Psalm 119:155

Dr. Ronnie Wolfe

Salvation is far from the wicked. Even though the message of God's grace in salvation can be very close to each one, yet salvation itself can be so far away; because man's heart is alienated from God and is deceitful and desperately wicked. The heart seeks not the Lord (Romans 3:11). Our hearts seek only that which pleases the flesh, and our lusts bring sin alive and in the end brings death.

Without the initiating grace of God, man will continue in his wickedness, speaking of those things which he does not understand and continuing in his prideful heart doing only civil righteousness but cannot produce a righteousness unto salvation.

for they seek not thy statutes.  If only man could seek the rules of God, his commands to come unto him and to put trust in Jesus Christ, then he could bring himself to salvation; but man has his own congenital rules, those with which he is born. These rules guide his life, and they only can be his master. God's rules are too high and holy for a man, yet man must meet that highness and holiness before he can have salvation.

This is why salvation is completely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and his work in life and in death, knowing and being persuaded of Christ's will to be both satisfaction and sacrifice for the sins of everyone who will believe.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.  The Son of man sought me and bought me, and now I belong to Him. Thank God for his marvelous and abounding grace!  Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.