The new man in every believer is formed by God and inseparably united to Christ. We are ‘created in righteousness and true holiness’. The new man is a perfect work of grace whereby the Holy Ghost in regeneration makes all things new. He quickens, converts and creates a new heart and spirit in those born again. It is a transformative change. The old man represents the corruption of our fallen state in Adam. The new man is our new, holy state in Christ.

One of Paul’s purposes in writing the book of Romans was to encourage the Lord’s people in their troubles and show how ‘the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us’. He tells us ‘all things work together’ for our good. This ‘all things’ is comprehensive. It includes all the divine persons and all the elements of the everlasting covenant. It includes everything created. Let there be no doubt, God is for us. 

In Romans 8 Paul tells us all things work together for our good, that is, all things work together to deliver the glory God has promised to His beloved people. It is important to distinguish what is earthly good and temporal and what is spiritual good and eternal. The people of this world, being spiritually blind, measure joy and success in terms of earthly prosperity which is deceptive and fleeting. Spiritual men and women know with Paul, ‘that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us’.

Jude in his little epistle uses an interesting and unique expression to describe the gospel. He calls it ‘our common salvation’.  In doing so he encompasses all the stages by which God’s purpose of love for His chosen people is revealed in the covenant of grace. The phrase is a kind of shorthand. Jude does not unpack the elements of so great salvation here, yet by referring to it as the salvation common to all to whom he is writing, he shows it to be the whole work of God’s grace in the salvation of His elect.

The Doctrines of Grace describes a set of Bible teachings that summarise the gospel of Jesus Christ. They explain the nature of God’s free and sovereign grace in the salvation of sinners. When someone says they believe the ‘doctrines of grace’ they are saying they believe the Bible teaches the following truths with respect to man’s sinful state and God’s mercy. Sometimes these doctrines are called TULIP from the first letter of each heading.

Whenever believers speak together it is easy for us to decry the current state of the world. We lament the passing of what we imagine to be lost times and better days for the church. Most of us would say there is little on the horizon to make us think much improvement in morals or increase in spiritual interest is likely soon. Nevertheless, we should not be discouraged; God is still on His throne!