“Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” – Romans 2:4

I KNOW THAT the title of this short article appears odd compared to the norm of what we’re accustomed to viewing, and I could think of no other despite many considerations, but the first initial heading containing all the above words settled the matter.

When it comes to our salvation – from the very beginning right to the very end process – it is ALL of God. If we are His then He will not relent on the precious work of salvation He began within us; He will surely bring it to completion to where we shall be entirely sanctified – without sin – and glorified, for we shall be totally transformed into His likeness; we shall be like Him as the Lord’s will has determined to conform us through and through to the image of Jesus Christ.

There are times when God, in His grace and mercy, unusually draws us away from sin. These moves of God are totally unexpected and  are entirely His doing. He corrects, constrains (we are irresistibly drawn to Him), cleanses, creates (renews a right spirit within us), and He comforts us with the assurance that we are His, that He indeed IS the Shepherd of our souls. It is one thing to read about these matters but quite another when encountered.

This work of grace, more than any other time, is what furthers our sanctification in holiness. This is the process of conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ.

This in no way negates our mortifying of sin in our lives, but rather, the Spirit of God beautifully infuses our will with a relentless determination to pursue God Himself, to maintain our abiding in Jesus Christ, from Whom the power to obey Him comes. And it is a delight to please the One Who inestimably loves us.

We cannot obey God and turn from sin unless God’s hand is upon us; unless the Spirit of God moves upon and in us, our fight against sin and evil principalities will be done in the power of the flesh (where self righteousness and self reliance is nourished); we shall utterly fail. It is our closeness with God, and the ever-pursuing of Him that clothes us aright with the armour to withstand immeasurable powers of opposition.

God permits us to fall into sin in order to show us how dreadfully weak we are in and of ourselves, but more so to hate sin in degrees we have never done before, and to know our desperate need of Him. Our love for Him, because of His undying great love for us, is what causes us to love God more than our sin, and to see sin for what it really is, where a hatred for it grows exponentially. Sin appearing to have dominion over a child of God are the very grounds in which sin realises its demise and its ever weakening influence over us. As regenerate children of God, our corruptions within cause us to really cry out to Him with a longing to be renewed with a right spirit – an undivided heart – to desire ABOVE all things to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

The wonder of His grace – this GRACE that now has dominion over us, not sin. Sin may gain foothold at times, but it will not domineer us. Truly, this does not produce within us a license to sin all the more, or to just merely drift through life. Absolutely no way! Rather, it fuels within us an undying desire to utilise every member of our being to live righteously before God and for His glory.

Are we content to live a nominal Christian life – if there ever is such a thing? The Christian life is supernatural, as Paul Washer recently mentioned – and it is. In this day and world – any for that matter – we cannot afford to live a psuedo-christian life that only brings disrepute to the name and cause of God. “Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually!” – Psalm 105:4. Ever seek to be with Him. Give God no rest until you know He’s having His way with you.

Oh! The hand of God! The hand of God upon and in our lives; the operations of the Holy Spirit drawing us, away from the world (and I’m not referring to living loosely or immorally within it, but rather feeling too comfortable in it to where we’re negligent of time alone with God), sin, and ourselves to be lost in HIM. What overwhelming wonder of His grace, goodness, love, mercy and faithfulness. Words fail to adequately articulate it! And these are words that sound so lovely – in fact, they are merely words until we taste God revealing Himself through such terminologies we so easily roll off of our tongues. Until we taste Him! Then those words brought alive have life-transforming meaning.

Sovereign grace o’er sin abounding!
Ransomed souls, the tidings swell;
’Tis a deep that knows no sounding;
Who its breadth or length can tell?
On its glories,
Let my soul for ever dwell.

What from Christ that soul can sever,
Bound by everlasting bands?
Once in him, in him for ever;
Thus the eternal covenant stands.
None shall pluck thee
From the Strength of Israel’s hands.

Heirs of God, joint-heirs with Jesus,
Long ere time its race begun;
To his name eternal praises;
O what wonders love has done!
One with Jesus,
By eternal union one.

On such love, my soul, still ponder,
Love so great, so rich, so free;
Say, whilst lost in holy wonder,
Why, O Lord, such love to me?
Hallelujah!
Grace shall reign eternally.

(John Kent, 1766 – 1843)