The Whole Package

So many Christians live with anxiety about what they are doing, and how God is relating to them. Listen. Everything that is needed for salvation is provided by our Triune God. Repentance, Faith, Obedience, Justification, Sanctification, Glorification, the whole package of salvation

is provided *for us. He gives.We receive. Even the works we do (which are gift, not meritorious) were determined before the world's foundation (Eph 2:10).

The Westminster Shorter Catechism provides us with so much comfort, as we read Who it is that is the primary Actor from start to finish...

Westminster Shorter:

Question 87. What is repentance unto life?

Answer: Repentance unto life is a saving ***grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.

Question 33: What is justification?

Answer: Justification is an act of God’s free ***grace, wherein He pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

Question 35 - What is sanctification?

Answer: Sanctification is the work of God's free ***grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness. Such good news! The whole package of salvation is ours. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. ~Ephesians 2:8-9

From Rags to Righteous

School children in this country used to learn the alphabet by repeating for the letter "A": In Adam's fall sinned we all." All have sinned and are sinners. But it is abundantly evident that Jesus relates differently to sinners who recognize their sinfulness, and those who have no clue.

There is not a shred of goodness we can produce that undoes what we are by nature or can earn a right standing with Him. In fact, they are *all filthy rags (Isaiah 6:46). The problem with the Pharisees, and even at times His followers who err, is that they are looking inward to achieve merit and favor with God and man. It will never work. Attempts at attaining His favor are exactly what He rejects. Resting in His merit is exactly what He desires and works in His people.

Matthew 7:22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, *didn’t *we prophesy in your name, drive out demons in your name, and *do many miracles in your name?’ 23 Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

Luke 7:37 And a woman in the town who was a sinner found out that Jesus was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair, kissing them and anointing them with the perfume...44 Turning to the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she, with her tears, has washed my feet and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but she hasn’t stopped kissing my feet since I came in. 46 You didn’t anoint my head with olive oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. 47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Rest from your labors. He has said, "It is finished". It is in Him that our filthy rags are replaced

with robes of righteousness. That is Good News!

No Other Gospel

 It is very alarming that certain men are so revered that they actually and ironically end up elevated to a Pope-like status. There is no man that is infallible, and the best Gospel preachers I know would heartily agree with that.

It is sad that criticism of these teachers is almost always dismissed as taking a quote or idea out of context instead of honestly assessing what is being said.

There is no misrepresenting the gospel that should be dismissed or excused. It is a life or death issue. There is only one Gospel. No variation will do. So, we have to make sure we have it right and not be afraid to speak out when someone toys with it, even when the one doing so is well-known as a faithful

Bible teacher/preacher.

" I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from him who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel of Christ." ~Galatians 1:6-7

"Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" ~I Cor 15:1-4

See also: No other Gospel: sermon series by John Fonville: https://www.paramountchurch.com/sermons/sermon/2008-11-09/no-other-gospel-part-1

Change

 

"Can a leopard change its spots?" The prophet's question has an obvious answer.  Like a leopard, we are unable to

change who and what we are. We rely on God's monergistic work for us and in us to produce true and lasting change. First, He provides salvation outside of us by the redeeming and justifying work of Christ, in His life, lived obediently in our place and His substitutionary death for our sins. Then He calls us to Himself by the Spirit through the preaching of the Gospel, and we are regenerated as spiritual life is breathed into us. We are then sanctified in a lifelong process whereby we are changed from the inside out. This sanctification is not something we do to ourselves, but as the Divines state, it is the "work of God's free grace..." (Westminster Shorter Catechism 35). We are not totally transformed or conformed to the image of Christ instantaneously but in the course of a lifetime of hearing the Word and receiving the sacraments. Then, at last, He glorifies us, just as He glorified the Son because He conquered sin and death by His life, death, and resurrection. All of this work is God's redeeming grace. And all glory is due to His name for what He has worked for us, accomplished in place of us, is performing in us, and will perfect within and outside of us. Salvation...the whole package is of the Lord. 

"I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." ~Philippians 1:6

Resources on this topic: 

*The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification: Walter Marshall: https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Mystery-Sanctification-Walter-Marshall-ebook/dp/B004G08XRW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=15G7AQ5AB4KMS&dchild=1&keywords=the+gospel+mystery+of+sanctification+by+walter+marshall&qid=1618939249&sprefix=the+gospel+mystery+of+%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-3

*The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification: John Fonville: Sermon Series: https://www.paramountchurch.com/sermons/series/the-gospel-mystery-of-sanctification

Peace To You

Jesus' first words to His disciples after the resurrection... That is after He had been abandoned and denied by all of them...

John 20:

19 In the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because of their fear of the Jews. Then Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”

20 Having said this, He showed them His hands and His side. So the disciples rejoiced when they

saw the Lord.

21 Jesus said to them again, *“Peace to you!..." But how is it that rebels and cowards have peace with God?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Isaiah 53:5 But He was pierced because of our transgressions,

crushed because of our iniquities;

punishment for our *peace was on Him...

Luke 2:

8 In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before[e] them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.[f] 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:11 Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. 12 This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.”

13 Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

14 Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and *peace on earth to people He favors!

Romans 4:25 He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have *peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

How Does the Law of God Apply to the Believer?

 

Matthew 22: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”[a] 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.[b] 38 This is the greatest and most important[c] command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.[d] 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend[e] on these two commands.”

How does the Law apply to those in Christ? Here is a resource list on this topic: 

1. Heidelberg Catechism on the Law: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/2.html
2. Heidelberg Catechism on the Law: http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/34.html **through** http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/44.html

3. The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification (Marshall): https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Mystery-Sanctification-Walter-Marshall-ebook/dp/B004G08XRW/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the%20gospel%20mystery%20of%20sanctification%3B%20bruce%20mcrae&qid=1617290480&s=books&sr=1-1&fbclid=IwAR1MKzZ883cIB8rCCHFEo69O1GCC-Gzzts-vGdVix51iAuNtxDgn6nFfGB8
4. Sermon series by John Fonville: The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification (Marshall): https://www.paramountchurch.com/sermons/series/the-gospel-mystery-of-sanctification?fbclid=IwAR3fKC1Q3qkb0Gabrp5GJ05Lq_hDEGVDva_t_-NTLtuBVs7I_cTukSolSu0
5. Law as a rule of life: https://heidelblog.net/2021/02/boston-believers-are-not-under-the-moral-law-as-a-covenant-of-works-but-as-a-rule-of-life/