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SELAH! Pause - reflect- just think of that!

Selah Alphabetical Index

Salvation by Grace Alone

Saved by grace. Those are the most beautiful words to a sinner's ears.

Grace is the sweet sovereign favor shown to someone who does not deserve any favor, but the exactly the very opposite.

It is in grace that God has worked to deliver us from eternal punishment and give us His very best in life.

God’s Sovereign Choice in Grace teaches us that God is sovereign in His election of sinful man. It demonstrates that man is a depraved sinner and there is nothing in man to merit or earn a right relationship with God.

God does not look ahead in time, see some good in us, and on that basis decide to save us. He does not look ahead in time and see that one day we will choose to believe on Christ and therefore elect to save us. What God sees is nothing but wickedness, sin, unbelief. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Grace does not depend on anything in man because it is all of God’s choosing. The source of our salvation is the grace of God alone (Eph. 2:8-10).

Let's face it, if God had not been absolutely sure of our election He would not have sent His Son to come and die to redeem radically depraved sinners. As it is, God sent the most precious posses in heaven to come and die for our sins on the cross. That is grace.

If there had been no predestination, there would have been no atoning sacrifice for sin.

God in His grace included me before the foundation of the earth (Eph. 1:4; Matt. 25:34; Rev. 13:8; 17:8). Therefore, all I can do is say, “Thank you for including me. Thank you for saving my soul.”

God’s Seeking Grace teaches us that we sought God only because He first reached down to us in grace. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19; 3:16; 4:10). One of the great Puritan theologians testified that he sought the Lord and afterward came to understand that the Holy Spirit moved hi soul to seek the Lord. When we put the emphasis on God we come to realize that it was not I who found the Savior; no, I was chosen in eternity and was found by Him in time. Only a sovereign God in grace can put that together!

We find excellent examples of this great truth when Adam and Eve sinned and God pursued them in their place of rebellion, and gave them the first promise of salvation by grace in Genesis 3:9-15. He likewise pursued Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).

I praise God that He pursued me until I surrendered to Him.

God’s Redeeming Grace sets us free from condemnation and guilt. The Puritan theologians asked, “Who is a pardoning God like Thee? Or who has grace so riche and free?”

God in His infinite riches has justified us by grace alone through faith alone in the atoning death of Jesus Christ alone (Rom. 3:21-28; 4:5, 22-25). We could never deserve God’s forgiveness, or merit His salvation (3:9-20). Jesus died for all our sins. He chose to acquit us based on the finished work of Christ.

Not only did He acquit us based on the death of Christ, but He also made us alive in Christ by His saving grace (Eph. 2:4-7). Robert Haldane said, “Those redeemed by the death of Christ are not merely recovered from the fall, but made to reign through Jesus Christ.” As to the effects of saving grace Haldane said, “Grace is attractive, and those who have received grace should be attractive, too” (cf. Eph. 2:10).

I thank Him from the depths of my heart that “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

God’s Persevering Grace has brought the believer to where he is right now, and that grace will lead us on to glory. Those who believe on Christ, and are saved by grace through faith persevere (Rom. 8:31-39).

The Christian perseveres because God perseveres with the believer. He is a persevering God. We will persevere until the coming of Christ for us because in His grace he perseveres with us.

Every day I thank the Holy Spirit for watching over me and keeping me in fellowship with my Savior. How sad, but very true, if it all depended upon me I would be a colossal failure and spend eternity in hell. I will persevere until the end because He perseveres with me.

Because of the persevering grace that has brought me thus far in my Christian life, I can look forward to the day when I will arrive home (Phil. 1:6; 3:20-21; 1 John 3:1-3).

God’s Saving Grace is the reason why God did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up to death on my behalf (Rom. 8:32). We could never deserve eternal life. We are saved by His unmerited and undeserved grace for all eternity. We are saved by grace alone, received through faith alone in Christ alone.

One great and glorious day we will be presented holy and blameless with resurrection bodies in the holy presence of the LORD God there to dwell with Him forever. My song will ever be, “Saved by grace!” "Saved by grace!?

Thank God for His infinite, sovereign, unlimited, free, triumphant, sustaining, overflowing grace. “His mercy endures forever,” and “His compassions fail not.”

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006