Salvation and Our Christian Walk
Last month, we noticed that God often teaches us His ways by bringing before us two parallel truths which are unable to be reconciled in the human mind. We showed how that this is a wonderful provision of God, in that we are continually driven back to God as the Source of these truths, in order to be able to live them out practically. We saw that two such truths were God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. In this article, we would like to expand on different applications that flow from these two truths. It is clear that both God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility are involved in the soul’s salvation.
The gospel of God’s grace is addressed to man as a responsible being, and ultimately man will be judged if he rejects God’s offer of mercy. Such verses as John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36) make this clear, and so many other verses could be adduced to support this that it is hardly necessary to list them here. But Scripture also teaches clearly that without a sovereign work of God in the soul, no man would ever seek God. Romans 8:77Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Romans 8:7) says that “the carnal mind is enmity against God,” and the Lord Jesus Himself said, “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” (John 6:4444No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:44)).
When we come to Christ, no doubt it is with a sense of our responsibility to obey the gospel, yet after we are saved, we realize that it was God who began the work in our hearts and who even gave us the faith to believe.
But Scripture would take God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility even further than our soul’s salvation. In Philippians 2:1212Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12), we are told to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Thus, after we are saved, the exhortations of Scripture are addressed to us in responsibility.
At the judgment seat of Christ, we will suffer loss or be rewarded, based on our lives as Christians before God in responsibility. This is clearly taught by the parable of the pounds in Luke 1913And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. 14But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. 15And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. (Luke 19:13‑15) as well as other scriptures such as 1 Corinthians 3:13-1513Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 15If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. (1 Corinthians 3:13‑15).
Then we read the next verse in Philippians 2, and it tells us that “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:1313For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)). Again we find that, left to ourselves even as Christians, we would not live our lives to the glory of God. It is only God’s sovereign grace working in our hearts that gives us the willingness and ability to “do of His good pleasure.”
What practical lesson do we learn from all this? We cannot reconcile the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man, either in salvation or in our Christian walk. But when we see the reason for all of this in the ways of God, it calls forth our praise. May I suggest that on our side, all our pride is taken away, while on God’s side, He gets all the glory. God will not have us in heaven boasting that we knew enough to obey the gospel, while others did not. No, we will realize for all eternity that it was all a work of God’s grace, even to giving us the faith to believe. Thus we can never look at an unbeliever and think ourselves better than he. We should speak to him about Christ. We must be faithful and warn him, and we may have to avoid his company when he is involved in sin, but we can never take any credit to ourselves, for we realize that it is only the grace of God that has saved us.
Another practical lesson is learned in the preaching of the gospel. If I overemphasize man’s responsibility, I will be most earnest in preaching the gospel, but I will tend to think that the ultimate salvation of souls depends (at least to some extent) on my own efforts. I will tend, as one prominent preacher once said, to want to “bring people to the point of decision,” much as a salesman might. If I overemphasize God’s sovereignty, I will tend to neglect that earnestness in seeking souls, resting on the truth that God will surely save all those whom He has chosen.
In God’s presence, these truths will be kept in balance. I will have the utmost earnestness for souls, yet be at peace in leaving the results with the Lord, knowing that the work must be His and His alone. We see this beautifully illustrated in the life of our blessed Lord. The One who held the power of God’s sovereignty and could say, “The Son quickeneth whom He will” (John 5:2121For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. (John 5:21)) could lament over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:3737O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (Matthew 23:37)) for its unbelief. The One who was about to raise Lazarus could weep in compassion at the sorrow sin had caused. May God give us to walk more in His presence and to be more like our blessed Master!
But again, let us carry the application a step further into the life of the believer. May I suggest that we can never look down in pride on a fellow-believer who is careless in his walk or who has fallen into sin. No matter how far he may have gone, we must realize that only the grace of God has kept us from a similar course. We may have to be faithful with such a one, and we may have to refuse to keep company with him, even refuse to eat with him, if his sin is such as to necessitate exclusion from the assembly. But all of this, while most necessary, will be tempered by the realization that I am capable of worse things, were it not for the sovereign grace of God. Again, God will get all the glory for any faithfulness in my own life, while I will be kept humble and compassionate for those who have erred, realizing how much I owe to the sovereign grace of God.
“O mind divine, so must it be
That glory all belongs to God:
O love divine, that did decree
We should be part, through Jesus’ blood.”
(Little Flock Hymn Book #331)
It is only in the Lord’s presence and by the power of the Spirit of God that we can carry this out. Left to ourselves, we will tend to emphasize either God’s sovereignty or man’s responsibility. The emphasis on man’s responsibility will tend to glorify man, and pride will come in. I will tend to be proud that I am saved and proud of anything I am doing for the Lord. The emphasis on God’s sovereignty will tend to make me lazy as to preaching the gospel, and careless as to heeding the exhortations of Scripture. In the Lord’s presence I will keep these truths in their proper balance, but only because the Lord keeps them in balance for me.
The sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man also help us to understand the wonderful privilege of prayer. However, this subject is so important and so broad in its application to the believer that we will leave it for consideration next month.
W. J. Prost