The Amazing Grace Of A Sovereign God

The Amazing Grace Of A Sovereign God

It’s sad that so few actually see or understand the “amazing grace” of God which is so clearly revealed in the Gospel. While most talk about God’s grace, the grace they profess to believe and rest in as their hope of salvation is nothing more than Satan’s cleverly disguised system of works salvation. Their problem lies in the deceitfulness of the human heart - “The heart (mind, understanding, or will) is deceitful (in the original it means crooked or polluted) above all things, and desperately (incurably) wicked: who can know (understand) it?”(Jeremiah 17:9) What a charge! God tells us through His prophet that the human will, mind, or understanding is polluted above “all things” and incapable of doing anything by way of obedience to rectify this hopeless condition. In spite of such clear testimony, man’s religion insists that every person has a spark of goodness and the ability to do something to recommend them to God. Because of this they insist that people must believe, repent, or reform in order to make the work of Christ effectual. But consider this carefully. If a sinner’s justification depends on the sinner in any way, to any degree, at anytime, IT IS NO LONGER GRACE.

Thank God, there are some sinners that God determined to save before the foundation of the world, whom He actually justified at Calvary through the perfect obedience unto death of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ - “Being(having been) justified(declared legally righteous by way of satisfaction to law and justice) freely(as a gift) by His grace(God giving us what we don’t deserve) through the redemption (liberation obtained by payment of the ransom price) that is in Christ Jesus.”(Romans 3:24) This “amazing grace” doesn’t rely upon our faith, repentance, reformation, or any other condition sinful man so readily insists upon. It is totally free and it was completely accomplished ONE TIME, in ONE PLACE, by ONE PERSON - “But this man (Christ, the elect’s substitute), after He had offered ONE sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God”; “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE.”; “For by ONE offering he hath perfected(made complete) for ever them that are sanctified(declared Holy by imputation).” (Hebrews 10:12,10,14) The Old Testament sacrifices and ceremonies, including the Day of Atonement were truly an ATONEMENT, i.e., they were a covering for sin, but they never could and never were intended to PUT AWAY THE SINS OF GOD’S PEOPLE - “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”(Hebrews 10:4) The Old Testament saints looked through a “glass darkly” to that One who would offer the PERFECT SACRIFICE for their sins and accomplish salvation for them. All God’s elect after the Cross are brought to see what was accomplished for them by that same work of reconciliation. Christ’s work wasn’t a covering for sins, but praise God it was a RECONCILIATION, a SATISFACTION to law and justice. What “AMAZING GRACE”!

- Richard Warmack, pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Ruston, Louisiana