Consider the work of God: for who can make straight which He hath made crooked? (Ecclesiastes 7:13)
Behold how the work of God seems crooked in the eyes of natural human reasoning and wisdom. “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12). Consider the work of God in salvation.
1. Consider the work of God the Father. He has from eternity chosen a people and put them in union with Jesus Christ. Consider that the Father purposed them to be holy; not by their works or merits, but by the work of Jesus Christ His Son (Ephesians 1:3-6: 2 Timothy 1:9).
2. Consider the work of the Son of God. The Son was made flesh to represent all the Father gave him to save. Behold Jesus has accomplished all the righteousness and redemption of His people as their federal head and High Priest (Hebrews 10:12-14; Isaiah 53:6-11). And having accomplished salvation God raised him from the dead and sat Him upon the throne of God (Ephesians 1:20-23). All power is given to Jesus Christ for the purpose of giving eternal life to His elect (John 17:1-3).
3. Consider the work of the Holy Spirit. All men by nature are spiritually dead and cannot come to Christ by faith. The Spirit of God will quicken every elect and redeemed sinner to spiritual life and faith and none of them will fail to believe on Christ (John 3: 3-8; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; John 6:37-40:44; 2 Peter 3:9; Ephesians 2:8-10). And every one that believes on Christ will persevere in faith only because we are kept by the power of God (1 Peter 1:5; John 6:37-40). Therefore consider that “Salvation is of the LORD!” Consider that “Salvation belongeth to the LORD” (Jonah 2:9; Psalm 3:8). So then every believer rejoices when we consider God’s Work of Salvation.
But in the mind of the natural man, God’s Salvation by grace is crooked (Romans 1:18-25). Behold the vanity of the carnal mind to try to straighten out God’s Work of salvation to fit their scheme of works and free-will religion. O vain man, will you straighten God’s salvation when He has made it crooked in your mind? The truth is that God’s work of Salvation is straight and its man’s depraved mind and heart that is crooked. See then how God has made foolish the wisdom of men by His gospel of salvation by grace (1 Corinthians 1:20)!
-F.E