Revelation 22:16  "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star." The Book of Revelation has often been treated as a cryptic roadmap to events still to come—a prophecy chart of wars, disasters, and cosmic upheavals awaiting their final fulfillment. But this common approach overlooks the very first words of the book: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ… to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass” (Revelation 1:1). Rather than projecting its meaning thousands of years into an uncertain future, John’s vision unfolds as a present and urgent message to the first-century congregations to whom the risen and reigning LORD Jesus has sent His angel (messenger) to testify of them in the churches. Written to suffering believers under Roman persecution, Revelation is not a codebook of modern headlines, but a divine unveiling of Christ’s finished work and His enthronement as King. In its pages, we see the Lamb Who was slain reigning from the midst of the throne, the vindication of His people, and the judgment upon those who opposed His Gospel. It is the announcement that the kingdom promised in the prophets has come, established in power through the cross, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Far from fueling fear of the unknown, Revelation was—and still is—a book of comfort, assurance, and victory for the people of God, declaring that the reign of Christ is a present reality, not a distant hope. “I Jesus…” —the One Who bore the sins of His people in His own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24), Who by His once-for-all offering perfected forever them that are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14). Here, He affirms His authorship of all that John has seen and heard. This is no mere prophetic musing, but the direct word of Him Who is “King of kings, and Lord of lords.” The Gospel of God rests on the certainty that salvation begins and ends in the Person of Christ—He Who calls His sheep by name, Who gives them eternal life, and Who sovereignly brings to pass all decreed events in history. “…have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.” These “things” are the very visions of judgment and triumph described in this book. Their primary fulfillment lay in the climactic end of the Old Covenant order in AD 70, when Jerusalem’s temple fell under the wrath of the Lamb, as He had foretold (Matthew 24). The “great city” - Jerusalem in Revelation 11:8 whose destruction was imminent- " The great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.” This is the clearest identification that the “great city” is not Rome here—it is Jerusalem, the place where the LORD Jesus was crucified. Calling it “Sodom” and “Egypt” is covenantal language for apostasy and rebellion. Christ sent His messenger to make these realities known “in the churches” of the first century—not as abstract predictions for a far-off age, but as an urgent word to saints living in the shadow of that imminent judgment. The churches would need this testimony to endure persecution, to understand the shaking of the heavens and the earth (Revelation 6:13) , and to rejoice in the certain victory of their LORD. “I am the root and the offspring of David…” Here is Christ’s claim to both being the promised seed of David and the Davidic fulfillment. As the “root,” He is the eternal source of David’s line—David sprang from Him, for “without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). As the “offspring,” He is the incarnate Heir to David’s throne, born of the virgin according to the flesh. God's sovereignty is displayed in that this throne is not inherited by merit or succession, but established in righteousness by the eternal decree of God, Who set His King upon His holy hill of Zion (Psalm 2:6). “…and the bright and morning star.” The night of the Old Covenant had passed by His death on the cross, resurrection and ascension into Glory. The Daystar had arisen. Through the lens of redemptive history, Christ’s coming in judgment on apostate Israel was also the dawning of the New Covenant in its fullness—the clear Light of the Gospel to the nations. For His elect, scattered across Jew and Gentile alike, He shines as the Forerunner of the everlasting day, the pledge that darkness is forever past. Here, at the close of Scripture, the sovereign Christ stands revealed as the Alpha and Omega of redemption’s history—Root and Offspring, Judge and Redeemer, and the Light of the world. And all is of Him, through Him, and to Him, for He is the Bright and Morning Star Who reigns now and forever.

Romans 5:9 "Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." This Scripture in God's inspired Word declares the glorious truth that God’s elect were fully and finally justified through the blood of Christ. It underscores that justification—the divine act of declaring sinners righteous before God—is not something we earn or add to by our works or faith, but was entirely accomplished once for all at the cross. Through Christ’s sacrificial death, the penalty for sin was fully paid, satisfying divine justice and establishing the believer’s right standing with the Father. There is only one justification of sinners before God, and that was accomplished by Christ in His death on the cross. There is no other ground or means of justification; it is complete, perfect, and everlasting solely because of what the LORD Jesus accomplished on the cross for His chosen people. There is but one justification, whether viewed from before the foundation of the world, by faith or through works. It was all accomplished at the cross. Consider the following summary: Justification viewed from before the foundation of the world It is not the Lamb slain before He was slain but the Lamb Whom God appointed to be slain and therefore Who did come as predetermined by God before the foundation of the world and sacrificed His life unto death in the Father's appointed time, " Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me," ( Psalm 40:7); (Hebrews 10:7). Justification viewed by faith Faith is not the instrument of justification; Christ’s death is! Faith is the God-given persuasion to believe God’s Word and see that righteousness is already accomplished and fulfilled in the death of the Savior and Substitute, " Therefore being justified, by faith we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ:" (Romans 5:1). Justification viewed through works Our works do not justify us before God. They are the fruit of God the Father having justified us exclusively upon completion of the death of His Son, as our Substitute. The subsequent works (regeneration, conversion, faith, and repentance) are the fruit of Christ’s righteousness imputed to His people already at the cross: "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?  Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way" (James 2:21-25)? Justification accomplished at the cross What could be simpler? Justified by His blood, "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24). At the cross is where sin was put away. Because Christ put away the sin, there remained nothing but righteousness to impute, " For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). There is one place, at one time, and one Sacrifice that redemption and justification were accomplished, "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:10-14). For God the Father to be just and justify those He gave to His Son to redeem, there was a complete satisfaction of His law and justice in two ways: First, there was the debt of obedience to the precepts of the law that the LORD Jesus Christ fulfilled, not just in the outward letter of the law, but the very spirit of it. Second, was the satisfaction of the penalty of the law by His obedience unto death, " And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8). To put the justification of sinners anywhere but at the cross is to deny the finished work of the LORD Jesus. " Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:9-11). This is the only justification of His people before the Father. Nothing else is required by God, and nothing more is desired by His people.

Hebrews 11:32 "And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets:" If Samson’s name were not recorded in the list of the Old Testament saints as one of the LORD’s, ( Hebrews 11:32) , would we consider him so? He loved a harlot, and was so committed to her that he brought on himself the most dreadful evils, even death. What can we learn from this?   Grace reigns!  Is this an example of sinning that grace may abound? God forbid, ( Romans 6:1) . Yet, the fact is that “Grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our LORD,” ( Romans 5:21 ). Although Samson lived before the LORD Jesus Christ came to this earth, and lived and died on his behalf, yet God was forbearing with his sin, " Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" ( Romans 3:25) , having purposed all his sins to Christ Who would come and bear them in His death on the tree, "And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15). On that basis, God was just in declaring him righteous and granting him eternal life, by Jesus Christ, just as with any who are the LORD’s. It is only by Christ’s obedience unto death that any of us were made righteous, and God has forgiven sins, " For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous" ( Romans 5:19).   God did not punish Samson for his sin, but certainly chastened him with his sin.   His example should cause any who are the LORD’s to fear even the slightest influences of sin in the heart and conscience. Perhaps the greatest chastening is recorded in Judges 16:20 , “He wist not that the LORD was departed from him.”   The LORD had not completely given him over, as with reprobates, but for a season, left him to his own devices to humble him and cause him to cry out to Him for mercy once again. As one writer stated, “No sweet communion with his dear LORD as heretofore. No precious assistance from the Spirit. No inward testimonies of His love, and gentle whispers of peace to his soul…He goes from ordinance to ordinance, but he finds not his LORD in them. All is dry formality, dreary and uncomfortable.”   The LORD caused Samson’s heart to return unto Him once again. Just as with any of the LORD’s beloved, chosen, and redeemed ones, the LORD does bring them again and again to cry out to Him for mercy . “Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O LORD God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee,”  ( Judges 16:28 ). Was this not the thief’s prayer on the cross?  Was not mercy granted because of Christ’s work alone? Samson, by God's grace, served as a type of Christ in Grace. Samson’s life, as recorded in the book of Judges, is both a warning and a wonder. In himself, he was a man of great weakness, marred by sinful passions and repeated failures. Yet, by the sovereign grace of God, he was chosen before birth, set apart as a Nazarite, and empowered by the Spirit to begin delivering Israel from the Philistines. In this, Samson serves as a faint and imperfect shadow of the LORD Jesus Christ — the true and sinless Deliverer. Where Samson fell short, Christ triumphed. Samson’s strength was fleeting; Christ’s power is eternal. Samson’s victories were partial and temporary; Christ’s conquest over sin, death, and hell is complete and everlasting. The grace that sustained Samson despite his sins reminds us that salvation is never earned by human merit but is given freely according to God’s sovereign covenant purpose. Even in his death, Samson points us to Christ: “ And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines… So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life” (Judges 16:30). In a far greater way, Christ “through death… destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14) . Samson’s final act, accomplished in weakness yet owned by God, prefigured the Redeemer’s death in perfect strength — a death that obtains everlasting deliverance for His people. Samson’s story is the story of every sinner saved by grace: chosen of God, often failing in ourselves, yet upheld and used by His power for His glory. On every page, the greater Samson — our LORD Jesus Christ — stands as the only true and faithful Deliverer. He was numbered with transgressors, (Mark 15:28), yet never a transgressor Himself. Thanks be to God for our Greater Samson, Who in His death obtained the salvation of His people.

Ephesians 1:5,6 "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." The apostle Paul, writing this Spirit-inspired Word, lifts our thoughts to the eternal counsel of God and the glory of His sovereign grace in Christ. These words bring before us the eternal purpose of God the Father, accomplished in the finished work of Christ on the cross, and revealed in time by the Holy Spirit to those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. From eternity, God determined to bring a people into His family—not by merit, decision, or worthiness on their part, but solely “according to the good pleasure of his will.” This adoption is not a process of trial or probation; it was accomplished fully and irrevocably at the cross, when the Son of God, in the place of His elect, satisfied divine justice and reconciled them to God. There, the legal right to sonship was sealed in His blood, and every hindrance to their acceptance was forever removed. Yet, though adoption was accomplished once and for all at Calvary, its comforting reality is made known to each child of God in time by the effectual call of the Spirit. At the time of regeneration, the Spirit of adoption enters the heart, bearing witness that the sinner is no longer a stranger and foreigner, but a son and heir of God through Christ. It is in that gracious revelation that the adopted one begins to cry, “Abba, Father,” (a term of endearment that means 'daddy') and to live in the liberty of a child who has been made “accepted in the beloved” (Christ). What then are the effects of God’s sovereign grace in Christ for the adoption of His elect? The adoption of God’s chosen people rests entirely upon the unchanging purpose of His predestinating grace in the LORD Jesus Christ. Paul declares: “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”  (Ephesians 1:5–6) This eternal purpose was legally accomplished  at the cross. In the fullness of time, the eternal Son of God took on our nature, placed Himself under the law, and by His redeeming work secured for His elect the full right of sonship: “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”  (Galatians 4:4–5) Though adoption was finished in Christ’s death, it is graciously revealed  in time by the Holy Spirit. Those whom the Spirit draws are brought out of bondage into the liberty of children, knowing God as their Father through the inward witness of the Spirit of adoption: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.”  (Romans 8:14–16) This adoption is purely a privilege of God's sovereign mercy and grace —undeserved, unearned, and entirely the work of God in Christ: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God...”  (1 John 3:1) With this sonship comes an eternal inheritance, for all of God’s children are heirs of the Father and joint-heirs with Christ : “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”  (Romans 8:16–17) In this glorious work, we see the unshakable foundation of adoption in God’s sovereign will, the finished accomplishment of it in Christ’s death, the personal revelation of it by the Spirit, and the eternal blessings that flow from it—all to the praise of the glory of His grace.

2 Timothy 2:10 "Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." We never know when it will please God to reveal His imputed righteousness in Christ in one of His chosen ones, but He will in His time. In the meantime, we may have to endure much opposition and trial in declaring this Gospel Truth, that when the LORD Jesus Christ laid down His life on the cross, it was there that God once and for all declared every one of the elect justified before Him, " Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" (Romans 4:25, 5:1). The question is, ‘What is it about this Doctrine that causes such opposition, even in some who may well be elect of God, that as yet the Spirit of God has not revealed in them this Truth of the FINISHED WORK of the LORD Jesus?’ The principal reason is the depravity and blindness of the heart that keeps them from seeing the clear testimony of Scripture. We all have a prejudice toward what men teach, rather than what the Word has to say. We all have our bias toward certain writers' positions because we would rather justify ourselves rather than God, so we hold on to the grave clothes that only the Spirit of God can unloose to free us, " But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away" (2 Corinthians 3:14-16). The other answer is how our self-will wants to be right in our own eyes rather than confess that we have been wrong and need the LORD to bring us to Him again in repentance and the acknowledging of the TRUTH,   " I n meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;" (2 Timothy 2:25). How easy it is to preach that others must repent, yet ourselves resist the need for God to do a work of repentance in our hearts. The notion that we have already repented and therefore don’t need further repentance is contrary to the True Word of God. Biblical repentance is an ongoing work of the Spirit in the heart, where the Spirit of Grace is at work there is a continual cry unto the LORD to grant repentance even of our repentance, that in every way, our hearts be aligned with the TRUTH as it is in Christ, " Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:10-11). How hardened is the heart when we act like the ostrich with its head buried in the sand, saying, ‘I have already made up my mind, please don’t confuse me with the facts!’ When it comes to how God justifies sinners, the clear declaration of the Word is that: it is in, by, and through the blood shed unto death of the LORD Jesus Christ alone, " Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" ( Romans 3:24) . We dare not even add the words ‘based on’ or ‘on the ground of’ to allow for those who believe that the elect were justified by God before time ‘based on’ what Christ would accomplish or those who say that it is upon believing ‘based on’ what Christ did at the cross. NO! Let’s not be guilty of adding to what the Scriptures declare in Romans 5:9, “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” It does not say ‘based on’ but BY His blood. What can we conclude then of those who refuse to bow to the clear declaration of Scripture? They may well be the elect of God, ones whom God has already saved and justified at the cross, but has not yet taught by His Spirit. For them, we can and do endure all things for their sake. If not, then those who oppose should fear that by arguing against this Truth, they may be reprobated. For those of us that the LORD has taught, let us not be weary in well doing in giving testimony to no other righteousness than that ordained of God, earned and established by the LORD Jesus, imputed at the cross and revealed by the Spirit in the heart of those that Christ’s blood has justified already. Despite the opposition, we can rejoice that in God’s time it will be when it pleases Him to reveal Christ in one of His own, " But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace," (Galatians 1:15). Faith proves itself to be a genuine grace of the Holy Spirit when it submits to and trusts in the righteousness of God in Christ alone for justification, His blood for pardon and His all-prevailing merits and intercession for life- " Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4). Faith glorifies the LORD Jesus as God’s High Priest Who put away sin and honors Him as King to rule and govern and yields obedience to Him as God’s Prophet to instruct in the Truth.

Psalm 118:27  "God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar." What a glorious testimony we have here in this Old Testament-inspired Word, of the Revelation of Christ and Redemption in Him through the sovereign grace of God. In the shadows of Old Testament worship, the psalmist declares that God is the LORD —Jehovah is God—and He has “ shewed us light.” This is not merely the light of outward religion or moral reformation, but the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God shining in the Face of Jesus Christ. Here, the Spirit of God lifts our eyes to see that salvation is not by man in any way, but revealed by God Himself to those He elected in Christ before the foundation of the world, and for whom He sent His Son into the world as a Man to pay their sin debt by His death on the cross. It is God Who makes Himself known, and it is God Who has ordained the Sacrifice of His Son for the Satisfaction of His law and justice. He has provided Himself the Lamb, and Himself as the Lamb (Genesis 22:8). When the psalmist exhorts, “Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar,” we are brought to consider the ultimate offering—Christ, the Lamb of God, willingly bound by sovereign purpose, led to the altar of the cross. The cords were not ropes of man's making, but the cords of everlasting love, the decree of divine justice, and the unbreakable covenant of Grace. Here, then, we are led to contemplate the glorious work of the LORD Jesus—our Sacrifice and our Light—Who was not only revealed to us, but also given for us as His elect children. This Scripture points us to its fulfillment in the Person and finished work of Christ—God's chosen Redeemer, bound and offered once for all to save His people from their sins. God  [El-The Mighty One] is the LORD  [Jehovah-The Eternal Covenant God], Who hath shewed us Light [ “Christ Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person…” - Hebrews 1:3 ]  bind the sacrifice  [one slain as part of one of the feast days] with cords  [used to tie the sacrificial victim], even unto the horns of the altar [horn-like projections at each corner of the altar].        Knowledge of God in Christ is by His Sovereign revelation alone, by His Spirit. God causes the glorious Person of Christ to shine in the hearts of His children as an indication of His grace toward them in Christ ,   “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to   give   the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” ( 2 Corinthians 4:6 ) The darkness of ignorance and unbelief is dissipated and yields to the glorious knowledge of the LORD Jesus, and His effectual Sacrifice for their sin. All true Spirit-given FAITH is concerning the LORD Jesus and His Sacrifice for sinners at the cross. The LORD Jesus is that willing, sinless Sacrifice Who was bound by God’s decree, His law and justice, and the sin of those sinners the Father gave Him from eternity to save. He offered Himself up as His Sacrificial Lamb once for all, that He might be just and justify those He chose from eternity, " By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all..... "For by one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:10, 14).        In the light of this Scripture, we behold the wondrous grace of our covenant God Who has made His light to shine upon us in the Face of Jesus Christ. He who is the Lamb slain (since) from the foundation of the world is the One to whom the sacrificial cords point—the very altar to which He was bound for our eternal redemption as His elected children. This binding was not by force of man, but by the will of God and the willing offering of the Son, Who gave Himself in love for His chosen people. Here is the glory of sovereign grace: not that we sought Him, but that He sought us, gave Himself for us, and has brought us into His marvelous Light. May our hearts therefore be fixed in praise, and our lives offered in continual thanksgiving, for the LORD our God has truly dealt bountifully with us in Christ.

Galatians 3:6 “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” There are many today who testify that they believe IN God or that there is a God, but don’t believe God. They say they believe that the Bible is the Word of God, or that it contains a word from God, and yet they do not believe THE GOD of the Bible. When the Scriptures tell us that Abraham believed God, it is regarding how God was pleased to reveal Christ in him and how that when the fulness of the time would come, God would send forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we (including Abraham and all of the LORD’s elect before and since the cross) might receive the adoption of sons, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). 1.) Abraham believed God: The revelation of the Promised Seed; Christ, by Whom God would justify sinners by HIM, in His coming, doing, and dying, “ And he believed in the Lord ; and he counted it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). 2.) It was accounted to him: What was accounted to him? Romans 4:5,9 tell us that FAITH was accounted to Abraham for, or, UNTO that righteousness that Christ would earn, establish, and finish. Righteousness was not imputed to Abraham until Christ completed the work, but FAITH was accorded to him to look to the day when Christ would come in the fullness of the time and fulfill it. He and all of God’s elect in the Old Testament were granted FAITH because of the Christ Who would come and accomplish it on their behalf. Today, we, since the cross, look back by God-given FAITH to Christ Who came and finished the work. It was not the act of FAITH that was Abraham’s justification. His FAITH that was attributed to him was unto that righteousness. The word ‘for’ here means ‘unto’. It underscores that the righteousness was yet to be fulfilled, but the Promise of it, revealed to Abraham, was ‘unto’ or ‘toward’ its fulfillment when Christ would come. Abraham and all of God’s elect in the Old Testament age died believing the Promise and trusting God to justify them upon completion of His redemptive work. And, in time, their justification was accomplished exactly as God promised in THE FAITH granted them by Grace, " Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it (FAITH REVEALED) the elders obtained a good report" ( Hebrews 11:1-2). “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:38-40). The Bible does not teach that Abraham was inherently righteous, or that his faith, in itself, made him righteous. Rather, it reveals that the faith given to him by the Spirit of God enabled him to look beyond himself to the promised Christ, trusting in the righteousness that God would one day reveal and accomplish in His Son. Abraham believed the Gospel as it was preached to him—that in his seed, which is Christ, all nations would be blessed (Genesis 22:18) . His faith was counted to him for righteousness, not because of the act of believing, but because of the Object of that faith: the righteousness of Christ. Yet Abraham, like all the elect, was not justified until the cross—when Christ, by His obedience unto death, established that righteousness and brought in everlasting justification. Like all Old Testament believers, he died and went to Sheol, the place of the dead (Luke 16:19-31) , to wait for the Promised Redeemer to come and, through His resurrection, raise them and bring them with Him into heaven upon the completion of His redemptive work (Ephesians 2:6) . Abraham’s faith looked forward to what Christ would do; our faith now looks back to what Christ has finished. In both cases, it is by Christ alone—through His sacrificial death—that all the elect are justified. One Faith. One Sacrifice. One Righteousness.

1 Corinthians 15:17 "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." How vital is the resurrection of the LORD Jesus in the salvation of sinners? The inspired Word declares that had our LORD not risen from the dead, there would have been two devastating and eternal consequences: 1. ‘Your faith is vain’ - The LORD Jesus, and all of Scripture had declared that the LORD Jesus would not only lay down His life, but that God would not suffer His Soul to see corruption, and would rise again the third day (Matthew 12:40, 16:21, Luke 24:46-47, I Corinthians 15:3,4) . Faith, to be true, must have a trustworthy Object and must be proven to be founded on the Truth. Had not Christ risen, He would have been proven a liar, and His work then a sham, and those who believed on Him, followed Him, and pointed others to Him as the only Savior would have been proven to be liars and untrustworthy as well. 2. ‘Ye are yet in your sins’ - As vital as faith in Christ’s work, so the effect of what Christ said He would accomplish. His purpose in coming, living, and dying, was to be the just Satisfaction for guilty sinners whom God purposed to save from eternity. Romans 4:25 declares that His DEATH was essential for the putting away of sin, but His resurrection as proof that sin had been put away, and that those for whom He died were subsequently justified, " Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." How important then is the cross work of Christ, not only in His death, but His resurrection, to ACCOMPLISH the salvation of God’s elect. Hallelujah! What a Savior! "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." But thanks be to God, He is  risen indeed! The resurrection of Christ is the seal of God the Father upon Christ's finished work at the cross. It is the Father’s public declaration that the debt has been paid, the law has been fulfilled, and every elect soul has been justified in Christ. Without the resurrection, there would be no gospel, no hope, and no salvation. But because He lives, our faith is not vain—we are no longer in our sins but are made righteous in Him already. May we rest, therefore, in the risen Christ, rejoice in His triumph, and proclaim the victory of His sovereign grace with boldness and joy.

Philippians 3:3 "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." This verse is a concise yet profound description of the true believer—those who are born of God, given hearts to worship the LORD Jesus Christ in Spirit and truth, and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Here, the apostle Paul sets forth the distinguishing marks of God’s elect, contrasting them not only with the carnal religion of the Judaizers, but with every fleshly confidence that exalts itself against the grace of God. To worship God in the Spirit is no mere external ritual, but the fruit of the revelation of Christ in the heart, life given by the sovereign will of God, not by the works or will of man. This Spiritual worship is the result of the Spirit’s indwelling, by Whom we cry, “Abba, Father,” and by whom we are brought into communion with the living God. Our rejoicing is not in religious performance, but in Christ Jesus Himself. His person, His righteousness, obedience, and blood shed unto death at the cross, and His triumph over the world, sin, and Satan, in rising from the dead and ascending back into glory. The Spirit glorifies Christ in the hearts of His people and gives them a foretaste of glory— by the earnest of the Spirit, a pledge of full inheritance upon the death of the child of God, in God's time. Because of the depravity of our sinful flesh, we have no confidence in it. Rather, every remnant of human merit is cast away. The Spirit of Christ has taught us to renounce ourselves, and by His witness, we rest wholly in the finished work of Christ. In this inspired Scripture, we behold the Spirit of Christ as the earnest of our inheritance—the seal of God’s eternal purpose in His elect, the surety of our preservation, and the divine witness that we are Christ’s and Christ is ours (Romans 8:16). By the finished work of Christ on the cross, He put away the condemnation of the flesh of His people (Colossians 2:11-13). His circumcision by His death on the cross was the circumcision of His people, wrought not with hands, but revealed by the Spirit, who causes them to worship, to rejoice, and to rest in Him alone. The work of the Spirit in the heart does not produce a perfect nature in the elect child of GOD. The LORD has purposed not to give us a sinless nature on this side of glory, much like the promised land was not perfect in which the children of Israel entered, ( Exodus 23:26-33) . It was the land which the LORD gave them, and yet in entering, they were called upon to do battle in the name of the LORD, ever leaning upon His Word and promises. What God has given us, His redeemed and justified children, is His Spirit as an ‘earnest,’ 2 Corinthians 1:22 ; Ephesians 1:13-14 , whereby He has sealed every one of those for whom Christ shed His precious blood, Romans 8:1 .  They are sealed for two reasons: 1.      As a sign of approval of them as chosen in Christ, and redeemed and justified by Him at the cross, ( 2 Timothy 2:19) . 2.      As a protection to keep them from ever falling away or being taken away by Satan, sin, self, or the world, ( Jude 24) . The Spirit is the earnest in that He is the Guarantor or Witness of all that God has promised to accomplish as the fruit of the FINISHED work of Christ.  The word ‘earnest’ is a reference to money deposited by the purchaser, which in men’s courts may be forfeited if the purchase was not complete.  Here, however, it is not an earnest made by men, but God Himself,   and that after our LORD Jesus ALREADY PAID the full payment of the sin debt of His people, and put it away forever.  Therefore, it is more like an official seal put on a legal document of acquittal, and God’s assurance that what HE has purchased through the blood of His Son, He will indeed realize in their full, final, and everlasting glorification. In Modern Greek, it is an engagement ring, given after all of the requirements have been satisfied between the Father of the bride and the proposed spouse.  It is the Holy Spirit, then, and not some inward, infused, sinless nature that is God’s pledge of ALL our future eternal blessings, particularly as pertains to our eternal inheritance, ( Galatians 4:6) .  It is the Spirit’s work to illumine, keep, and preserve in THE WAY, those that our Heavenly Father has chosen in electing grace, justified by the blood and righteousness imputed of His blessed Son, and called effectually to Him in repentance. It is the Spirit’s work to produce in the child of God the affections and desires to walk in a manner that brings glory to our LORD Jesus, by whom the Father declared them righteous and sanctified by the death of His blessed Son, their Substitute.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."   While delusion is the effect of a darkened, sinful, condemned heart, God in His sovereignty does seal, in that blindness, those that HE has given over to their reprobate mind, " And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;" ( Romans 1:28) .   There is no greater damnation than those who profess themselves to be wise in things of God, and yet are fools, " Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools," ( Romans 1:22) .   What then are the evidences of being yet in darkness and blindness? 1.  A profession based on outward form rather than Christ only, v. 9:  It doesn’t matter whether it is a profession based on walking an isle, raising the hand, bowing the head, or even miraculous healing. These are all empirical [ concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience]  and NOT faith.  Faith does NOT walk by sight, but by the revelation of Christ Jesus in the heart, by God’s Holy Word, " For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" ( 1 Peter 1:24, 25) . 2. A profession deceived by unrighteousness- v. 10: The only righteousness that God the Father has ever approved and accepted is that which the LORD Jesus Christ, His Son, came, earned and established, and upon completion of His work at the cross, God the Father, once for all, imputed to the spiritual account of every one of His elect, at one time, one place, and One Offering, " Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" (Romans 3:24).  In those who are perishing, although religious professors, they find comfort in external, man-made ordinances because they cannot perceive the Person and Work of Christ in ALL His glory as THE RIGHTEOUSNESS of God. However, the truth is that no matter how they perceive themselves, God declares them unrighteous still, except that the LORD Jesus has paid their debt and will yet draw them. If not, they continue under the delusion of being righteous when God the Father declares them unrighteous. These are those who do not and will never receive the love of the Truth (Christ) that they might be saved by His accomplished work of salvation alone.  Nothing and no one can shake them from their false delusion of a supposed ‘free-will,’ or any other work of their own that they believe contributes to their salvation, in cooperation with the work of the LORD Jesus. One of the greatest delusions today is among those who say that salvation is by grace, on the ground of, or based on the death of the LORD Jesus, and yet refuse to believe that the work of justification was completed when Christ died on the cross. They say that although Christ died to save the elect, they are not justified until God gives them faith to believe. That means that the death of Christ did not actually put away their sin, because they are said to continue under the condemnation of their sin until they believe. This makes faith the savior, and not the finished work of Christ alone, of which Faith is the evidence of having already been justified at the cross, and not the instrument of justification. 3. A Profession founded on delusion and not the revelation of the Spirit in the heart, v. 11,12: It is God who sends them strong delusion, not only that they should believe a lie, but that they might be eternally damned in that lie.  How solemn a judgement this is!  People deceived in their false profession, thinking themselves to be the LORD’S, and boasting of being His in their testimonies, without ever having seen their lost estate or been drawn by His Spirit of Grace to the LORD Jesus Christ alone.  The only thing worse than dying in ignorance is dying in rebellion, having loved their darkness, rather than THE LIGHT, because their deeds (even their supposed good deeds) were evil, "" And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19).   How dangerous then is the delusion of the spirit of antichrist in them and the damnation of those who perish because of a willful rejection of the truth! They "received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." Yet, how blessed are they whom God in His sovereign grace has plucked from the same ruin, causing them to believe the Truth and delight in Christ and His finished work on the cross alone as ALL of God's salvation! May every heart humbled by the Spirit of Grace rejoice—not in self, nor merit, nor personal insight—but in the eternal love and purpose of God, Who chose them in Christ before the foundation of the world and saved them in time at the cross. If we are one of these blessed elected, redeemed, justified, and effectually called-out sinners, then we can have no safer Refuge than the LORD Jesus Christ alone. It's not in our faith, but in Him Who is the Truth, and Who by His Spirit draws His people to believe on Him and freely receive the eternal blessings of HIs work completed and accomplished already for us when He died, rose again, and ascended on High (Romans 8:34).

John 6:39 "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." This scripture is of great comfort for those whom God the Father sent His Son to save. Here we are brought face to face with the eternal purpose of God in the salvation of His people. The Savior declares the Father's will—a will that cannot be thwarted nor diminished—concerning those whom He has given to the Son. This is a clear and comforting revelation of sovereign grace, rooted not in the will or worthiness of sinful man, but in the unchanging counsel of God, fulfilled by the perfect obedience and finished work of Jesus Christ. Although many who hear the Message of the Cross pass by in unbelief, yet we have this confidence, that the LORD will draw every sinner for whom He shed His blood. The fact is that He did not die for every single sinner. He said, “...of all which He (the Father) hath given me I should lose nothing...” There is a number which no man can number, who shall, by His Almighty Grace, be brought to look to Him as the blessed Redeemer and cling to Him as the Hope of their souls because He purchased them, putting away their sin and justifying them when He died for them, “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...” (Revelation 7:9). Isaiah declared, “He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied...” (Isaiah. 53:11). He will, in the day of His power, make them willing to believe the LORD Jesus in Truth as ALL their salvation, " Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth" (Psalm 110:3). Those who may for now be hardened in sin, He will break their hearts, bend their knees and make them run to Christ according to HIS good pleasure! Salvation is of our LORD in the purposing, procuring, and performing of it, “ Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ...” (Philippians 1:6). Salvation, from beginning to end, is the work of God’s grace, Christ Jesus alone. So complete was the finished work of the LORD Jesus that none can perish for whom He paid their sin debt at Calvary. None were justified until He came and earned and established their righteousness to the satisfaction of God the Father. Therefore, once satisfaction was made, “...there is therefore now, NO CONDEMNATION...”(Romans 8:1). Hebrews 9:12 states, “...having obtained eternal redemption for us..." Once obtained, satisfaction was made and there and then God the Father, once for all, imputed righteousness to the spiritual account of all that He had chosen out from eternity and for eternity. Eternal redemption means forever, and as Christ Jesus declared in John 10:28-30, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one." What assurance and rest this scripture gives to the soul weary of self and trusting wholly in Christ and His finished work alone. The eternal will of the Father, the perfect obedience of the Son, and the sealing work of the Spirit all unite in the salvation of every elected sinner given to Christ. Not one shall be lost. Not one will fall away. Christ will raise up His blood-bought people at the last day, not because of their faithfulness, but because of His. May we therefore rejoice in God's unbreakable covenant of grace, resting in the unchanging love of God for His elect in Christ, and giving all glory to the LORD Jesus, Who came not merely to make salvation possible, but to secure it fully for all that the Father gave Him. To Him be praise and dominion forever. Amen.

Acts 8:36,37 "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Why baptism? Isn’t salvation all of grace in the work of the LORD Jesus Christ alone? Yes! Salvation is in, by, and through the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of the LORD Jesus Christ alone. Those for whom He accomplished salvation are elect of God the Father, before the foundation of the world, whose salvation was accomplished in the fulness of the time, " But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law," (Galatians 4:4). They are called by the Spirit of God in time to Christ, and according to Christ’s command submit to water baptism (immersion) as a testimony to the completed work of the LORD Jesus on their behalf. How did the Ethiopian eunuch even know to inquire about water baptism? Was it not that it was taught to him by Philip as the way of confessing the LORD Jesus, whose Spirit had already begun His work of grace in his heart? Before ascending into glory, our LORD commanded His disciples to go into all the world and preach the Gospel baptizing in the NAME of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19). One NAME...one GOD in whom salvation was purposed by the Father, accomplished by the Son, and revealed by the Spirit. The One Name is Jesus in Whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells, "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9). "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved, " (Acts 4:12). The Greek word for baptize means to ‘immerse’ or ‘dip’. That is because it represents the work of Christ in saving His people by His death, burial, and resurrection. However, just as the Gospel of Christ has been perverted by natural minds, so has water baptism (immersion). Decisional ‘regeneration’ has become the norm in pseudo-Christianity whereby salvation is attributed to making a profession of ‘faith’ by walking an aisle, raising the hand, bowing the head, or repeating a prayer, which is then followed up with a discipleship class, leading up to qualifying for baptism. We find no such practice in the Bible. It simply says, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized,” (Acts 2:41). No prequalification or precondition is required in preparation other than the Spirit of God revealing Christ and His finished work in the heart of one of God’s elect. The watery grave of baptism is an apt picture of the death of Christ. Only the believer can truly testify and rejoice in His death because God has given him eyes to see (1 Corinthians 2:7-10). Who then may be baptized? (Acts 8:37) . Do you believe in your heart that Jesus is THE CHRIST, God’s Son, anointed and appointed as the Substitute for His people? Has God made Him Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption to you (I Corinthians 1:30) ? If so, then not only may you, but you should want to identify with the LORD Jesus in water immersion. Here we see the glorious simplicity and power of God’s saving grace in salvation declared. Just as with the Ethiopian eunuch, the inward work of the Spirit had already quickened his heart to believe by the time Philip, led by the LORD, approached him. He was already reading the Scriptures and longing to know the Person of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke—not merely what was spoken. Philip did not call for a work or demand any worthiness, but simply affirmed: “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest.” That believing heart was not natural, but a gift of God’s grace. The eunuch confessed, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” This was not the result of human will or effort, but the fruit of God’s revelation of Christ in the heart, raising him from spiritual death and blindness, and causing him to believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and His finished work alone. Christ is both the Object and the Author of Spirit-revealed faith. By His sovereign and saving grace, the LORD seeks, teaches, and draws His people—causing them to rest and rejoice in the sufficiency of Christ’s accomplished redemption.