Faith: Grafted Into Christ
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
10/23/2016 PM
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Text:
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John 15;
Lord's Day 7
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Psalters: |
45, 428, 99, 365 |
- Incorrect answers.
- Some want to say all who perished in Adam are saved by Christ (and they are grieved that not all are saved).
- Others answer the question according to their desires.
- God gives His answer in the Scriptures.
- Not all those fallen in Adam are saved in Christ (Matt. 22:14; 7:14; Ps. 5:5; 7:11; 11:5; John 3:18,36).
- Positively, Scripture declares a definite and particular atonement.
- Jesus died for "His people" (Mt.1:21), for "the sheep" (Jn.10:11 with 26).
- God purchased "the Church" with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
- Rather than being sad that not all are saved, let us be amazed that any are saved, that any dead are made alive.
- There are some texts which seem to teach that all will be saved.
- The only determining factor for whether one is saved or not is one’s relationship to Christ, the Mediator (John 15:1-5).
- The picture of grafting declares the existence of a living relationship with Christ.
- The saved are those who belong to Him, believe in Him, and receive from Him.
- Each believer (exercising the faith given to him) is a living member of the new vine of the human race.
- Also, the saved are a unity (not unconnected individuals) who together form the vine/body of Christ.
- The possibility of salvation is attributed solely to the Grafter, not to the grafted.
- We are grafted into Christ and are totally passive in the grafting (faith is the gift of God, Eph. 2:8).
- Our union to Christ by faith results in our receiving grace and life continuously from Christ, whereby we appropriate Him unto ourselves so He is experienced as ours.