Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1908-02-13
The Scheme of Salvation.

For by grace are You saved through
faith and that not of Yourselves; 1t is
the gift of God not of works lest any
man should boast For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
unto good works which God hath be-
fore ordained that we should before
walk in them. -Eph. 2-S-1O.
God never forces salvation on any
one independently of their will, but he
allows them an agency or choice in
the matter He has always set life
and death before the people and called
on them to chose who they will serve
He said Il call heaven and earth to
record this day against You that have
set before you life and death, blessing
and cursing, therefore choose life that
both thou and thy seed may live. -
Deut 30-19
The Lord never forced blessings on
his people, neither blessings of this life
or salvation from sin; but always offer
ed them upon conditions upon which
they were able to comply and in so do
ing set life and death before them. II
they chose life they did it by comply
ing with the conditions; if death, by
refusing to comply with the condi-
tions.
don't understand we are justified
by grace alone. Romans 81 says:
Therefore being justified by faith we
have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ. Not faith alone
for James says, "Ye see then how by
works man is justified and not by
works alone" Again we find we are
Justified by the blood of Christ and
in Romans we are Justified by knowl-
edge" Isaiah says we are Justified
by works
In salvation there are two parts, the
| divine and human. There were soule-
things necessary to be done in order to
mans salvation which he could not do
and this is the divine part, 1t was
the part of God through Christ to pro
vide salvation for man and place it
within his reach, within his power. so
that by the exercise of the power
which God has given him the control,
he can obtain the salvation which the
Lord has provided for him. The pro-
vision of salvation is by grace, the
enjoyment of it is certainly condition
al. | can't understand how any sober,
unpreiudiced mind can believe other
wise. 1t is impossible that man is so
totally depraved he cannot believe and
obey God. Grace through faith links
the divine and human part together.
Grace is the gift of God. Man
would boast, if by his inventions, his
wisdom or works he could save him
self, hence not of works lest any man
should boast, by grace we give God
the glory for having provided saliva.
tion for the world through Christ and
men can and have obeyed God in all
ages. There is no contradiction to the
Scriptures that commands us to 'worh
out our own salvation with fear anG
trembling" There are three kinds Of
works spoken of in the Bible: "Oui
own works, ''the works of the law
and the good work God has ordained
we should walk in SO when we art
working out our own salvation it mus
be in Gods vineyard, not after oul
own wise inventions
The Savior made confession a con
dition of salvation when he said
"Whosoever, therefore, shall confess IN,
before men, him will confess before
, my father which is in heaven. Blu
whosoever shall deny me before mel
} him will / also deny before my fathe
who art in heaven. - Matt. 1899
Repentance is condition of saliva
ton: Except We repent We shall al
likewise perish. Baptism is condi
tion of salvation, He that believetI
and is bartised shall be saved and h
that believeth not shall be condemn
ed. "
5 Now, as | understand, when W
comply with all these conditions we d
Q not purchase the blessings by payin
an equivalent for it and thus brin
t God under obligations to us, but W
only discharge a duty we justly owe t
him. For to ''fear God and keep hi
: commandments is the whole duty G
man. and the number to saved will h
' "Whosoever will. A. NJ.