Hold Me In Your Arms

Well now heal me, heal me with your touch
Your touch keeps me hangin’ on

The Black Keys

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 5:24

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

Hebrews 10:14

There is a perverse doctrine that permeates the church today, especially prevalent in charismatic circles where the church teaches that man is capable of coming to Christ on his own and that Christ's death has really only made men saveable. While this teaching is unbiblical, taking the next step of soteriology within this doctrine is downright frightening. It is the belief that a redeemed sinner can lose his salvation. Certainly, in order to lose something one must have had to earn it first. Yet we know that it is by grace alone that we have been saved. So how we can we lose what we never earned? The Bible is clear that God has set apart a people to be his own possession. Reading through the prophets of the Old testament, we can see a pattern laid out. The rebellious Israelites had turned from Yahweh and through His prophets, He threatens exile, terrors, famines, and other acts of judgments. But Yahweh always leaves a provision for His people. Because of His eternal covenant, He promises to bring them back, purify them, and place a love for His law in their hearts. The prophet Jeremiah says of the exiled Israelites, "I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me."1

To believe that you can lose your salvation is such a frightening prospect. Scripture says that our good deeds are like filthy rags. So much like filthy rags that our works have no merit on our salvation. If we are saved by grace, apart from our filthy rags, then it is illogical to think that our filthy rags would then disqualify from our salvation.

The beautiful truth of our Lord Jesus Christ is that in Him we were chosen before the foundation of the world, set apart to be a royal priesthood and a holy possession, saved completely by His death on a cross, justified in the eyes of God and adopted to be His children. This is the gospel. God came to save sinners. And in doing so, His grace will sustain them throughout this life. Jesus says that those who believe in Him, have eternal life. He does not say that those who believe in Him and then lead a good christian life have eternal life. Paul says that we have no condemnation if we are in Christ. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of condemned is to be pronounced guilty; to declare to be reprehensible, wrong, or evil usually after weighing evidence and without reservation.2 If there is no condemnation for those in Christ, how can we lose our salvation? The Westminster Confession of Faith says that "they, whom God has accepted in His Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved."3

So rejoice in a Savior who saves completely, who loves completely, and who has made those that He is sanctifying, perfect in the sight of the Almighty! Do not live in the fear that you can be too sinful for God. If you could not be good enough to earn His love and salvation then what makes you think you can be bad enough to lose His love and salvation.

1. Jeremiah 32:40

2.http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/condemned

3. chapter xvii section 1

Heavy Soul

Hear her callin' hurry home
Been so long since I been gone
I wont get tired wont go astray
I hear her callin' call my name
Hey now darling
Heavy soul darling

The Black Keys

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:11

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

Romans 8:14

Previously, I discussed the idea of man being spiritually dead and unable to come to faith in Christ, unless drawn by the Spirit. This idea is found throughout scripture but never so clearly as in John 6:44, where Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." In practical terms, what does this mean? It means, that despite man's desire for freedom and control in his life, God does all the work in salvation. Man brings absolutely nothing to the table. Many Christians will look at such an idea with contempt. But why? Why do we feel the need to spit in the face of Christ and claim part of the victory for ourselves? Why is an idea that gives God the glory, 100%, such a divisive idea? I don't know the answers to these questions. What I do know is this: Dead men do not seek God. Fallen men are slaves to sin and cannot and will not seek righteousness. Praise God that He saves His people from a dead life, full of sin, and creates in them a new heart, leading them by His voice and His word, into a justified life, being made holy, not by our own deeds, but through the work of His spirit.

So let us unpack this principle. Each member of the trinity plays a specific role in the salvation of man. It is the Father, who loved His people before the foundation of the world and set them apart to be His holy possession. At the appointed time, He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to be a sacrifice for their sin, and secure their redemption in His blood and life in His resurrection. But despite being chosen and set apart for this sacrifice and new life, man is still spiritually dead and an enemy to God. The role of the Holy Spirit is to apply this salvation to God's chosen. Simply put, every person that the Spirit intends to save, will be saved. The Spirit breathes life into the elect.

We have all, at one time or another, been an enemy of God and heard the gospel message to repent and follow Christ. This gospel call is extended to everyone. We also know many people who have heard this call and have refused it. This general call does not bring sinners to Christ because men are spiritually dead. The gospel is foolishness to them. There is no amount of threats, bribes, reasoning, or promises that will bring a spiritually blind, deaf, and dead sinner to Christ. Therefore, the Holy Spirit extends a special internal call to those God foreknew and loved. Within this call, the Holy Spirit extends grace to the chosen, changes their hearts, renews their minds, and removes the scales from their eyes. He gives them not only ears that can hear but a spiritual mind to discern the righteousness of Christ and places in their heart a desire to freely and willingly seek Christ. I mentioned in a previous post about my own salvation. Growing up in the church, believing the work of Christ was the same as knowing that the sky is blue. But I loved my sin and had little inclination to be a man of God. I had read parts of the bible before, but it never really meant anything to me. One night, I had a strange desire to read the gospels. As I read them, my life was thrown upside down. Did I come to freely to Christ of my own volition? Yes. Would I have come freely to Christ had the spirit not changed my heart and disposition first? Emphatically, I say, No!

This special inward call given to the elect, never fails. While the general call of the Gospel is often rejected, this inward call is irresistible. This is what it means to be a new creation or born again. What man can recreate himself? What man can re-enter the womb and choose his spiritual birth? The beauty of the Gospel is that the Spirit is in no way dependent on us to bring about this new birth. The Westminster Confession of Faith sums up this doctrine as such.

"All those whom God hath predestinated unto life, and those only, He is pleased, in His appointed time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature to grace and salvation, by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God, taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and, by His almighty power, determining them to that which is good, and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ: yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by His grace."1

Once again, I encourage you to rejoice in such a mighty and merciful God, that loves His people so much that he has made every provision, independent of our own desires, and has set forth His almighty will to work out all things for our good.

1. Chapter X section 1

Oceans and Streams

With guilt that no man should carry
Heavy enough for me to get buried
I feel death on the road tonight
It's got me to where I wanna run and hide

The Black Keys

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

Ephesians 5:25-27

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

John 10:11

even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Matthew 20:28

Without the death and resurrection of Jesus, our faith is worthless. So we believe in the hope of that which was prophesied at the fall of man and preached by unlearned fishermen, a tax collector, and a murderer, who sought to destroy the hope that now saves us 2000 years later. This faith, which was given to His children, whom He foreknew before the foundation of the world, is the faith in His son, who died on a cross, took upon the guilt of the world, securing a place at the table for all God's children, and ultimately rose again on the third day. It is this death that gives us life. But who did Christ die for and what exactly did His death accomplish?

Jesus says that he gave his life as a ransom for many and that He dies for His sheep. His sheep, the church, is who Paul says He died for. What are the implications of making such a statement? For Christ to have died for every single human being means that His death did not effectively secure for them any inheritance or mercy from God. If Christ died for every single person that ever lived, then what did His death accomplish? We all know people that do not believe. So if Christ died for the unbeliever, was his death not powerful enough to atone for their sins, since they remain in disbelief? And since they continue in disbelief and disobedience, Christ's death did nothing for them in the way of saving their souls. If you say that Christ's death made men savable, then you have effectively limited the power of Christ's death and put the onus of salvation on the individual. Salvation becomes a matter of choice, left to men who are dead in their sins and incapable of their own rebirth. I have even heard some people say that Christ's death regenerates all men. But if this were the case, then it would strip God of His sovereign power and once again leave salvation up to the will of sinful men. Why then pray to God for the salvation of the lost if it is our choice to believe and be saved? This is a stark contradiction of what is portrayed in scripture. It has already been established scripturally that men are spiritually dead, their will in bondage to sin. In addition, God has set apart His people from before the foundation of the world and called them according to His purpose. It is for these people, the church, that Christ has died.

In giving His life as a ransom for His sheep, Christ effectively secures their regeneration, justification, and sanctification. From the beginning to the end, it is the full work of Christ that saves His people, lest any man should boast. Christ's death has reconciled us with God. Our sins deserved death. But God loved His people so much, that He sent His son, to reconcile us to Him through Christ's blood. Paul says in Romans 5:10, "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life." This death paid our debts. But it also has done so much more. It has also justified us with God. When God looks at you, he doesn't see a sinner failing miserably at being a "good" Christian. He sees His son. In Romans 5:8-9, Paul says, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." Christ's death also secures our sanctification. Sanctification is the process of being made holy. While we do play a role in our own sanctification by praying, studying the word, partaking the sacraments, serving others, and so on and so forth. But this sanctification would not be possible without first being regenerated by the Holy Spirit removing the scales from our eyes and calling us to Christ's voice and then through the gift of faith, justifying us and crediting us as righteous before God. In John 3, Christ tells Nicodemus that the good works of those that walk in the light are shown to be from God. It is the mercy and love of God, through Christ's death, that produces our good works and bears in us good fruit. In doing all of these things for His people, Jesus fulfills an eternal covenant with the Father, as evidence in John 6:35-40.

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

So rejoice in the work that Christ has done in your life, from beginning to end, accomplishing all you will ever need. He breathed life into your dead soul, called you to Himself, by His blood, reconciled you to God and justified you in His sight. He works out everything in your life for the good. It is in Him, you find rest, love, grace, peace, and hope to carry on. It is in His death that you have life. So live this life for Him.

You're the One

When I was 13
My mom said
"Son, you're the
one I adore"

The Black Keys

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:4-6

And he said,"I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

Exodus 33:19

I don't really think that the Bible is a confusing book. And while I realize the will of God is mysterious and on occasion man's feeble mind cannot comprehend it, I do not believe that God is the author of confusion. God is a good and just and merciful. He has given us His Son, His Holy Spirit, and His Word to lead us through the trials and temptations of life. His Word provides comfort for those that hope in Him and terror for those that mock Him. So I don't think God's Word is confusing. I think He has made it very very clear on who does what in the role of salvation. One of the things that God's word is clear on is man's complete and utter inability to be righteous on his own. The Word is clear that man is steeped in sin and because of this sin is spiritually dead and an enemy to God. That is a pretty grim view of mankind. So how does a dead man, an enemy to the Almighty come to salvation? Are we not all doomed?

The good news is that Christ came to save those that the Father had chosen and given to Him. Matthew 11:27 says, "No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone the Son chooses to reveal Him." Jesus is saying that it is not up to you! When confronted by the Pharisees, Jesus says that they do not understand because they are not His sheep. He tells them that His sheep hear His voice and know Him as the good shepherd. When Nicodemus asks Jesus what one must do to be saved, Jesus tells him that he must be born again. The words that the writers use in the scriptures are not intended to be vague. Paul says we were dead. Christ says we must be born again. Has any man imposed his free will on his own natural death or natural birth? The answer is a resounding no. Christians throughout the world have no problem whatsoever believing that the Israelites were chosen by God. Yet, the overwhelming majority of churches in America will preach that man must choose God to be saved. This is a direct contradiction to the words of Christ posted above and the words of Paul throughout all of his epistles and most notably in Ephesians 1:4-5. All who follow Christ are the sons of Abraham and heirs to the promises. This sovereign election, as Paul says, occurred before the foundation of the world and is compromised of both Jew and gentile.

Now it is worth noting, and of the utmost importance, to say that God's election is completely undeserved and is based only on His sovereign grace. No man is worthy of God's love, yet He loves unconditionally. Nobody is worthy to be spared God's justice, for all have sinned and fallen short, yet God has spared some. It brings me great comfort to know that I did nothing in the salvation of my soul. That God loved me so much, he knew me before the foundation of the world, is so overwhelmingly humbling that words cant express my gratitude.

Some might argue that this seems unfair. This is based on a presuppositional view of scripture that men are able to play a role in their own salvation, but what man can raise Himself from the dead? The only man to do so, Christ, did so, to save sinners. And just as He called out to Lazarus, He calls out to His people and raises them from spiritual death and quickens their hearts, so that they may know and serve Him. It is those that can accept the gift of faith, which leads to justification before God. The great puritan theologian John Owen states,"To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect." The grace of God is null and void if there is no election. If man had the ability to come to Christ apart from election, then man would be a co-savior and would be entitled to receive glory, since he chose to be saved with no help from God. This is a damnable heresy. Yet it's stench permeates the church today. Martin Luther said,"If any man doth ascribe of salvation, even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and he hath not learnt Jesus Christ aright."

So does election equal salvation? The answer is no. Election precedes salvation. For those that are in Christ's flock, we all remember coming to God. We remember the tugs on our heart strings. We remember being led to Christ and being called by Him. For me, I grew up in church. My grandfather was a pastor. Believing that Christ died for my sins was as normal and natural as believing the sky was blue. But this belief was not a saving belief. It wasn't until my junior year of college, that God had placed me around believers that were living sold out lives for Him, while I was living a life of whiskey, women, and debauchery. See, I knew about God. I knew that I wasn't living the way He probably wanted me to, but I didn't KNOW God. A few months before my 21st birthday, I felt a desire to attend Campus Crusade for Christ. I can't explain why it interested me. I had plenty of friends there, but that wasn't the sole reason I was going. Then in February of 2001, I was given my own Bible. I decided to read it since the giver spent money on it. The words I was reading, which I had read before, were now the sweetest words I had read. What was just words in a sacred book before, were now words of life and hope and love. This was God calling me to repentance. The great Jonathan Edwards says this of the time when a dead sinner hears God calling him. "...the first effect of the power of God in the heart in regeneration is to give the heart a Divine taste or sense; to cause it to have a relish of the loveliness and sweetness of the supreme excellency of the Divine nature."

So be humbled that God loved you so much He chose you before the foundation of the word, and works all things for your good, according to His sovereign purpose!

'Cause we're all stillborn and dead in our transgressions
We're shackled up to the sin we hold so dear
So what part can I play in the work of redemption
I can't refuse, I cannot add a thing

'Cause I am just like Lazarus and I can hear your voice
I stand and rub my eyes and walk to You.1

1. From the song Thankful by Caedmon's Call

Psychotic Girl

I heard you threw your man around
picked him up just to let him down
it's a shame baby but i always knew
it's just the way your gonna do

The Black Keys

the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live

Ecclesiastes 9:3

Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
There is not one.

Job 4:14

The older I get, the more aware I become of the world around me. The more I watch the news, the more cynical I become. The closer I examine myself and my own sins, the more I realize that humanity is completely and utterly hopeless. And then I look at God's word in relation to the world I've come to know. And God's word only confirms my sneaking suspicions that man is completely helpless without the divine intervention of the Almighty. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:14, "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." Before the intervening grace of God, we were all "the natural person", incapable to understand the things of God. The prophet Isaiah says that our "righteous" deeds are like filthy rags to God. No man can please God apart from faith. Paul says that we are dead in our sins. What does it mean to be dead in our sins?

Scripture is abundantly and perfectly clear that our sin has separated us from our Creator, that our hearts are inclined toward evil, and that we are incapable of keeping God's law. I would like to think that I am a good guy. I have friends that are "good" people. But good is a relative term. Compared to Osama bin Laden, I'm a pretty good guy. Aren't we all? Compared to Mother Theresa, I'm still a decent guy, I think. I know a lot of people that give up their lives to serve others. I've spent considerable time on the mission field. Compared to Jesus Christ......Is there anything that I do that is good compared to Jesus? My sin is only magnified next to the life of Christ.

If I were to give you a glass of water, you could drink it and say that it was good. Christ often referred to himself and his salvation as water that would quench thirst. If I were to give you a glass of water with a drop of urine in it, would you still drink it? Certainly, the water could dilute the urine, right? Or has the one drop of urine completely and totally ruined the glass of water? Sin has done the same thing to us. One sin separated mankind from God and lead to the whole race being ruined. Spiritual death. Can the glass of water remove the drop of urine and make itself clean again? Not according to scripture. Jeremiah says that a leopard cannot change his spots. Job says that nothing unclean can produce something clean. This is a sobering thought when we look at ourselves and our relation to an almighty and perfect God. We cannot change ourselves, our righteous deeds are like filthy rags, we cannot even seek after God for His help. Dead men tell no tales.

The good news is this. Christ came for the sick. Christ came to raise the spiritually dead. Because of our complete inability to come to God on our own, Christ came and drew His people to Himself. In John 6:44, Jesus says, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." And for those that have been called and drawn to Christ, the Apostle Paul gives us this powerful message of hope in Romans 8:28-30.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

To God be all the glory, forever and ever. Amen.