A Fortress of Truth
Twas not my answer to His call
That saved me from my sins;
But sovereign grace in Christ then shown,
Before the world begins.
Twas not my choice of Him that saves
But His own choice of me;
His covenant made all things sure,
In old eternity.
Tis not the work that I have done
Or any I will do;
Christ’s righteous death upon the cross,
Alone can make me new.
For “He hath saved us” is the news,
Christ all the work has done;
Then as He purposed by His grace,
He calls us and we come.
86.86
Lyrics by Gary Shepard
To the tune of “According To Thy Gracious Word”
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A FORTRESS OF TRUTH
"Take
heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God,
which He
hath purchased with His
own blood."
-Acts
20:28 [KJV]
I
am always amazed how just one verse of scripture is often given to us
by the Holy Spirit as an invincible weapon and an impenetrable
fortress in the conflict with religious error. These words spoken by
the apostle Paul as he charged the Ephesians elders is such a verse.
Two areas in which the truth and doctrine of Christ are most often
attacked are the deity of Christ and the design of His death.
That
Jesus Christ the Son is God in flesh and co-equal in the Godhead is
not even up for debate. Along with all the other places in scripture
where this truth is taught, this verse stands strong to support it.
Paul says, "the church of GOD, which He purchased
with His own blood." How does God, Who declares
Himself to be Spirit, come to have blood? He did so when He was "made
flesh and dwelt among us."
"And
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God
was manifest in the flesh..."
(I Tim. 3:16). To deny this truth is to leave us without blood that
is infinitely worthy to redeem many sinners.
The
second area always under assault is the design of the death of
Christ. Who did Christ die for and what kind of death did He die and
what did it accomplish? The death of Christ according to Paul was a
purchase. That is what the word "redemption" means;
to buy back by the paying of a price. The death of Christ was a
purchase of blood. We also find in Paul's words who it was that
Christ died this redeeming death for. He tells us that Christ died
for the "church" of God. It was Christ who said, "I
lay down My
life for the sheep."
They are guilty, bankrupt sinners if such a price of blood is
required to redeem them. This verse also tells us what He
accomplished in His death. It says He "purchased"
the church with His own blood. He did not make a "bid" for
it. He did not purchase anyone else but the church. If Christ
"purchased" the church, then divine justice requires that
He have it! All false doctrine cannot change that. The doctrine of
Christ's deity and death are our sword and shield. All die who come
against it! (II John 1:10)
-Gospel
report by preacher Gary Shepard
Sovereign
Grace Baptist Church of Jacksonville, North Carolina USA
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