Sovereignty of God in Salvation.

 

By Nick Bibile

 

Jonah 2:9 Salvation is of the LORD.

 

We are living in a time where majority of the churches are teaching that man has to do his part in salvation then as a result God will do his part in salvation. Which means the initial act is of man, man has to believe in God, and then God will provide salvation. This teaching is not biblical; it is a false teaching by the Arminian churches. In this false teaching faith comes first, means before being born again.

 

The plan of salvation is entirely of God from the very beginning to the end, on human can assist God in the plan of salvation. It is the Lords plan and executed in our time by the Lord.

 

First let us see the word sovereignty and salvation means, where thinking Christians should not be gullible what is coming from the Arminian pulpit but check to see if it is accordance to the word of God.

 

To say God is sovereign it means he is God, he is the supreme King of the Universe and he is not obligated to anyone and it is his will not mans will. Salvation simply means to save. In a biblical sense to be saved from the wrath to come, because of mans sin, the wrath of God is going to come; the punishment is lake of fire for eternity.

 

Now we put these words together man cannot save by himself as Jonah realized salvation is not of man but of God. Jonah 2:9 Salvation is of the LORD. Jonah learned this theology in a belly of a fish. God told Jonah to go to this wicked heathen nation and preach the gospel, but Jonah did not like the idea, as they were heathens, how can they respond to the gospel. He was scared to go to Nineveh as they were wicked people and he fled from the Lord. (Jonah 1:1-3) But the second time Jonah went and preached the gospel and people in Nineveh repented. (Jonah 3:1-5) We know when a sinner comes to the Lord the angels in heaven rejoice, imagine the angels rejoicing when Nineveh repented, but was Jonah happy, no. He was angry with God that these wicked gentiles got saved from the wrath of God. (Jonah 4:1) Jonah the minister of God should grieve when he sees the sins of others and should rejoice when they repent; instead he was upset that they got saved from his own preaching.

 

What is the upshot here, we see the sovereignty of God and also salvation both connected in this book. The people of Nineveh was not looking for God, they were wicked, lost living in darkness, but it was Gods initiative to take the Gospel to these lost people. But there were other heathen nations too that people were living in gross sin, but God in his sovereign act selected Nineveh. Jonah thought the gospel is only to the Jews, only the Jews are saved and all the others are lost, so why go to Nineveh? Jonah fled, but he cannot flee from God and cannot flee from Gods will. Here we see how God can use even a disobedient prophet to preach the gospel and yet Gods will be accomplished. We see a disobedient angry prophet and wicked sinful people, it is impossible from our human eyes to see how this wicked people can be saved specially with the unfaithful Jonah going over there, but see the result, God received the glory! This is a very clear book on Gods sovereignty of salvation.

 

Just think, how did you become a Christian? Is it because you believed God first and made a commitment to God? The following is from Spurgeon.

 

How did you come to be a Christian? I sought the Lord. But how did you come to seek the Lord? The truth flashed across my mind in a momentI should not have sought Him unless there had been some previous influence in my mind to make me seek Him. I prayed, thought I, but then I asked myself, How came I to pray? I was induced to pray by reading the Scriptures. How came I to read the Scriptures? I did read them, but what led me to do so? Then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, "I ascribe my change wholly to God." (From his sermon Defense of Calvinism.)

 

Ps 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people.

 

Ps 144:10 It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.

 

First of all the Bible says that no one seeks God. (Romans 3:11) Why? Because man is dead to spiritual things.

 

Eph 2:1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.

The meaning of dead is dead, the opposite to being alive to God.

 

Ge 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Adam and Eve when they sinned against God, they died spiritually, they realized they were naked and instead of running to God in repentance they ran away from God and hid from God so they were not seeking God, it was God who sought them.

 

Ro 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

 

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

 

It is very clear from the above scriptures the natural man the unbeliever is dead to spiritual things he cannot come to God on his own, unless God open the heart to believe.

 

Ac 16:14 And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

 

Now Lydia worshiped the true God of Israel, yet she did not know Christ. She had an external worship of God but without Christ, the gospel is of Christ, without the gospels she is lost as Christ is the way to the Father. The heart of the sinner before salvation is shut, in darkness bound to Satan. But the Lord opened her heart so she could understand the gospel and was brought from darkness to the light of Christ.

 

How did Lydia get faith to believe?

Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

Paul preached the word of God and God opened the heart of Lydia so she can understand, God chose Lydia before the foundation of the world, and also God executed her salvation in her time. When the gospel is being preached many hear, but only some understand and repent. Is it because those who understand are wiser than the others, more educated than the others, more righteous than the others, no! It is God who opens the heart of the sinner; it is Gods decision and not of man as salvation belongs to God.

 

We are to peach the gospel to all nations as we do not know who is elect and who are not but the elect will respond to the gospel.

 

Jesus said to the unbelievers at that time:

Joh 6:36 But I said unto you, that ye also have seen me, and believe not.

 

They all saw the great miracles of Jesus; they heard his doctrine but how come they did not believe in him, meaning they did not put their trust in him as the Lord and Savior. Why? The next verse will explain why?

 

37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

 

It is the Father who elects whom to be saved and he gives the elect to Christ and once they are given to Christ they will never lose their salvation. Christ here expresses this act of his Father's in the present tense, "gives", perhaps to signify the continuance and unchangeableness of it; yet he delivers it in the past tense, in Joh 6:39 "has given".

 

Christ repeats this importance of doctrine.

Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

 

See the context of this chapter, a great multitude followed Christ. (John 6:2) Then Jesus feed the multitude with bread and fish. Then Jesus leaves the multitude with his disciples to the other side of the sea. However the unbelieving multitudes were seeking Jesus, why is it they were spiritually hungry?

 

Joh 6:24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

 

They were seeking Christ for their own gain they were dead in sin and lost sinners, unless God draws then to Christ. Drawing is an act of power, the sinner is bound in Satans power, powerless in salvation, unwilling to come to God, but God in drawing of unwilling, makes willing in the day of his power: he enlightens the understanding, bends their will, opens the heart to understand and to receive Christ.

 

Paul and Barnabas were preaching the gospel boldly to the gentiles but only those who were elected by God were saved.

 

Ac 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

 

Here we see faith is not the cause or the condition to salvation. But faith is the effect of salvation. A dead sinner will not have faith unless God open their heart first (born again) because all sinners do not have faith.

2Th 3:2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.

3 But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.

 

Only those who were ordained or appointed to eternal life were able to believe.

That means God chose salvation for some from the very beginning.

 

2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.

 

We cannot believe in Christ unless God grants us to believe in him.

Php 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.

 

Believing in Christ means not just believing but trusting in Christ, loving Christ, following Christ, being obedience to Christs word and living on Christ. God gives this believing in Christ to the elect only. The elect are saved by grace of God.

 

2Ti 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.

 

Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.

 

No one deserves salvation, we all deserve hell as we all have sinned against God and had done the wicked things against him and we deserve to be punished. If we are saved we are saved only by Gods grace.

 

Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 

Arminians will say, Salvation is of the will of the flesh. In Heaven we see it is not so.

 

Re 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

 

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