The Doctrines of Grace

A poetic walk through the historical doctrines of grace regarding God’s freedom to save.

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A walking corpse 
Asleep in sin
 Buried in my trespasses
Dead in my transgressions
 
A bound will
Free to sin
 At liberty to only fall short
Boundless within my non-confession
 My lack of profession
 My freedom — a mere deception
 
A fallen reason
 Unable to discover
 Unable to seek
 Unable to find
Unable to recover
 
A hatred of God
 Loving my sin
Clinging to my filth
Committing eternal crime
 Yet still sensing God’s grace in guilt
                                                                                                                                
Drawn from the grave
 From which I was born into and came
 Pulled from death
 Given new life
 New breath
 A new heart
 This one made of flesh
 
Chosen
 Not on the basis of what I had done
But by His free will
 His choice
Saving me by His only begotten son
 
Limited
 To His defined decree
 According to not mine
 But His nature
 So that God remains free
 
Definite and particular
 Specific and for His own
 Only His sheep hear His voice
 His drawing effectually brings them home
 
Irresistible
 So sweet the sound that pulled on me
I was once kicking
Bound and broken
 But now I’m yoked
 And yet in Him I’m now free
 
Unable 
To jump out of the hand that had snatched me
I am saved from death
By the Will that grabbed
Paid
Secured
And captured me
 
Opposite
Toward death I was headed
 Straight to the pit of hell I was bound
But my shepherd grabbed this lost sheep
By His grace I was found
 
To endure
I am now able
To preserve
To continue without falling away
Without habitually going astray
 
The good seed
 Fell on the good soil
 It grows slowly
Remaining un-foiled by Him only

Continually and fully
Growth slowly carries
Though some challenges present their tarries
I can now no longer be defined by my former life of sin
But by He who now dwells within
 
Fall away
Some will now depart
Growing faint
Uprooted
Though they shot up with a start
But never were they in
They do not remain because within still rules sin
 
For His glory
 And for His workmanship
 We build His kingdom
In Him we now find our will
True freedom
Pre-ordained by His infinite wisdom
 
Oh! That the sinner might turn!
Oh! That the Christian would stand firm!
His promise is forever
But the time does now draw near
Not so we would grow faint and fear
But trust in His salvation
His precious Son
The Lord of all creation
The one who hath said,
It is done.