THE POWER OF GRACE
“God our Saviour…will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” —I Tim. 2:3b-6
Recently I engaged in an exchange with a very dear friend regarding who is eligible for salvation. The conversation revolved around the age old controversy regarding “election” and what it means. Certainly I am not equipped to resolve an issue that has divided believers for generations, and would be foolish to deny that there are some things in scripture that are “hard to be understood.” However, my inclination is to take scripture at “face value,” and that will be the approach here.
The subject is “salvation,” and that is, salvation from sin and its consequences. It is the most important subject the human mind can entertain, though few are much interested in it. Scripture declares that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” and that “the wages of sin is death.” The “death” referred to is not merely physical death, but the “second death” referred to by the apostle John who said:
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. [Rev. 20:12-15].”
The “second death” is the conscious condition of sinners separated from God and His goodness and glory for ever and ever. It identifies the need for salvation. It is this that we need to be saved from.
The key to salvation, as given here, is “the knowledge of the truth.” And from a New Testament perspective the Truth is a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by Me [John 14:6].” In essence He is saying, “I am the only way to God and heaven.” That agrees perfectly with the phrase in our “nugget”: “For there is…one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” According to the scriptures, all men are by nature “lost” spiritually and destined for eternal damnation. But God has made a way that the “lost” can be “saved.” That way is the Lord Jesus Christ; as He said, “I am the way…”—theonly way!
On one occasion the disciples heard Jesus teach (read Matthew 19:23-26) and were prompted to ask Him a crucial question: “Who then can be saved?” Jesus response was, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” God, Jesus is saying, can make a way. And this God has done through the “one mediator…who gave Himself a ransom for all.” As the song writer put it, “Jesus paid the price, Himself the sacrifice, on the cross for me.”
Let me now reiterate the disciples’ question: “Who then can be saved?” Note the opening emphasis of our nugget. “God…will have all men to saved…” This is reinforced in another place where we read that the Lord is “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance [II Pet. 3:9].” On the cross Christ did not save all, but He gave himself a ransom for all, making salvation possible for all. And it is upon that ground that scripture holds out to all this hope, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord [Jesus Christ] shall be saved [Rom. 10:13].”
When Christ gave His life a ransom for sinners, He opened a door and extended to all an invitation: “I am the door; by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved…” (John 10:9) Who then can be saved? YOU can! Anyone who will “call upon the Name of the Lord,” in sincerity and truth, thus entering God’s opened door, so to speak, will be saved, according to the promise of “God our savior,” Who cannot lie. (Cf. Titus 1:2)
The objective here is not to argue for this gospel, but simply to declare it. The argument is established in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. The need now is to declare this truth if you know it, and to believe it if you do not. Your eternal destiny hangs upon it. God is not willing that you should perish; He would have you to be saved. The question is, are you willing to believe Him?
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”
Tomorrow could be too late!
For the salvation of sinners,
"Pastor" Frasier
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