How a Great God Loves People Who Arent Great At All “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” . - Isaiah 66:1–2 When a person is awakened by the Spirit of God to know who God is in salvation, these are the characteristics He works in them. God’s saved and forgiven people are poor in spirit, mournful, meek, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peaceful, persecuted because they bear the name of Christ, . . . and they are greatly, greatly blessed. Their reward is in heaven and it is great! When, by His grace toward us, God opens our minds so that we begin to grasp the hem of the train of His magnificent robe, that not only produces great humility in us, but it also produces an unshakable faith in the God who has committed Himself to such people. God loves the man or woman of a humble and contrite heart. So how does such a person ever “get saved”? The answer is, “He never will.” The natural man, left to himself, totally uninfluenced by God, totally un-convicted by the Spirit of God, left totally to the desires of his own fallen depraved nature, will always and without fail reject the true God and the biblical Gospel. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8 ESV). No one understands, no one seeks for God. Not one. (Romans 3:10 & 11) The self-worshipping pride of man prevents it. This is where the doctrines of the grace of God become so precious and so beautiful and so humbling. How do people with no capacity to grasp their own spiritual deadness, who are prideful at heart, “get saved”? God saves them. God draws them to Himself, God enlightens them to their condition, God convicts them of sin, God provides the sacrifice of His Son for them, God breaks their stubborn wills, the Spirit of God crushes their foolish pride, He causes them to repent of their sins, and He grants them faith to believe all of this is true. God does it all. Salvation is of the Lord. We contribute nothing. It is that single fact, that salvation is by the grace of God alone, that makes for a humble . . . and contrite . . . and thankful . . . and submissive . . . and loving heart toward God which He loves. The Scriptures tells us God loves those who love Him. But we love Him only BECAUSE He first loved us! The one who is humble and contrite and who trembles at the word of God has been made that way by God. It is called regeneration. That is the new birth. It is an act of God by which He takes out the heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh, and He writes His laws upon our new hearts. - Keith Doster, Pastor Salvation is of the Lord - Jonah 2:9
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 03:30:11 +0000
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