16.5 God Gives Abundantly: Salvation

Table of Contents

The Text

Acts 4:12 (CSB) There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

The Chapter

We cannot by our best works merit pardon of sin or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins; but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants; and because they are good they proceed from his Spirit, and as they are wrought by us they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of God’s punishment.

The Confession

We cannot by our best works merit pardon of sin or eternal life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins

Romans 3:20 (CSB) For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (CSB) For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.

Romans 4:6 (CSB) Likewise, David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

It is because of our great sin--the sin we were born into and the sin that we have commit--keeps us forever apart from God. But make no mistake--if we were like Adam and Eve before the Fall, if we had never sinned, we would not be infinite and eternal. God alone is eternal--before the beginning and after the end. He is infinite--trying to add, subtract, multiple or divide God and you still get the Infinite God.

But it is our sin of pride and hubris to be fooled and tricked into thinking that any amount of good that we think we have done puts us once inch closer to him. No. We are finite creatures that are so far removed from God that we have no hope to be saved by God by our own abilities, strength, talents, or birth.

God alone, who is infinite in being alone, must bridge the infinite gap in order for us to come to him and be with him forever. And he did so--he sent his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Son of God, who is the Infinite God, to clear the way and bridge the infinite gap between us and God.

John 14:6 (CSB) Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 10:9 (CSB) I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.

Matthew 7:13-14 (CSB) “Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Few find it? Is God hard to find? No, not for his people. Not for his children. Not for the brothers and sisters of Christ. Not for his elect.

Luke 11:10-13 (CSB) or everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? ”

John 6:37 (CSB) Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.

If you turn to God, ask God, for God, you are going to get God. I know he is infinite. He is far above all of our made up idols and our sin. But Christ has bridged the infinite gap. The distance is so great that you cannot begin to traverse it.

But turn to God, ask God, for God, and you will get the Infinite God span the infinite distance quicker than you can finish that prayer.

Behold your God!

but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants; and because they are good they proceed from his Spirit

Galatians 5:22–23 (CSB) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

Look at the gospel! We are unprofitable servants. What good can we produce? This good news of Jesus Christ absolute reality flies in the face and opposes the false gospel preaching and the false religions of our day. Most of the false religions that mankind has ever produce--which by the way, are all demonic led (Deuteronomy 32:16–17; 1 Corinthians 10:20; 1 Timothy 4:1)--are usually not marked by the allowing of more sin but that more legalistic rules to supersede and take place of what God has commanded. Many false relgions dogpile more rules where God hasn't not given any laws pertain thereof.

Case in point: I know you have the Book of Mormon handy. Turn with me to 2 Nephi 25:23. I'll wait.

2 Nephi 25:23 (BoM) For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.

That sounds Christian enough. Doesn't it? But to some of you who have been diligently trained in spotting false gospel by sitting under real gospel preaching already cringe at this statement.

"It is grace that saves us after all we can do."

After all we do? This might sound familiar but a quick recall shows this text to be anti-Christ. For:

Ephesians 2:8–9 (CSB) For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.

After all we do? We have done nothing good.

Romans 3:10-12 (CSB) as it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one.

So if I try to pair together demonic inspired text like the Book of Mormon with the holy word of God, one contradicts the other. You will have to make a choice. You cannot serve two masters. One demonic master that gives you back breaking, soul crushing weight of responsibility of saving yourself--which by the way, you cannot.

Or you can turn to the actual Almighty God, Creator of heaven and hell, who alone is good and righteous and holy, who has flung open the doors of heaven and with a loud voice for all to hear:

Matthew 11:28–30 (CSB) “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

And that swung open door, and that loud proclamation, and those words are only found in Jesus Christ, our only, only Lord and Savior.

Choose on this day of whom you will serve.

and as they are wrought by us they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of God’s punishment

Isaiah 64:6 (CSB) All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

Psalm 43:2 (CSB) For you are the God of my refuge. Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?

John 3:36 (CSB) The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life; instead, the wrath of God remains on him.

We try to do good. In our best efforts, we try. And without the indwelling of God in you, you might be fooled into thinking, "I must be rewarded somehow--look at all the good I have done."

But to the unbeliever that stands in the midst of the Holy God, they will quickly realize that they have done nothing good. That is why the workers of lawlessness will try to plead their case before God:

Matthew 7:21–23 (CSB) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and do many miracles in your name?’ Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

But for the people of God, his elect, his adopted, his very own Beloved, there is no defense that will proceed from our mouths when we stand before God. It is God that bears witness with our Spirit that we are indeed children of God.(Romans 8:16)

My Beloved, you are never going to hear from the Christ, "Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!" Never.

It will be the Spirit that will declare for you, "Father, this is your blessed child."

The Son, smiles ear to ear, turns toward his Heavenly Father, and asks, almost playfully--because we already know the answer--"Father, what do you say?"

"THIS IS MY CHILD IN WHOM I AM WELL-PLEASED!

And as the Father makes this absolute declaration, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Worthy Lamb Who Was Slain, flies from his glorious and proceeds to cover you with his righteousness.

And this Great God, the Great I Am, the Maker of Heaven and Earth, gives the final declaration:

NO CONDEMNATION! Come and enter in the joy of your master.

Oh close and blessed union! Justified by God, accepted in Christ, condemnation there cannot be. I stand in the Divine presence as Joshua stood before the Lord, or as the woman stood before the Savior, charged, accused, guilty; but I am in the presence of him who, though now he sits upon the throne as my Judge, once hung upon the cross as my Savior. And, investing me with his own spotless robe, he proceeds to pronounce the sentence- "NO CONDEMNATION!"

"These things write I unto you that your joy may be full."

Octavius Winslow. No Condemnation in Christ Jesus. 191.