Here is another song by musician/evangelist Philip P. Bliss. (He also wrote “Let The Lower Lights Be Burning” — a visually rich plea for believers be lights in this world, partnering with the Father, to guide seekers to salvation through Jesus.) “Once For All”, takes up a large truth, hugely important not just for the unsaved, but maybe even MORE so for all the saved who want to do Kingdom work, to help bring Jesus to others — to contribute to a world where everyone can meet Jesus, be restored and grow. Please give it a sing-along listen, then lets talk about keeping law and grace in their proper places.

Got air?

I’m probably not the only person who woke up one day and got surprised by a thought that goes something like, “Oh, my goodness! I need air to live and have no idea how to make it!” What a blessing that our actual life experience makes the sudden fear of not knowing how to make air for ourselves seem silly.

People can go through something like this when it comes to salvation. A person hears the good news, accepts the Lord’s gift of life and immediately enjoys marvelous days of gladness. Over time he starts learning how much he had been saved from — and forgiven for — and he begins to panic. He does not want to lose his salvation so he works to make himself worthy to keep it. He finds it more difficult to trust the rich supply of the Lord’s grace than it is to trust he’ll have enough air to breath. He goes from death to life to living more miserably than before.

Someone needs to shout “STOP THAT!”

What the Lord told Paul works for the rest of the Lord’s children, too. “… My grace is sufficient for you… [2 Corinthians 12:9a BSB]

The Bible is clear that salvation is not earned or maintained by our works. For example, Titus 3:5 says, “He saved us, not by works in righteousness that we did, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, …” [BLB].

Romans 3:20 says, “Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin” [BSB].

Ephesians 2:8 — “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” [BSB]

Trying to work to receive what can only be gotten through the Lord’s grace and mercy moves a person away from life and backwards towards death. On the other hand, as our song says, being free from the law is “a happy condition”.

Adding insult to injury

I hate to pile on, but there is one more thing we do well to remember. Not only does it harm us to move backwards toward death, it also insults the Lord. To work for His gift is to say it falls short of being a gift. That is no way to honor Jesus Christ’s sacrifice or celebrate his triumph.

Christ has redeemed us once for all

Once and for all we were bought with a price. Let us learn to be on the watch for anything — and everything — that tries to rob us of living in God’s grace and mercy. He made us to be His children. What a glorious calling!

How much work does it take to trust He will supply air today? Is it really so much more difficult to trust His grace is sufficient, too? The Lord is an ever-present help in times of need. “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith …” 

The Bible certainly speaks of “works” and how we fit in with them. For example, Ephesians 2:10 tells us “… we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.” [BSB]

2 Corinthians 9 — “… God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in every way, always, having all sufficiency, you may abound in every good work.” [BLB]

We can be confident the Lord will help us do our good part to see that this prayer, this decree — “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” — gets advanced while we are breathing His good air.

Let it be a song in our hearts that the Lord has made us to be salt and light in this world — and that, as dear children we can always trust Him, His grace and the perfect salvation He gave us once for all.

God bless you lots
-Dale R.

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Download this song sheet

LYRICS: Once For All
Text & tune: Philip P. Bliss (1873)

1 Free from the law, O happy condition,
Jesus has bled, and bought our remission;
Cursed by the law and bruised by the fall,
Grace has redeemed us once for all.

Chorus:
Once for all, O let us receive it,
Once for all, O friend, let’s believe it;
Cling to the Savior, answer His call,
Christ has redeemed us once for all.

2 Now we are free, there’s no condemnation,
Jesus provides a perfect salvation;
“Come unto Me,” O answer His call,
Jesus saves us once for all.

3 “Children of God,” O glorious calling,
Surely His grace will keep us from falling;
Passing from death to life at His call,
Blessed salvation once for all.

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