Cody's loss leaves a large hole in our hearts, most notably his dear wife Winna, his sons, Austin and Cade, his daughter Andria, his granddaughter Claire, his parents Walter and Betty, and the rest of his large family. All of them will be in our prayers. Our Lord is able to comfort the heart in times of suffering like this.

Cody's loss will also be felt all across the Yucatan Peninsula. In addition to being a missionary, Cody was the pastor of the churches in Merida and Cancun. I count it a great blessing to know many of our brothers and sisters there. Even though we don't speak the same language, we speak the same heart language of grace. Please pray that our Lord will soon send our brethren there another faithful pastor after His heart who will feed His people with Christ (Jeremiah 3:15).

While we sorrow there is also great joy. Our sorrow because of our loss is justified and our joy for Cody is justified too. Our joy at this sad time is justified because our gospel is no fable. The forgiveness of sin in Christ is real; righteousness in Christ is real; and glorification in Christ is real. We are sad, but Cody is not sad at all because Cody is with the Lord. “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord (II Cor. 5:8). For the believer the thought of being with Christ is pure “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (I Peter 1:8).

SALVATION IS BY GRACE

People who argue about whether salvation is by grace or works are wasting their time. It is obvious that the only way a sinner can be saved is by God’s sovereign grace. If a dead sinner is going to be saved God must be gracious and do for that sinner that he cannot do for himself.

A sinner cannot choose God, so if a sinner is going to be saved God must be gracious and choose him in divine election. A sinner cannot produce a sacrifice for his sin, so if a sinner is going to be saved God must graciously send His Son to be the sacrifice for sin. A sinner cannot wash himself from his sin, so if a sinner is going to be saved God must be gracious and wash him in the blood of Christ. A dead sinner cannot do anything for himself, so if a dead sinner is going to be saved God must be gracious and give him life. A sinner saved by grace cannot keep himself from falling, so if a sinner is going to be saved and be presented faultless before the Father, God must keep him by the power of His grace.

Every saved person is thrilled to hear that salvation is all of grace!

When the Holy God and a ruined sinner meet on a blood-splattered platform, all is settled once and for all, settled in such a way as to perfectly honor and glorify God and eternally save the sinner. The only proper meeting place between God and man is the point where grace and righteousness meet and perfectly harmonize. Nothing but perfect righteousness could suit God, and nothing but perfect grace could suit the sinner. But where could that take place? Only in the cross. There it is that mercy and truth are met together, and there the believing sinner finds peace for the heart and conscience.

Pastor Scott Richardson

We can contend for the faith by preaching it openly, boldly and faithfully, by bearing an experimental and holy testimony to it, by praying for the success of it, by supporting with our gifts, our presence and our prayers the preaching of it and by encouraging and exhorting other believers.