(God's Creation of Adam. Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel in the Public Domain)
April 11
God’s Gracious Contrivance [1]
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace”
Ephesians 1: 7.
That salvation is by grace appears in its contrivance. As their salvation was contrived by God so as was said, this salvation was undertaken by one of the three; to wit, the Son of the Father (John 1: 29; Isaiah 48: 16).
Since there was a . . . [stratagem] in heaven about the salvation of sinners on earth; yet if the result of that . . . [plan] had been that we should be saved by our own good deeds, it would not have been proper for an apostle or an angel to say: “By grace ye are saved.” But now, when a council is held in eternity about the salvation of sinners in time and what the result of that council shall be; that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost will themselves accomplish the work of this salvation—this is grace. This is naturally grace! Grace that is rich and free! I will say it again, this is unthought-of grace. For whom could have thought that a Savior had been in the bosom of the Father, or that the Father would have given him to be the Savior of men; since he refused to give him to be the Savior of angels?
Grace appears in the Son’s undertaking this work. Again, could it have been thought that the Father would have sent his Son to be the Savior? We should, for reason, have thought also that he would never have taken the work wholly upon himself; especially that fearful, dreadful, soul-astonishing, and amazing part thereof! Who could once have imagined that the Lord Jesus would have made himself so poor as to stand before God in the nauseous rags of our sins and subject himself to the curse and death that were due to our sin? By this he saved us by grace.
[1] “Contrivance” is the use of skill to bring something about or create something.