17.1 Our God Saves: In His Power Alone

Table of Contents

The Text

Romans 1:16–17 (CSB) For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.

The Chapter

Those whom God hath accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, and given the precious faith of his elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, whence he still begets and nourisheth in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality; and though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon; notwithstanding, through unbelief and the temptations of Satan, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them, yet he is still the same, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraven upon the palm of his hands, and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity.

The Confession

Our God Saves In His Power Alone: Those whom God has accepted in the beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, and given the precious faith of his elect unto, can neither totally nor finally fall from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved, seeing the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, from which source he still begets and nourishes in them faith, repentance, love, joy, hope, and all the graces of the Spirit unto immortality

John 10:28–29 (CSB) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Philippians 1:6 (CSB) I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:19 (CSB) Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, bearing this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his, and let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.

1 John 2:19 (CSB) They went out from us, but they did not belong to us; for if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. However, they went out so that it might be made clear that none of them belongs to us.

Let us get to down to the brass tacks. If you are of the Arminianist, or as I like to call it, of the Non-Calvinist persuasion, if you get to choose God, you can simply unchoose God.1

Many people, especially Americans, given our Modernist and Post-Modernist tendencies, with a high view on mankind and our destiny and our abilities and our right to choose sometimes have a rough time reading the Bible and letting the text speak--especially in doctrines that have been oddly labeled as Calvinist. I say, oddly, because those doctrines, such as predestination, election, and perseverance of the saints, are not Calvinist doctrines. They are right, proper, historical, orthodox doctrines.

Yet, if you believe that we get to choose God first rather than God choosing us:

Ephesians 1:3–6 (CSB) Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

If you contend that Christ made salvation possible to believe rather than Christ actually saving his people from their sins:

Matthew 1:21 (CSB) She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

That we are able to thwart God's will vs God's will being done:

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 your soteriology (theology of salvation) stands in opposition to handful of Biblical doctrines, then what is your end? What is your natural out working of your theology if you stand opposing to what the Bible says. If you abide and you are so adamant that we choose God first, then you will arrive that you can lose your salvation.

Why do people want to arrive at the conclusion that we can unchoose God and lose our salvation? Experience. I am not saying for themselves. But ask any Christian who balks at the thought of God preserving his people till the end are the same ones who know a dear and close loved one--a dad, a mom, sibling, best friend, pastor--who did not just profess Christ. They were all in. These people they knew--they were on fire. They were zealous for God. They were all in. They led worship. They sung loudly to God. They came forward to the alter call. They had cried tear of repentance--these loved ones did. They were baptized. They will filled with the Holy Spirit.

But then life happened. Life got hard. Life kicked them in the teeth. And I cannot tell you what was going on at the heart level of your loved ones that now disown Christ. But Christ already told you that this was going to happen.

Matthew 13:20–21 (CSB) And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but is short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.

Christ said this would happen. Why? Have you consider the power of an Almighty God. Do you not think that when God shows up, and puts his full power on display, and people come to know him, do you think that some of that power can be felt from even unbelievers?

Hebrews 6:4-6 (CSB) For it is impossible to renew to repentance those who were once enlightened, who tasted the heavenly gift, who shared in the Holy Spirit, who tasted God’s good word and the powers of the coming age, and who have fallen away. This is because, to their own harm, they are recrucifying the Son of God and holding him up to contempt.

I grieve with you. I, too, have known too many loved ones who have fallen from the faith. And the only thing that makes sense is not that God is not loving enough but rather, mankind has the ultimate ability to walk away from God. I can see how that would help with the grief and the pain of losing a loved one in the faith--doubly so if that person is still alive here on earth: breathing God's air, taking in God's provision, and giving him no thanks.

I am not here to cut your grief and coldly and heartlessly respond with, "I guess they were never saved to begin with."

Our God Saves In His Power Alone: and though many storms and floods arise and beat against them, yet they shall never be able to take them off that foundation and rock which by faith they are fastened upon; notwithstanding, through unbelief and the temptations of Satan, the sensible sight of the light and love of God may for a time be clouded and obscured from them

Psalm 89:31–32 (CSB) if they dishonor my statutes and do not keep my commands, then I will call their rebellion to account with the rod, their iniquity with blows.

1 Corinthians 11:32 (CSB) but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world.

My only response with is the same all emcompassing message of the Bible:

Our God saves! Our God saves! Our God saves!

Our God Saves In His Power Alone: yet he is still the same, and they shall be sure to be kept by the power of God unto salvation, where they shall enjoy their purchased possession, they being engraved upon the palm of his hands, and their names having been written in the book of life from all eternity.

Malachi 3:6 (CSB) “Because I, the LORD, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.

Let me tell you in hopes of comforting their soul: where they are at now is not where they will end up. They might be shrouded in darkness. In continuous sin. Blaspheming the name of Christ and of the Father. Rejecting everything about the church (see ex-evangelical movement).

We see people, sons of Adam, fall in and out of sin. Lives are chaotic. We are not stable. But we are not the Holy Spirit. We are not the ones who was at work before we were born and is at work while we still breath God's air.

John 3:8 (CSB) The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

I cannot give you any assurance that your dad or your brother or your pastor will come back to Christ.

My only assurance is that if they belong to Christ they will end up with Christ. And not our circumstances, choices, sins, wickedness, and doubt and moments of disbelief with changing the overflowing heart of love and the Almighty power of the Triune God.

1

I say non-Calvinism ecause no one identifies their theology as Arminianism but they will be quick to point that they disagree with Calvinism. I bring this up briefly just to illustrate a point--so bear with me. I promise you we are not here to bring up debating points between Calvinism and Non-Calvinism.