God's Will, Not Mine

                                                      "But now that God has taken my salvation
                                                       out of the control of my own will, and put
                                                       it under the control of His, and promised
                                                       to save me, not according to my working
                                                       or running, but according to His own grace
                                                       and mercy, I have the comfortable certainty
                                                       that He is faithful and will not lie to me,
                                                       and that He is also great and powerful, so
                                                       that no devils or opposition can break Him
                                                       or pluck me from Him."

                                                           From The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther


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          Salvation is based on God's will and mercy and grace, not on man's will or works.


                                                "It (salvation) does not, therefore, depend
                                                 on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

                                                 Therefore God has mercy on whom He wants
                                                 to have mercy, and He hardens whom He wants
                                                 to harden."
                                                                                        Romans 9:16,18

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          Faith and grace and salvation are all gifts from God that no one can earn.


                                                 "For it is by grace you have been saved,
                                                  through faith -- and this not from yourselves,
                                                  it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that
                                                  no one can boast.
                                                  For we are God's workmanship, created in
                                                  Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
                                                  prepared in advance for us to do."
                                                                                        Ephesians 2:8-10

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          We are not saved because of our heritage, our own will, decision,
     or anyone else's will or decision, but born of God, through faith in Christ.


                                                  "Yet to all who received Him,
                                                    to those who believed in His name,
                                                    He gave the right to become children of God --
                                                    children born not of natural descent, nor of
                                                    human decision or a husband's will, but born
                                                    of God."
                                                                                           John 1:12-13

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          God made us alive when we were dead in our sins, forgiving us, canceling
     our debt due to Him for our disobedience, and giving His Son to take our place
     on the cross.
         


                                                    "When you were dead in your sins
                                                      and in the uncircumcision of your
                                                      sinful nature, God made you alive
                                                      with Christ.
                               
                                                      He forgave us all our sins, having
                                                      canceled the written code, with its
                                                      regulations, that was against us and
                                                      that stood opposed to us; He took it
                                                      away, nailing it to the cross."
                                                                                        Colossians 2:13-14

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          Jesus is our Victor, who, with His death, triumphed over our enemies,
     the devil and his angels.  Satan, who never had any power over God, is now
     totally defeated.


                                                     "And having disarmed the powers and
                                                       authorities, He made a public spectacle
                                                       of them, triumphing over them by the cross."
                                                                                         Colossians 2:15


                          ("The picture is of conquered soldiers stripped of their clothes
                            as well as their weapons to symbolize their total defeat.
                            The metaphor, 'triumphing over them,' recalls a Roman general
                            leading his captives through the streets of his city for all the
                            citizens to see as evidence of his complete victory").
                                                                                          NIV Commentary

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          The Holy Spirit sets His people apart to be holy, and almighty God preserves us
     in Christ, forever.  We need not worry about our future, for God is faithful and
     those He has called to salvation, He will certainly save.


                                                         "May God Himself, the God of peace,
                                                          sanctify you through and through.
                                                          May your whole spirit, soul and body
                                                          be kept blameless at the coming of our
                                                          Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls
                                                          you is faithful and He will do it."
                                                                                           1 Thessalonians 5:23-24


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          God has us safely in His powerful hands.  He has given us to Jesus as a gift,
     and Jesus gives us eternal life.  No one can take us away from Him or the Father.
    

                                                          "[Jesus said], 'My sheep listen to my voice;
                                                            I know them, and they follow me.
                                                            I give them eternal life, and they shall
                                                            never perish; no one can snatch them out of
                                                            my hand.

                                                            My Father, who has given them to me,
                                                            is greater than all; no one can snatch them
                                                            out of my Father's hand.
                                                            I and the Father are one."
                                                                                               John 10:27-30


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          Nothing can separate God's people from Him.


                                                            "For I am convinced that neither death
                                                              nor life, neither angels nor demons,
                                                              neither the present nor the future,
                                                              nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
                                                              nor anything else in all creation, will be
                                                              able to separate us from the love of God
                                                              that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
                                                                                                 Romans 8:38-39