Amos: Salvation Is All Of Grace And None Of Works

Natural man invents his own gods and invents religions (typified here by Bethel and Gilgal) which glorify man’s works as meritorious. All of those religions are false; God exposes and smashes them all. The works of natural man are meaningless to God. Only perfect righteousness is acceptable to God. The only man who ever walked perfectly righteous on this earth is Jesus Christ. The only way to be saved from God’s wrath is by the imputed righteousness of Christ. Christ offers this to everyone; he commits to save everyone who seeks him. Natural man refuses to seek Christ, refuses to bow to him. Only those elected by God before time began are enabled to seek Christ. Salvation is only by the free sovereign gift of Grace in Jesus Christ. God will not accept any of man’s offerings and he will not accept any of man’s works. He will not accept any mixture of Grace and Works. Salvation is by Grace exclusively.

Amos 5:4-5 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

Amos 5:21-22 I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

By Ray Bennetts

Daniel: Salvation By Grace Not Works

Natural man thinks that he is powerful, so powerful that he can justify himself before God. However, salvation is by God’s Grace alone, not at all by any meritorious works of any man in any way.

In the book of Daniel we are shown that all man’s works and kingdoms (the trappings he builds up around himself in honor of himself) are worthless, powerless, vain, and devoid of value - they are annihilated by Christ. Christ is the powerful “stone [that] was cut out without hands”. He overwhelms / smashes all of man’s works, destroys them so completely that they effectively float away like chaff on the wind. Man’s works are meaningless. Christ’s salvation does not require and does not use any of man’s works. Christ performs all of salvation; man has no part in it, man’s hands do not touch it, do not contribute to it. Christ is the “great mountain” that fills the whole earth. He is preeminent in all ways over all things; he is in complete control - not man.

Dan 2:34-35 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

God’s elect ask to receive his Grace on the basis of his Sovereign Mercy, not on the basis of their works, not on the basis of any self-righteousness, not on the basis of any of their merit.

Dan 9:18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

By Ray Bennetts

Song of Songs: Salvation From God’s Wrath Is Only By God’s Grace Not By Man’s Works

Man can not save himself from punishment under God’s wrath. His thoughts, words, deeds, and everything he has can not make atonement for his insults to God. God detests those who try to win his favor by any type of payment, including any meritorious works. The only way to be saved from eternal suffering under God’s wrath is through the gift of God’s Free Sovereign Grace in Christ and not at all of any man’s works; it can not be earned or purchased. Christ’s love for God’s elect is unconditional, permanent, and unquenchable. The elect did not earn their status through their works and they can not lose their status through their works. And God will not tolerate any mixing of Grace and works, not even in the slightest degree. Christ performs all of the work in saving God’s elect. The glory of salvation, all of it, belongs to Christ. He will not share his glory with another.

Song of Songs 8:7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.

By Ray Bennetts

Ecclesiastes: Salvation Is By Grace Not Works

The only way to be saved from punishment under God’s wrath is through the gift of God’s Free Sovereign Grace. No one can save themselves through their own meritorious works. The word Grace means “to receive something un-deserved”. No one deserves salvation. Salvation is a gift from God, not compensation, and not a reward. God’s elect have been enabled to see their total corruption and Christ’s perfect righteousness. Their offering to God is Christ’s soul not their own works. They have been given knowledge of Christ, they know their only hope is to trust in his imputed righteousness rather than their own. They rest confidently in the work Christ has done to reconcile them with God. Knowledge of Christ (the poor man) delivers all of God’s elect from eternal suffering under God’s wrath.

Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Ecclesiastes 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 9:13-16 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

By Ray Bennetts

Joel: Salvation Is All Of Grace And None Of Works

Those who attempt to justify themselves to God on the basis of their (self-proclaimed) great works will be forever removed from God. God is totally sovereign (free from external influence), he has decided who will be saved. Those who trust in their strength to justify themselves to God (e.g., typified by Egypt) and those who are self-confident (e.g., typified by Edom) are condemned to suffer for ever under God’s wrath.

Joel 2:20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.

Joel 3:4 Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? will ye render me a recompence? and if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head;

Joel 3:19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.

Christ handles every part of salvation. To God’s elect (those who are given the ability to repent) he has mercy (does not give them what they do deserve) and he gives them Grace (does give them what they do not deserve). He blots out his people’s sin. He makes them white as snow.

Joel 2:12-13 Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

Joel 3:21 For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed: for the LORD dwelleth in Zion.

By Ray Bennetts

Hosea - GOD’S PURPOSE TOWARDS HIS PEOPLE

God sovereignly chose a group people who he would save out of the human race.

None of these loved him or deserved to receive his mercy.

He saves these people by Christ for his glory - not their glory.

God sent Christ to marry his elect (an undeserving rebellious whore who despised him).

Hosea 1:2 The beginning of the word of the LORD by Hosea. And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.

These people did not desire Christ - they were “not my people”.

These people did not earn God’s Mercy - they “had not obtained mercy”.

God sovereignly chose (elected) these people - he declared they “art my people”.

These people were given faith in Christ - they all said God “art my God”.

God has mercy on the elect exclusively.

Hosea 2:23 And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

Only those chosen by God and purchased by his son will turn to Christ and be saved.

Hosea 14:7 They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

By Ray Bennetts

Ruth: Christ Gets the Glory

Ruth 4:14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the LORD, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, that his name may be famous in Israel.

God saves his people to himself by himself for his glory. All that is happening in our lives in this day and age, all that has ever happened on this planet throughout history, has happened for one singular purpose - that Christ’s name will be above all.

Rev 7:9-12 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

By Ray Bennetts