"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy" Proverbs 28:13

Here is the way of mercy for a guilty and repenting sinner. He must cease from the habit of covering sin. This is attempted by falsehood, which denies sin; by hypocrisy, which conceals it; by boasting, which justifies it; and by loud profession, which tries to make amends for it.

The sinner's business is to confess and forsake. The two must go together. Confession must be honestly made to the LORD Himself, and it must include within itself acknowledgment of the wrong, sense of its evil, and abhorrence of it. We must not throw the fault upon others, nor blame circumstances, nor plead natural weakness. We must make a clean breast of it and plead guilty to the indictment. There can be no mercy till this is done.

A common expression, "Let God be God," is frequently repeated in the religious community. How can man, who is without the power of God, let God be God? Christ said to Pilate, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above" (John 19:11). How can man who lives and moves in God let God be God? Acts 17:28 states, "For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." How can the effect let the cause be the cause of the effect? The Creator alone is worthy of glory, honor, and power: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11).

The eternally sovereign God has a purpose (Eph. 3:11). Behind all the events of history, His eternal purpose is being worked out in providence—predestination in execution. The proof of God’s purpose is learned from the nature and perfections of God. God is omniscient—nothing takes Him by surprise; omnipotent—no one thwarts His purpose; omnipresent—no one slips up on Him; and unchangeable—no modifications are in His mind. If anything is either by chance or the mere effect of second causes, one cannot truthfully say, "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:36).

God’s eternal purpose includes the work of the Divine Trinity in man’s salvation. The one God consists in three Persons. There is an exclusive unity in this Trinity, because it is a fellowship of equals. Thus, the eternal purpose of grace is unilateral:

1. God the Father chose a certain number to be saved (Eph. 1:4). Election is eternal, secret until conversion, free, particular, and definite (John 6; 10; 17). Before the cross, the elect were in Christ by election and foreordination (Rom. 8:29,30; II Tim. 1:9).

2. God the Son purchased salvation for His sheep at Calvary (John 10:11,15,16). At the cross, the elect were in Christ by redemption and propitiation (Rom. 3:24-26; Eph. 1:7-12). Jesus Christ did not purchase a possible salvation for all mankind without exception, but a certain salvation for His sheep (John 10:15).

3. God the Holy Spirit regenerates all whom the Father elected and the Son redeemed (John 3:8). Subsequent to the cross, all the elect will be in Christ by regeneration and reconciliation before Christ comes to establish His kingdom (II Pet. 3:9, 15).

The covenant of grace is unilateral; therefore, a fourth party could not have a place in that covenant between equals. God cannot stoop to make a covenant with sinners on a dunghill. Sinners have no part in their salvation from the guilt and penalty of sin. The glory of God’s salvation of sinners cannot be shared with those He saves. If man could take credit for his salvation, his deliverance would not be by grace.

Kimberlee McCool August 19^th