June 19th, 1930

According to our promise we will try to write a few more lines on this subject-the final preservation of the saints, or the possibility of a child of God being finally lost. This time we want to begin with the language of Paul, the inspired apostle to the  Gentiles, as recorded in (Romans 8:28-34), which reads as follows: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the  called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of  God, who also maketh intercession for us. In this text the apostle declares that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”  This text has often been quoted to prove that all things in existence, and all things that ever transpire, work together for good to them that love God, etc. It is very evident that the apostle means no such thing by this expression, for the simple reason that he tells us in (Galatians 5:17) of two things that do not work together. In that place he tells us “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”  Here are two things that work against each other. They work in opposition to each other. They are contrary to each other. Therefore, they are not working together, but contrary to each other. This is a condition that exists in the life of every child of grace, so that they cannot do the things they would. What would they do? They would live free from sin and above and without sin. This is the great longing and desire of every child of grace; but they cannot do that, for the simple reason that they still possess the same old sinful nature which they always had. They still have the same fleshly nature to contend with, and on account of still having the same old sinful and fleshly nature, which is contrary to the Spirit, they cannot do the things that they would. They will have this warfare as long as they live in this world. And this warfare within is an unmistakable proof and evidence of the fact that they are in possession of the Spirit, and proves that they are the children of God. It is also true that God and Satan are not working together. Is it true that God and the devil have formed a partnership business and are working together for the accomplishment of one certain end? Is the devil working together with God, and in harmony with Him, for the accomplishment of the eternal happinesss and glory of the Lord's children? They must be thus working together, if the expression “all things work together”  means all things in existence work together. Nobody but Absoluters believe that expression means that; and, if their doctrine be true, they may ascribe as much glory and honor for their salvation to the devil as to the Father or to Jesus Christ; for, according to their doctrine, the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit and the devil are all working together for their salvation and eternal deliverance-for their eternal deliverance from what? According to their doctrine they are all working together for their final deliverance from the predestination of God; for they say that God predestinated all their sins. Every child of grace knows, when he rightly considers, that this doctrine is not the truth. If the term “all things”  always means everything in existence, when it is used in the Bible, then there is nothing under the un which does not belong to every child of God in the universe, for the apostle says n (I Corinthians 3:21-23) “Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are our's; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.”  If one of the Lord's children should see a stray horse going around he might take the horse up and lay claim to him under the plea that “all things are yours,”  according to the Absoluters. But we did not begin to write this article to refute the doctrine of the Absoluters. We have digressed, though what we have said is true. The “all things”  the apostle had under consideration are described and mentioned in the text. In (Romans 8:31) he says, “What shall we then say to these things?”  What things? These “all things”  which are working together for their good. What all things are working together for their good, then? God the Father is for them in foreknowledge and predestination; God the Son is for them in atonement and justification; God the Holy Spirit is for them in calling them out of nature's night and darkness into the glorious light and liberty of the children of God. The final end and design to be accomplished by the work of these three divine persons in the Trinity is the glorification of every heir of promise. God the Father knew them in some special sense in which He did not know others. “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” - (Matthew 7:23). Is there no sense at all in which He knew them? Certainly, He knew them as wicked men, sinful beings; but He did not know them as He knew others. There is a special sense in which He knew others that He did not know these. So, there is a special sense in which He knew this people- the heirs of  promise. They were known as His covenant people before the world was; for the covenant was an everlasting covenant. See (Hebrews 13:20-21). The Father not only knew them in the covenant, but He predestinated that they should be conformed to the image of His Son. This is the eternal purpose of the Father. He has purposed it, and He will also bring it to pass. Thus it is clear that God the Father is for them in foreknowledge and predestination. Then God the Holy Spirit is for them in calling. The Spirit calls all that the Father knew in the covenant and predestinated should be conformed to the image of His Son. This is the direct and immediate work of the Spirit, and it is accomplished without any human agency or works of men. Thus, the Father and the Spirit are working together for the final salvation and deliverance of every child of grace. The Spirit not only calls them out of nature's night and darkness, but also preserves and keeps them. God the Son is for them in making atonement, or in justification. The Son works with the Father and the Spirit. They are working together-not at variance. The Son died for all that the Father predestinated should be conformed to His image-all that the Father gave Him for an inheritance. Thus, the three are working together, and all that these three do works together for one end, which is the glorification in heaven of all those  who are called according to God's purpose. They are called by the Holy Spirit according to the purpose of the Father. They will finally be glorified in heaven, for the apostle emphatically says, “and whom He justified, them He also glorified.”  God's children are all justified. They are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” -(Romans 3:24). “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”  This is a stronger way of saying that no one can successfully be against them. If no one can be against them, successfully, then they must all necessarily be finally glorified with Jesus in the heavenly world. Since God is for them, then all the powers of darkness combined cannot drag one of them down to eternal night. If the Father spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for them, will He not also freely give them all things necessary to their final happiness and glorification in heaven? Surely, since the Father gave His darling Son, the darling Son of His bosom, to suffer and die for them, He will give all things else necessary to land them safely on the shores of eternal bliss and glory. He is going to see to it that not one of them is lost. “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?”  His elect are those the Father knew in the covenant and predestinated should be conformed to the image of His Son. Since all their sins are charged to the Son, who shall lay anything to their charge? “The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” -((3:6) (Isaiah 53:6).

Since the Lord has laid all their iniquity on His Son, now who shall lay anything to their charge? Since nothing can be laid to their charge, how can one of them sink down to eternal night? If one of them should be cast down in everlasting darkness and ruin, they would go there without sin or iniquity, and without anything being laid to their charge. God has justified them. Though they were, in nature, ungodly, yet God justifieth the ungodly.-(Romans 4:5). Since they are justified by the Lord Himself, then no one can condemn. The law has been satisfied in the person of Christ for them, and therefore the law cannot condemn one of them. And Jesus is making intercession for them; He is praying for them; and the Father always hears and answers the prayer of His beloved Son. They will all finally be with Him in glory, for Jesus has prayed, “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” -(John 17:24). They will all finally be there. We are hoping for that final deliverance. May the Lord bless these precious truths to the comfort of our readers. We may write a little more on this subject next week. C. H. C.