THE KING’S BUSINESS
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often considered the fearful, but what is really the gracious and glorious doctrine of “foreordination.” Perhaps there is no other doctrine in the whole Bible that is more misunderstood than the doctrine of “foreordination.” Many look upon fore ordination as a foreordination regardless of what man may do with God’s grace or how a man may live, to heaven and to eternal blessedness, but that is not the doc trine of foreordination taught anywhere in the Word,. These verses teach us that foreordinatioh is not to heaven irrespec tive of our own character, but TO LIKE NESS OF JESUS CHRIST, “to be) con formed to the image of His Son.” I am glad .I was. so foreordained, and anyone who will believe in Jesus Christ can by believing in Christ make it sure that he is similarly “’foreordained” (cf. John 1:12; 6:37; 5:24; Rev. 22:17). "Foreordination” carries ,everything else with it, calling justification; glorification.- Indeed the one' who is foreordained is in;the thought and purpose of God already “called, justified, glorified.” I know I am justified, I have- the word of God and the assurance of the Holy Spirit in my soul to prove that I am justified, therefore I know that I shall be. glorified, Hallelujah! Saturday, July 21 . Rom. 8 : 31 - 34 . As Paul thinks of these great truths he can no longer contain himself. He bursts forth into a song of triumph. He throws down a challenge to all men and devils: “Who can-be 1against us? Who can lay anything to our charge? Who shall con demn us ? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” No one, Paul. No one on earth_ or in heaven or in hell. We are eternally justified and therefore eternally secure. Wherein lies our security? Not in us, nor in our faithfulness. It lies first of all in the fact, “God is for us.” The word translated ‘.‘for” means “in behalf of,” i. e. God is oil our side, in our favor. Well that is enough. If God is in our favor, no man or no company of men can accomplish anything against us. But while that is
enough, it is not all.. God has gone beyond merely being on our side. God has given us a guarantee that He will “give us all things.” The guarantee that He has given us is a most wonderful one, “His own Son.” In giving us His son, God has given us His very best. And' if He has already given us His very best, He will surely give us all the rest. Whenever I have any» doubts that God will give me some good thing, I know I have only to look at the cross and see Jesus there for me, and I know God will with Him- give me all things, that He will withhold noth ing from me. But even this is not all. There is no one on earth,- or in heaven, or in hell that will lay anything to my charge. Why not? First because it is God who justifiesm e , and if God justifies me the whole universe will shut its mouth. But that is not all. Second, because Christ died, and therefore all my sins are settled, and no one can lay anything to my charge. But even that is not all; third, Jesus was raised from the dead and therefore it is settled that the atonement for my sins was accepted of God, and furthermore by virtue of my union with- Him I ami raised too, and who can lay anything to the charge of one whom God has raised from the dead? But even that is not all. Fourth, no one on earth, t3r in heaven, or' in hell can lay anything to my charge because the Lord Jesus ever liveth to make interces sion for me, and how can anyone lay anyT thing to my charge if Jesus is ever pleading my cause, (cf. 1 John 2:1;. Heb. 7:25; John 11:42). Sunday, July 22 . Rom. 8 : 33 - 39 . There may be fierce trials awaiting me, “tribulation,” “anguish,” “persecution,” “famine,’ “nakedness,” “peril,” “sword.’) But none of these, nor all of them together can separate me from the love of Christ. No, in all these things I am a superabund ant conqueror, but not in myself but “through Him that loved us,” i. e. Jesus. There is nothing in time or in eternity that can separate me from H im : “Neither
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