God’s Narrative

Sinners are enemies of God (Rom 5:8, 10). They are ungodly rebels, who are exposed by the Law of God, as transgressors (1 Jn 3:4). Sinners position themselves in the direct line of God’s anger (Ps 7:11), hatred (Ps 5:5; 11:5), and wrath (Rom 1:18). The work of the sinner is to sin against God. Sinners love their work (Jn 3:19), and they hate God (Rom 1:30), who exposes their evil (Eph 5:11),

Sinners, being the sons of disobedience, are heirs of the first man, Adam. All have sinned, in Adam (Rom 3:23; 5:12), and because the wages of sin is death, in Adam, all die (1 Cor 15:22).

All people are conceived with Adam’s bequeathed inheritance (original sin), which means all are spiritually dead at conception (1 Cor 2:14). All are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1), making them children of wrath by nature (Eph 2:3).

For a season, sinners born in the flesh will have an animated biology — in some cases for one hundred years or more. Still, human flesh is a body of death, and before it dies, it will sinfully lust in all of its members. It is illogical that natural man’s dead soul and decaying body would boast with pride, but such is the total depravity of man (Rom 3:10–12).

Sinners are responsible for their sin nature (guiding and governing principle), and for the sins produced by the works of the flesh. Human nature that is dominated by sin nature will find the mind (Eph 4:17), the heart (Jer 17:9), and the will corrupted (Rom 8:7). Every inclination of human nature is only evil all the time (Gen 6:5).

Sinners continue to sin, all the days of their flesh. Only when the body dies does one cease from sinning. Sinners must contend with the biblical fact that it is appointed once for a man to die (body), and then comes the judgment (Heb 9:27).

The standard by which sinner’s will be judged is the Law of God. Sinners are condemned already, in the womb (Jn 3:18) because of Adam (Rom 5:12–21). God’s standard is perfection, and when He judges, God is true and just. God the Father has entrusted all judgment to Jesus Christ, the God-man (Acts 17:31). Jesus proved He was impeccable during His incarnation (2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15). All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him (Mt 28:18). Our Lord Jesus Christ reigns over all (1 Cor 15:25; Rev 11:15), and He is Judge of all (Acts 10:42; 2 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5).

A Day of Judgment has been set in the future when all people must appear before the great white throne of Christ’s judgment seat (Rev 20:11). Everyone will give an account of their deeds done in the flesh (2 Cor 5:20). Vessels of wrath (Rom 9:22), that is, guilty sinners will suffer eternal punishment in the lake of fire (Mt 25:41, 46; Jude 7; Rev 20:14–15).

God has decreed mercy for the vessels of mercy appointed to eternal life, in the predetermined plan of God (Acts 2:23; 13:48; Rom 9:23). It was His eternal good pleasure and purpose to choose a people for His own possession (Rom 11:5), a holy nation that He would redeem from the curse of sin, death, judgment, wrath, and fiery hell (Rom 5:8; 1 Cor 1:30). In love, He predestined this chosen race to adoption as sons (Rom 8:15, 23; Eph 1:4–5; 1 Pet 2:9). He promised He would be their God, and they would be His people (Gen 17:7; Jer 31:33; 32:38; 2 Cor 6:16; Heb 8:10).

God demonstrated His love for the elect (Rom 5:8; Eph 5:25), by sending His only begotten Son into the world (Jn 3:16), to save His people from their sins (Mt 1:21). While they were yet ungodly sinners (Rom 5:6), Christ died for them on the cross of Calvary (1 Cor 15:3). He shed His blood for the forgiveness of their sins (Mt 26:28; Eph 1:7), and these are justified by Christ’s precious blood (Rom 5:9; 1 Pet 1:19).

In God’s unconditional covenant of grace, He promised to do all that was required to reconcile the enemies He chose to love (Rom 5:10), by His free will and gracious choice (Jn 1:13; Rom 11:5; 1 Pet 2:9). This reconciliation meant He paid-in-full, the debt of sin owed by each one who belongs to Him (1 Cor 3:23; Col 2:14). He purchased His people back from the slave market of sin (Rom 6:6; 1 Cor 6:20; 7:23), in the same way the prophet Hosea redeemed his wayward wife, Gomer.

With His perfect work, Jesus Christ alone has secured right standing before God His Father (righteousness). When God’s elect, who are redeemed by Christ, are sent the Holy Spirit — an issuance of the gift of salvation — the Spirit indwells the sinner, who becomes a saint by His grace (Jn 14:17, 26; 15:26; Acts 2:38; 10:45; Rom 8:9, 11; 1 Cor 3:16; Gal 4:6; Eph 2:8–9; 2 Tim 1:14; Titus 3:5).

The Spirit brings imputed righteousness from Christ’s work and applies it to the one He has caused to be born again (Jn 3:1–8; 1 Pet 1:3). The Spirit Himself is the life of God (2 Cor 3:3; Heb 9:14), now living in the soul made alive (spiritually) by His very presence (Eph 2:5; Col 2:13). By this combination of acts by the Trinity, God saved us in a public display of His love. He has given those who have received Jesus Christ (Jn 1:12), by the grace of repentance and gift of faith (Acts 5:31; Phil 1:29), an inseparable union with Christ (1 Cor 1:30; Gal 2:20; 1 Jn 4:13).

God is love (1 Jn 4:8), and love predestined us to eternal life (Eph 1:5; 1 Jn 5:12). Love redeemed Christ’s church by the death of God’s Son on the tree (Rom 5:8). Love poured out light and life into the hearts of those God loved with an everlasting love (Jer 31:3).

Here is the glory of the reconciliation of sinners saved by grace (2 Cor 5:18–20). We, as former enemies of God, without hope in the world (Eph 2:12), have been reconciled to God in the only way acceptable to God. Jesus Christ is the way (Jn 14:6). Christ died for us, to gather us to His own body, His church, the flock of God (Ps 23; Jn 10), the Israel of God (Gal 6:16) that He might save us in His life (Titus 3:5; 1 Jn 5:12).

He also died, and then sent His Spirit, to prepare us for eternity (sanctification), and that He may present us holy and blameless before the Father (Eph 1:4; 5:27; Col 1:22), as He reconciles all things to Himself. All things in heaven and on earth, must be brought into submission to His Lordship (Ps 110:1; 1 Cor 15:27), whether that be for the destruction of this present creation (2 Pet 3:10–12), or in eternal hell, or in the new heavens and the new earth where righteousness dwells (2 Pet 3:13). Everything will be put right. He has given us His Word on this, and this is why we exult in God.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

May 17, 2022