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Salvation
From Sin's Corruption
This is our third essay dealing with our eternal
salvation from sin.
In the previous two essays we considered salvation
from sin's
condemnation and salvation from sin's bondage. In
this essay we will
consider salvation from sin's corruption. II Cor.
1:10 connects these
three aspects of salvation from sin together: "Who
delivered us from so
great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust
that he will yet
deliver us." The writer indicates a past
deliverance, a present
deliverance, and a future deliverance. All three
deliverances are
brought about by God. Jesus died to redeem us from
sin's condemnation
(past deliverance). The Holy Spirit quickens us
(causes us to be born
again) to deliver us from sin's bondage (present
deliverance). Jesus
Christ is coming again to deliver us from sin's
corruption (future
deliverance).
This future deliverance from sin's corruption shall
take place in the
resurrection of the dead. I Cor. Chapter 15 is
abundantly clear in
describing our deliverance from sin's corruption. We
quote the
following verses to show the change that will take
place in our mortal
bodies in the resurrection:
1. V.42 "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It
is sown in
corruption; it is raised in incorruption.
2. V.43 "It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in
glory..."
3. V.43 "It is sown in weakness; it is raised in
power."
4. V.44 "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a
spiritual body."
5. V.49 "As we have borne the image of the earthy,
we shall also
bear the image of the heavenly."
6. V.53 "For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality."
Thus the resurrection is the time our mortal bodies
will be delivered
from sin's corruption as Paul wrote in I Cor. 15:54
57, "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. O death,
where is thy
sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of
death is sin; and
the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to
God, which giveth us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." We make
the following
observations about this deliverance from sin's
corruption:
1. It is brought about by the power of God.
2. It is the gift of God.
3. The victory is through the covenant work of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
4. It is the final ultimate victory over sin, death,
the grave, the
devil, and hell for God's elect.
When Paul said that the body is raised in glory he
thus tied the
resurrection to the covenant of redemption as set
forth in Rom. 8:29,
30, "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. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he
also called: and
whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he
justified, them he
also glorified." Thus we are brought to the
conclusion that all three
aspects of salvation from sin (salvation from
condemnation, bondage, and
corruption) are tied to this covenant whereby God
purposed before the
world began to predestinate the elect to be
conformed to Jesus Christ.
In all three aspects we are brought to the
conclusion that eternal
salvation from sin is by the grace of God and not by
any work of man.
This is in harmony with the words of God recorded in
Isa. 63:5, "I
looked and there was none to help; and I wondered
that there was none to
uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation to
me; and my fury, it
upheld me."
In our next essay we will begin to consider the many
timely
deliverances to God's children that are promised to
them thru their
faith and obedience to God's word. Now these
deliverances do not alter
or change what God has done in bringing about the
eternal salvation from
sin's condemnation, bondage, and corruption. God's
eternal salvation
stands for an eternity, but he has also given us
(the elect of God) the
prospect of many timely deliverances.
Bishop of Our Souls
The word, bishop, comes from the Greek word,
episkopos, and literally
means an overseer. In most instances this title has
reference to a
pastor or gospel minister (Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1; I
Tim. 3:1, 2; and
Tit. 1:7) and denotes their responsibility and
accountability to watch
over the flock (congregation) over the which the
Holy Ghost has made
them overseers. However, in one instance, the term
is used in reference
to Christ: 1 Pet. 2:25, "For ye were as sheep going
astray; but are now
returned unto the Shepherd and BISHOP of your
souls."
Jesus Christ is the "bishops of our souls." Jesus
and Jesus alone has
the responsibility and accountability for our
eternal salvation as he
said in John 6:37 39, "All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out. For I came down
from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will
of him that sent me.
And this is the Father's will which hath sent me,
that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up again at the
last day." Consequently, we are "preserved in Jesus
Christ" (Jude 1)
and not a one of us shall be lost: "And I give unto
them eternal life;
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my
hand. My father, which gave them me, is greater than
all; and no man is
able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my
Father are one"
(John 10:28 30).
While we may suffer
troubles in this life we are as secure as Job was
when Satan designed to destroy him as the Lord
said,"Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his
life" (Job 2:6). Satan cannot touch our eternal life
because our Bishop is watching over us and not one
of us will be lost!
Jesus' work as a
Bishop extends beyond just preserving our eternal
life. He also watches over his people as we live in
this time world.
According to Ps. 34:7, "The angel of the Lord
encampeth round about them
that fear him, and delivereth them." This lesson is
illustrated in II
Kings 6:13 18 when the king of Syria had sent an
host to capture Elisha
the prophet and when Elisha's servant saw the great
host encompassing
the city he cried, "Alas, my master! How shall we
do?" To which Elisha
answered, "Fear not: for they that be with us are
more than they which
be with them." Then Elisha prayed, "Lord, I pray
thee, open the eyes of
the young man; and he saw: and, behold the mountain
was full of horses
and chariots of fire round about Elisha."
Ps. 34, 121, and 139 are full of precious treasures
of the Lord's
oversight over his people. A few of these nuggets
are presented below:
1. Ps. 34:4, "I sought the Lord, and he heard me,
and delivered me
from all my fears." The Lord's people have many
fears in life, yet the
Lord watches over us and delivers us from our fears.
2. Ps. 34:6,
"This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and
saved him out of all
his troubles." In Job we read that "man is born unto
trouble, as the
sparks fly upward." We also read in Job 5:19, "He
shall deliver thee in
six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil
touch thee." Again, the
Lord watches over us in our troubles and delivers us
as he did the "poor
man" of Ps. 34:6.
3. Ps. 34:9, "O fear
the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to
them that fear him." The word "want" here means
"lack." Thus the Lord
watches over us to supply all of our needs so that
we do not lack
anything that we need.
4. Ps. 34:15, 17, "The
eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and
his ears are open unto their cry...The righteous
cry, and the Lord
heareth, and delivereth them out of all their
troubles." Thus the Lord
watches over us, listens to our prayers, and
delivers us from our
troubles.
5. Ps 139 tells us
just how closely and intimately the Lord watches
over us: Ps. 139:1 10, "O Lord, thou hast searched
me, and known me.
Thou knowest my down sittings and mine uprisings,
thou understandest my
thoughts afar off. Thou compassest my path and my
lying down, and art
acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word
in my tongue, but,
lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast
beset me behind and
before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge
is too wonderful
for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither
shall I go from
they spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy
presence? If I ascend up
into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in
hell, behold, thou art
there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell
in the uttermost
parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me,
and thy right hand
shall hold me."
6. Ps. 121 also speaks of the Lord's watch care over
us. The three
key words in this chapter are help, keep, and
preserve. The Lord is our
helper, he is our keeper, and he is our preserver.
With such an
overseer as this we truly have no reason to want or
fear for indeed the
Lord is the "Bishop" of our souls.
THE LORD WILL
1. For the LORD will not hold him guiltless that
taketh his name in vain.
2. For the LORD will not forsake his people for his
great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD
to make you his people.
3. But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is
godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call
unto him.
4. The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD
will receive my prayer.
5. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the
LORD will take me up.
6. The LORD will give strength unto his people; the
LORD will bless his people with peace.
7. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD
will deliver him in time of trouble. The LORD will
preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be
blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver
him unto the will of his enemies. The LORD will
strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou
wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
8. Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in
the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with
me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
9. For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD
will give grace and glory: no good thing will he
withhold from them that walk uprightly.
10. I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he
will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:
but let them not turn again to folly.
11. For the LORD will not cast off his people,
neither will he forsake his inheritance.
12. For the LORD will judge his people, and he will
repent himself concerning his servants.
13. The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:
14. I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of
the afflicted, and the right of the poor.
15. The LORD will not suffer the soul of the
righteous to famish: but he casteth away the
substance of the wicked.
16. The LORD will destroy the house of the proud:
but he will establish the border of the widow.
17. Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither
oppress the afflicted in the gate: For the LORD will
plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that
spoiled them.
18. And the LORD will create upon every dwelling
place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a
cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming
fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a
defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a
shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place
of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from
rain.
19. When the poor and needy seek water, and there is
none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the
LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not
forsake them.
20. For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
21. But though he cause grief, yet will he have
compassion according to the multitude of his
mercies.
22. Yea, the LORD will answer and say unto his
people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and
oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will
no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
23. The LORD will be the hope of his people,
24. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not
impute sin.
Only One Way
to be Born Again
How many ways are there for being born again? Were
people in the Old
Testament days born again in a different way than in
these New Testament
days? Are those who die in infancy or those who are
mentally incapable
of responding to the gospel born again in a
different way than those who
do hear the gospel? Are people who never have an
opportunity to hear
the gospel born again in a different way than those
who hear the
gospel?
We read in John 3:8,
"The wind bloweth where it listeth and
thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell
whence it cometh and
whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of
the Spirit. In a
previous installment we noted that this scripture
taught the sovereignty
of God in bringing about the new birth. It also
teaches us that "every
one" is born of the Spirit in the same way. There is
no such thing as
some being born of the Spirit in one way and others
being born again in
a different way.
I want to look at five
examples of people who were born again at
different times and under different circumstances.
It will be noted
that they were all born again by the grace of God
without man's help or
cooperation.
Let us first look at
David. David said in Psms. 22:9, 10, "But thou
art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make
me to hope when I
was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee
from the womb: thou
art my God from my mother's belly." Based on the
above we know that God
was David's God while still in his mother's womb and
that he was made to
hope while still a suckling infant. David was indeed
born of the Spirit
at a very early age. Due to this fact, the Spiritual
birth had to be by
the sovereign work of God without any human
instrumentality. Remember
our text says, "so is every one that is born of the
Spirit." Thus we
are all born of the Spirit in the same way that
David was.
Second, we look at
John the Baptist. The angel Gabriel prophesied to
Zacharias concerning John in Luke 1:15, "For he
shall be great in the
sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor
strong drink; and he
shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his
mother's womb." Also
we read in Luke 1:41, 44, "And it came to pass,
that, when Elizabeth
heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her
womb; and Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Ghost...For, lo, as soon as
the voice of thy
salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in
my womb for joy."
Please note that John was filled with the Holy
Spirit in his mother's
womb and was filled with "joy." "Joy" is the second
of the 9 fold fruit
of the Spirit listed in Gal. 5:22 and its presence
proves John was born
again while yet in his mother's womb. John's
spiritual birth had to be
by the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit without any
human
instrumentality. Remember our text says, "so is
every one that is born
of the Spirit." In the same way that John was born
of the Spirit, so
are we born of the Spirit.
Third, we look at the thief on the cross. At one
time both thieves
were railing upon Jesus (Matt. 27:44), but something
happened to one of
the thieves as he hang on the cross, for we read in
Luke 23:39 43, "And
one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on
him, saying, If thou
be Christ, save thyself and us. But the other
rebuked him, saying, Dost
not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same
condemnation? And we
indeed justly: for we receive the due reward of our
deeds: but this man
hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus,
Lord, remember me when
thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto
him, Verily I say
unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in
paradise." Certainly a
fundamental change had come over this thief who went
from railing on
Jesus to praising him and recognizing him as Lord
during the first three
hours he hand on the cross. This change was not
brought about by any
human instrumentality, but was the sovereign work of
the Holy Spirit.
Remember our text says, "so is every one that is
born of the Spirit."
We are born of the Spirit in the same manner that
the thief on the cross
was born of the Spirit.
Fourth, we read in Acts 9:1 6 about Saul of Tarsus,
"And Saul, yet
breathing out threathenings and slaughter against
the disciples of the
Lord, went unto the high priests, and desired of him
letters to Damascus
to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way,
whether they were
men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem. And as he
journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there
shined round about
him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth,
and heard a voice
saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecuteth thou
me? And he said, Who
art thou Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom
thou persecuteth: it
is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he
trembling and
astonished, said, Lord what wilt thou have me to do?
And the Lord said
unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall
be told thee what
thou must do." We can all recognize that Saul went
from being the
church's worst persecutor to being the church's
strongest defender based
on what happened to him on the Damascus road. This
change in Saul's
life was not brought about by human instrumentality,
but by the
sovereign work of a Sovereign God. Remember our text
says, "so is every
one that is born of the Spirit."
Finally, in Acts 10 we read of a Gentile by the name
of Cornelius. In
the last part of chapter 10 we read about how
Cornelius and his
household and friends heard the gospel preached for
the first time.
However, prior to hearing the gospel we have the
following evidences
that Cornelius was already born of the Spirit prior
to ever hearing the
gospel:
A. In verse 2 Cornelius is called a devout man.
B. In verse 2 Cornelius is said to "fear" God.
C. In verse 2 we find that Cornelius gave much alms
to the people.
D. In verse 2 Cornelius prayed to God always.
E. In verse 4 we find that Cornelius' prayers and
alms came up for a
memorial before God.
F. In verse 15, God said he had already cleansed
Cornelius and the
Gentiles with him.
G. In verse 22, Cornelius is called a just man. Now
all the above was
said of Cornelius prior to his ever hearing the
gospel. By the
evidences we are forced to conclude that Cornelius
was born again
without the use of human instrumentality, but by the
sovereign work of a
sovereign God.
Again our text says,
"so is every one that is born of the Spirit." Our
grand conclusion must be that every one that is born
of the Spirit is born of the Spirit in the same way
that David, John, the thief on the cross, Saul of
Tarsus, and Cornelius were. That is by the grace of
God without human instrumentality. Praise be to God
for what he has done for us.m
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