Daily Devotional Readings
When God the Holy Spirit comes to a man's heart in saving power and grace, this is the first thing he does: he reproves, convinces and convicts the sinner that he is a sinner, deserving eternal damnation. Where there is no conviction by the Holy Spirit of sin, there is no saving faith in Christ. The Spirit of God so thoroughly convinces a man of his sinfulness that he gladly takes his place with the publican and cries, 'God be merciful to me; I am the sinner.'
He convinces us of the fact of sin. We have sinned against God. In our father Adam we rebelled against God, we were born with hearts of rebellion and sin and we have chosen the path of rebellion against God. We are all sinners by nature, sinners at heart, sinners by choice and sinners by deed.
The Holy Spirit convinces us of the fault of sin. Our sin is much more than an act of evil against man. Sin is an affront to God. It is an attack upon the throne of God. It is a denial of God's right to be God. Sin is is a monstrous attempt to rape God, to rob him of his dignity and glory as God. 'Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.'
In conviction, the Holy Spirit convinces us of the folly of sin. It is the most foolish thing in the world that a man should sin against God. Sin is utter madness. What fool will dare to stand against the Almighty?
God the Holy Spirit convinces us of the filth of sin. He shows us that sin has made us loathsome and obnoxious in the sight of God. It has rendered both me and all that I do unacceptable to a holy God.
The Spirit of God convinces us of the fountain of sin. Sin arises from our own evil hearts, Sin is not so much what we do as it is what we are. Because man's heart is a fountain of evil, it brings forth nothing but corruption, vileness and sin.
And the Holy Spirit convinces us of their of sin. 'The wages of sin is death. 'The just reward of my sin is eternal damnation. But, blessed be God, he also convinces us of the foregiveness of sin in Christ.
The entire work of salvation, all that is involved in bringing a sinner from the dungheap of fallen humanity into the eternal glory of heaven, is accomplished by the free and sovereign grace of God. 'Works' is a dirty word among believers. And 'merits' is a foreign word to God's church, not found in our vocabulary. From the foundation stone to the top stone, we cry nothing else but 'Grace, grace unto it.'
Language could not be clearer. Paul tells us that if any man is saved it is altogether by grace. It is written in the Word of God: 'God hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.' In Ephesians 1 Paul ascribes our salvation entirely to the three persons of the sacred Trinity.
God the Father planned and purposed our salvation. He chose us in Christ in eternal election. He predestinated us to sonship in eternal love. He made us accepted in the Beloved by his eternal decree. Salvation originated in the mind of God. He devised a plan whereby he could be just and yet justify the ungodly: he would do it by a divine substitution. He gave his only Son to be our Substitute. And he accepted the sacrifice of Christ for us.
Our salvation was purchased and accomplished by God the Son. Through his blood he paid our debt, satisfying the claims of the law against us. And that precious blood of Christ did actually wash our sins away, accomplishing eternal redemption for us. Then, in the fulness of time, God the Holy Spirit effectually applied that salvation to our hearts. He caused us to hear the gospel and receive it by faith. He sealed all the blessings of grace to our hearts. And he preserves us unto the day when Christ will claim his purchased possession.
Why has God chosen to save sinners in this way? 'That no flesh should glory in his presence.' And he has done it 'according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace!'
Yes, salvation is all of grace. It is the Good Shepherd who goes out to seek his sheep. He finds them, and he brings them home. But according to his infinite wisdom and condescending grace, it is our Lord's good pleasure to employ men in this heavenly work. Andrew was present when John said, 'Behold the Lamb of God!' And Andrew beheld him. Immediately Andrew went and found Simon and told him, 'We have found the Christ.' 'And he brought him to Jesus.' Andrew could not give Simon faith. He could not show him Christ's glory. He could not save him. But there was something he could do: he could tell Simon what he had seen. He could tell Simon about Christ. And he could bring Simon to the place where he might meet Christ for himself. You know the result of Andrew's effort. Simon was converted and he became the mighty spokesman of the early church.
Andrew never preached like Peter did. But had it not been for Andrew's witness to his brother, Peter would never have preached either. Maybe you can't preach. But you can be an Andrew. Go and tell men what you have experienced; tell them about the Christ of God. Then bring them with you to the place where they are most likely to meet Christ for themselves. Bring others with you to the house of God to hear a man preach the gospel of Christ.
I cannot believe that a man has tasted the honey of the gospel if he is content to eat it all by himself. Free grace compels a man to be generous. We do not want to feast on the riches of Christ by ourselves. We want to bring others to our Lord that they may enjoy his riches with us. You have a tremendous opportunity before you. How many people do you know who are perishing for a lack of knowledge? You have at your disposal tracts, articles, tapes and your own experience by which you can share the knowledge of Christ and his gospel. Who knows? Maybe God will be pleased to use you to bring another sinner like yourself to a saving knowledge of Christ.
What a glorious prospect! Let it inspire you to begin the work today.
Child of God, can you begin to imagine what this text teaches? There is a living, loving and lasting union between the Lord Jesus Christ and all his people. It is beyond imagination, but it is true we are one with our Redeemer! What does this imply?
Certainly, it implies a similarity of nature between Christ and his church. By the incarnation our Lord assumed our nature. He is God the eternal Son. But he is also a real man. As a man, he lived in perfect righteousness, died as our Substitute, arose from the grave and reigns in glory. Ever rejoice in the eternal deity of Christ, but never forget that your Saviour is a real man. And by the new birth, the Son of God has given us his nature. We are partakers of the divine nature'. Christ bears our nature in heaven and we bear his nature upon the earth.
The text also implies an intimate relationship. We are wed to the God-man. We cannot understand this relationship, but we can enjoy it. Christ espoused us to be his bride before the world began. He redeemed us for himself. He prepared our wedding garments. He allured us into the wilderness and there won our hearts by his all-prevailing love. My God, my Maker, my Redeemer, my Saviour, my King is also my Husband. 'Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; his love is better than wine.'
Again, the text implies a mysterious origin. As Eve was taken from the side of Adam, the church was born from the bleeding side of Christ, the second Adam. He died that we might live.
These words also imply a loving possession. We belong to Christ. 'Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price.' For many years we were in the arms of another. But all the while we belonged to him who loved us, chose us and redeemed us.
Once more, our text implies a vital union. 'We are members of his body. 'Those words imply much more than unity. They imply identity. We are one with Christ! He must have us. The Head cannot be complete without his body. The King must have his subjects. The Shepherd must have his sheep. This is a vital union. Christ must have his redeemed ones. And we must have him.
Recently, I read an article in a religious periodical which suggested that one of the greatest problems in our churches is that we spend too much time preaching. What nonsense!
Our Lord's last great command was this: 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel.' This was Paul's dying charge to Timothy: 'Preach the Word.' And preaching was the one business of the great apostle's life. He wrote, 'Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel.' God never called anyone to discuss the gospel, to debate the gospel, or to refine the gospel. But he does call men, whom he has gifted and qualified for the work, to preach the gospel. And he sends them forth into the world for that one purpose. And he gives but one reason for doing so: 'It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.'
Beloved, this is the one business of God's servants. And it is not only the primary purpose for our assemblies, it is the only purpose. The local church is to be a sounding-board for the gospel of Christ, nothing more and nothing less. Not all of God's saints are gifted for preaching, but they all are engaged in the work. By their love, their prayers and their generosity, they hold up the hands of God's servants.
I say this is the one purpose of the church with good reason: preaching is the means of salvation. 'Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.' Preaching is the means of edification. God gives his church pastors according to his own heart, 'for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ'. And preaching is the means of sanctification. 'Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.'
Well is it written: 'How beautiful [greatly desired] are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!' God save us from those who would turn aside his church from this great work. Let us press on, as the Lord enables us, preaching the gospel to every creature.
Sometimes I get weary and despondent. It appears that my labours in the gospel are vain. My preaching often falls upon deaf ears. The outward, visible results of our ministry are disappointing. Part of this despondency arises from sinful pride. The other part has its roots in sinful unbelief. These feelings of despondency are contrary to the gospel of the grace of God, dishonouring to Christ our Lord and damaging to the testimony of the gospel. Our Lord knew that as long as we were in this world, being weak and sinful men, we would be terribly prone to anxiety, self-pity and feelings of emptiness and uselessness. Therefore he gave us this gentle word of comfort: 'Let not your hearts be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.'
Beloved, in spite of the way things often appear, you and I have every reason to be optimistic, encouraged, hopeful and confident regarding the work of the gospel. Our Saviour, that one for whose honour we labour and whose will we seek to obey, sits upon the throne of universal dominion. He is the sovereign Lord and King of all things and he reigns in the serenity of total control. The gospel which we preach is his gospel. And it will not return to him void.
Our God and King is performing his will. Sometimes it does not appear, in our eyes, to be so, but God is doing, and will do, all his pleasure. He is governing all things according to his will. I do not know what the Lord's purpose for me in this life is. But of this I am certain, God himself has sent me forth as his messenger in this generation, and whatever he intends to do with me for his glory, he will do it! I know also that God has a people in this world whom he is determined to save and God will save all his people. I do not know what God's purpose and plan is for our generation, but I do know that in the end two things will ultimately be accomplished: all of God's elect will be saved and Jesus Christ the Lord will be glorified. And whatever the Lord is pleased to do in the meantime will be best for me and best for all his people. We have no reason for despair, but every reason for expectation (1 Cor. 15:58).
It requires only a casual reading of Holy Scripture to see that the God of the Bible is vastly different from the god of modern religion (e.g. Ps. 115:3; 135:6; Dan. 4:35; Isa. 46:9-10; Rom. 9:15-16; 11:33-36; 1 Tim. 6:15). The modern idea of God which prevails most widely, even among those who profess to believe the Bible, is that of a miserable failure. The god of twentieth century religion is a helpless, effeminate being who commands the respect of no truly thoughtful man. He is helpless, frustrated and defeated. The god being preached from the average pulpit is an object of pity rather than reverence. To say (as most do) that God the Father has purposed the salvation of all men, that God the Son died with the express intention of redeeming the whole human race and that God the Holy Spirit is now trying to win the whole world to Christ, when it is evident that the great majority of our fellow men are dying in sin and passing into a hopeless eternity, is to say that God the Father is disappointed, that God the Son is dissatisfied and that God the Holy Spirit is defeated. I have stated the issue in plain terms, but such must be the conclusions of modern theology. To argue that God is trying his best to save all mankind, but that the majority of men will not, let him save them, is to insist that the Creator is impotent and that the will of the creature is omnipotent. Such theology is not only slightly off the mark, it is degrading to God and blasphemous!
The one true and living God is an absolute and universal Sovereign. His purpose cannot be frustrated. His power cannot be defeated. His will cannot be resisted. Anything, or anyone, that can successfully frustrate God's purpose, defeat his power and resist his will by virtue of his supremacy would become God. This is what modern religion is attempting to do: it is attempting to do what Adam tried to do in the Garden of Eden - namely, to bring God down off his throne and exalt man to the place of Godhood. But, blessed be God, it will never happen. It is still true: 'The Most High ruleth.' His purpose will be done. His glory will be manifest in all his creation.
The Word of God sets forth many precious truths which we love, to study and proclaim. Yet all the blessed doctrines of Holy Scripture may be summed up in one doctrine: substitution. The very first doctrine of the Bible, creation, can only be properly understood if we realize that all things were created by our Substitute. The doctrine of God's providence is a wonderful and precious doctrine. And what is providence but the upholding of all things by the word of the power of our Substitute? We believe the grand old doctrines of eternal election and sovereign predestination and we are not bashful to proclaim them. But election is in the person of our Substitute. We are predestinated to be conformed to the image of the only-begotten Son of God, our Substitute. How we glory in the doctrine of the atonement! But if there were no substitute, no mediator between God and man, if there was no one who could satisfy both the needs of fallen man and the justice of a holy God, there would be no atonement. The doctrine of glorification causes our hearts to rejoice in the glorious expectation of the sons of God, but we could have no hope of future glory if there were no substitute into whose likeness we must be made.
The one theme of the Bible is substitution. Everything in the Bible either promises it, typifies it, or proclaims it. Every ritual of the Old Testament, every garment of the priesthood, every sacrifice, every article of furniture in the tabernacle, the tabernacle itself, all the laws of Israel, the temple, the temple service and the prophets of God all have but one message, and they all proclaim it clearly: 'God commendeth his love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' This was the message which God the Holy Spirit caused to flow from the pens and from the mouths of every inspired prophet and apostle. And if God is pleased to bless his church in our day, it will be through the proclamation of this message: 'He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.'
Because the Lord Jesus Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, in order to redeem, pardon and justify God's elect, he has been exalted to the throne of universal dominion at the right hand of God. Today the God-man reigns in sovereign serenity over all things. The purpose of his mediatorial reign is that he might give eternal life unto as many as the Father gave into his hands, as the Surety of the covenant, before the world began. Nothing can be more comforting to the believer's heart than the fact of Christ's exaltation and lordship. This is the basis of our assurance and confidence before God.
The exaltation of Christ assures me that my sin is gone. By way of divine imputation, our sins were laid upon Christ. He bore our sins in his own body on the tree. In his body our sins were nailed to the cross. Because he bore our sins, he died and was buried. Now the fact that he is risen and exalted to the throne of heaven is proof positive that our sins are all taken away. In the book of God's law and justice not one sin is recorded against any believer!
The lordship of Christ assures me that all things work together for my everlasting good. In the covenant of grace the Lord Jesus Christ voluntarily assumed the responsibility for my eternal welfare, as my Surety. Now he has authority and power over all flesh and he governs all things with a sovereign and omnipotent hand to secure nothing but good for them who are the called according to his purpose.
The sovereign majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ assures me that all of God's elect are safe. Not one of that vast multitude given to Christ in the covenant of grace and redeemed by him at Calvary will ever perish. The primary purpose of his glorious reign as Mediator and King is 'that he should give eternal life unto as many as thou hast given him'. Every believer is safe and secure, because our Head is exalted to the throne of heaven and where the Head is his members must also be.
The Lord Jesus Christ was manifested to take away our sins and in Christ there is no sin. Though he was made to be sin for us, our Lord had no sin of his own. 'He knew no sin, neither was any guile found in his mouth.' 'He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.' In order for him to be a suitable sacrifice for sin, it was necessary that our Saviour be without sin. The sinner's Substitute must himself be innocent, righteous and holy.
Yet in order to redeem us from our sins and to justify us before God, the Son of God had to be made sin for us. By a legal transfer and imputation, the Son of God was made to be sin for us. Our sin and our guilt were imputed to the Lord Jesus Christ and God's holy law exacted from him the just penalty of our sins. 'He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.' 'Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.'
And having taken our sins upon himself, suffering for us the just penalty of our sins, our glorious Mediator in heaven once again has no sin. That one who sits in heaven and makes intercession for us has no sin. We know and are assured that because he is perfect. He is holy. He has no sin. This is the basis of our assurance and confidence with God. We have a perfect Substitute and sacrifice whom the Father will accept.
But this text is speaking of those who are in Christ. He is telling us that in Christ we have no sin. In ourselves we are sinners. The old nature of sin is with us and will be with us so long as we are in this world. Anyone who denies this is a liar and makes God a liar. But before God, in the sight of God, those who are in Christ by a living faith have no sin. 'He was manifested to take away our sins.' And he has done it! 'And in him is no sin.' The all-seeing eye of God's holy law sees no sin in the believer, because the believer has no sin.
Here our Lord is talking about the general call of the gospel which goes out to all men every time the gospel is preached. There is an inward, divine call which is given by the Holy Spirit to all of God's elect. This call of the Holy Spirit is always effectual and irresistible. By almighty, irresistible power the Spirit of God draws all of the elect to Christ. This call is given only to God's elect, it always produces faith in Christ and it always results in salvation (Ps. 65:4; Rom. 8:28-30; 1 Cor. 1:21-24; 2 Tim. 1:9). There are many examples of this effectual irresistible call in the Scriptures (Matt. 4:18-22; Luke 19:5). But this is not the call mentioned in our text.
In this parable, our Lord is speaking of that call which goes forth in the earnest proclamation of the gospel. This call is universal and unconditional. We are ambassadors of Christ, sent to offer men terms of peace with God. The King himself has sent us to call his enemies to total, unconditional surrender. We have no authority to change his terms. It is surrender or die! This call is given by divine authority. Those who are truly sent of God speak to men in God's stead! Because this call is given by divine authority, it is most urgent. God will not trifle with those who trifle with the gospel freely preached to perishing men by his servants (Prov. 1:23-33). And this call which we issue to sinners in Christ's name is most sincere and gracious. If you will hear his voice and harden not your heart, God will save you.
Someone may say, 'But, if only God's elect will be saved, why preach the gospel to every creature? Why call upon all men? Why invite all?' We preach the gospel to all men, because God has commanded it. The ground of our responsibility is not the decree of God, but the command of God. God has chosen to save his elect by the foolishness of preaching. We have no way of knowing who God's elect are until they believe, so we preach indiscriminately to all. When I heave preached the gospel to all men, I am free from the blood of all men, and those who believe not are left without excuse. If they had believed, they would have been saved.
The vast majority of those to whom the gospel is preached will not believe it. Some flatly reject it. Some pay no attention to it. Some, in order to soothe their consciences, pretend to believe it and join the church. And multitudes substitute a religious form for faith in Christ, the waters of baptism for the blood of Christ and their own works for the righteousness of Christ (Matt. 7:13-14). 'For many are called, but few are chosen.'
Blessed be God, he has chosen some! There are some in this world God has chosen to save and they will all, sooner or later, believe on Christ. The rest have been left to themselves. God has done them no injustice. He simply lets them have their own way. He does not violate their will. He does not force them to do what they choose not to do. He does not give them what they do not want. Pity the man God leaves alone! That man will never believe on Christ and be saved (John 10: 16,26; Acts 13:46-48).
There is no question about it at all, God has an elect people in this world, a people whom he is determined to save, saying, 'I will be their God, and they shall be my people.' (See John 15:16; Rom. 9:11-13; Eph. 1:3-6; 1 Thess. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13.) These are the people for whom we labour. We are seeking the Lord's sheep. We preach the gospel for the elect's sake. Can you rejoice in electing love? How we ought to rejoice that our names are written in heaven, written in the book of life before the foundation of the world! (Luke 10:20, cf Rev. 13:8; 16:8.)
'Few are chosen.' Are you among this favoured company? Are you one of God's elect? If you do truly rest your soul upon Christ alone, trusting his righteousness as your only righteousness and his blood as your only atonement, clinging to him as your only hope and acceptance before God, rejoice! You would never have such faith had God not chosen you in Christ before the world began (John 6:37-40). Saving faith is the result of eternal, electing grace (Phil. 1:29).
Our Lord died as a vicarious sacrifice in the place of God's elect, his sheep, all who believe. Had he died in the place of every man in the world and borne all their sins, every man would be saved. But, in as much as all men are not saved, one of two conclusions must be drawn. Either Christ failed in his efforts to redeem some of those whom he represented, which is blasphemy; or he actually died as the Substitute only of those who are in fact redeemed and saved by him, which is the truth of Scripture. 'For the transgression of my people was he stricken', saith the Lord.
And our Lord's once-for-all sacrifice for sin was an effectual atonement. That is to say, he did actually put away the sins of his people, redeem us from the curse of the law and secure our everlasting salvation by his death and resurrection in our place. He did not make the pardon of sin, redemption and salvation possibilities for all men; he actually accomplished those things for some men. 'Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law.' 'By his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.' He has 'put away sin by the sacrifice of himself'. The believer's faith does not give merit to the blood of Christ and make it effectual. The blood of Christ gives merit to the believer's faith and makes it effectual.
If Christ died only for a specific people, how can I know that he bore my sin and died for me? I know that Christ died for sinners and I know that I am a sinner. I know that he died for every sinner who believes on him and that all who believe on him will be saved, because God said so. Now as a guilty sinner I do with all my heart trust the Lord Jesus Christ as my only and all-sufficient Saviour. Since I trust him, I know that he died for me. Will you trust him too? If you can, then he died for you!
A few months ago, I listened very carefully to one of America's most well-known fundamentalist preachers. On his nationwide television broadcast he was talking about his 'salvation experience', and this is what he said: 'When I got saved, I did not know anything at all about the Bible, I could not quote one verse of Scripture, and I did not know anything at all about the lordship of Christ; I simply believed that there was somebody in heaven who loved me and would forgive me of my sins. 'His testimony, I am sure, was true to his experience. It reflects the essence of 'easy-believism' and 'decisionism'.
But in the text quoted above, and in the whole context of Romans chapter 1O, Paul tells us that true faith and true salvation come as the result of knowledge. Do not misunderstand me, I do not suggest that you must become a theologian to be saved, or that you can obtain salvation by your own mental powers, but I do say that where there is no knowledge of the gospel there is no true saving faith.
It is not enough simply to believe; you must believe what God reveals in his Word. In order to believe on Christ, you must know something about Christ. You must know who he is. He is the God-man, the Lord of glory. Salvation begins with a knowledge of Christ's lordship. Everywhere in the New Testament men and women sought mercy from the hands of the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not possible for me to trust Christ as the all-sufficient Saviour of my everlasting soul until I know who he is, the Lord Jesus Christ. And you must know what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. Being both God and man, by his one great sacrifice, through the shedding of his blood unto death, the Lord Jesus Christ has put away all the sins of all who trust him, and now the risen exalted Christ reigns in heaven to save sinners. This saving knowledge that produces faith comes by divine revelation through the preaching of the gospel. Anyone who is totally ignorant of the gospel cannot believe the gospel.
The Lord Jesus Christ has been most gracious to me. He has brought me into his church and family and made me to be one of his own. He has made me, at various times, to sit down in blessed fellowship with him, feasting upon the rich and blessed truths of the gospel. His banner over me is love. My heart rejoices in his eternal, special, electing, immutable love for my soul. But now my soul is weary. A heavenly love-sickness has come over me, because my blessed Lord and Redeemer, the great lover of my soul, does not openly and clearly manifest himself as he has in days gone by.
'I am sick of love,' because I long for his presence. I know that Christ is always present with his church. Wherever two or three gather in his name, he is in their midst. But I long for him to make his presence known. My heart and soul yearn for a fresh and constant sense of his love. When he reveals himself all is well. When he hides his face, everything seems empty and vain.
'I am sick of love, 'because I long for his return. The thought fills my soul with gladness that one day the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth. In that blessed day, the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Oh, may it please the King to return in his glory very soon! We long for him.
'I am sick of love' because I long to be with him. Is it not reasonable for the Lord's people to long to be with him where he is? To be with him is to be free from sin. To be with him is to enter into rest. To be with him is to come into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. I will be content to remain here, so long as he sees fit. But my heart has already departed. 'I am sick of love.'
While I am here, I can be content, if he will give me the comfort of his grace. 'Stay with me flagons, comfort me with apples.' Though at times the Lord is pleased to withdraw his manifest presence, he has left behind the wine of his grace and the fruits of his labours to sustain my heart. These are the pillows of my soul. I rejoice in them. Yet I long for my well-Beloved.
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