The Five Pillars of Salvation | Part 1

One of the five factors that hold up the gospel, listen to Adrian Rogers. I want to talk to you today on the five pillars of salvation, five impregnable pillars that rest upon the omnipotency of Almighty God upon which the house of salvation stands, upon which the temple of truth rests. And I want you to see today these five pillars of salvation, because if you do see them and understand them and you're a Christian, it's going to cause you to rejoice in your salvation all the more.

Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring profound truth simply stated by pastor, teacher and author Adrian Rogers. Have you ever thought about the intricacies of the gospel of Jesus Christ? The five factors upon which the temple of truth rests are absolutely interwoven.

If you take away any one of these factors or discredit its importance, the gospel comes tumbling down. What are these five pillars of salvation? If you have your Bible turned to Romans chapter eight, we'll begin in verse twenty eight.

Once again, here's Adrian Rogers. I want you to turn to Romans eight twenty eight and we're going to read Romans verses eight twenty-eight, twenty-nine, and thirty. Now these verses are very familiar, but I pray God that familiarity with them shall not have bred contempt but a greater reverence because of the great truths that there are here in these verses. 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, that is, God's Son, 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.

Now look up here. In Romans chapter eight verse twenty eight, there's a verse that we know so well. All things work together for good to those who love God. We rejoice in that, but you're never really going to rejoice in it as you ought or understand it as you ought unless you understand the two verses that follow it. I want to talk to you today on the five pillars of salvation. There are five impregnable pillars that rest upon the omnipotency of Almighty God upon which the house of salvation stands, upon which the temple of truth rests.

If you take away any of these five pillars of truth, then the entire thing comes tumbling down. What is the first of these five pillars of salvation? Begin in verse twenty nine and look at this verse here. Romans chapter eight and verse twenty nine. The Bible says, For whom He did foreknow.

For whom He did foreknow. The first of the five pillars of salvation is what I call the supreme wisdom of God. God's wisdom is unlike any other man's knowledge or any other person's understanding. Of course, God is not a man. God is God. Greater is He. Greater than anything, greater than everything, and all things is God. So His wisdom is supreme. Now we know after the fact, but God knows things before the fact.

This verse speaks of the foreknowledge of God. The Greek word proginosko, and it sounds very much like our word prognosis from which we get our word prognosis, but we get it from this Greek word, or prognostication. What is a prognosis? Well, if it deals with man, it's an educated guess. Now the weatherman, he makes a prognostication, a prognosis concerning the weather, but the weatherman is sometimes wrong.

Just when you plan a picnic, right? I heard a weatherman who had to leave one town and go to another because the weather didn't agree with him. Sometimes the doctor makes a prognosis. The doctor examines you and thumps around on you for a dollar a thump, and then he makes a prognosis.

And he says, you're going to get better, you're going to get worse, or this or that. But the doctor sometimes is wrong. I heard of a doctor who said to a man, you've got a year to live. That'll be $500.

The man said, I don't have $500. The doctor says, well, I believe I'm going to give you another year. And the doctor is sometimes wrong. But God's prognosis, God's foreknowledge, is not based upon guess or whim. God knows things before they happen. You say, well, I don't understand that. Well, you don't have to understand it because you're not God. As a matter of fact, I'm glad you don't understand it. I'm glad I don't understand it. I wouldn't have much confidence in a God I could understand.

I'm grateful that there are some things about God that I don't know. But let me try to illustrate it, if I might. If you watch a parade from the ground level, you see the floats as they come past one at a time. But suppose you could go up in a 20 or 30 story building and look down upon that parade, and you'd see the first float, and you'd see the last float, and you'd see all in between at the same time, because you have a different vantage point. Now, we live in history.

We see events as they come past one at a time. But God dwells in eternity, and God sees the beginning, and God sees the end, and God sees everything in between all at one time. And so God foreknows. He just knows everything. God knowing everything, He'll never learn anything, never forget anything.

He just knows. Of course, even when the Bible says He forgets our sins, that means He doesn't remember them against us anymore. But God has all knowledge, all knowledge. And so therefore I was in the heart and mind of God before He swung this planet into space. He knew that one day I would repent of my sins. He knew that one day I would receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. He knew that I would be standing in this place this day preaching this sermon, and you would be sitting here listening, for God knows the future. That is the supreme wisdom of God and how we thank God for it, how we rest in that mighty wisdom of God. Now, the second thing I want you to notice, let's continue to read here in Romans 8, verse 29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate.

Now right behind the supreme wisdom of God, I want you to write the sovereign will of God, the sovereign will of God. For whom he did foreknow, then he also did predestinate. That is, God has predestined certain things to happen. Now theologians have raced their theological motors talking about predestination. What is predestination? Well, Dr. Scofield, who edited the Scofield Bible, said, and I think rightly so, that predestination is the effective exercise of the will of God by which things before determined by Him are brought to pass. That is, God says, I am determined to do something, and then He does it. And the Bible calls that predestination. And when God predestines something to happen, all hell can't stop it, because God has predetermined that He's going to do it, and then He puts His omnipotency behind it to get that thing done. Now does this mean, therefore, that some are predetermined, predestined to go to hell, and that others are predetermined and predestined to go to heaven, and there's nothing we can do about it?

Absolutely not. The Bible teaches that any man who wants to be saved may be saved. There is nothing more damning, more debilitating, more stultifying, more killing and chilling to evangelism than the idea that some are going to be saved regardless and some are going to be lost regardless, and there's absolutely nothing that anyone can do about it. Let me give you some scriptures that'll put that idea to rest.

You jot them down. First Timothy chapter 2, verse 3 and following, For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved. Did you hear that? God will have all men to be saved. That is, He wants all men to be saved. That's what the Word who wills all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.

Not a ransom for some. There are some who say that Jesus Christ only died for the elect. He died for all.

A-double-L. Listen to it again. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all. And then listen to this verse, 2 Peter chapter 3, verse 9. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Read it again. All should come to repentance. God doesn't want anybody to die and go to hell.

It is a slander on the character of God to say that God created some people to die and go to hell. If people are not saved, it is because they choose not to be saved. Let me give you another scripture, Matthew chapter 23 and verse 37. Jesus is sitting on the Mount of Olives. He is weeping over the city of Jerusalem.

Great, salty tears course down His cheeks, and He says this, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou which killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen getteth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not. That is, Jesus said, I would have saved you. I would have forgiven you.

I would have gathered you together. I wanted to redeem you. But you said no. It is not because I did not will it.

It is because you refused it. Now some people think if you say that man has a free will that that takes away the sovereignty of God. It does not. The Bible teaches both the sovereign will of God and the free will of man. These are not contradictory.

They are mutual truths. Somebody says, Well, how can God be sovereign if man has a free will? Because the sovereign God has ordained that man would have a free will.

That is how. God says because I am sovereign, that is the way I want it. And if God wants it that way, whether you can understand it or not, that is no problem. The sovereign God has said that whosoever will may come. And so, dear friend, there is a sovereign God. Well, you say, What is all this stuff about predestination then?

What does that mean? Well, read it. The Bible says, For those that he foreknew, he predestined to what?

Well, let us read it. For whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. Now this is not some being predestined to be saved, but it is those that God foreknows who are predestined to be conformed to the image of God's Son that he, that is, God's Son, might be the firstborn among many brethren.

What does that mean? It means that God only had one Son. His name was Jesus, and God loved him so much he said, I want some more like him. And so God is redeeming a whole race of men, that all of these men might be conformed to the image of God's Son. And if you're saved, you're predestined to be like Jesus, and all hell can't stop it.

When God foreknew that I would receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord, when I of my will would repent of my sin and receive Christ, then God says, It is settled. Adrian one day will be like the Lord Jesus Christ. So the Bible says in 1 John 3, verse 2, Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be.

But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. We know it. We don't guess it.

We don't think it. You say, You're a dogmatic friend. I'm bulldogmatic. I am going to be like Jesus. It is predestined for those whom he foreknew. Them did he also predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. Don't get the idea, dear friend, that you don't have a choice about it.

You do. And you're going to give an account for the choice that you make today. I heard of a preacher who tried to figure out whether he wanted to be in that group of people who believed that you were called and sent by the Holy Spirit or whether you came to your own free will. And there was a group of theologians over here who believed one thing, and there were a group of theologians over here who were emphasizing free will on this side.

And on this side were the theologians who were emphasizing the sovereignty of God, and he was torn between the two. And he said, Well, I've got to be in one camp or the other. So he went to this camp over here, and he said, I'd like to join this group of theologians. And they said, Well, why did you come? He said, Well, I just came because I wanted to. I came of my own free will. They said, Of your own free will?

You can't come of your own free will. You don't belong here. Go to that group over there. So went to the other group, and they said, Why did you come?

He said, Well, I was sent. You can't come unless you come of your own free will. You can't belong to this group.

So the poor fellow didn't have a group to belong to. Friend, let me tell you something. There's no contradiction between the sovereign grace of God and the free will of man. Both are taught in the Bible.

But you put it down big, put it down plain, put it down straight. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And our job is to preach the gospel to every creature, as the Great Commission commands us to do so. And so, first of all, you see, dear friend, the supreme wisdom of God.

He knows all things. Secondly, you see, the sovereign will of God. This God has predetermined that those that He knows will receive Christ will be like the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the third thing I want you to see, the third pillar that rests upon the omnipotency of Almighty God and upon which this temple of truth stands, is what I call the seeking Word of God.

Let's continue to read. Verse 30, Moreover, whom He did predestinate, then He also called. God seeks us. God calls us.

This word call literally means to issue a summons. You see, God foreknows that we will receive Him. God predestines that those who receive Him are going to be like the Lord Jesus. And then God sends His Word. God sends His gospel. Now what is the call of God? You know that people say, Well, one of these days if God wants to save me, He'll just call me and then I'll be saved. Now what do you think the call of God is? Do you think God's going to say, Hey, Adrian, you never call me that way. Well, what is the call of God? You say, Well, it must be an emotional feeling.

You must be sitting in church sometimes and then you get all warm around the heart and wet around the lashes and you get goosebumps and the angels play tic-tac-toe on your ribs. And you say, Hey, now that's the call of God. You don't read anything like that in the Bible. What is the call of God? The Bible says, Whom He foreknew He predestinated, and those that He predestinates He calls. Now what is this seeking Word of God? How does God call? Through the preaching of the gospel, friend. Let me give you some scriptures that will make that very clear and plain. Second Thessalonians, the second chapter, verses 13 and 14. But we're bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, whereunto He called you by our gospel. Did you hear it?

How did He call you? By the gospel. Do you know what is happening here today?

God has seen this scene before it ever happened. You're here. I'm here. I have an open Bible. God has called me to preach. God has ordained me to preach. God has filled me with the Holy Spirit to preach. God has given me His Word to preach. God brought me here to preach. God brought you here to hear it, and God is calling you through His gospel.

That's what He's doing. He is calling you. When God wants somebody, He calls that person, and He calls you through the gospel. Let me give you another scripture. First Corinthians chapter 1, verse 23 and following. But we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Now it's not that God just goes through a congregation and He calls this one.

He doesn't call that one. Friend, He's calling everybody here today. The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And God called a preacher and said to that preacher, Call my people by preaching the Word of God.

And one of these days God is going to hold you accountable for what you do with His summons. There is the seeking Word of God. That's the third of these pillars of truth.

Now what's the fourth one? And friend, here's the good part. The saving work of God.

Continue to read. Them He also called and whom He called, them He also justified. That's the saving work of God. When He calls a man by the gospel and that man answers the gospel call, then that man is justified.

Now what is justification? Well, it is God's act whereby He declares those who have trusted in Christ to be as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself is righteous. Now put your bookmark there in Romans 8 and turn back to Romans 4 with me and look, if you will, in verse 5. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now what does that say? It says that salvation is not because of the works that we do, but when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God counts our faith for righteousness. God says to the believer, you are righteous.

Verse 6, even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works. Do you know what imputation means? You know what amputation is. You take something out.

Imputation is where you put something in. God imputes righteousness. That means He puts righteousness on your account. You go down to the department store and buy something. You have a charge card.

You say, charge it. Next time just say, impute it. It means the same thing. Put that on my account. Now God puts righteousness on your account. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousness without works. That is, I don't deserve it. I didn't earn it.

I don't merit it. But God, when I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, God just imputes that righteousness. And when God sees me, He sees that righteousness. He sees Jesus Christ. You say, that's arrogance.

No, it's not. It's Bible. I am in Christ, and therefore He cannot see my sins. He sees the righteousness of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. A Sunday school teacher asked a little girl, is there anything God cannot do?

And the little girl sweetly said, yes, there's one thing God cannot do. God cannot see my sins through the blood of Jesus Christ. But I want to tell you there, friend, this thing called justification is more than just pardon.

It is promotion. It is not just simply that He forgives our sins. He does far more than forgive our sins. He doesn't just acquit us.

He makes us righteous in His sight. You see, no court of law could ever justify anybody. No human court. I mean, if you go to a human court and the grand jury has indicted you, and you go through trial, they can do one of two things. I mean, on the one hand, they could say, you've been acquitted.

What does that mean? It means they couldn't prove you were guilty. They didn't justify you. They just couldn't prove you were guilty. So you're acquitted. Now, maybe you weren't guilty.

But the court can't justify you. It either says you were guilty or you're not guilty. If they couldn't find you guilty, they acquit you. Like a man who stole a watch and the judge said, you're acquitted.

He says, does that mean I have to give the watch back? The courts sometimes are wrong. Or if you're found guilty, the court may pardon you or the governor may pardon you or the president may pardon you. But whether they acquit you or whether they pardon you or whether they punish you, they cannot justify you. Only God can justify you. Only God can take someone who is guilty and take that guilty person, that sinful person, and give to that person righteousness. Only God can do that.

That's what the Bible calls justification. This is the saving work of God. After listening today, you might have questions regarding your faith in Jesus Christ. We'd love to offer you an insightful resource on our website. It's our Discover Jesus page. There you'll find answers you may need about your faith.

We have a response section as well. You can share how this message or others have impacted you. Go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus. We can't wait to hear from you. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message, you can call us at 1-877-LOVEGOD and request the title The Five Pillars of Salvation.

You can also order online at lwf.org slash radio or write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Thanks for studying with us in God's Word today. Remember, though we may slip back into sin, our destiny is settled by His grace.

Rejoice in that truth today and share it with someone else. And we hope you'll join us next time for more timeless truth right here on Love Worth Finding. A listener wrote recently with this word of encouragement, thank you so much for airing these brilliant sermons on the radio. I like the one about the assurance of salvation. Many Christians have lots of doubt.

It's one of my favorites. Well, we love hearing how these messages and resources have helped you grow in your faith. When you give to the ministry this month, we want to send you our Tapestry Faith and Forgiveness Journal. Adrian Rogers said, your faith is the measure of your victory and success. This beautiful, flexible leather bound journal is full of nuggets of wisdom and insights that are sure to encourage and equip you in your faith. Request Tapestry Faith and Forgiveness when you call with a gift at 1-877-LOVEGOD. Or you can give online at lwf.org slash radio. And again, thanks for your generous support of Love Worth Finding.