Welcome to the Understanding God’s Great Salvation Podcast. This is episode #63.
I am your host, Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International. This podcast is designed to explain what it means to be saved from sin and from the punishment of sin through Jesus Christ. This podcast is primarily for non-believers and some new believers and it will help you understand what it means to be saved from hell and have a home in Heaven as well as the blessings of the abundant Christian life.
God made salvation simple. However, down through the years many people, including some preachers and other Christians, have made the matter of salvation complicated and confusing. I know from my own experience that many people would get saved if someone would sit down and share with them straightforwardly from the Bible what it really means to accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour. That is what I intend to do with this podcast.
Let’s start out with the Word of God. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:28: “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”
Allow me to share with you some thoughts on this passage from the Bible Knowledge Commentary by Dr. John F. Walvoord and Dr. Roy B. Zuck: Continue reading →
I am your host, Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International. This podcast is designed to explain what it means to be saved from sin and from the punishment of sin through Jesus Christ. This podcast is primarily for non-believers and some new believers and it will help you understand what it means to be saved from hell and have a home in Heaven as well as the blessings of the abundant Christian life.
The Bible says in Matthew 19:25-26: “When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
Today’s God’s Great Salvation quote is from John MacArthur. He said: “Saving faith is not just believing that Jesus lived and died. Faith that saves is the confident, continuous confession of total dependence on, and trust in Jesus Christ to meet the requirements on your behalf to give you entrance into God’s Eternal Kingdom. It’s the surrender of your life in complete trust to Him to do what you cannot do.”
Our topic today is Definition of Key Terms (Part 2) from the book, “So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ” by Dr. Charles Ryrie.
Christians sometimes use words and phrases that are foreign to those who are not saved. As we close out the Understanding God’s Great Salvation podcast, we are going to look at what some of these words and phrases mean. If you are a new believer or thinking about becoming a believer, this will be very beneficial to you.
Grace. The unmerited favor of God in giving His Son and all the benefits that result from receiving Him.
Impute. To reckon or ascribe something to someone; e.g., God’s ascribing the righteousness of Christ to the believer.
Justification. To declare a person righteous. God does this for the believer because He has imputed the righteousness of Christ to that person. People justify others when they see their good works.
Lord. A superior. In the New Testament, it means sir, sovereign, master, God, owner, and husband.
Lordship salvation. The teaching that to be saved a person must not only trust Jesus as Savior but also as the Lord of his life, submitting (or at least being willing to submit) his life to His sovereign authority.
Perseverance. The belief that a believer cannot fall away from grace but will continue in good works to the end of life.
Predestination. God’s planning before time the destiny of His children to be conformed to the image of Christ.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Today’s God’s Great Salvation quote is from Henry Drummond. He said: “Salvation is a definite process. If a man refuse to submit himself to that process, clearly he cannot have the benefits of it. ‘As many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God.’ He does not avail himself of this power. It may be mere carelessness or apathy. Nevertheless the neglect is fatal. He cannot escape because he will not.”
Our topic today is titled Bringing Many Sons to Glory (Part 5) from the book, “So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ” by Dr. Charles Ryrie.
MEANS FOR PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION
Who and what are the agencies involved in progressive sanctification? Our Father is one. Our Lord Jesus is another. The Holy Spirit is another. The believer’s efforts are not optional. God’s part in sanctification must never lead to a quietism that fails to involve the believer’s activity. Indeed, every command to the believer implies the necessity of his involvement as part of the process. Some verses combine the believer’s part and God’s part in the process of sanctification.
In addition, certain means or things can be used both by God and by the believer to help this growth in holiness. Surely the Word of God stands in the first rank of importance. Certainly prayer will aid the process, if praying is done truly in the name of Christ. That simply means praying so that the Lord could endorse those prayers, or praying in His will. It means underscoring all our prayers with, as Jesus’ own model prayer instructs us, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
The Bible says in Hebrews 12:5-8: “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.”
Today’s God’s Great Salvation quote is from F.F. Bruce. He said: “Those who have been justified are now being sanctified; those who have no experience of present sanctification have no reason to suppose they have been justified.”
Our topic today is titled Bringing Many Sons to Glory (Part 4) from the book, “So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ” by Dr. Charles Ryrie.
JUSTIFICATION AND SANCTIFICATION
What is the relationship between justification and sanctification? Both Reformed and dispensational theologians believe that both positional sanctification and justification occur simultaneously at the time of salvation. John Murray, a Reformed theologian, states clearly that “the virtue accruing from the death and resurrection of Christ affects no phase of salvation more directly than that of insuring definitive sanctification.”‘ He also clearly distinguishes positional (or definitive) sanctification and progressive sanctification. “It might appear that the emphasis placed upon definitive sanctification leaves no place for what is progressive. Any such inference would contradict an equally important aspect of biblical teaching.”
THE PEOPLE DISCIPLINED
In His Grand Plan to bring many sons to glory written in Hebrews 12, the Father will discipline His children. Four reasons are stated by the writer of Hebrews that tell why God does this:
1. Discipline is a part of the total educational process by which a believer is fitted to share God’s holiness.
2. Discipline is a proof of a genuine love relationship between our heavenly Father and us.
3. Discipline helps train us to be obedient.
4. Discipline produces the fruit of righteousness in our lives.
The Bible says in Romans 8:29-30: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Today’s God’s Great Salvation quote is from Tom Wells. He said: “It is not right to credit salvation to good works. It is right and necessary, however, to expect good works to follow salvation. Salvation is not the result of good works, but good works are the result of salvation.”
Our topic today is titled Bringing Many Sons to Glory (Part 3) from the book, “So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ” by Dr. Charles Ryrie.
— THE FACETS OF SANCTIFICATION
But what of sanctification? Nowhere does it appear in Paul’s list in Romans 8:29-30. Only predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. Why is sanctification not included? Could it be that Paul did not want to base our guarantee of ultimate glorification on our personal sanctification Assuredly it does not rest on that, for the many sons who will be glorified will have exhibited varying degrees of personal holiness during their lifetimes. Yet all, from the carnal to the most mature, will be glorified.
Some of the confusion may arise from a failure to distinguish the facets of sanctification. The word sanctify basically means “to set apart.” It has the same root as the words holy and saint. Every believer has been sanctified, for all have been set apart to God and adopted into His family. That is why all believers are saints. Even of the carnal Christians at Corinth, Paul dared to say that they were washed, they were sanctified, and they were justified. The same tense (indicating an accomplished fact, not something to be attained) is used for all three verbs. This aspect of sanctification separates all believers to their new position as belonging to God. Paul had already addressed these Corinthians as those who had been sanctified. Positional sanctification is an actual position that is not dependent on the state of one’s spiritual growth and maturity. The one-time offering of our Lord Jesus has sanctified us and perfected us in perpetuity—forever.
The Bible says in Ephesians 1:3-6: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 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: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
Today’s God’s Great Salvation quote is from G.V. Wigram. He said: “God has set us in His Son, hidden us in Him. As Moses was put into the cleft of the rock, so God has put us into Christ.”
Our topic today is titled Bringing Many Sons to Glory (Part 2) from the book, “So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ” by Dr. Charles Ryrie.
THE PEOPLE ADOPTED
Part of God’s Grand Plan includes being predestined to the adoption as sons. When God adopts, He places the believer in His family as a fully privileged adult. Adoption (a Pauline doctrine) makes us adults in God’s family; the new birth (a Johannine doctrine) causes us to be born as babes in God’s family. Adoption includes and guarantees full standing and privileges in the family. Being born into the family brings with it the need for growth and development and maturity. Being adopted and being born both occur simultaneously at the moment one receives the Savior.
Adoption cuts off all the relationships and responsibilities of the former family. At the same time, God, the head of the new family, has promised never to cut off those whom He adopts. Therefore, adoption assures us that all the adopted sons will be brought to glory.
The Bible says in Hebrews 2:10: “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”
Today’s God’s Great Salvation quote is from John MacArthur. He said: “Saving faith is not just believing that Jesus lived and died. Faith that saves is the confident, continuous confession of total dependence on, and trust in Jesus Christ to meet the requirements on your behalf to give you entrance into God’s Eternal Kingdom. It’s the surrender of your life in complete trust to Him to do what you cannot do.”
Our topic today is titled Bringing Many Sons to Glory (Part 1) from the book, “So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ” by Dr. Charles Ryrie.
I once kept an account at a bank that offered what they called “The Grand Plan.” Those bank customers who kept a certain amount of money on deposit could qualify for the Grand Plan, which offered a number of free benefits. As a matter of fact, Grand Plan customers received checks with a Grand Plan logo printed on them so that any teller could see immediately that you belonged to that special group. It was a good deal for those who could qualify.
God has the ultimate Grand Plan. To qualify requires only faith in Christ as one’s Savior. Then the benefits become available immediately and continue forever. His Grand Plan began in eternity past and continues throughout eternity future. Its purpose is to bring or lead many sons to glory.
THE LAMB PROVIDED
The roots of God’s plan of redemption existed before the foundation of the world. Even before man was created, the Lamb was provided. Certainly before man sinned in the Garden of Eden, the Lamb had already been provided. God did not have to scurry around seeing what plan He could come up with when Adam and Eve rebelled against Him. The Lamb, without spot or blemish, had already been provided in the purpose and Grand Plan of God.
In the fullness of time God sent the Lamb. He lived a sinless life and thus proved to be spotless and fully qualified as the acceptable sacrifice for sin. He died, and by that death He paid for the sins of the whole world, although the personal appropriation of that payment comes through faith. He reconciled the world to Himself, yet to make that applicable to me personally, I have to be reconciled to God through faith.
The Bible says in Hebrews 7:25: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Today’s God’s Great Salvation quote is from Charles Spurgeon. He said: “From the Word of God I gather that damnation is all of man, from top to bottom, and salvation is all of grace, from first to last. He that perishes chooses to perish; but he that is saved is saved because God has chosen to save him.”
Our topic today is titled Secure and Sure of It (Part 5) from the book, “So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ” by Dr. Charles Ryrie.
THE MEANING OF ASSURANCE
Assurance is the confident realization that one has eternal life. Security is a biblical truth whether or not one has assurance, and even if one did not believe in security he could have assurance (that at that time, at least, he belonged to the family of God). But if one does not believe in security he will undoubtedly lack assurance more than once in his lifetime.
SOME REASONS PEOPLE LACK ASSURANCE
People lack assurance of their salvation for several reasons:
1. They cannot pinpoint a specific time when they received Christ. Conversion does occur at a specific time, yet a person may not know when that time was in his or her life. No one grows into conversion, but we do grow in our comprehension of conversion.
2. They question the correctness of the procedure they went through when they expressed faith in Christ. “Should I have ‘gone forward’?” “Did I pray the right prayer?” “I did it privately. Is that all right?”
3. Certain sins have come into their lives. They think that they surely were not saved in the first place or they would not have committed such sins. Security never gives a license to sin, but at the same time sin does not cause us to lose our salvation. The normal Christian experience never includes sinlessness, for “we all stumble in many ways”. This fact never excuses sin, but neither does sin cause us to forfeit our salvation.
How can I have assurance? The Bible offers two grounds for assurance. The objective ground is that God’s Word declares that I am saved through faith. Therefore, I believe Him and His Word and am assured that what He says is true.
The subjective ground relates to my experiences. Certain changes do accompany salvation, and when I see some of those changes, then I can be assured that I have received new life. Some of those changes are keeping His commandments; loving other believers; and doing right things. It goes without saying that I will never keep all His commandments, nor will I love all other believers, nor will I always do right things. But the fact that these experiences have come into my life, whereas they were absent before, gives assurance that the new life is present.
If we have believed, we are secure forever; and we can be assured of that if we take God at His Word and take heart from the changes which He brings into our lives.
What grace it is that can give us not only forgiveness and eternal life through faith alone but also guarantee that the Giver will never renege on His gift! Nor can we ever give it back even if we try! Be assured, fellow Christian, this is true, for God says so in His unbreakable Word.
Understanding God's Great Salvation 