successfully fulfill the requirements of His own Law, by paying the price of eternal death on behalf of His elect. That God would even want to pay for our sins and suffer eternal death on behalf of the elect is inconceivable. All this is unimaginable to our finite, sin tainted thinking. This is the Mercy of God: The Lord Jesus Christ. The reason we are aware of this information is through God’s Word, The Bible.

B. Christ Died For The Elect: Christ died for many who are elect but not all mankind. “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”(Matthew 20:28) “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Matthew 26:28) “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”(Hebrews 9:28) Christ died for His people. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”(Matthew 1:21) “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” (Ephesians 5:25)This refers to the eternal church made up of the elect from all over the world, not the local congregations. Christ died for His sheep. “As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.”(John 10:15) “I am the good shepherd, and know my [sheep], and am known of mine.”(John 10:14) Christ prays only for whom the Father gave Him. “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.” (John 17:9-10) There is a clear distinction between elect and non elect, saved and unsaved,. wheat and tares, between gold, silver and precious stones and wood, hay and stubble.

C. The Only Begotten Son: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”(John 3:16) How could Christ who is Eternal God Himself, “I and [my] Father are one.”(John 10:30) have been “begotten?” What does this mean? We have to look at the word that “begotten” is translated from. It is the Greek word, “monogenes” which literally means, “only generated .” We know that Christ is eternal God from eternity past so the idea that God created or generated Christ, does not harmonize with everything else we read in the Bible about Christ. The translators struggled with this word and that’s why they chose, “begotten” instead of “generated.” Christ would have to some kind of a beginning in order to be generated or begotten. We know He took on His human nature in 7BC, as we will see in proceeding chapter. We studied in the previous chapter about the nature of hell and how through the church age, we believed that a person who was unsaved would spend an eternity in a place called hell and paying for their sins in torment. We also thought that Christ would have to pay the equivalent of an eternity in hell paying for the sins of the elect. However, we learned by careful study of the Bible that the unsaved will not spend eternity in hell because the punishment for sin is eternal death in both body and soul. Once the world and universe is destroyed the unsaved completely cease to exist. To pay for the sins of the elect, Christ would have to pay the equivalent of eternal spiritual death. This is difficult to understand, but Christ would have been resurrected from complete annihilation. Because that is what the punishment would be for the elect. However, Christ paid the equivalent of annihilation on behalf of the elect and that is why He was “generated” or “begotten.” Christ is from eternity past, but He had a beginning because He came back from the equivalent of annihilation on behalf of each one of the elect. “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:3-4) To summarize: Christ is Eternal God, in order to be begotten, he had to have a beginning, in order to have a beginning, He had to, in a spiritual sense, be spiritually dead. This is what happened when He paid the penalty for the sins of His elect. Christ paid the penalty that eventually all of the non elect must pay and that is eternal death in both body and soul. This is not easy for us to grasp, how God could die, willingly for His elect? Yet He did. All glory unto Christ.

1.The Lamb Slain Before The Foundation Of The World : It was widely taught and believed during the church age that Christ paid for the sins of the elect on the cross, when He was crucified in 33AD. However, we know that Christ paid for the sins of the elect before He even made the universe. “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”(Revelation 13:8) Christ completed the work of paying for the sins of the elect before he created the world. “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 4:3) The inheritance of the elect was completed before the world was made. “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:”(Matthew 25:34) This is why Christ is referred to as being “Begotten” before He went to the Cross. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].”(John 1:18) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Christ was already God’s begotten Son before He came into the world. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” (I John 4:9) Christ died in body and soul in order to pay for the sins of the elect before the world was created. “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,”(II Timothy 1:9)

2. The Cross: If Christ made payment for the sins of the elect before the world was created then why did He go to the Cross? Why was He crucified? Christ did fulfill the requirement of God’s law on the behalf of the elect by successfully paying the equivalent eternal death for them. Previously, we thought that Christ was sinless and He was carrying our sin with Him when He went to the cross. “Then said Pilate to the chief priests and [to] the people, I find no fault in this man.” (Luke 23:4) We can understand this verse better now that we know that Christ paid for sin before He took on His human nature. Christ went to the Cross as a demonstration of what He did in paying for the sins of the elect before the foundations of the world. Christ went to the cross and endured the shame of the cross as a demonstration of His love. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” (I John 4:9) Christ satisfied God’s demand of perfect justice for the sins of the elect before the world began, He suffered a second time out of love to demonstrate to the elect what he had done before time began. “But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.”(I Peter 1:19-20) The Greek word for “foreordained” is “proginosko” and world be better translated, “foreknown,” as is in two other verses in the Bible. The translators could not understand why Christ would be known as the Lamb slain from before creation. That is why they chose, “foreordained” which changes the meaning of the verse to show that it was preplanned that Christ would be slain. Instead, He already was before time began and that is what this verse teaches. Remember that the punishment for sin is death, spiritual death and we know that Christ paid by spiritually dying for the elect before time. When Christ demonstrated what He did before the foundations of the world on the cross, we know that He did not die spiritually, physically, yes, spiritually, no. Christ told the thief on the cross that he(thief) would be with Him(Christ) that day, in heaven. “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) Christ said this on Friday, April 1^st 33AD and rose again on Sunday, April 3, 33AD He could not have died spiritually because He was in Heaven that Friday afternoon. Payment for sin required spiritual and physical death. Christ only died physically on the cross. Christ demonstrated what he had already done for the elect from before the world began on the cross. Christ suffered before the world began and suffered again at the cross. “ For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:24-26) Somehow, in a way we that we are not equipped to understand, Christ had to die spiritually as the Lamb Slain from the foundation of the world as well as physically in order to completely pay the price of death on behalf of His elect. Christ had to pay the full equivalent of total eternal annihilation on behalf of His elect. The Cross demonstrated this in a way that we can grasp ever so little. Another important aspect to Christ’s work on the cross is that His demonstration at the cross pointed to the reality that Christ became a curse on behalf of His elect. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed [is] every one that hangeth on a tree:” (Galatians 3:13) This verse refers back to Deuteronomy 21:23, “His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged [is] accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance.” Christ hung on a tree, a cross to demonstrate that He had become a curse on behalf of His elect from the beginning of time. Christ proclaims that his elect must do the same in the respect that they were there with him in principle when He demonstrated becoming a curse at the Cross on April 1, 33 A.D. “And when he had called the people [unto him] with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mark 8:34) “Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.” (Mark 10:21) “To take up the cross means to become a curse which is what Christ had to become in order to save His elect from before the foundation of the World.

3. The Firstborn of the Dead: Christ is the firstborn of the dead. “And he (Christ) is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18) The elect whom Christ paid for their sins are also referred to as the firstborn of the dead. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”(Romans 8:29) In principle, the elect were there with Christ when He paid for their sins before time began. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) Although the elect where there in Christ. He did all the work in satisfying God’s perfect justice for their sin. The firstborn receive a double inheritance. “Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit [that] which he hath, [that] he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, [which is indeed] the firstborn: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated [for] the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he [is] the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn [is] his.” The double inheritance the elect receive is shown by Christ suffering twice, the first time to pay for the sins of the elect, the second time to demonstrate His Love at the cross. The Bible speaks of two different Jerusalem’s. One is the literal city in Israel; the other is a picture of the elect, the body of believers. “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” (Galatians 4:26) In Isaiah 40:1-2 Jerusalem is referring to the elect, because their sins have been pardoned and that they have received, “double” for their sins. “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2)

4. The Rock that was Stuck Once, then Twice. “Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.” (Exodus 17:6) The Rock is Christ. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” (I Corinthians 10:4) The water is the Gospel, The Word of God and it is through the Gospel, The Word that God applies salvation to the elect. This leads us to the 3^rd prerequisite of a person’s salvation. “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14) As the rock was stuck twice by Moses, so to was Christ struck twice, once for the sins of the elect, the second time to demonstrate His love for the elect and what He did before the world was created. “And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts [also].”(Numbers 20:11) The Bible teaches us that Christ suffered for the sins of the elect the first time. “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:” (I Peter 3:18) “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” (Hebrews 7:27) Christ suffered the first time for the sins of the elect, the second time as a demonstration of His love in paying for the sins of the elect before He created the world and His elect. Because we understand that the punishment for sin is spiritual and physical death, can we understand that Christ paid for the sins of the elect the first time and demonstrated this fact the second time. God has kept these truths locked up in the Bible until this time and reveals His truth to us on His timetable. Let us look at the third step in the salvation program.

5. Without the Shedding of Blood: It is important to understand that there could have been no salvation for any of the old Testament elect if in fact Christ was not slain before the foundation of the world. Abel, Enoch, Noah and his family, Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel and many other could not have been saved unless Christ paid for their sins before they died. Many have wrongfully taught in the seminaries and churches that Christ paid for sins at the cross and that had an effectual application unto all those who lived prior to the cross. This is simply not true because there is absolutely no Biblical validation for this teaching. It comes from the minds of men, not the Bible. Hebrews 9:12 states clearly that Christ had to pay the price of the elect of the Old Testament prior to their even having existed. “And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.” Christ paid for the sins of his elect before the foundation of the world and the cross was a demonstration of that reality.

III. Application

A. The Drawing of the Elect: No one can be saved until God draws them unto Himself. “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”(John 6:44) Everyone whom God draws will eventually become saved. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14) God chooses and causes His elect to approach Him. “Blessed [is the man whom] thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee, that] he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, [even] of thy holy temple.”(Psalm 65:4) God uses the word, “draw” in the Bible as being irresistible, the Greek word, “helko” is found seven other times in the Bible and relates with being forcibly drawn. “And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew (helko) him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.” (Acts 21:30) “And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew (helko) [them] into the marketplace unto the rulers,”(Acts 16:19) The word is used as drawing a sword,(John 18:10) and drawing out fish,(John 21:6-11) neither the sword, nor the fish could resist this action. Nor can God’s elect resist Him when He draws them unto Himself.

1. There is Nothing a Person can do to Contribute to Their Salvation: A person’s salvation is completely and unequivocally the will and action of God. A person has no part in it whatsoever. “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them].” (Ezekiel 36:25-27) These verses describe the part that God plays in a person’s salvation which is every part, 100% of 100%. Salvation is not a result of some decision a person makes. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,”(John 15:16) If salvation was based on a decision a person made, than salvation would not be based on grace. “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then [is it] 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.” (Romans 11:5-6)

B. The New Birth: Just as God MUST give physical life to a child, so to MUST He give spiritual life to a person whom he has elected to salvation and paid for each and every sin that they would commit in their lives. A child has no contribution whatsoever to their physical life, so to a person makes no contribution to their spiritual life. We know that before we are given a new soul by God we are dead spiritually. “And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins;” (Ephesians 2:1) “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Ephesians 2:4-5) We are born spiritually dead through Adam. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15:22) The first all is all inclusive of everyone ever born. The second all is the elect. We must be born again in our spirit being, in our souls. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) The Greek for “born again” is, “gennaō anōthen” and literally means ,“born from above.” We could say, “born from God.” “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” (I Peter 1:23) Christ is the Word,(John 1:14) and this verse says we are born “by the Word.”The new birth is spiritual and miraculous because God literally dwells within the new soul nature of the elect person. “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:23) Christ emphasizes the brand new nature of a born again, child of God. “No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.”(Matthew 9:16) When an elect individual is given the application of the new birth, they become a new creation in their soul existence. “Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Corinthians 5:17) God is completely responsible for the spiritual new birth a person is given. “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) In John 3:5-7 we read, “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” To be, “born of water” is to be born of the Gospel, God’s Word, The Bible. “Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.”(John 4:10) The living water is the Gospel, the Word of God. “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”( John 4:14) To be, “born of the Spirit” is to be born of God as He applies the Word of God to the live of the saved individual. In Romans 10:17, we read a very important principle in the application of salvation that God gives to His elect. This is the application of the Word of God. “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17) The hearing of the Word of God and the subsequent application of the Word on the elect person’s life is essential in the salvation process of God. In God’s divine arraignment, He establishes the environment in which He saves people. This environment is the Bible. The Word of God. It is impossible for a person to become saved and given the application of salvation, unless they have the spiritual ears to hear the Word of God. A person can be given the ability to spiritually hear God’s Word, whether a child in the womb, Elisabeth said that her son, John the Baptist responded to the Word that Mary was pregnant with Christ. “For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” (Luke 1:44) Christ often said to the people, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Christ repeated this phrase seven more times in the Gospels. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.”(Revelation 2:7) Christ repeats this phrase in Revelation seven more times. These phrases make a distinction between audibly hearing what Christ is saying and spiritually hearing what He is saying. The ability to hear is given by Christ as He applies the Word to that individual. This means that anyone person, whether a child, a mentally challenged person, an uneducated person, a deaf person, anyone person, regardless of physical, mental or social ability can be given spiritual ears by God to hear His Word. Another powerful illustration of the application of salvation that God does entirely is found in Ezekiel 37. Before the application of salvation is given, the elect are pictured as dried bones. Bones are the result of death and that is what any person who is saved is before the application of salvation. The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which [was] full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, [there were] very many in the open valley; and, lo, [they were] very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but [there was] no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I [am] the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken [it], and performed [it], saith the LORD.

1. Spiritual Understanding: When God gives the elect spiritual ears to hear the Word, they understand. “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” (John 6:45) The spiritual understanding comes when the elect are giving their new soul, when they are born again and they are no longer dead spiritually. “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”(Colossians 2:13) God causes us to love Him as a result of our being drawn unto Him, He creates a new heart within the elect. “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.”(Deuteronomy 30:6) When God works in the life of the elect it is irresistible and eternal. “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Philippians 1:6)

C. Total Spiritual Transformation: Before an elect person is given the application of salvation by God, they are in body and soul, lusting after sin and in rebellion against God. In their soul, they are dead spiritually and in their body they lust after sin, it permeates their nature as we have seen in the previous chapter. After God applies salvation to them, they have a new resurrected soul and in that part of their personality they have been born again. Their soul nature is alive again through Christ. There is no physical evidence of this transformation of spiritual death into life. The result of the new birth can be seen, even though the person still has the same physical body, by the serious change and impact that is made in the behavior of the individual. In I John 3:9 we read, “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” The “seed “ that remains in the saved person that we read about in I John 3:9 is Christ Himself. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”(Galatians 3:16) The enormous change that occurs in the saved person is that in their soul existence, they cannot sin. Sin is transgression of God’s law and in the saved person’s soul, they cannot initiate sin. In the saved person’s soul existence, they love God and His Laws, the Bible. This person has a great desire to be obedient to all of the commandments of God’s Word. In this person’s new soul, they are spiritually alive. And because God elected this person, paid for the sins of this person, and applied salvation unto this person, because God did it all, this person is totally secure in their salvation and knows that they cannot lose this salvation. “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”(John 6:37) A saved person can never lose their salvation. No sin can separate the saved person from the love of God. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

D. The Saved Person in a Unsaved Body: The saved person still lives in an unsaved body that did not change at all, though the person has been given a brand new soul. The old body remains. This person now has become a personality with two mutually exclusive desires. In the person’s soul existence, they want to be obedient to God’s laws and in their physical body they still lust for sin. There is war between the soul and the body of the saved individual. “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”(Galatians 5:17) This awkward situation is discussed in God’s Word through the Apostle Paul, “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”(Romans 7:21-24) The saved person will be in a constant fight between their unsaved flesh and saved soul. The saved person yearns to be free from their sinful body. The confrontation between soul and flesh in the saved person’s personality is not a stagnant one. The saved person will have gradual and continual progress towards a victorious life over sin. “But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and forever. Amen.” (I Peter 3:18) The saved person is helped in growing spiritually in their soul existence because God Himself, through the Holy Spirit actually indwells that person. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Romans 8:9) This is a miraculous and mysterious fact, how Eternal and All Powerful God could indwell in us. It is hard for us to comprehend, however we know it is true because God’s Word, The Bible, says this is true.

E. Snatched from Satan: All people, through Adam are born slaves to Satan, by right of his conquest over Adam and Eve in the Garden. All of mankind is born into Satan’s dominion. When a person is given the application of salvation by God, that person is taken out of Satan’s dominion and placed in the Kingdom of God. “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son:” (Colossians 1:12-13) “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” We read of seven major demonic exorcism accounts in the Gospels of Matthew , Mark, and Luke. All of these are dramatic historical parables of Christ having supreme and ultimate power over Satan. They show how before a person is saved, they are in the clutches of Satan, he is their ruler, they are in his dominion, and after Christ takes them away from Satan, they become Christ’s and reign with Him in the Kingdom of God. “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:10) The earth here is a reference to the new heaven and new earth. That will exist for eternity after this present universe is destroyed. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” (Revelation 21:1) “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (II Peter 3:13)

F. The Evidence of a Saved Person: When a person is given salvation, decided and important changes are made in that person’s life. The saved person’s priorities change from their old sinful nature and they evidence certain desires in their lives. The saved person will be driven and have an on-going desire to be obedient to God’s Word, The Bible. “And hereby we do know that we know him(Christ), if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him, But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.” (I John 2:3-5) The saved individual will have an intense, on-going desire to do the will of God, which is to keep the commandments they read in the Bible. The saved person will identify with the verses we read in Psalm 119. “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” (verses 10-11) “I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.”(Verse 16) “Thy testimonies also [are] my delight [and] my counselors.” (Verse 24) “And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.”(Verse 47) “Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law [is] my delight.”(Verse 77) “O how love I thy law! it [is] my meditation all the day.” (Verse 97) These verses are put into practice by the saved person. They are true and are real in the life of a saved person. After all, it is through the hearing of the Word that salvation is applied by God unto the elect individual. Naturally, the saved person will have utmost love and respect for the Word and will want to be obedient to it. The save person also will want to read and study the Word and know as much as possible about it. One saved person may know more about the Bible then another saved person, however, the characteristic of a saved person will not be how much knowledge of the Word they may have, but what is the attitude the individual has about the Bible. Does that person have a love for it and a reference for the Word. That is more important than the factual knowledge. This is why a child with a 1^st grade education can love the Bible as much as a person who has read the Word for many years and is very familiar with it. It is the attitude, not so much the aptitude. The saved person, regardless of age, education, social status, mental and physical abilities will love the Word of God. The Bible, God’s Word is the means by which the saved person is given the application of salvation by God. “So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”(Romans 10:17) The saved individual knows that the whole Bible is the Word of God and this person knows the awful feeling they get when they violate the Word because of the lust of their flesh. The truly saved person identifies with what we read in the Psalms as David through the Holy Spirit wrote these words. “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin [is] ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done [this] evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, [and] be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”(Psalm 51:1-6) These words will be real in the life of a saved person and be evidenced in the attitude and behavior of that individual.

1. A Broken and a Contrite Heart: A person who God has applied His Word to and is being given a new soul will have a broken and contrite heart. “The LORD [is] nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) “The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 51:17) The person whom God is giving a new soul will be humble before the Lord. “LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:” (Psalm 10:17) “Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”(Matthew 18:4) “And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” (Matthew 23:12) The saved person will come to the Lord weeping and in supplication unto the Lord. “They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim [is] my firstborn.” (Jeremiah 31:9) The saved person will be sorry for their sin. “For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.”(Psalm 38:18)

2. Bearing of Fruit: A saved person will give evidence of the new birth by bearing fruit, spiritual fruit. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”(John 15:16) By comparing scripture with scripture we see that fruit has a Biblically defined spiritual meaning. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) In other words the fruit, which is given by the Spirit(God) are certain characteristics that a saved person will evidence, love, joy, peace, longsuffering and on. These “fruits” will manifest themselves in the life of a saved person. If no, then that person is not saved. “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:1-20) The saved person will show the attributes of spiritual fruit in their lives as evidence that God has indeed given them a new soul, a spiritually alive soul.

3. The Mind of Christ: A saved person is given a new mind, they are given the mind of Christ. “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”(I Corinthians 2:16) Although the flesh and body remains unsaved and a saved person continues to battle sin through the lust of the flesh, the mind is made anew by Christ. “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”(Romans 7:25) There is a distinct difference in the thinking of a saved person in contrast to when the person was still under the Wrath of God. Before a person is given salvation, their mind is in enmity against God. “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace. Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.^”(Romans :8:5-7) The saved person will have a complete transformation in mind and thinking. “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”(Romans 12:2) Sin originates in the mind. Our minds are still part of our fleshly bodies, and since the body of a saved person has not been renewed, the capacity for sin, still exist. However, the invisible, spiritual part of our mind is what is changed by God and that spiritual part of our mind is what is brand new when the application of salvation is given to a person. Through the Word, the saved person is commanded to captivate each and every thought to being obedient unto Christ. “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (II Corinthians 10:5) The saved person has the assurance of salvation in mind when being obedient to God’s Word in their soul existence. “Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isaiah 26:3) The person who has been given a new mind and thinks differently than they did before they were given the application of salvation by God will be evidencing what is found in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.” Sin starts in our mind, if our thinking is on Christ and His Word, a much better opportunity exists that we will avoid and cease from sin.

4. Fear and Trembling: When a person is given salvation they will have a acute and sensitive appreciation of the righteousness and Holiness of God. The saved person is aware that God is the righteous judge of all the earth. “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) We know that a person can do nothing to, “work out” their salvation because it is a gift from God. What this language is referring to is as a saved person grows in grace and spiritual maturity by living to God’s glory and away from the prideful, lustful desires of the flesh in their unsaved body, they do so with, “fear and trembling.” When a person is saved it would be natural for us to think that all fear is removed. To “fear and tremble” would be foreign to the security a saved person has in Christ. And indeed this is so, however, the saved individual has a great amount of awareness and appreciation for the cost paid for sin on their behalf. The saved person is aware of the fact that to be guilty of one sin is to be guilty of the equivalent of all sins in view of God’s demand for perfect justice in accordance with His Word. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one [point], he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10) The saved person knows that in his body, he still lusts after sin and knows that unless for the undeserved mercy of God, they would be pay the price for their sins themselves and die eternally. The saved person “trembles and fears,” before God in reference to His mercy, justice, and love. The Bible speaks of the saved as having the attribute of fear in their lives as a deep respect and reverence. a humility if you will. “O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for [there is] no want to them that fear him.” (Psalm 34:9) “Praise ye the LORD. Blessed [is] the man [that] feareth the LORD, [that] delighteth greatly in his commandments.”(Psalm 112:1) “And unto man He(God) said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is] understanding.” (Job 28:28) “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:7) “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD [men] depart from evil.” (Proverbs 16:6) The saved person will have a healthy fear for God, based on reverence, awe, respect and humility. The Bible speaks of the unsaved not fearing God. “Have ye forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem? They are not humbled [even] unto this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.” (Jeremiah 44:9-10) “And of whom hast thou been afraid or feared, that thou hast lied, and hast not remembered me, nor laid [it] to thy heart? have not I held my peace even of old, and thou fearest me not?”(Isaiah 57:9) “Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest. Your iniquities have turned away these [things], and your sins have withholden good [things] from you.” (Jeremiah 5:24-25) “But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong [his] days, [which are] as a shadow; because he feareth not before God.”(Ecclesiastes 8:13) The unsaved cannot fear God in the sense that the saved do because the unsaved are spiritually dead in their soul existence. God must give them a new soul which He gives His elect.

a. Perfect Love Casts Out Fear: There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”(I John 4:18) It would be safe to say that a saved person should not fear because they have experienced the perfect love of Christ in their soul existence. The saved person does not have to fear eternal destruction. The perfect love of God removes this fear for the saved person. We have already seen how the saved person does fear out of reference, respect awe and in humility to God. When we learn the Biblical definition of love then we can understand I John 4:18. In John 14:21 we read, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” And in John 14:23, we read, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” Love is all together identified with obedience to God’s commandments, the Bible. No matter how a person proclaims their love for God, the true test is whether they are obedient to God’s Word, The Bible. Whether, or not that person is continually striving to obey God’s law, will reveal their true love. So then, perfect love would require perfect obedience. This is impossible in the unsaved bodies of the saved person’s life. Until that person has been given their new resurrected spiritual body, on the last day, perfect love is unattainable. At this present time, the saved do not have perfect love, so they cannot live without fear until they are given their new, resurrected, spiritual, eternal bodies. There are two truths that are shown by a saved person as they fear and tremble before the Lord until they are given their resurrected spiritual bodies on the last day. (1) The Lord Jesus Christ had to pay for ALL the sins that the saved person would commit, including the sins that this person commits after they have been given their new soul and salvation is applied to the life of that person. The saved person is aware of how dreadful the price that Christ paid for their sins really was and how God’s demand for perfect justice must be satisfied. The fact that Christ paid the penalty for Sin is not lost on the saved person. (2) The saved person is aware that each time they sin in their bodies, they are committing an act of rebellion against the Holy God who saved them. The fact that the person dares to sin against God causes them to fear and tremble before the Lord. This causes the person to live without sin more and more in their lives. The saved person will have an entirely different lifestyle then the unsaved as a result of their awareness of sin and the fear and trembling associated with their lives.

5. Lose Your Life: “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. (Matthew 10:39) The Greek word that is translated, “lose” in each of the verses in this section is, “apolllymi” and is translated, “perish” thirty three time, “destroy” twenty six times, and lose twenty two times. This tells us that “lose” may be a soft translation. “Perish” and “destroy” are more indicative of what Christ was saying in these passages. It is similar to the language we find regarding the drastic measures we must take in eliminating sin in our lives. “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell.” (Matthew 5:30) This same language is found in Matthew 18:8, Mark 9:43, Mark 9:45. Drastic measures are taken by the elect after the application of Salvation regarding sin. In their flesh they still battle sin to the very end, however, in the soul that hate and despise sin. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”(Matthew 16:25) The true believer will lose his prideful, self-seeking, self centered approach to their lives and it will become more Christ-centered. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.” (Mark 8:35) Notice the “Gospel’s” sake is added in this verse, which is the Bible. The elect person is given the understanding that their life is not their own. It is for his or her King which is now Christ and His Gospel, the Bible. The elect put aside their own lives for the life of Christ and furthering His Gospel, the Bible. As an elect person loses his or her life to Christ they demonstrate that God has actually saved their lives. “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”(Luke 9:24) “Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.”(Luke 17:33) “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”(John 12:25) The elect person will lose their self centered, sinful life to Christ and is given eternal life by Christ.

IV Consummation

A. A Glorified Spiritual Body: The last step in a person’s salvation is to be given a new spiritual body in which he or she will spend eternity with God. This is the consummation of salvation. Although a person may be elect by God from before the world began and Christ paid for every sin the elect person would commit in their lifetime and the application of the Word to that elect person gives that person a new soul, however, the person still has a sinful body that must be redeemed for that person to have their salvation complete. This occurs on the last day when Christ returns in judgment for the non elect and salvation unto the elect. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (I Corinthians 15:51-54) This is why we read in the Bible that we, “shall be saved,” even though a person has been elected, had their sins paid for by Christ, and given a new soul. “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”(Romans 5:9) And we read this same phrase seven times in the Bible. “Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (I Peter 1:5) This verse speaks of the last day when the saved our given their resurrected spiritual bodies. “And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Mark 13:13) The elect endure to the end because they have already been saved. On Judgment Day, God will give the elect a glorified resurrected body and the elect will be saved in every part of their personality. Those elect that have already died physically and who will die before judgment day, have in their soul existence gone on to be with God. They await their new resurrected spiritual body which will culminate their complete salvation. “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” (I Thessalonians 4:16)

All glory to God

JR Carman

The Sword of the Spirit.

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