AI-assisted analysis for orientation; read the source transcript or listen to the sermon to evaluate the interpretation.
The sermon teaches a strongly monergistic doctrine of salvation: election and predestination precede salvation, Christ accomplishes redemption, and the Holy Spirit applies it through regeneration. Repentance, humility, prayer, faith, hope, and love accompany salvation, while gratitude, obedience, consecration, knowledge, and sanctification follow it. These graces do not earn salvation; they reveal that grace has genuinely come to the sinner. The sermon concludes with confidence that believers will overcome death through resurrection and enter eternal fellowship with Christ.
Theological center: Salvation is sovereignly accomplished by the Father’s purpose, Christ’s atoning blood, and the Holy Spirit’s regenerating work, with spiritual graces following as evidences rather than causes.
Applications: Examine the Spirit’s Work · Come With Repentance · Trust Christ Alone · Obey With Gratitude
Primary texts: Hebrews 6:9 · John 3:6 · 1 Corinthians 15:55
“Things that accompany salvation.” Hebrews 6:9 I AM not quite certain that my text will warrant all I shall say upon it this day if read and understood in its connection. But I have taken the words rather by accommodation than otherwise and shall make use of them as a kind of heading to the discourse which I hope to be enabled to deliver. I sat myself down and I meditated on this subject—“Things that accompany salvation.” And after some period of meditation my thoughts assumed the form of an allegory, in which I hope to present them to you this morning. I compared Salvation to a rich and costly treasure which God in His infinite love and mercy had determined to send into the world. And I remembered that our Lord Jesus was so much interested in the bringing of this Salvation to this earth, that He did send all that He had, and came Himself to attend and to accompany this Salvation. I then pictured to myself a great march of bright ones through this land carrying in their midst the sacred jewel of Salvation. I looked forward and I saw a mighty vanguard, who already had attained the shores of Eternity. I looked around Salvation and I saw it always in every case attended with divers graces and virtues which seemed to be like troops and soldiers to guard it in the van, about its flanks, and in the rear. Before we begin, however, let us just make this caution. When the apostle speaks of virtues and of graces, he calls them “things that accompany salvation,” not things which cause it. Our faith does not cause Salvation, nor our hope, nor our love, nor our good works. They are things which attend it as its guard of honor. The origin of Salvation lies alone in the sovereign will of God the Father—in the infinite efficacy of the blood of Jesus—God the Son—and in the divine influence of God the Holy Spirit. There are, however, “things that accompany salvation.” Picture then to yourselves the march of some ancient monarch through his territory. We read stories of eastern monarchs in the olden time that seem more like romance than reality. They marched with thousands of flying banners and with all kinds of riches borne with them. Now you are to take that as the basis of my figure and suppose Salvation to be the sacred treasure which is being carried through the world—with guards before and guards behind—to accompany it on its journey. We will begin, then, with the advance guard that has accompanied Salvation or rather gone before it. We shall then come to those who immediately precede it, and then we shall notice those who accompany it by its side, and conclude by n…