March 25, 2025 - Psalm 86:10 - "The One Who Does Wondrous Things"

Psalm 86:10

"For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: Thou art God alone."

This verse proclaims God's sovereign majesty—the One Who alone does wondrous things. It is a declaration of His absolute authority, His mighty works, and His exclusive role in the salvation of sinners. In light of sovereign grace, we see here the Gospel of Christ, the Word made flesh, Who bore the weight of our sins upon the cross. These words reflect the very heart of Christ’s suffering, as He gave glory to His Father, just as He did in John 17:1-2, knowing that the Father would bless His completed work on behalf of those for whom He died.

As the Lord Jesus hung in agony, forsaken by the Father to suffer and die, He bore the wrath due to the sinners whom the Father had given Him to save. Yet, amid His suffering, His trust in the Father never wavered. Even in His deepest affliction, He proclaimed the Father’s faithfulness in His redemptive work on the cross. Christ’s suffering was not in vain—it was the fulfillment of God’s sovereign purpose, the accomplishment of the wondrous work of redemption for His people. The cross itself was the greatest "wondrous thing" ever accomplished—the perfect redemption and justification of the elect, obtaining their salvation through sovereign grace alone, as affirmed in 1 Corinthians 15:55-57. When Jesus cried, "It is finished" (John 19:30), He echoed the truth of Psalm 86:10: God alone is great, and He alone accomplishes salvation. In Christ, the sovereign God did what no man could do—He redeemed His people with His blood, (Acts 20:28).

The depravity of our flesh leads us to wrongly believe that we must contribute something to our salvation—whether by earning it, achieving it, or maintaining it. Our sinful nature always seeks a share in the glory, rather than submitting to the clear testimony of Scripture that salvation is in, by, and through the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Hebrews 1:3 declares, "When he had by himself purged our sins..." Christ Jesus is the LORD, the Word of God, the Gospel, and the very manifestation of the grace of God. He alone earned and established the perfect righteousness necessary to satisfy the Father's law and justice. Then, laying down His life, He shed His righteous blood unto death, so that God the Father might justify His elect fully and finally at the cross (Romans 5:9-11).

Many blindly misread the Word of God, believing that something more is required for salvation beyond what the Lord Jesus Christ has already accomplished. Some claim that a sinner must first experience an inner work of grace that enables him to perceive Christ and call upon Him before he can be saved. Others insist that faith must be exercised first, even asserting that faith is a gift from God, yet holding that until a sinner exercises it, they are not saved. This view subtly shifts the focus from the wondrous work of God to some supposed work of the sinner. But the truth of Scripture is clear: everything necessary for the salvation of a sinner has already been accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Faith and coming to Christ are not conditions for salvation but the effects of His finished work. The Lord Jesus Christ alone has done wondrous things in His righteous life and redeeming death, and therefore, all glory belongs to Him. This is why He is called "Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).

Psalm 86:10 declares the unrivaled greatness of God: "For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone." This truth is the foundation of True Faith—God alone is sovereign, and His works are mighty and marvelous, accomplished through the Lord Jesus Christ alone. In Christ, we see the greatest of these wondrous works: the redemption of sinners through His effectual and finished sacrifice on the cross. No one else could accomplish salvation; no other name can save (Acts 4:12). From beginning to end, salvation is the work of a sovereign and gracious God Who alone is worthy of our trust, worship, and devotion.

Let us, then, rest in His greatness, rejoice in His wondrous grace, and proclaim that He alone is God. May we ever acknowledge that His sovereign hand rules over all in creation, providence, salvation, and condemnation. Therefore, to Him alone belongs all glory, now and forever.