Believers regenerated by the Spirit are absolutely secure in Christ’s love because of the Eternal Purpose of the Father, the Effective Payment of the Son, and the Empowering Presence of the Spirit.
God’s Invincible Goal
Romans 8:28-39
We live in a turbulent, changing world. It’s very easy for us to become insecure. We may feel insecure about our financial future as we see whole nations being driven to the brink of bankruptcy, and our own United States going through the greatest financial crisis we have seen since the Great Depression. We may feel insecure about our career future, as so many companies have had to lay off their employees in this financial recession and the unemployment rate in California is currently 10.6%. We may feel insecure in our relationship with others when we consider their sin and depravity. 50% percent of first marriages, 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce. There are so many areas in which we are prone to insecurity. However, there is one area in which we should not be insecure – in God’s commitment and determination to bring every one of His children home to glory. That is one area in which we may feel absolutely and completely secure!
We have been studying How God Applies the Gospel, and we have seen that He does this according to His Sovereign Choice, and according to His Irresistible Call. Today we are going to see that He does this according to His Invincible Goal. In these three sermons we see three of the great doctrines of the Christian Faith: Unconditional Election – Irresistible Calling – Preservation of the Saints.
In our first study we asked the question, “Why is one sinner saved while another is lost?” The answer from Romans 9 was in God’s sovereign choice. Ultimately, salvation is not dependent on man’s will, but rather in God’s sovereign will. In our next study we asked the question, “How does God save the sinner?” The answer was by His irresistible call. To those God has chosen, He issues an effectual, irresistible, omnipotent call that actually changes our nature and makes us willing to come to Christ in faith. Well, the question this morning is, “How do we know that every sinner whom God calls will be glorified? The answer to that question lies in God’s invincible goal. Every true child of God is eternally secure. The question this morning is “Why?” Why is a true child of God eternally secure? The answer that Paul gives in our text is because of the Eternal Purpose of the Father, because of the Effective Payment of the Son, and because of the Empowering Presence of the Spirit.
1. The Eternal Purpose of the Father: 8:28-30
Is God flying by the seat of His pants? Is He making things up as He goes along? That’s the way we do things too often, isn’t it? We just go through life reacting. No plan, no purpose, just reacting to what comes at us. No, God is not like that. In this passage, Paul gives us a high, panoramic picture of God’s great purposes in redemption, from eternity past to eternity future. It stretches from His foreknowledge and predestination to His ultimate glorification where nothing will ever separate us from His love. Let’s take a look at the text.
In verse 28 Paul says, “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.” Notice, that there is no promise that God will make all things work together for good for every member of the human race. No, Paul has a very specific group of people in mind. These folks are identified as those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Well, who are they? Verse 29, says they are the ones who are foreknown and predestined to become conformed to the image of Christ. Verse 30, says they are those who are called, justified, and glorified. Verse 31 says they are those that God is for. Verse 32 tells us that they are the ones that God delivered Jesus over for, and the ones that He will freely give all things to. And then, finally in verse 33 we come to the title of this group, “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect. There it is! The people that Paul has in mind are God’s elect, His chosen ones.
Paul goes on to develop the doctrine of God’s sovereign election extensively in chapter 9, but here in chapter 8, he tosses out the term “elect” in anticipation of what he is about to say. Now notice the terms Paul uses: Purpose – Foreknowledge – Predestination – Elect. All these words tell us that God is working out in history a plan that He has formulated before time. That’s why Paul is so sure that God causes all things to work together for good! If God had no eternal purpose that He had set in motion, how could we possibly know that He was working all things together for good? If the ultimate outcome was determined by man and his fickle sinful will, how could we ever know that God would make sure that all things work together for our good? Of course, we couldn’t.
What does the Bible have to say about God’s purpose?
Isaiah 46:9-11, “”Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, `My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure´; calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” This prophecy concerned raising up King Cyrus to release the Israelites from captivity. Notice several things here:
1) that God’s purpose is the same as His good pleasure;
2) that God’s purpose will be established, because God Himself will accomplish it;
3) that God’s purpose is something that He has planned.
Acts 4:27 “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur.” The early Christians knew and understood that God’s purpose was linked with His predestination.
Ephesians 1:11 “also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will”. In this passage God’s purpose is linked to His predestination, and extends to all things, not just some things.
2 Timothy 1:9 “who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity”. In this passage we are told that God’s purpose was granted us from all eternity. It is nothing new, but is something very old.
Hebrews 6:17 “In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath”. Here we learn that God’s purpose is unchangeable.
So what do these various texts teach us about God’s purpose? They teach us that God’s purpose will infallibly come to pass because God Himself will bring it to pass. They teach that God’s purpose is linked with His predestination and choice. They teach that God’s purpose comprehends all things, was formed from all eternity and is absolutely unchangeable.
Remember that God the Father is the great Architect. Before time began He wrote out the blueprints for every one of His children. Jesus Christ comes into the world to accomplish this eternal purpose of the Father. The Holy Spirit comes into the world to apply the saving benefits of the work of Jesus Christ to the elect. Nothing is left to fate or chance. This can be seen in the 5 unbreakable links in the Golden Chain of Salvation in Romans 8:29-30 – Foreknowledge – Predestination – Calling – Justification – Glorification. Notice that Paul says, “whom He justified, these He also glorified.” But wait a minute! God’s people aren’t glorified yet. In fact, many of God’s elect are not even saved yet. How could Paul say 2,000 years ago that all God’s people are already glorified? Paul can say that because from God’s perspective it has already happened. It’s as good as done. In God’s mind all His elect are already glorified. How can Paul be so sure? He can be so sure because Jesus is already glorified. Jesus has been raised from the dead, and exalted to the right hand of God in heaven. Every elect person either already is or will be united to Christ. If Christ is glorified, so too every true child of God will be glorified. Nothing can possibly stop it from happening. God’s eternal purpose stands behind that great truth, and nothing can stop God from doing what He has purposed to do.
If you were to fly out to New York City for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, you would find 2.5 million people lining the streets for miles. If you were one of those 2.5 million lining the streets you would have to wait patiently as all the floats and balloons filed by. If you were waiting to see the Kermit the Frog balloon, you might have to wait for hours until it finally came by. But if you were to go up in a Goodyear blimp, you would immediately be able to see the entire parade at once. You could see into the future and view the entire parade that is yet to come from the perspective of those folks down on the streets. That’s how God is. God is above us, and thus is able to see the end from the beginning. From His high and lofty position, He can already see that every person whom He chose before the foundation of the world has already made it to heaven. Now, we can’t see that, because we are time-bound down here on the streets of this world, watching events file by. But God is not limited by time or space, being above and beyond it. From His position, He sees that every child of God is already at home safely in heaven.
2. The Effective Payment of the Son: 8:31-34
Not only is our salvation secured by the eternal purpose of the Father, but also by the effective payment of the Son. Notice that twice in this section, we have a reference to the death of Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” In this text, Paul is arguing from the greater to the lesser. If God has already done the greatest thing, surely He can be counted on to do the smaller thing. If God gave the greatest possible gift that could ever be given, will He withhold those lesser gifts you need to get to heaven? In other words, if He has given Christ to die for your sins, won’t He also give you the “all things” you need to get to eternal glory? The “all things” would include the various aspects of the application of redemption: calling, justification, preservation, and glorification. Does it make sense that God would pay the ultimate price to purchase us, but then neglect us and let us perish? If I spend my life savings on a pre-war Gibson Mastertone 5-string banjo, (which can be valued as high as $250,000), I’m not going to let it sit outside in the rain for weeks on end and be destroyed!
Then again in Romans 8:34 Paul says, “who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died.” Paul’s argument here is that no one can successfully condemn you if Christ died for you. Sometimes your own conscience, or an enemy, or the devil himself will seek to condemn you. However, if Christ died and paid for your sins, no one can ever condemn you. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom.8:1).
You say, “Now wait a minute Brian! I thought Jesus did exactly the same thing in His death for everyone. If Jesus died equally for all men, how can Paul say that no one can condemn the one whom Jesus died for? Well, let’s look carefully and see who these people are for whom Christ died? Verse 30 speaks of those whom God has predestined, called, justified, and glorified. Then Paul asks the rhetorical question in verse 31, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” Who did Paul mean by “us”? Well, of course, the us that he was just writing about. The “us” that were predestined, called, justified, and glorified. Then he goes on to say in verse 32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Who is the us all Paul says that God delivered Jesus up for? Well it is those who are foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and glorified. It is those whom God is for. Well, Paul, can’t you be a little more specific. Just exactly did Jesus die for so that no one can condemn them? Verse 33, “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 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.”
Do you see whom God delivered His Son up for, and the ones whom Jesus died for? They are God’s elect. Those whom God set His love on before time and then predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son. They are the ones who will be called, justified, and glorified.
Now, wait a minute, Brian. Are you saying that Jesus only died for the elect, and not for all people? Well, yes, and no. Think for a moment about God the Father’s love. Is there any sense in which God loves all people. Yes, of course! He so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. He loves the evil and the good and sends His sun to rise on both, and His rain to fall on both. Yes, there is a sense in which God loves all men. Well then, is there another sense in which He has a special love for His elect? Yes, of course. A man may have a general love for all the women in his neighborhood, but he very definitely has a special intimate love relationship with his wife.
Well, let’s talk about the work of the Holy Spirit. Is there any sense in which the Spirit calls all people? Yes, whenever any person hears the gospel of Jesus Christ they are receiving a general call. This is the kind of call mentioned in Mt. 22:14 where Jesus says, “for many are called, but few are chosen.” Those that receive this general call are not the same as the elect. This general call is sometimes called the outward call. This call only touches the ears, but doesn’t enter and change the heart. There is another call – the irresistible call of the Holy Spirit which we talked about last Sunday morning – which is the Spirit’s special call which He issues to the elect alone.
Well, then if the Father has a general love for the world, and yet a special love for the elect, and if the Spirit has a general call for the world, but a special call for the elect, we shouldn’t be surprised if Jesus died in a general sense for the world, but in a special sense for the elect.
Are there any passages of Scripture which teach that Christ’s death is sufficient for the entire world? I believe there are. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
1 Timothy 2:4-6, “God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time.”
1 Timothy 4:10, “For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”
2 Peter 2:1, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.”
1 John 2:2, “and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
It seems to me that if we take these passages in their natural and plain sense, we have to conclude that Jesus Christ died for all men in some sense. I believe He died sufficiently for all men. In other words, if any man perishes in hell, it was not because there was some lack or defect in the atonement. If my family is in prison, and I blow a hole in the prison wall to get them out, the same hole is also sufficient for all of the other prisoners to escape as well. Now, my intention in blowing the hole in the wall wasn’t to deliver all the prisoners. However, the same hole that delivered my family was sufficient to deliver all the rest as well.
It’s kind of like using an elephant gun to hunt squirrels. The elephant gun is able to kill any size animal on the planet. However, when Jesus went to the cross, God wasn’t hunting elephants. He was hunting squirrels. The cross of Jesus Christ was like an elephant gun. God could save as many as He pleased by it. It was just that powerful.
Think about it with me. What does all sin demand? Death. What if there had only been one sinner. What would Jesus have had to do to save him? Die. What if there were a billion sinners. What would Jesus have had to do to save them? Die. What would Jesus have had to save every person who has ever lived on this planet? Die. Death is the penalty that all sins deserve. Since Jesus assumed a human nature, He could only die once. However, because He was God His single death had infinite value, and could save the entire race, if that were God’s intention. The penalty for all sin is death. Jesus rendered the payment that all sins deserve – death. Therefore His death is sufficient to save any number of sinners. Christ in His death could do no less to save any, but He needed to do no more to save all.
The framers of the Canons of the Synod of Dort wrote in 1619: “The death of the Son of God is the only and most perfect sacrifice and satisfaction for sin; is of infinite worth and value, abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world… And, whereas many who are called by the gospel do not repent nor believe in Christ, but perish in unbelief; this is not owing to any defect or insufficiency in the sacrifice offered by Christ upon the cross, but is wholly to be imputed to themselves.”
Although Christ’s death was abundantly sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world, who did He come into the world to save? What was His design and intention in coming into the world? Are there any passages of Scripture that teach that the intention of Christ in His death was to save the elect? Yes, I believe there are. Let’s look at a few of them.
Is. 53:11, “By His knowledge the Righteons One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities.”
Mt. 26:28, “for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.”
John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”
Eph. 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her.”
Although God was using an elephant gun, who was He aiming at? It wasn’t the entire world. It was the many, the sheep, and the church.
The real question is, “Did Christ in His death do exactly the same thing for every man?” I submit to you that Christ made salvation possible for all men, but He made salvation certain for the elect. How so? Although Christ made a sufficient redemption, reconciliation and propitiation for all men, yet He did not purchase the saving ministry of the Holy Spirit for all men. If He did, all men would be regenerated and saved. Why don’t all men repent and believe in Christ? Because the Holy Spirit doesn’t regenerate all men. Why does the Holy Spirit regenerate some men, but not all? I submit to you the answer is that Christ purchased the saving work of the Holy Spirit only for the elect. Although Christ’s death was sufficient to save anyone who would trust in it, it was efficacious to cause the elect to come and trust in it. Although Christ died for all men, He did not die equally for all. He purchased some things for all men, but all things for some men. Christ purchased for the elect the all-powerful influences of the Holy Spirit who would convict, regenerate, indwell, seal and sanctify them.
To sum up, Christ died for all men, but especially for believers. Hold on Brian, do you believe in a limited atonement or an unlimited atonement? Yes! If we look at the atonement from the perspective of how many people could have been saved by it, it is an unlimited atonement. But if we look at the atonement from the perspective of how many people God intended to save by Christ’s death, it is limited to the elect.
Well, getting back to the discussion at hand, how do we know that all those whom the Spirit calls will be glorified? We know it not only because of the eternal purpose of the Father, but because of the effective payment of the Son. Jesus came into the world for these chosen ones. He came to get them. He came to represent them. He came to save them. He came to deliver them out of this present evil age. He paid the penalty that all of their sins deserved. In that same payment, He purchased the saving work of the Holy Spirit on their behalf. Then, from His exalted position at the right hand of God He sends the Spirit to apply the saving benefits of His cross to all His elect. The Spirit comes and calls, regenerates, seals, quickens, sanctifies, and leads them all safely home. If you have been called to Christ, it was because Christ died especially for you! No one can condemn you, because He has borne all your sin. There is no condemnation left for those who are in Christ Jesus. Remember, that the only safe place to stand when a fire is approaching is to stand where the fire has already been. The only safe place for us to stand when the fire of God’s wrath is coming is in Christ. If the Spirit has put you in Christ, you are safe! Christ’s atonement wipes away all your sins, and you are perfect and complete in Him. Therefore, it is inconceivable that you will fail to make it to glory. The effective payment of Jesus Christ guarantees it!
3. The Empowering Presence of the Spirit: Romans 8:35-39
Not only is true that all those the Spirit calls will be glorified because of the eternal purpose of the Father, and the effective payment of the Son, but also because of the empowering presence of the Spirit. Take a look at Romans 8:35-39. Paul asks “who” or “what” will ever separate God’s chosen ones from His love. Paul imagines all kinds of enemies and obstacles to our faith. He brings up tribulations, distresses, persecutions, famines, nakednesses, perils, and swords. Paul’s answer is No One and No Thing can ever separate God’s child from His love. Instead, the child of God will overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved him.
Then Paul comes down to those last 2 great verses – Romans 8:38-39. Paul has come to a settled conviction. He is absolutely convinced about something. It reminds me of what he says in Philippians 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Paul was confident and convinced about something. What was it? That neither death nor life nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present nor things to come nor powers, nor height nor depth nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. There it is. Paul was convinced that No Thing and No One could ever separate the true child of God from His Father’s love. In other words, the one whom God has called will be glorified. The child of God is secure in His Father’s love. God will never give up on him. God will never abandon him. God will never change His mind about him. There is a precious promise in Jeremiah 32:40 that I just love. “I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me.” If God will never turn away from us to do us good, and if He will put His fear in our hearts so that we will never turn away from Him, what is the conclusion? We will forever be the Lord’s! We will forever be with the Lord in glory!
Notice that in our journey towards heaven, we will face many enemies and obstacles. Paul lists 7 of them in verse 35. The Christian life is not a bed of roses, it’s not a walk in the park, and it’s not Easy Street. It is a battle! It is a fight to the death with the world, the flesh, and the devil! So, given the formidable power of these great enemies of our soul, how can we know that we will triumph over them, and be in glory with Christ? I submit to you the answer is the 3rd Person of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not mentioned in verses 35-39, but the reason we can conquer these great and powerful enemies and obstacles, is not something within ourselves. It is something within our Helper. In order to help you understand this ministry of the Spirit, we need to go back into the world of the Book of Genesis, chapter 24.
When Abraham was getting old and advanced in years, he wanted to make sure that Isaac, his son, had a wife. However, Abraham didn’t want Isaac to marry one of the women of Canaan, because they were given over to gross idolatry. So, he took his oldest servant, Eliezer, and made him swear that he would not take a wife from the Caananites, but rather go to Abraham’s relatives and take a wife for Isaac from among them. So, the servant dutifully sent out on his 600 mile journey. When he arrived, he took the 10 camels and made them kneel outside the city by the well, and prayed to the Lord and asked that the Lord would cause the right woman to not only give him a drink when he asked for one, but would also volunteer to draw water for all the camels to drink. Now, that was a bold prayer to pray, because a camel can drink 25 gallons at a time in the hot summer months. Imagine yourself out in the Middle East on a hot summer’s day, drawing bucket after bucket of water, and then pouring that water into a trough for this stranger’s 10 camels, until you had drawn 250 gallons of water! Well, before the servant had even finished his prayer, a girl in the city, Rebekah, did exactly as the servant had prayed, and gave him to drink, and watered all his camels.
Well, about this time, the servant was getting pretty excited. “Lord, I think she’s the one!” he must have whispered. The servant quickly brought out a gold ring and 2 bracelets as gifts for her, and then asked whether he might be able to lodge at her father’s house. She told him that they had plenty of room, and straw for the camels, and that he was welcome to lodge at her house.
When Rebekah told her brother, Laban, about the visitor, Laban ran out to him, and welcomed him into his home, gave him water to wash his feet, and then set a meal before him. However, the servant refused to eat until he had told them about his mission. He told them that he had been sent there by Abraham, his master, to choose a wife for his son, Isaac. He told them that God had made his master very rich. Furthermore, Abraham had given Isaac all his wealth. Then the servant recounted the story of how God had answered his prayer by sending Rebekah to water the camels. Then the servant brought out gifts of silver, gold, and garments and gave them to Laban, Rebekah, and Rebekah’s father. When the servant told them he wanted to be on his way, and could he take Rebeccah with him to marry Isaac, they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” She replied, “Yes, I will go.”
The next morning the servant took Rebekah and her maids with him and began the arduous 30 day journey home. The Bible says that she followed the man. After a very long and tedious journey, finally the servant and Rebekah arrived at Isaac’s home. Isaac loved Rebekah and took her into his tent as his wife.
Now, this Old Testament story is a beautiful illustration of precious New Testament truth. It pictures God’s commitment to take a wife for His Son, Jesus Christ. Notice that in Genesis 22, we have Abraham’s commitment to offer up Isaac to death, and then Isaac’s being spared by the announcement of the angel. All of this pictures God offering up His beloved Son unto death, but then Jesus Christ rising from the dead. Then, we have Abraham’s commitment to find and take a wife for His son. After Jesus died and rose, God the Father poured out His Holy Spirit to take a bride for His Son, the Church of Jesus Christ. Interestingly the name of the servant was Eliezer, which means “The Lord is Help.” Jesus said that the Helper, the Holy Spirit would come after He died on the cross.
Rebekah is a vivid picture of the Church. She is beautiful, even as the Church will be presented to Christ in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. She was chosen of God beforehand. Rebekah didn’t draw water for the camels in order to become the chosen bride of Isaac, but because she had been chosen to be the bride of Isaac. Likewise, believers do not believe in order to be chosen to salvation but rather, “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). The servant gave gifts to Rebekah and her relatives to prove that his Master was very rich. So too, the Holy Spirit gives wonderful spiritual gifts and blessings to believers, proving that God is rich in mercy to all who call upon Him. The Bible tells us that the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives is a pledge, or down payment, of the future eternal inheritance that is ours in Christ. Then finally comes the moment of decision. Would Rebekah go with this man? Now, you have to try to put yourself in her shoes. She was being asked to go with a man who was a stranger, to marry a man she had never seen, to leave home never to return, to cross a desert she had never traveled.
Do you think that journey was an easy one? Do you think she must have been a bit nervous? Do you suppose she would have had questions for the Servant? So too, our journey to heaven is not an easy one. In Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, when Faithful and Christian embark on their journey they meet all kinds of enemies and obstacles: the Slough of Despond, Apollyon, Giant Despair, but they eventually make it to the Celestial City. So too, Rebekah was brought at last to Isaac. Now, what would have happened if the Servant got sick and died during the journey? There would have been no way for Rebekah to find her way to Isaac, because she had never been there, and didn’t know how to find her way. So too, we are on a journey to be with Christ, our Heavenly Bridegroom, and we are absolutely dependent on the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us there. He tells us all about Him. He answers our questions. He reassures us of His love. Without His help and presence we would surely never make it to heaven. But the Spirit of God comes to live inside us forever. He will never leave us nor forsake us, but will bring us every step of the way to meet Christ, our Bridegroom. He will bring us to the Celestial City.
Now, who are these glorious promises of the Father’s Eternal Purpose, the Son’s Effective Payment, and the Spirit’s Empowering Presence given to? Not all people. Rather it is to those who love God and who have been called according to His purpose. Do you love God? Have you been called irresistibly by His grace? Is there evidence that you are spiritually alive right now? Then the truth of the Word of God is that you are secure forever! The Father’s purpose guarantees that He will keep you. The Son’s purchase guarantees that everything you need to make it to heaven was purchased for you. The Spirit’s presence guarantees that He will guide you and bring you all the way to your Heavenly Bridegroom, where you will enjoy Him forever.
Saints, what should this do in our lives? Wives, how would you feel if I told you that your husband just might want someone else, and is toying with the idea of divorcing you? Would that cause you to love him more? Of course not! But what if I told you that your husband loves you so much that He was absolutely committed to remaining true to you until death do you part, and he would never dream of divorcing you. How would you feel? Wouldn’t that cause you to love him even more? Saints, how we should love Jesus!
My friends who are outside of Christ, can’t you love a Man like that? It’s not too late! He can be the Lover of your soul too. Come to him in repentance and faith. Trust Him. Surrender to Him as the King and Treasure of your life. He will welcome you. He will love you, forever! He will send His Spirit to live within you and bring you to heaven to dwell with Him in glory.
What is God’s Invincible Goal? To conform us to the image of Jesus and glorify us together with Christ in heaven forever. Will His goal fail? Never! It is invincible!
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