The Preacher's Choice In Knowing What To Preach - Begin With Prayer

1 Timothy 4:16 "Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you."

Introduction:

One of the most important tasks a pastor has in his weekly schedule is determining what he will preach the following Sunday morning. Even though this post aims to unveil what goes through a pastor's mind in preparing to preach, all readers who value God's Word will hopefully find it illuminating and helpful. So how does a preacher arrive at the choice of text he is going to preach? the place to start is prayer.

Prayer begins the process of determining the direction of the next sermon

How often ought the preacher be praying during the process of his sermon preparation? Truly the beginning of the next sermon begins as soon as the last sermon was preached. Praying before, during and after the sermon is essential. Prayer has a way of checking one's motives (James 4:1-4) and discerning, by the scripture, what direction to go in the sermon preparation process (1 Timothy 4:13-16). The famed 19th century theologian B.B Warfield was well-known for his staggering intellect in the realm of theology. He taught those studying for the ministry. When asked about where prayer fits in the process of sermon preparation, he wisely responded:

"Sometimes we hear it said that ten minutes on your knees will give you a truer, deeper, more operative knowledge of God than ten hours over your books. “What!” is the appropriate response, “than ten hours over your books, on your knees?” Why should you turn from God when you turn to your books, or feel that you must from your books in order to turn to God?"

The preacher who is desperate for God to show up in His study and preparation will experience God showing up during his delivery of the sermon. 

A sermon prepared without prayer is like grilling steak with no coals. The sermon can be finely trimmed, thick with content and juicy with abundant illustrations. Yet, unless the preacher has taken that sermon before the Lord, it will never become an edible message to be digested by the congregation. The man of God must sift his thoughts through the sieve of prayer to cut out any unnecessary additives.

The preacher who prays depends upon the congregation that prays

As the man of God gives himself to prayer, he has the leverage to encourage his congregation to do the same. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6:19 "and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel." The best thing a people can do for their pastor is to pray for him (1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Hebrews 13:18). As one dear saint told me not to long ago: "pastor, rather than put you on a pedestal, I'm going to hold you up in prayer as you preach". Do you know how much that encourages a pastor? Those church members who are regularly praying for their pastor must also pray that they themselves will have a heart and mind ready to receive the message for that day. 

Closing Thoughts:

Today's post aimed to begin thinking about how anyone involved in the preaching ministry of the Word may sense a direction for knowing what to preach. We suggested that the only appropriate place to begin is prayer. Both the pastor and his congregation are to labor in prayer for one another. Only by hitching the sermon to prayer can it be turned into a message that God can use to change and transform lives.  

The Importance Of Developing A Christian Worldview

1 Corinthians 8:6-7 "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him."

Introduction

What is meant when we speak of a worldview? A worldview is how one views the world. To be more specific, a worldview is a narrative one has for explaining the answers to five main questions: 

1. Where did I come from (hence the origins question)?

2. Why am I here (hence the meaning question)?

3. What kind of world is the world (hence, the nature of reality question)?

4. What explains the problems I see around me, and is there a solution (hence, the problem of suffering)?

5. Is there a point to life? Where are we heading? (hence, the ultimate purpose of life question)

Everyone in the world has a worldview. There are no "neutral" observers. How we evaluate which worldview is the most reliable one relies upon whichever one best handles the above "big questions". Certain methods that measure how probable one worldview is over another in handling and processing the "big questions" are usually employed when judging between competing worldviews. 

As a Christian, it is vital to have a Christian worldview that can give good reasons as to why one believe what they believe. 1 Peter 3:15 gives the charge: "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."

Peter was one of the original followers of Jesus (i.e a disciple). When Jesus commissioned him to be one of the original early leaders sent forth to carry His message (i.e, an apostle), Peter would some 35 years later pen his first letter to a group of Christians scattered throughout the Mediterranean world. Peter understood the importance of having a Christian worldview.

In like manner, another Apostle by the name of Paul, had been called by Jesus in a vision while on his way to persecute Christians in Acts 9. As Jesus confronted him and called him to be an "apostle to the nations", Saul changed on the inside and became a vocal witness for Jesus Christ. In Acts 13 and Acts 17 we find records of Paul's preaching and early defenses of the Christian faith as he articulated a Christian worldview. In later letters to churches such as the church at Corinth, Paul would summarize the salient points of the key components of a Christian worldview (see 1 Corinthians 8:6-7; 15:1-6).

The basics of a Christian worldview

Both Peter and Paul demonstrated the need for every generation of Christian to be equipped and ready to operate with a Christian worldview. With that said, what could we say comprises the basics of a standard Christian worldview? In considering both Paul and Peter's writings in the New Testament, as well as considering the history of Christian thought over the past 2,000 years, theologians have identified what are called the "common places" or key points of Christian doctrine that comprise the essentials of the Christian faith. These "common points" or "common places" (called by older writers: "loci communes") are usually listed as follows:

1. Doctrine of God
2. Doctrine of Creation
3. Doctrine of Sin
4. Doctrine of Christ
5. Doctrine of Last things

Such a list could also include are key doctrines as "doctrine of man", "doctrine of revelation" and "doctrine of redemption". For our purposes we will stick to the five above, likely including the "doctrine of redemption" in with what we already have listed, namely "the doctrine of Christ", as well as "doctrine of man" under the larger heading of "doctrine of creation". 

How the Christian worldview addresses the five "big questions"

So how can the five key essential doctrines be used in formulating a Christian worldview? Again, a Christian worldview aims to answer the big questions of life. I will list those again, and then plug in the doctrinal essentials so that the reader can see how a Christian worldview can work.

1. Where did I come from (hence the origins question)? 
Doctrine of God & Doctrine of Creation
(we could include doctrine of man)


2. Why am I here (hence the meaning question)?
Doctrine of God & Doctrine of Creation


3. What kind of world is the world (hence, the nature of reality question)?
Doctrine of Creation & Doctrine of God

4. What explains the problems I see around me, and is there a solution (hence, the problem of suffering)?
Doctrine of sin & Doctrine of Christ (we could also include the doctrine of salvation, since this connects the work of salvation to the Savior, Jesus Christ)

5. Is their a point to life? Where are we heading? (hence, the ultimate purpose of life question)
Doctrine of last things

So why does it matter whether or not we have a Christian worldview ready to answer these big questions?

These so-called "big questions" are the ones raised all the time by philosophers, scientists and people of other religions. It does not take long to see these questions being discussed and debated on the internet, You Tube and on the major news networks. As a Christian develops his or her worldview, eventual introduction and even study to other disciplines will aid in sharpening up the specifics. We find that in studying the Bible, we can not only find such questions raised and answered, but more specifically, we can better understand how to approach such questions from a Biblical perspective. It would be the contention of this writer that only the Christian worldview can successfully handle all five "big questions". 

Tips for improving one's understanding of the Christian worldview

Knowing Bible backgrounds will aid greatly when explaining the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, as well as how God could allow such an event to occur. It has been this author's experience in worldview discussions that opponents of Christianity and the Bible have rarely read, let alone thoroughly studied the Bible. Moreover, in as much as reason and education can access the contents of the Bible, only a converted heart and mindset committed to Jesus Christ can grasp and appreciate the meaning of those contents. 

Memorizing scripture is the greatest weapon of course, since one never knows when they may need to bring up the Bible in the appropriate setting. Most of all, prayer and a patient heart are crucial in a worldview discussion. One could very well win the argument and still lose their testimony as the result of a misplaced attitude or word.

Closing thoughts

May we be ever ready to make a defense for the Christian faith and arm ourselves with the tools we need for developing a Christian worldview. Below I have included links to resources that can help the reader achieve that very thing:

1. https://www.amazon.com/Guard-Students-Thinkers-Guide-Christian/dp/0781412994/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1471622728&sr=8-10&keywords=william+lane+craig

2. https://www.amazon.com/Guard-Defending-Faith-Reason-Precision/dp/1434764885/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471622803&sr=8-1&keywords=william+lane+craig

P2 Blessed Assurances Paid For At The Cross - Romans 8:36-37

Romans 8:31-32 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"

Introduction:

In our last post we considered the blessed assurances that flow from Christ's finished work on the cross as spelled out in Romans 8:31-32. We observed how God has an unquestionable commitment to the child of God who trusts in Christ in saving faith. We then noted too how Christ supplies unending representation for the Christian before the throne. These first two assurances were explored. Today we want to consider a third marvelous blessed assurance, namely...

Unbreakable Relationship between God and the Christian. Romans 8:35-37

Note what we read in Romans 8:35-37
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written, “For Your sake we are being put to death all day long; We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us." The seven underlined words represent increasing levels of "worse-case" scenarios (at least for us living in the 21st century). The Bible Knowledge Commentary notes:

"These things—stated in increasing intensity—do not separate Christians from Christ; instead they are part of the “all things” (Rom. 8:28) God uses to bring them to conformity to His Son. Then Paul quoted Psalm 44:22 to remind his readers that in this life the people of God must face much affliction (cf. John 16:33) including even martyrdom for some. In the early days of the church one or more Christians were martyred every day, or faced the possibility of it. Their persecutors valued Christians’ lives as nothing more than animals to be butchered."

In looking at these seven negative experiences, one can note some observations:

1. We find two sets of three and a final, ultimate negative experience: martyrdom at the sword. 

2. Of the two sets of three, we find in each set two negative experiences that occur as a result of circumstance (tribulation, distress and famine, nakedness) with each followed by a respective negative event caused by other people (persecution, peril). 

3. Paul's listing here is said in light of what is clearly his meditation on Psalm 44, from which he quotes Psalm 44:22

The unbreakable link between God and the Christian is not only cemented at saving faith by the sealing ministry of the Spirit (see Ephesians 1:13-14); but continues on through the preserving work of the Father (1 Peter 1:5) and the continuing mediation of the Son on the believer's behalf (Hebrews 4:15; 7:24-25). 

Will there be those times in the Christian's life where life, trials, sin and spiritual warfare weakens them enough to yield to short seasons of sin? Yes. We see it for example in Peter's life, when he was giving into the hypocrisy of the Judaizers in Galatians 2. Yet, Peter did not remain in such hypocrisy, as evidenced in what we read of his expositions on the Gospel and Christian life in his two epistles of 1 and 2 Peter. The Baptist Faith and Message notes in its comments on the doctrine of perseverance or what is more popularly known as "eternal security":

"All true believers endure to the end. Those whom God has accepted in Christ, and sanctified by His Spirit, will never fall away from the state of grace, but shall persevere to the end. Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation."

Closing thoughts:

What assurance can we find as believers when everything else seems not so sure? In Romans 8:32-37 we find a major assurance for salvation - the glory of the cross. The glory of the cross is like a multifaceted jewel in these verses. We saw the unbreakable relationship between God and the Christian. Note the following glories of the cross that follow from these considerations:

1. Riches of the Father's grace. 8:31-32
2. Representation by Christ. 8:33-34
3. Royalty of God's Sovereignty. 8:35-36
4. Reality of the believer's victory 8:37

P1 Blessed Assurances Paid For At The Cross - Romans 8:31-35

Romans 8:31-32  "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?"

Introduction:

Romans 8:28-39 is composed of many "blessed assurances" of salvation. In this particular section of Romans 8:31-36, we discover three wonderful assurances that comprise the bedrock of all Christian assurance - the cross of Christ. Charles Stanley writes on page 9 of his classic book: "Eternal Security" - 

"If our assurance hinges on anything but the finished work of Christ on the cross, we are in trouble."

What Paul has to say about the assurances of salvation in Romans 8:32-39 flows from the Savior's cross. 
Albert Barnes in his commentary notes on this section:

"The argument for the security of all Christians is here derived from the fact, that God had shown them equal love in giving his Son for them."

Barnes then notes:

"The most humble and obscure believer may derive consolation from the fact that Christ died for him, and that God has expressed the highest love for him which we can conceive to be possible."

Today's post wants to begin looking at this section and note a couple of assurances of salvation that result from Jesus' accomplished work on the cross.

God's Unquestionable Commitment to the Christian. Romans 8:31-32

Note what we read in Romans 8:31-32 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" In that underlined phrase of verse 32, "freely give", we can find it rendering one Greek verb which, according to one Greek dictionary, means: "to give or grant graciously and generously, with the implication of good will on the part of the giver—‘to give, to grant, to bestow generously." 

Think about that definition: "good will on the part of the giver". God's thoughts towards His people whom are redeemed in saving faith come with His good intentions. Thankfully, we need not speculate as to how we can know whether or not God truly wants to supply the Christian with all they need for godly living. 

Why I should ever doubt God's good intentions toward me as a Christ follower is baffling in light of His clear demonstration of such by the giving of His One and Only Son. God demonstrated such by giving the unparalleled gift His His one and only Son! This truth gives me such comfort! As we will see in later verses of Romans 8:31-39, we cannot look ultimately to circumstances, people or material possessions for the assurances needed for daily Christian living. 

This unquestionable commitment of God to His people, as so demonstrated in the giving of His Son and spelled out here in Romans 8:31-32, receives the following observation from the Bible Exposition Commentary:


"The argument here is from the lesser to the greater. If when we were sinners, God gave us His best, now that we are God’s children, will He not give us all that we need? Jesus used this same argument when He tried to convince people that it was foolish to worry and fear. God cares for the birds and sheep, and even for the lilies; surely He will care for you! God is dealing with His own on the basis of Calvary grace, not on the basis of Law. God freely gives all things to His own!"

As Jesus notes in Matthew 6:26-31 -"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!" 

So the blessed assurance of God's unquestionable commitment was paid for at the cross, but notice the second blessed assurance we find flowing from Christ's finished work...

Christ's Unending Representation of the Christian. Romans 8:33-34

Note what we read in Romans 8:33-34
"Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us." Some questions are worth asking of the two underlined words in the text. First, who is the accuser being spoken of in Romans 8:33? Undoubtedly, the accuser, the prosecuting attorney that would try to indict believers (i.e God's elect) is none other than the Devil. The Bible Knowledge Commentary notes: 

"Satan is identified as “the accuser” of God’s people (Rev. 12:10; cf. Zech. 3:1). His accusations are valid, because they are based on the believer’s sinfulness and defilement. But Satan’s accusations will be thrown out of court, because it is God who justifies. The Judge Himself declares the accused person righteous on the basis of his faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24; 5:1). As a result all accusations are dismissed and no one can bring an accusation that will stand."  

Second question, who is the "who" in Romans 8:35. God the Father is the Judge, and has appointed judgment to the Son appointed judge, since into His hands has been given all authority (see Matthew 28:18). Romans 3:25-26 reminds us: "whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

Therefore, the One who is supplying the assurance of Christ's credited righteousness knows full well about our past and yet, because of what Christ achieved, sees the believer, not in light of rightful condemnation, but rather in the richness of Christ's work on the cross and the credited righteousness which is His to bestow. 

Not only does this text focus upon the right-standing of the Christian before God, but mainly on the unending representation Christ exercises on behalf of believers before the throne. Hebrews 7:24-25 notes: "but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." It is interesting to note that in Romans 8:26-27 we see the earthly intercession of the Holy Spirit for the Christian in prayer whilst we see Christ's heavenly intercession for the Christian to persevere to the end. 

Closing thoughts:

So we have noted two assurances of salvation paid for by Jesus on the cross: God's unquestionable commitment to the believer and Christ's unending representation on the believer's behalf. In the next post we will consider the third and last assurance that flows from Christ's accomplished work on the cross as spelled out in Romans 8:31-37.  

Lessons We Can Learn From The World's First Revival - The Conditions Necessary For Revival

Genesis 4:25 "To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord."

Introduction:

Douglas Porter and Elmer Towns define the word, "revival" in their book: "The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever" as follows:

"An evangelical revival is an extraordinary work of God in which Christians repent of their sins as they become intensely aware of His presence in their midst, and they manifest a positive response to God in renewed obedience to the known will of God."

Porter and Towns then note the following results that flow from revival:

"(R)esulting in both a deepening of their individual and corporate experience of God, and an increased concern to win others to Christ."

In today's post, I want to briefly consider the world's first-ever revival as recorded in Genesis 4:25. In order to rightly understand what took place, we ought to consider the conditions that were present to prompt men to call upon the name of the Lord. If for anything else, revival has arrived when people - both inside and outside the church - are calling upon the Lord for increased closeness and sanctification (as believers ought to do) and for salvation (as unbelievers need to do). 

In other words, what conditions are found necessary for there to be revival?

1. God-shaped vacuum in the culture. Genesis 4:16-22

Cain, after receiving his sentence from God for the killing of his brother Abel, flee from God's presence to build a mighty city. The so-called "city of man" has often been referred to in the history of Christianity as representing culture and society veering more and more away from God. The 17th century Christian thinker Blaise Pascal spoke of a God-shaped hole or vacuum in the human heart that can only be filled by God. Here we see in the text a God-shaped vacuum in the culture that must be filled by God. 

All other influences will attempt to rush in to fill that vacuum: secularism, spiritualism, humanism and all sorts of "isms". The absence of God's name in the family line of Cain is telling. Whenever we find the wider culture at the brink of moral and spiritual collapse, and the signs of desperation increase, it is a sign that a God-shaped vacuum is in the culture. 

2. Growing decline of morality, spiritual vitality and the family. Genesis 4:23-24

I put these three together because that is what we see in the life of Lamech. He is the originator of polygamy and thus wages the first historic war against God-ordained marriage. He brags to his two wives for killing a young man in cold-blood and treats God's curse on Cain as a light thing. Lamech's family is unlike what God's original design had been for the home in Genesis 2. 

Sadly today, we not only find these three areas at a low-point in the culture, but the churches of the United States are more and more mirroring the culture. This second observation really speaks more to what we find inside the walls of the church than what lies on the outside. In Revelation 3 we find Jesus addressing the worldly church of Laodicea. Indeed, times are ripe for revival when we see declines in the moral, spiritual and family fronts, as well as a deepening God-shaped vacuum. Now notice thirdly....

3. Great desperation for God. Genesis 4:25-26

Here we find Adam and Eve giving birth to a son to replace murdered Abel: namely "Seth". Eve named the boy "Seth" due to what she saw as God's appointment to her of another to replace her dead son. As Seth would later on have his own son "Enosh", that even leads to men calling on the name of the Lord. Desperation for God had reached its boiling point. Death had hung over humanity like a thick fog. Darkness was setting into the human race. One lone-torch burned in the darkness. The man Seth would pass onto his son what he had learned from Adam and Eve. God's redemptive work, received by faith, paid for by blood, would constitute the Gospel. Hope in God came up in the souls of men. We're not told how many, nor are we given names. All we know is that revival hit, and men began to call upon the Lord.  

How The Christian Can Know God Is For Them - Romans 8:28-32

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

Introduction:

Let's be honest, if you are a Christian reading this post today, I'm certain you have asked from time to time: "Is God really there for me?" or "How do I know that God still cares"? The mistake you and I make too often is to gauge God's love for us by the kinds of circumstances in our lives. A person can be in the will of God and yet still experience cancer, loss or disappointment, as well as times of abundance and ease. What specifically does Romans 8:31 mean when it mentions "these things" demonstrating the fact that God is for the Christian? 

As we fan out from Romans 8:31, I believe we can find three demonstrations of the fact that God is indeed for the Christian in Romans 8:28-32: 

1. The purpose of God for the Christian. Romans 8:28

2. The plan of God for the Christian. Romans 8:29-31

3. The promise of God for the Christian. Romans 8:32

So let's briefly look at each of these three things that demonstrate that God is truly for the follower in Jesus Christ.

1. The purpose of God demonstrates God is for the Christian.

Notice what Romans 8:28 states: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Paul emphasizes God's Sovereignty operating in the believer's life - i.e, God "causes" all things. God is the Orchestrator of human affairs. Even when mankind sins, God can still use the foolish decisions of sinful men to achieve His ultimate purpose. 

Were it not for the Ultimate purpose of God at the end of this verse, the entirety of life and salvation as we know it would fall to the ground. God is for you dear Christian because of the purpose He has for your life. This speaks of the goal God has established for you dear Christian to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever. The end has been set by God, and whatever God begin He finishes, guaranteed (Philippians 1:6). However, how does one know God's purposes are sure? This is where the purpose of God in Romans 8:28 is connected to the plan of God in Romans 8:29-31.

2. The plan of God demonstrates God is for the Christian. Romans 8:29-31

For years Bible teachers have referred to these verses as the unbreakable golden chain of salvation. The point of Romans 8:29-31 is to unfold what is meant by God's purpose in Romans 8:28. Sadly, so many Christians skip over Romans 8:29-31 to hasten to Romans 8:32. However unless we grasp God's grand plan and design of Christian salvation from beginning to end, we will have no basis for assurance. 

Romans 8:29 introduces us to the anchors of God's plan: foreknowledge and predestination. These words are not revealed in scripture to scare us, but rather to comfort us. Foreknowledge could just as easily be rendered "fore-loving" or "pre-eternal love". God knows where you're at before you ever arrive at where you're at.  

Predestination deals with God's purposes in Christ. Quite literally, predestination has to do with God "marking out" the boundaries of each and every individual Christian's life before they were born. Foreknowledge speaks of God's loving intent for each believer before they were born and predestination can be likened unto a set of blue prints. 

In roughly 100 places in the Bible we find the truth of God's elective purpose of grace, whereby He chose every Christian based upon His choice for them in love, in eternity (Ephesians 1:4-5; 2 Peter 1:1-2). Why would God begin planning each believer's salvation in eternity? Paul tells us the point of plan: "to become conformed to the image of His Son". 

The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 explains for us God's elective purpose: "Election is the gracious purpose of God, according to which He regenerates, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies sinners. It is consistent with the free agency of man, and comprehends all the means in connection with the end. It is the glorious display of God's sovereign goodness, and is infinitely wise, holy, and unchangeable. It excludes boasting and promotes humility."

In Romans 8:30 we then see the so-called "golden chain" of salvation laid out in full length. We've already mentioned foreknowledge and predestination. The third link of the chain is God's calling. The Holy Spirit comes to people in their sins and calls them to leave their love affair with unbelief and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation. 

The fourth link, justification, has to do with God's judicial declaration over the sinner at saving faith: "not guilty". Let the reader be reminded that justification can only occur when the sinner believes. Salvation is taught consistently in scripture as including both God's Sovereignty (election, foreknowledge, predestination, calling) and human responsibility (justified). No man can be saved lest God draws them and yet, at the same time, no man can be saved until He repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Then the final link of God's plan of salvation is what Romans 8:30 calls "glorification". This speaks of the believer's completion in Heaven, from the removal of their sin once they leave this world in death to when their perfected soul and spirit is united with a glorified resurrected body at Christ's return (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). 

Why labor these verses? because God's plan for every Christian stretches literally from eternity past to eternity future. We know God is for the Christian because of His purpose and plan but also notice lastly....

3. God's promises demonstrate that He is for the Christian. Romans 8:31-32

Romans 8:31-32 states - "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" How do we truly know whether or not God is for us? Read again that above underlined portion of Romans 8:32 - how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" How much does God truly love His people? He loves them so much that He gave His only Begotten Son (John 3:16). God's promises are yes and amen in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20-22). Why is it that we doubt God so often? because we get our eyes off the cross. God's purpose and plan is tied to all that was achieved at the cross and empty tomb. 

Whenever we doubt Jesus' love for us: look to the cross and empty tomb, look to the scriptures. Emotions are o.k, but not infallible. The Bible alone is inerrant and infallible and the cross and empty tomb are the only proofs that everything that pertains to our salvation is true. As you read down to the end of Romans 8:33-39, you discover that everything Paul wrote about in Romans 8:28-32 is the guaranteed foundation of Romans 8:33-39. 

Closing thoughts:

In closing, remember that we know God is for the Christian based upon His purpose, plan and promises for each child of God. May we go and tell every person that they too can have the same opportunity as we if they will but respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and know that in Christ, God will always be there for them. 

Blessed Assurances of Salvation in Romans 8:28-31 - Granting Christ's Righteousness by Faith and a Guaranteed Future

Romans 8:30-31 "and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"

Introduction:

        Over the last couple of posts, we have considered the blessed assurances of salvation as spelled out in Romans 8:28-31. We've witnessed thus far: foreknowledge (i.e God's pre-eternal love); predestination (i.e God's purposes in Christ) and calling (i.e Gracious call of the Spirit). Today we continue this study of these five "golden-rings" of salvation. 

        Contemplation of these truths does not yield any clarity on how we can resolve the perceived tension that exists in scripture between God's Sovereignty to save those whom He wills and man's responsibility to believe, repent and be saved. Biblical testimony never gives an indication there is a tension in the mind of God; the tension is rather in the finite limitations of our understanding. The contemplation of the truths laid out in Romans 8:28-31 will yield deeper confidence in Christ and greater assurance of our salvation. Truly salvation is of the Lord! We focus our attention on Paul's two final assurances, found in Romans 8:30 - namely "justified" and "glorified".

Granting Christ's Righteousness By Faith

        What is meant by the term "justified" in Romans 8:30? The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 defines for us justification:  

"Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God."

        Justification has to do with God's judicial declaration over the sinner at saving faith: "not guilty". Let the reader be reminded that justification can only occur when the sinner believes. Salvation is taught consistently in scripture as including both God's Sovereignty (election, foreknowledge, predestination, calling) and human responsibility (justified). No man can be saved lest God draws them (John 6:44). 

        Yet, at the same time, no man can be saved until He repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38-40). If anymore proof were needed of the dual-teaching of sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation, than surely this text ought to suffice. 

        With faith being both the necessary and sufficient condition to receive God's forgiveness, the question is: what sort of righteousness is credited to the sinner? Answer: Christ's accomplished life, death and resurrection. He is our assurance! 

        Included in God's legal declaration of justification in saving faith is that relational declaration of adoption (Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:4-6). All the foundations of assurance mentioned here by Paul in these verses are from God, for God and by God. The believer as a recipient of saving grace is helpless and hopeless apart from Christ and God's working on their behalf. 

A Guaranteed Future - Romans 8:30-31

        Here is what makes all the assurances mention by Paul in Romans 8:28-31 to be so glorious: namely, we literally see God's purpose of grace in Romans 8:28 stretching from eternity past (foreknowledge, predestination) through this present world and life (calling and justification) to eternity future (glorification). 1 John 3:1-2 states - 

"See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." 

        We will receive the perfection of our human souls following death and await for what will be the resurrection of our bodies. The goal of glorification is to behold Him with our own eyes (see Job 19:25; John 5:24-25; Philippians 3:20; Revelation 21-22).

        Bounded on either side of these five assurances are two impregnable fortresses: Romans 8:28 and Romans 8:31. Romans 8:28 states: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Paul's point in Romans 8;29-30 has been to expound what he means by God's purpose in 8:28. 

        Now it can be quite mind-reeling when studying the deep truths of God like we have been these last posts. This is why we need Romans 8:31, that other impregnable fortress, to get our bearing: "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?"  

Closing thoughts:

        We can surely see that if God is for the Christian before they were born and before He created anything else; and if God is for the Christian up to their conversion all the way through their sanctification in this life; then why would He change in terms of eternity future? The blessed assurances of Romans 8:28-31 lay down for us a tremendous treasure trove of truth. In the end, we must retain humility and awe that this glorious God, revealed in Christ and made known to us by His Spirit would so foreknow, predestine, call, justify and desire to glorify the likes of us. This is indeed "blessed assurance"!