Sovereign Grace

Two things make it impossible for man to save himself (Matt. 19:26): God’s law and God’s sovereignty. God’s law finds men guilty and banishes sinners from God’s presence. God’s sovereignty bars sinners from demanding from God. God’s sovereignty considers only God’s will. God’s sovereign will is eternal. God works all things after the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11).

But two things also make salvation certain: God’s sovereignty and God’s grace. God’s sovereignty does the impossible, because salvation is entirely of the LORD (Jonah 2:9). And God’s grace saves the worst of men (1 Tim. 1:15). Thank God for sovereign grace!!

The law necessarily excludes sinners. The law leaves sinners as it finds them: guilty, corrupt, condemned and cursed (Rom. 3:19; Gal. 3:13). The law shuts men up in their sin. The law reveals God’s justice and wrath (Rom. 1:18). The law makes the necessity of God’s promise of grace apparent (Gal. 3:22-24).

By His sovereign grace, God saves sinners. God’s grace does not oppose His law. It fulfills it. Grace even uses the affliction of God’s law on the conscience of sinners as a plow so that the seed of the Gospel will grow deep roots in their hearts and draw them to Christ, who is the sunlight of heaven (Gen. 50:20; Ps. 107:17-21; Hosea. 13:9; Isa. 9:13). Grace answered justice in the blood of God’s dear Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Grace fulfilled God’s law in the obedience of Christ (Rom. 10:4). Grace therefore magnifies God’s law by the obedience and death of the Son of God in our nature (Isa. 42:21; Dan. 9:16; Heb. 2:9), in the place and on the behalf of sinners, finding nothing in them, seeking nothing from them, but doing all for them (Rom. 3:21, 24-25; 5:5-11; 1 Pet. 2:24).

God’s sovereignty engages His grace to save as it pleases Him (Rom. 9:6-16, 23-29). Therefore, God’s sovereign grace provides all, does all, assesses His own work and accepts sinners on that ground alone, on the sole ground of Christ’s redeeming work (1 Cor. 1:23-24; 3:11; 2 Cor. 5:18-21; Heb. 2:10-18; 10:5-18). God’s sovereign grace laid the burden to honor His holiness and make satisfaction to His justice on the back of His dear Son in the eternal salvation of His elect people. God laid the full weight of the manifestation of His wisdom, justice, grace and love upon the back of Christ (1 Cor. 1:2-324; John 17:4; Heb. 1:1-3).

God’s sovereignty will not consider man’s will or take man’s advice or entertain man’s opinion or accept man’s contribution (Rom. 4:4-5). But in spite of all that sinful man is, by His sovereign will alone, God will save those He chose to save by His free grace, built upon the justifying-obedience and the justice-satisfying, substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus Christ (Isa. 53:1-12).

By His exalted station and reigning power on His Father’s throne (Eph. 1:20-22; Rev. 3:21), Jesus Christ, the Lord of all (Rom. 10:12; Acts 10:36; Zech. 6:5; 1 Cor. 2:8; Isa. 6:5), sends His messengers to proclaim God’s glory in His salvation of chosen, redeemed sinners (2 Cor. 5:18-21; Matt. 28:18-20; Rev. 22:17). He sends His Holy Spirit -- the Spirit of the Father and of Christ -- to raise those same chosen sinners from death to life by His will: that will that will not be frustrated, and His almighty power that cannot fail (Isa. 14:24; John 5:24; Ezek. 37:4-14; Eph. 2:4-10; Zep. 3:17).

Grace excludes man’s obedience in salvation, in making himself acceptable to God, and in obtaining all blessings. God’s sovereignty makes salvation all God’s will and doing without the will or work of man (John 1:12-13; Titus 3:3-7). Man cannot thwart God’s sovereign purpose. Man’s sin will not prevent it. Nor can man’s will or works coerce God to save him. Sinful man has no influence upon God (Job 35:5-8). Man’s will and man’s works will not induce God to save him. Man’s ignorance and vile nature oppose God’s salvation (Rom. 8:7; 2 Tim. 2:25). Yet these will not keep God from His saving purpose to save His sinful people! God’s sovereign grace overcomes all. In sovereign grace, God teaches sinners that His grace is necessary, so much so, that they fall on their faces before Him, rejoice in His salvation and give Him all the glory. He does this by afflicting them with His law, holding them under that law until His appointed time, often for long periods of time: historically, from Moses to Christ; in our experience, before Christ sent His Gospel to our thirsty souls (Ps. 32:1-2; Mark 5:25). In sovereign grace, God wounds and heals; He kills and makes alive; He brings low and raises up; He shuts sinners up under their guilt and yet justifies condemned sinners in Christ (Deut. 32:39; 1 Sam. 2:6-9; Luke 18:13; Rom. 3:19-25).

Justice demands satisfaction. Righteousness demands obedience. God’s law must be honored. God must be glorified. God’s eternal purpose will be done. Man is devoid of righteousness. Man is unclean. Man’s efforts to make himself acceptable and to entice God to favor and bless him not only make him no better, but leave him all the more polluted (Isa. 64:6). God’s righteousness is revealed against the barren landscape of man’s righteousness. God’s law requires righteousness from man. God’s grace provides God’s righteousness in Christ for His elect. God’s righteousness honors His law and fulfills His will. God’s righteousness cleanses and clothes the sinner (Isa. 61:10). God’s righteousness is the foundation upon which, in grace, He blesses sinners. Grace overcomes all barriers by Jesus Christ. I love what John Newton said:

“May we sit at the foot of the cross and there learn what sin has done, what justice has done and what love has done.”

And I would add this: may we also learn at that cross that there our salvation was done (Luke 23:32-47; Gal. 2:19-20; Heb. 1:1-3; Jer. 17:12; Rom. 8:31-34).

Till round the throne the blood-bought race
Electing love shall bring,
Let sinners saved proclaim free grace,
And Christ exalted sing.  -- John Kent

Rick Warta