Transcript

Amen. Turn to 1 Corinthians, chapter 1 with me this evening as we’re studying straight through this New Testament book. And I want to look at verses 4-9. Let me just say this right quick. When interpreting a passage of scripture, there are five things that I think you must do. First of all, you must interpret it contextually. You must look at the immediate and the preceding context of a passage and make sure you are with the flow of where the author is going with his thoughts. You should interpret it historically and culturally. You should understand what the historical and cultural background is, because a lot of those things intervene and are intertwined in the author’s personal style and the point he’s trying to get across. You should interpret a passage of scripture grammatically. And that doesn’t mean you have to be a Hebrew or Greek scholar, but you would not violate clear grammatical rules to come up with your interpretation. If you are violating a clear grammatical rule you know you’ve missed it. Also you ought to interpret a passage systematically; you must look at what the other text of scripture on that subject say about that subject, so that you have a systematic balanced view of that truth. And lastly I believe you ought to interpret it spiritually. If you are not a born again child of God with the illumination of the holy spirit, you are not going to understand what the word of God says. And I’ve endeavored to really put those to practice as we look at this text this evening.

Look at it with me, 1 Corinthians chapter 1, beginning in verse 4. Paul writing to the church at Corinth, a baby church, immature church, a church making all kinds of messes, he says, “I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you. So that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

I’ve borrowed a phrase from one of our favorite hymns to entitle the message, “Grace Hath Brought Us Safe Thus Far, and Grace Will Lead Us Home.” Grace hath brought us safe thus far, and grace will lead us home.

Three major things or emphasis about this grace that we have as the children of God, that I want us to see. First of all, let’s notice the elect nature of grace. The elect nature of grace. Notice it there in verse 4. He says, “I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus.” He says, you have grace that was given because you are in Christ Jesus. Notice Paul thanks God, not for their belief in Christ, he thanks God not for their faith in Christ, he thanks God that they were given grace because they were in Christ. That is very significant.

What about some definitions of grace. Well the great theologian Hodge says that grace is God’s favor and blessing that flow, and the blessings that flow from being in his favor. God’s favor, and the blessings that flow from being in his favor. Wilson, another Puritan scholar said, grace is the essential character of God. An absolute grant to the undeserving. I like that. Grace is an absolute grant to the undeserving. I’ve generally called grace getting what you do not and could not deserve. Getting what you do not and could not deserve.

So Paul says here, I’m just thanking God for the grace that was given you in Christ Jesus. Now he means in the sphere of Christ. Now look back up at verse 2, and we see the same principle taught that we looked at last time. He says “to the church of God, which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling.” Now he says, you are sanctified and saints by calling, because you are in Christ Jesus. Now sanctified means set apart, it comes from the root word for holy or holy ones. And the word saint is the Hebrew word for holy. He says, you are holy, you are set apart as a holy one, because you are in Christ Jesus. Now in our text in verse 4, Paul says, I’m thanking God because I see God’s grace on you, because you are those who are in Christ Jesus. We are in the, if you will, in the realm or in the sphere of Christ. We are in him. It isn’t a mystical type concept. But it’s not of mysticism. We’re in Christ, right now. And as those who are in Christ, we get, we receive, we are given God’s grace. We move, we live, we function, we have our being in the sphere of grace, because we are in Christ.

So notice Paul doesn’t say, boy I thank God that you believed, and got grace. I thank God that you have faith in Jesus and therefore got grace. No, he says, I thank God that you got grace, because you are in Christ. Very significant. I was given grace, you were given grace, because you are in Christ. In one sense, you have to understand, you did not find grace, grace found you. We like to put man at the center of it, say man, I decided, I chose, I came to God, and then I found grace. No, grace found you and then you got to God. Grace finds you, you don’t find grace. That’s why Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “for by grace you have been saved through faith.” The grace had to come before the faith could be birthed. Listen, all men will be found by grace, or found by wrath. And all men who are not found by grace will be found by wrath.

Now if I am, listen to me, if I am in the sphere of Christ, I’m in Christ, and therefore been given grace because I’m in the sphere of Christ. How did I get in the sphere of Christ? How did I get in the sphere of Christ? Put your Bible ribbon there, in 1 Corinthians and turn over to the right to Ephesians Chapter 1, verse 4. I must have done something to get in Christ, so I could get this grace. Well, look what Paul says at the church at Ephesus, building on this same concept, this same truth. “Just as he,” Jesus, “chose us in him, before the foundation of the world.” Now tie that one on for a while. I was chosen to be placed in Christ, when? Very clearly. Before the foundation of the world. And then he goes on. “That we should be holy, blameless before him in love.”

So, God makes it very, very clear, Paul’s writing makes it very, very clear, that we became in Christ, before the foundation of the world. And at a point and time in history as one of those who was placed in Christ, from the foundation of the world, I was given grace, to become a believer in Jesus Christ. But I already was in Christ, because I got in him before the foundation of the world. Brother Jeff, I just don’t believe I can understand all of that. Good, that means it must be of God, it’s bigger than your brain. Friend, don’t, don’t try to figure it all out, just be glad you got in on it. What security there is. There is an elect nature to this grace.

Now we can say that the grace of God has been shown to all men, and it has. God’s grace is shed on all men every morning when the sun comes up. God’s grace is shed on all men when he sends the rain to fertilize the crops. God’s grace has gone out to all men in that he’s put within men a conscience that convicts them that they need to be saved and find the true God of heaven. God’s shown his grace to all men in that he gave creation as a revelation of his divine nature and his attributes and they can look at nature and say there’s a God, and I need to know him and I need to be right with him. God’s shown his grace in that he sent Jesus to planet earth to die before all the world. So in one sense there is a general grace to all men, but there is a special elect grace to those who are in Christ. From the foundation of the world. There is an elect nature to this grace.

As a matter of fact, look at Romans chapter 9, turn back to the left of our text. Just a few pages there, to Romans chapter 9, and look at verse 16. How did I get in Christ, so that I was given grace? Romans 9:16. “So then it does not depend on the man who wills, or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” It wasn’t up to you to get yourself in Christ, it wasn’t up to you to do some things, jump through some hoop, or, do some sort of, of theory or principle, or pattern or program, and get in Christ and get grace. No, it doesn’t depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. In other words, the mercy of God, and you could equally say the grace of God, is an undeserved benefit, God may place wherever he please. There is an elect nature to grace. And that’s the way it’s always been and always will be.

As a matter of fact, look, finally and quickly, to John chapter 10. John Chapter 10, look at verse 24. John 10:24, “the Jews therefore, gathered around him and were saying to him, how long will you keep us in suspense. If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Now here the Jewish religious leaders of the day, saying to Jesus, now listen, if you are the Christ of God, the promised Savior, God incarnate, let us know. Verse 25. “Jesus answered them, I told you and you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name, these bear witness of me.” So they had grace, they had a witness in front of them, but not a saving grace. Notice it here. Verse 27. Or verse 26. “But you do not believe because you are not of my sheep.” He did not say you are not of my sheep because you won’t believe, he said, you don’t believe because you are not of my sheep. Very key phrase there. Verse 27. “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me, and I give eternal life to them and they shall never perish and no one shall snatch them out of my hand, my Father’s whose given them to me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand, and I and the Father are one.”

So from the balance of scripture, looking back at our text here again, when Paul says, boy I thank God, that you have been given grace because you are in Christ. Okay. If I’ve got to get in Christ to get grace, that’s the grace that saves and sustains and sanctifies and glorifies, everything you are that’s good, grace does it. Alright. Okay, if I’ve got to get in Christ to get grace, how do I get in Christ? You were placed in Christ before the foundation of the world. There’s no other way, shape or fashion, you can interpret Ephesians 1:4, but that very simple thing. I was placed in Christ before the foundation of the world. And those who were placed in Christ, before the foundation of the world, are given a grace enablement to recognize and hear the call of Jesus and respond to it. According to John chapter 10. Brother Jeff, I don’t think that’s fair, it doesn’t matter what you think, that’s what God does. There is an elect nature to grace. An elect nature. Friend, all we are is grace. Paul said, I am what I am by the grace of God. What we are, what we are becoming, and what we shall be is all grace. Getting what we cannot and could not deserve. It’s all grace.

But notice secondly, not only is there an elect nature to this grace, notice there is an evident nature to this grace. In other words, if you are one whose in Christ, and being in Christ, you’re given grace, that grace will produce evidence in your life that you are a child of God. There will be evidence there. To a boy that says, you know well, I just live in sin and live like I want to, because some are elect and some are not, and the elect are going to get home and those who are not elect are not going to get home. And I can just live like the devil and it’s okay, God says they are not one of them. The elect are those who have been given God’s grace, have an evidence of the fact that they are given grace. You see, when one is a child of grace, there’s evidence of the work of grace in his life. As a matter of fact, the Bible says, when the grace of God’s on your life, it changes the totality of who you are. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “therefore if any man be what? In Christ.” That’s where the grace is. “If any man be in Christ, he’s a new, what? Creation.” A new creature, the old things are passed away, behold all things have become new.

And I believe that’s what he means there in verse 5, look at it in our text, 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 5. “That in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and knowledge.” In everything you were, I mean, he’s changed everything. Paul says, we know that you are folks who are in Christ, and there having been given grace because you are in Christ, because everything’s changed about you guys. Since we came and preached the gospel to you. Now, notice first of all, there’s that inward evidence. That we’re children of grace. The inward evidence, that we’re in Christ and have grace toward us. The first part of the inward evidence is our decision, or the decision for Christ. Well, you make a decision for Christ it bears out that you are one whose been placed in Christ from the foundation of the world, and have been given grace. Grace enables you to make a decision for Christ. You could not have made the decision to receive Christ, had grace not been working in your life.

Now, notice it there in verse 6. “Even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you.” Now here’s what he means. The testimony concerning Christ, was the message preached by the apostle Paul and others to these people in Corinth. They came preaching Jesus. And that testimony was confirmed in their hearts. What it means is that the grace of God, through the holy spirit, convinced you that the gospel was true. You came to the conclusion, yes, it’s true, I’m a sinner, and yes it’s true, Jesus died on the cross, and yes, he’s the only way of salvation, and yes, I repent of sin and receive Christ. That decision was the work of grace in your heart. Grace working in your heart, to, to, when you made a decision for Christ, include regeneration, and when regeneration happens, there is new life brought into your spirit, and the new life in your spirit enables you to repent and believe, and I believe it’s one package, regeneration, repentance and faith happens instantaneously, in a man’s heart. Instantaneously in a man’s heart.

Now what he’s saying is, he said, I’ve looked at you, notice how it’s worded again in verse 6. “The testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you.” it means they are fully convinced that the gospel is true. They heard the apostles preaching this gospel of Jesus Christ, and as the apostles preached, the holy spirit of God, convinced, confirmed to them, that this was the truth. The only way, shape or fashion, the only way on planet earth, you could have heard the message of Jesus and been convinced that’s right, that’s what I need, is if the grace of God is working in your life and the holy spirit brings you to that realization. That’s one of the evidences that you’re a child of grace, that you’re in Christ, you made a decision for Christ. That’s what he means by verse 6. Now remember, he’s writing to a backslidden church that’s in all kinds of messes. I mean, we’re talking about baby Christians. They were perverting spiritual gifts so bad, Paul spends a lot of time reproving them about their abuse, everything they touched they were doing wrong. Paul says, but I want you to know, I’ve seen evidence, that you’re a child of grace that you are in Christ because you made a decision for Christ.

But another inward evidence concerns the doctrines of Christ. The doctrines. I just mean the doctrines of scripture. Because all of this is the teachings of Jesus. It’s the truth that Jesus brought us and he revealed to us. Now he used other men to write part of it, but it’s true doctrine. I mean when you when you’re a child of grace, the Holy Spirit does a work in your heart whereby you love the word of God. And that’s what he means in verse 5. Notice it there. “That in everything you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge.” The word knowledge there means that they know the God who is true, and they know the God of truth. They know him now, they have the knowledge of him now. They, listen, they now recognize truth as truth when they hear it. Are you listening to me. Why can some of you sit there tonight and hear me holler, it doesn’t do a thing to your spirit. I mean, it’s dead words to a dead man, as far as you are concerned. But Paul say man, you guys at Corinth, I recognize something new and different about you guys, after the work of grace happened to your hear, you started lighting up, lighting up, when the Bible was preached, when the truth came to you. That’s one of the inward evidences, that you’re in Christ, and you are a child of grace, you love the Bible, you love Bible preaching and teaching and you want to be around the word of God. As a matter of fact, you just can’t go to a church if they don’t have Bible teaching and preaching. Once you are a child of grace. That’s what he says, you’ve been enriched in knowledge, you know the truth now. And you want to be around it, you want it preached and taught to you.

Well, there’s a third inward evidence that grace is in your life. And grace is in your life if you are in Christ of course, and that is the desire to be with Christ. The desire to be with Christ. Look at it there, the last part of verse 7, “awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, the blessing, the blessings of the holy spirit, the working of the holy spirit in your life, when he brought you to regeneration, repentance and faith, he started making, confirming to you, Bible teaching and preaching being true and all of that is a foretaste of being with Jesus. All the working of the Holy Spirit in your life now is just little drippings of glory, of what it’s going to be like when you are finally with him. These things that we have are the Holy Spirit now working in our lives, uh, they’re just the first fruits of what we will have when he comes. And that’s why 2 Corinthians 1:22 and 2 Corinthians 5:5 both say the Holy Spirit is given as a what? A pledge, a down payment, we have a little touch by the Holy Spirit working in us, about all that we’re going to have when we get to heaven. Man, if you’ve been reading in your Bible and the Holy Spirit just shows you a biblical truth, it just thrills your soul. That’s one little bitty, bitty, bitty, tiny thrill that you are going to have when you see Jesus. It’s just a taste, it’s just a little taste of what we’re going to have when we’re with him. And Paul says to the church at Corinth, I saw that in you, I saw that there is a new desire to be with Christ, and for him to come and lead this old world and have a new life with him forever, and ever and ever. Once you are born again, there’s a longing, yearning that says, I’ll just be glad when this life is over and I can start the other one with him. That’s one of those inward evidences. The working of the Holy Spirit awakens our desire for the full, that we’ll have one day.

Well, Paul says look, I know you are in Christ and you are a child of grace, because of the inward workings. The inward evidences. But also he said, there are some outward evidences that we also see in a person’s life and he doesn’t mention all of them, but he mentions some of them. One of them he mentions in verse 5, an outward evidence of this grace at work in a man’s life. He said “that in everything you were enriched in him and in all speech and in all knowledge.” In other words, he said, you’re saying things you used to not say before. They used to, at one time, they didn’t even know the name of Jesus, now they are speaking it and making professions of their faith in Jesus Christ. The truth of God, especially the truth concerning Christ, is now coming out of their lips, where it used to not even reside at all. And then notice in verse 7. He says, “so that you are not lacking in any gift.” That phrase not lacking means you are not behind. He says, church at Corinth, you may be backslidden, and you may be immature and you may abuse a lot of the gifts, but he said, there is one thing for sure, you are not behind on any of them, you’ve got any of them that’s every existed. And they did. They had every gift going on and all kind of crazy ways in the church at Corinth. He said you’re not behind anybody else. They had those inward gifts. We’ve already talked about repentance, faith and knowledge of God, and also they had these outward gifts of miracles, and healings and speaking in tongues and prophecy, and also serving and helps and giving and teaching and administration. He said, I began to see the Holy Spirit’s gifts being manifested in your lives, and that’s one of the evidences that you’re a child of grace.

He says, I want you to know, church at Corinth, you are those who are in Christ. And because you are one who’s in Christ, grace is given you. You got in Christ before the foundation of the world. And there was a point in time in history, because you are in Christ, that the grace of God enabled you to repent and believe on Jesus Christ, but not only have we seen the elect nature of grace, and he said, not only have we seen the evidence, the evident nature of grace, thirdly he says, I want to remind you about the effectual nature of grace. The effectual nature of grace. Effectual is a simple word that means this. Able to produce the desired results. Able to perform or produce the desired result. Grace of God was given you, in a special way, as one who is in Christ, is not given to all the people of the world. The grace of God has born evidence in you in special ways; we’ve looked at all that. He said, I want you to know, the grace of God is effectually working you, the grace of God that started in you the moment you were saved, started working in you the moment you were saved, will produce God’s desired result. Let me say that again. The grace of God that started working in you the moment you were saved, is the grace of God that is able to perform God’s desired result out of your life. There is an effectual nature to grace.

Look at verse 8. Let me just look at verse 7 to give you the context. “So that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Now who is the who of verse 8? Well, it’s Christ. Christ is the one who will see to what the theologians call the final perseverance of the saints. You know what perseverance is, it just means you make it all the way through. And there will be a final perseverance. That means we get all the way to glory, we get all the way to heaven, we get all the way home. And the Bible says, Paul says to the church at Corinth, I want you to know, its not your strength, its not your ability, its not your religious activity, its not the sacraments that you take, its not your goodness, your badness, your morality, your immorality, it is Christ. Who will see to it that you finally persevere and make it all the way home. Notice he says there, he will confirm you, look at it, verse 8, “confirm you to the end.” Now he says this, the one whose blessed you with those inward evidences, the one who by grace enabled you to repent and believe and have the knowledge that God’s truth is true. The one who gave you those outward gifts, it is that one who will see to it that you are confirmed to the end. I generally think that means the end of the church age, the end of the present dispensation, before we’re home with the Lord in heaven. He’ll see that you make it all the way there.

Hodge said this, “To those whom God gives the renewing influence of the spirit, he thereby pledges himself to save.” Now notice the context flow. He said, if you are one of those that the Holy Spirit of God’s brought to repentance in faith, if you are one of those, and see the inward and outward evidences of grace working in your life. I, the God who brought you to repentance in faith, and I, the God who gives you those inward and outward evidences, pledge to you that I’ll keep you saved all the way to the end. What a glorious truth that is. Now the word confirm there in verse 8, he says, it shall also confirm you means to preserve from falling. Now there is the phrase fall from grace in the Bible, and it means exactly the opposite of what most people think it means. I don’t have time to explain it, but just jot that down, we’ll get to it one day. It means exactly the opposite of what most people mean. It actually means you are going to works and falling away from salvation by grace. But anyway, the word confirm there means you’re preserved from falling. How do we know Paul, how can we know we are preserved from falling? Look at the first phrase of verse 9. “God is faithful.” God is faithful. He can preserve me and keep me from falling.

Now, look at verse 9 again. No, I’m sorry, verse 8. “Who shall also confirm you to the end blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Blameless. As a matter of fact, keep your ribbon there and look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Turn with me, 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5 verse 23. Notice how he says it here. Same truth, saying it to another church. “Now may the God of peace himself,” now whose going to do all this? The God of peace. Now he’s going to do it by himself. What’s he going to do? “Sanctify you entirely.” How much is he going to sanctify me? He is going to sanctify me entirely. How much is entirely? Entirely. “And may your spirit and soul and body be preserved completely. Without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Who’s going to do all that? The God who is faithful. He is going to see to it that it gets done. He’s going to see to it that it gets accomplished.

Now turn back to our text again, 1 Corinthians chapter 1. He says there in verse 8, “who shall also confirm you to the end blameless.” Vine says this of that word blameless. He says it’s more than an acquittal. It is the absence of even a charge or an accusation against us. The absence of even a charge or an accusation. He said God who is faithful is going to see to it, he’s going to make it his job to get you all the way home, and when he gets you all the way home, you will stand before him blameless. Just like him. Who’s going to do that? God who’s faithful. The God who placed me in Christ before the foundation of the world. And the God who placed me in Christ before the foundation of the world made me the object of his grace and his favor. At a point and time in history because I was the in Christ, he gave me grace to repent and believe. And after I repented and believed that grace brought manifestations, evidences of my salvation, that I was a child of grace, my certain gifts that I exercise and this same one who did all of these things is going to by grace confirm me and get me all the way home, keep me from falling and present me blameless, in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.

He said, you are going to be there, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now notice what it does not say. He didn’t say I’m going to confirm you blameless, if you live right. He didn’t say I’m going to confirm you if you confess up today. He didn’t say I’m going to confirm you to the end, if you join the right church or if you’re baptized. He didn’t say I’m going to confirm you up to the end, if you do the right works and you take the Lord’s supper. He did not say I’ll confirm you to the end if you do more good then you do bad. He didn’t say I’ll confirm you to the end if you do not commit a major sin. He just simply said, I’m going to confirm you blameless. Confirm you blameless.

Now notice what else he says, last phrase of verse 8. “In the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” That is the Day of Judgment. That is the day of inspection by his penetrating gaze. On that day every thought, every motive, every attitude, every motivation, every desire, every action, every deed, will be laid bare before him. And every thought, every attitude, every motive, every motivation, every desire, every action and every deed that was sin will be laid bare and shown to be sin. But also every time you should have had a thought, a motive, an attitude, a motivation, or desire or an action or a deed in order to please him and his will, that will be laid bare also, on that day. To those who are not in Christ. You see, the fiery eyes of omniscient judgment will pierce the hearts of men. In one one-millionth of a second, his penetrating piercing gaze will reveal in the most minute detail our standing, and contrast his absolute holiness. But we won’t be there. Because he just said, you’ll be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. We won’t be there. The Bible says we forever pass judgment. What did Jesus do when he hung on the cross? He took my judgment. But the day of the Lord Jesus was taken for me 2000 years ago, when Jesus hung on the cross. I won’t appear at that judgment. I’ll appear at the judgment seat of Christ for rewards that I’ve done in the body, but not at the day of the Lord. Not at this judgment, the great white throne judgment is pictured here. But I want to tell you, if you and I did appear there, you know how we, how we would be judged? Blameless. Blameless.

Hodge said, “When we remember on the one hand how great is our guilt, and on the other, how great is our danger from within, and from without, we feel that nothing but the righteousness of Christ and the power of God, can secure our being preserved and presented blameless in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Look at verse 9. Paul, how do you know? How do you know this is so? Well, he answers it. “God who is faithful. Through whom you were called into fellowship with his Son.” Now here’s the beauty of this passage. He says, God who is faithful called you into fellowship with his Son. You didn’t call yourself into that fellowship, he called you into it. Now the word fellowship here means union and communion. I mean, you can tie two cats’ tails together, and throw them over a wire, and you have union, but you don’t have communion. All right. This, it means participation, this word fellowship means we are partakers of Christ, we are in him, it means you are in Christ. You’re one with him. You are partakers of his life. That’s why, as you walk on planet earth, you are walking in him, you are walking in his life, that’s why this world doesn’t understand you and that’s why you don’t fit down here, and that’s why there is suffering down here as you walk in Christ. Cause he didn’t fit down here and you won’t either. But also, walking in Christ, one day you will be presented in glory in Christ. And you will have glorification. Down here suffering in Christ—up there glory in Christ. That’s our lot.

And then he goes on to say, and he mentions several things here to show the power. Look at verse 9 again. God is faithful through whom you were called into fellowship with his, first of all he says Son. He says, this is the Son of God, which means he has the same substance, the same power, and the same glory as God the Father. Then he says something else. Not only the Son, he says, verse 9, Jesus. That’s his earthly name. That means he’s man, but he was also God at the same time that he was man, he’s the God-man. Then he says, the Christ. Verse 9, last phrase, “his Son Jesus Christ.” The Christ means the incarnate God and Savior. The one whom the Old Testament promise would come and says so much about. And then the last thing he says is Lord. That means he’s our possessor, he’s our sovereign, he’s our protector, and we belong to him. And his point is, how can we perish? How can we perish, if the Son who is Jesus who’s the Christ who’s the Lord, has us in him? And he’s had us there from the foundation of the world.

Paul writing to a very backslidden, very baby, very carnal church, says I want you to know something, all that you are is because of grace. He said, I want you to know something about the elect nature of grace. You were given a special grace, because you were one of those chose to be in him from the foundation of the world. He said, I also want you to know something of the evident nature of grace. Because you are one of those who is in Christ, has gotten that grace, there is some evidences inside, and there is some evidences that flow out of you. And then secondly, he said, I want you to know something about the effectual nature of grace, that what God started to do in you, he will complete it all the way through until the day that he confirms you blameless on the day of our Lord.

Grace, grace really has, brought us safe thus far, and grace will lead us home.