Daily Devotional Readings
The grace of God is in Christ. It comes to us through him. The grace of God is eternal. The grace of God is irresistible. The grace of God is effectual. The grace of God is everlasting. The grace of God is immutable. When we get to glory all of God's elect will gladly sing the sweet song of sovereign grace. The grace of God is sovereign, selective, saving, securing and satisfying. But what does it mean to be saved by grace?
To be saved by grace is to be saved according to the purpose of God. All who are saved in time were saved in God's eternal purpose of grace before the world began. Do you want the chapter and verse? 2 Timothy 1:9: 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'. Are you a believer? Are you saved by the grace of God? Then give all praise to God. He loved you, chose you and determined to save you before the world was made!
To be saved by grace is to be saved by the purchase of God. Yes, God the Son came into this world as a man. By his righteous life of obedience to God's law, Christ merited salvation for all his people. By his sin-atoning sacrifice, pouring out his life's blood unto death, the Son of God cancelled the debt of our sins, redeemed us from the curse of the law and purchased peace, pardon and eternal glory for us.
To be saved by grace is to be saved by the power of God. We were dead, helplessly lost sinners. But God the Holy Spirit came to us in sovereign mercy and he gave us life! This life-giving power of the Holy Spirit is the irresistible grace of God by which the new birth is accomplished. We are born again by the power of God. To be saved by grace is to be saved for the praise of God. Why has God saved such worthless worms as we are? The only answer that can be found is this: 'To the praise of the glory of his grace' (Eph. 1:6).
1. 'Love suffereth long.' Love is not vengeful, but forbearing. Love is not malicious, but forgiving.
2. 'Love is kind.' What a blessed word - 'kind'! Let me be surrounded by kind, gentle, thoughtful, caring people. Let me be kind to those around me.
3. 'Love envieth not.' Love does not envy the happiness, peace and prosperity of others, but rejoices in it.
4. 'Love vaunteth not itself.' It is not rash. It does not promote, honour, exalt or pamper sell
5. 'Love is not puffed up.' It is not self-centred, conceited or condescending towards other people.
6. 'Love doth not behave itself unseemly.' It is neither flattering nor scornful.
7. 'Love seeketh not her own.' Love does not look after self, but rather looks after its object.
8. 'Love is not easily provoked.' It is not soon given to anger, or ill-temper.
9. 'Love thinketh no evil.' Love is not suspicious of evil in others. It puts the best possible light on all actions and words.
10. 'Love rejoiceth not in iniquity.' Love takes no pleasure ill the sins and infirmities of others and mourns over personal sin.
11. 'Love rejoiceth in the truth.' It rejoices in the faithfulness of men, the truth of God and the success of the gospel.
12. 'Love beareth all things.' It bears the burdens, infirmities and cares of the one loved, and bears the reproach of Christ gladly.
13. 'Love believeth all things.' Love is quick to believe the best and slow to receive the evil reports of men about its dear object.
14. 'Love hopeth all things.' It hopes the best of its object and shuns to consider the worst.
15. 'Love endureth all things.' For the sake of those loved, Christ and his people, love will willingly endure any hardship.
16. 'Love never faileth.' True love never quits loving. It only grows deeper, stronger and firmer, even to eternity.
1. The temptations we suffer have been endured by others before us. 'There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man.' All of God's children in this world have had to face the same temptations as we face. They were men of like passions as we are. If they endured them, we should be able to endure them. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man, endured the same temptations as we do. Because he was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin, he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities. It is comforting to me to know that my Saviour really does know exactly what I am going through and how I feel. He will never call upon us to endure anything for him that he has not already endured for us.
2. God is faithful to his tempted people. 'God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.' Our God and heavenly Father rules this world with total control. Nothing happens except that which God has ordained for our good and his glory, even our temptations. And God will never allow us to be tempted above measure. In great faithfulness to our souls God graciously protects his own elect. With every temptation, God will give his own grace sufficient to bear it. Or else, he will make for us a way of escape, so that we shall not be consumed by it. He promises: 'My grace is sufficient for the' (2 Cor. 12:9).
3. Every true believer will endure and overcome his temptations. Because God is faithful, none of his own elect will ever be destroyed by temptation. We all do fall, from time to time, under the strain of temptation, but we are not consumed, His grace raises us up, strengthens us and preserves us. True faith cannot be destroyed, but only proved and refined by temptation. 'Because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world' (1 John 4:4). 'Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried [having been proved] he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him' (James 1: 12).
I hope in God's immutable mercy. Some people trust their works. Others place all confidence in their religion. But we who believe know that 'It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.' I am by nature a guilty, helpless sinner. I have no hope but in God, who 'delighteth in mercy' (Micah 7:18). God's mercies towards my soul are many: eternal mercy, redemptive mercy, saving mercy and daily mercy. All God's mercy is in Christ. All of God's, mercy in Christ is immutable.
I hope in God's unfailing love. 'God is love' (I John 4:16). 'Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins' (I John 4: 10). God's love is sure and unchangeable. He who so loved me that he gave his Son to redeem me will not withhold any good thing from me. This gives me hope. 'Because his compassions fail not,' the eternal God will never cease to love his own. This gives me hope.
God's unchanging faithfulness also gives me hope. 'Great is thy' faithfulness!' This I know: God is faithful. 'If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself (2 Tim. 2:13). God is faithful to his purpose, faithful to his Word, faithful to his covenant, faithful to his people, and faithful to his Son. Divine faithfulness fills me with hope. I often doubt myself. I often question the motives and actions of men. But I cannot question or doubt the faithfulness of my God.
And I have hope because of God's inexhaustible goodness. Jeremiah said it, and we have often proved it: 'The Lord is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him' (Lam. 3:26). God will do good and nothing but good for his own all the days of our lives and for all eternity. This is my hope, a good hope God has given me by his grace. Do you have a good hope?
The believer's assurance does not depend upon his outward circumstances, his inward feelings, or his personal obedience. Our assurance rests entirely upon the person and finished work of Christ, as it is set forth in the Word of God. In this passage of Scripture, the apostle Paul breaks out into exultant praise. Having established the great truths of God's rich grace in Christ, he seems unable to restrain himself. Waving the palm branches of victory through Christ, this redeemed sinner defies all his enemies and glories in salvation by Christ, raising these four bold challenges.
1. 'If God be for us, who can be against us?' The God of all power, of sovereign dominion, and eternal love is for us. He is for us in his sovereign providence, working all things together for our good. God is for us in his saving purpose, in electing love, predestinating grace, effectual calling, perfect justification and eternal glorification. He is for us in his substitutionary provision, sparing not his only Son. Let earth and hell unite in their rage against God's elect – we will not fear, for God is for us!
2. 'Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?' Nobody can! Satan cannot; he is defeated. The world cannot; it is condemned. The law cannot; it is honoured. God in justice cannot; 'it is God that justifieth'. God declares that we are perfectly righteous in Christ. He will never charge us with sin. 'Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin!'
3. 'Who is he that condemneth?' It is impossible that one of Christ's sheep should ever perish, because Christ died in our place. He was raised again for our justification. He finished the work of our redemption and sat down in heaven. Christ himself intercedes for us in glory.
4. 'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?' No power, no being and no act of men, of Satan, or of the demons of hell, can separate us from the Saviour's love.
'Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.' The appearance of God in human flesh was the embodiment of the gospel. Surely nothing but good could result from the miraculous birth of the God-man. Well did the angels sing, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' As we now frequently meditate upon the incarnation and birth of Christ, we are compelled to employ the apostle's language in our praise: 'Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!' For thy Son, O Lord, we cannot give thanks enough. Words cannot be formed which would express the gratitude of our hearts.
Jesus Christ is the gift of God. We had no claim upon him. We felt no need of him. We did not desire him. But, freely, out of his abundant love and grace, God gave us his Son. 'For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.' God the Father gave us his Son in the covenant of grace. He gave us his Son in his condescending incarnation. God gave his Son at Mount Calvary. And God gave us his Son in the new birth. In giving us salvation and eternal life, God gave us Christ and all that he is, and all that he has done and all that he possesses. Christ is our salvation, our life and our all. And all who have him have him by the free gift of God.
As the gift of God, Jesus Christ is unspeakable. Who can describe the glorious Godhead and perfect humanity of Christ? The complex union of the God-man is a mystery beyond human understanding. We can only say, 'Great is the mystery, of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh.' Is there a man who can adequately explain the vicarious life of Christ to accomplish our righteousness, or his substitutionary redemption to purchase our pardon? No. We can only say, 'Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.'
But Jesus Christ is a gift of whom we shall speak very much. We shall speak of him to God in prayer and praise. We shall speak of him to men while we live. And we shall speak of him eternally among the hosts of heaven.
Saving grace causes every believer to fear God. This is not a slavish fear, or morbid dread of punishment. Cain feared God's judgement. Pharaoh feared God's wrath. Judas feared God's punishment for sin in hell. Yet they were all lost. The fear of God produced by grace is a loving reverence for God. To fear God is to believe him, love him, seek his honour and endeavour to please him with a willing heart. This kind of fear is always produced by God's saving grace. Faith in Christ teaches us the fear of God.
The grace of God that brings salvation causes every believer to perform works of righteousness (Eph. 2:8-10). Works of righteousness have nothing to do with religious separation and isolation (Rom. 14:17). Most people think they are doing works of righteousness when they quit smoking, quit dancing, quit going to the films and quit playing cards. Those things may be all right, but they have nothing to do with works of righteousness. Works of righteousness are those things which God's people do with a willing heart for the benefit of others and for the glory of God. Works of righteousness are works of love, arising from a willing heart. Works of righteousness are works of self-denying generosity. Works of righteousness are works of love, kindness, thoughtfulness and charity towards men, and works of faith and devotion to God.
All who are saved by the grace of God fear God and do works of righteousness, and they are accepted with God. This is salvation, to be accepted with God. To be accepted with God is to be one with Christ. To be accepted with God means that God accepts me, accepts every gift I bring to him and accepts every work I endeavour to perform for him through the merits and mediation of Christ. To be accepted with God means that God will reward me with eternal glory in the Day of judgement, because he has made me both sinless and perfectly righteous through the blood and righteousness of his Son. All who trust Christ are 'accepted in the beloved' (Eph. 1:6). Do you suppose God will accept you? If you are in Christ, he will.
No one knows the day of our Lord's incarnation. The Holy Spirit did not reveal it to us. And, as believers, we must not be brought into a bondage observance of any day. We must not honour one day above another. We do not observe holy days and sabbath days of any kind. To be sure, the world's observance of Christmas has little, if anything, to do with the worship and honour of Christ. For these reasons, and many others, some of the Lord's people conscientiously choose not to join in any form of Christmas celebration. I respect their opinions and convictions – I must, because I once shared them. While we must not look upon those who differ with us in scorn or contempt (Rom. 14:1-5), I believe it is best for us wisely to use this season of the year.
At this season of the year people everywhere are reminded of the fact that Jesus Christ lived and died in this world. Above all else, I have chosen to celebrate Christmas, because it gives me an open door for preaching the gospel for the honour of Christ and the salvation of men.
Another motive for celebrating this season of the year is the fact that it is a time of giving. It does my heart good to see men and women engaged in seeking the happiness of other people. Such a spirit should be encouraged and nourished, not dampened and reprimanded.
And Christmas is a time for the family. More so than at any other season of the year, families try to get together for Christmas. All the children come home with all their children. It is truly a happy time. I am for anything that promotes such family feelings.
Yes, I think that it is best for us to celebrate Christmas, not as a religious holy day, but for the remembrance of that blessed event when the Son of God assumed our nature, that he might live and die as our Substitute and accomplish our eternal redemption. December 25 is nothing to us. But Immanuel is everything to us. We will magnify our Lord, our Saviour, our King for his birth!
I want you to behold Christ as God's salvation. The Lord Jesus Christ himself is God's salvation. It is good to see salvation in the work of Christ: his glorious incarnation, his life of righteousness, his effectual atonement, his mighty resurrection, his triumphant ascension and his gracious intercession. Without these things we could never have been saved. But it is our Lord's gracious person that makes all his work effectual. Had he not been a man like us, he could not have died as our Substitute. Had he not been God, his dying could never have availed for our redemption. It is who Christ is that gives virtue and merit to what he does.
My friend, Christ Jesus is the only salvation there is (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit tells us that Simeon was a 'just and devout man'. Yet he did not rely upon his goodness for acceptance with God. Simeon also observed the ceremonies and ordinances of worship as God prescribed them in his day. But he found no hope of salvation in the things he did (Rom. 3:20). He trusted Christ alone. When Simeon said, 'Mine eyes have seen thy salvation', he was saying that the Lord Jesus Christ is the whole of salvation (I Cor. 1:30; 1 John 5:13). Christ is salvation. He that gets Christ gets full, complete, perfect salvation. When God gives his Son he gives all grace with his Son (Eph. 1:3), and will not withhold any good thing from those to whom his Son is given (Rom. 8:32).
Never forget, my friend, that the whole of salvation is in Christ. Do not expect to find any portion of it in yourself, or in the ordinances of the church, or in the works of the law, or in some pretended priest, or through doing penance for your sin. Christ alone is salvation. He does not need, nor will he accept, any help from man in the work of salvation. You must trust Christ alone in everything and for everything. I warn you that if you trust Christ for almost everything and yourself, your baptism, your good works, your speaking in tongues, or your experience for a little something, your hope is vain. Christ will be all, or he will be nothing (Gal. 5:2). Do you see this? Can you say with Simeon, 'Mine eyes have seen thy salvation'?
No human mind can ever comprehend, nor earthly tongue describe, the great mystery of godliness: 'God was manifest in the flesh.' That baby born at Bethlehem is himself the eternal God. Though he was dependent upon the milk of his mother's breast for life, he is God who formed the breasts that nourished him. Through Mary held him in her arms, he is God who upholds all things by the word of his power. Though he learned to walk and talk, and grew like any other child, he is the omniscient, immutable God. Though he lived as a man in wilful, voluntary, perfect obedience to the law, he is God who gave the law to Moses. Though he died under the penalty of the law as a man in the place of sinners, that man who died is God!
Why was Christ born? Why did the Son of God assume manhood? 'This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners' (I Tim. 1: 15). Athanasius said, 'Christ became what we are that he might make us what he is.' The Son of God became the Son of man for this purpose: that the sons of men might become the sons of God. A.W. Tozer put it like this: 'The awful majesty of the Godhead was mercifully sheathed in the soft envelope of human nature to protect mankind.'
Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became a man because it was not possible for God to save sinners in any other way. In order to be our Saviour, it was necessary for God himself to become one of us, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. Were he only God, he could never suffer the punishment of sin as our Substitute. Were he only man, he could never satisfy the infinite wrath and justice of God against sin. But he who is both God and man in one glorious person both suffered and satisfied the penalty of the law as the sinner's Substitute.
Though I can neither understand nor explain the wonder and mystery of his person, I can and do trust that man who is God as my only, all-sufficient Saviour. Since God became a man and suffered in the place of men, he is able to save all who trust him.
Who do you think he is? Most people acknowledge that he was a prophet, a religious teacher, a good man, who promoted morality and truth and justice. Many would like to make his life of morality, self-sacrifice, self-denial and devotion a good example for men to live by. Even Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews, acknowledged, 'We know that thou art a teacher come from God' (John 3:2). But the Word of God declares that Jesus Christ wits and is God the eternal Son. Mary's Son is also Mary's God, Mary's Lord and Mary's Saviour. The great, miraculous mystery that took place in Bethlehem two thousand years ago is just this: 'God was manifest in the flesh' (1 Tim. 3:16).Jesus Christ is more than just the fair, little baby of Bethlehem. He is 'over all, God blessed for ever' (Rom. 9:5).
Why did the Lord Jesus Christ come to this earth in human flesh? The answer to that question is plainly declared many times in the Bible: 'Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins' (Matt. 1:21). 'When the fulness of time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law' (Gal. 4:4-5). "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief' (I Tim. 1: 15). Yes, the Son of God took upon himself human flesh, according to the will of God our Father, and came into this world as a man, to save sinners. He lived in righteousness to establish righteousness as a man, even the very righteousness of God which is imputed to every believers He was made to be sin and died as the sinner's Substitute, in order to satisfy the law and justice of God against sin. He came to save sinners, to die as the sinner's Substitute, so that God might be just and yet justify all who believe.
Where is the Lord Jesus Christ now? Having finished the work which he came to do, he has ascended back to heaven, to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, until he has put all his enemies under his feet. By his one great sacrifice for sin, he put away the sins of his people, redeemed and justified them, and now he ever lives to save all who come to God by him.
1. Christ came into the world to establish righteousness for us as a man. He came to restore that which we lost in our sin and fall in Adam. He said, 'I restored that which I took not away' (Ps. 69:4). God required righteousness from us, perfect conformity to his holy law. But we are guilty. We have broken God's law. And we have no ability to live in righteous obedience to God's law, because we are sinful by nature. But the Lord Jesus Christ came as a man, without sin, to live as our Representative in perfect obedience to the law and will of God. Now by his obedience to God as our Representative, Christ established righteousness before God for his people. And it is written, 'By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous' (Rom. 5:19).
2. Christ came to redeem his people by dying as our Substitute under the wrath of God. Christ Jesus was born at Bethlehem as a man, so that he might die at Calvary in the place of sinners, according to the will of God our Father. At the appointed time our Lord was nailed to the cursed tree. God took all the sins of all his people and made them to be his Son's, so that by divine imputation the Son of God was made to be sin for us. God's law and justice found our sins upon Christ and punished him for sin as our Substitute. Since the law of God punished Christ for sin in our place, we are redeemed. All who believe, all God's elect, are fully pardoned through Christ's precious blood. 'Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree' (Gal. 3:13).
3. Christ came to glorify his Father in the salvation of sinners. Since Christ Jesus lived in righteousness as our and died under the curse of the law as our Substitute, satisfying the righteousness and justice of God for us, God's glory is revealed in the salvation of his elect. Christ Jesus lived and died for us, so that God could be both just and the justifier of all who believe (Rom. 3:24-26).
1. He brought in an everlasting righteousness for us (Dan. 9:24). By his life of submission and obedience to the law of God as a man, the Son of God established righteousness in the earth. This righteousness was performed by Christ as our Representative before God. It is this righteousness, performed by Christ, which God imputes to believers. He declares us righteous by virtue of Christ's righteousness for us. We have no righteousness of our own, but we are made righteous before God in Christ.
2. Christ satisfied the justice of God as our Substitute. God demands the death of every transgressor. Every sinner must suffer the infinite wrath of God for sin. 'The wages of sin is death' (Rom. 6:23). And God always pays men their wages. 'The soul that sinneth, it shall die' (Ezek 18:20). When Christ hung upon the cross he died under the penalty of the law. He died as the object of God's wrath, because he was made to be sin for us. And by his death, he satisfied the claims of justice against us, so that those for whom he died are no longer under the sentence of death.
3. Jesus Christ our Saviour has put away the sins of his people by the sacrifice of himself. He took our sins upon himself and made them his own. Dying under the penalty of sin for us, Christ put away our sins. He drowned them in his precious blood. In so far as the law and justice of God are concerned, our sins, the sins of all who believe, the sins of God's elect do not exist! In Christ we are freed from all sin. 'Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin' (Rom. 4:8).
4. By his life and by his death, the Lord Jesus Christ secured and guaranteed the eternal salvation of his people. God will save every sinner for whom Christ died upon the cross. Not one of God's elect will perish. By his life of righteousness as our Representative Christ merited the blessings of God for us, and by his sin-atoning death as our Substitute he silenced the claims of justice against us. All for whom Christ died shall live for ever in glory.
1. Christ Jesus is making intercession as our High Priest before God. 'He ever liveth to make intercession' (Heb. 7:25). We bow to no earthly priest. We worship at no earthly altar. We have but one Priest. He is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He prays for us, for our eternal salvation, for our forgiveness, for our preservation in grace and for our spiritual, eternal welfare. And his prayers are always effectual. God will do for us all that his Son desires of him, because he pleads on our behalf his own blood and righteousness. Satan will not prevail over us, sin will not be charged to us, temptation will not reign over us and trials will not destroy us because Christ, our High Priest, makes intercession for us.
2. The Lord Jesus Christ is sovereignly ruling the affairs of this world for the salvation of God's elect. God has given him power (authority and dominion) over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as God has given him (John 17:2). Christ is the sovereign Ruler of the universe. He governs all things, according to God's eternal purpose to this end: that he might give eternal life to all God's elect who were redeemed by his blood. Because all things are under the dominion of Christ, it is certain that 'He shall see of' the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied' (Isa. 53: 11).
3. And the Lord Jesus Christ is saving all who come to God by him. 'This man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them' (Heb. 7:24-25). Yes, Christ Jesus is able (and willing too) to save every sinner who comes to God by him. He is an all-sufficient Saviour. His blood is sufficient to satisfy God's justice and wrath against you. His righteousness is sufficient to cover you and make you accepted before a holy God. Come to God by Christ, simply trusting his blood and his righteousness, and he will save you. 'For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved' (Rom. 10: 13). Call upon him now, in simple faith, and you will be saved.
Christ is the source of a believer's life. We have no life towards God by nature. By nature we were born in spiritual death (Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:1-3). All spiritual life comes from Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ comes into the graveyard of fallen humanity and gives life to whom he will (John 5:21,24-25).
Christ is the sum and substance of the believer's life. He is not just an important part of our lives. The Lord Jesus Christ is our life! He lives in us, and we live in him! Spiritual life is a mystery. I cannot. begin to explain the life of a believer. All I can say is 'Christ is our life.' 'Christ in you' is spiritual life. It is the life of Christ created in a man by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Christ is the sustenance of a believer's life. Just as your physical life is maintained by food and drink, the believer's life is maintained and sustained by daily feeding upon the life and death of Christ by faith (John 6:50-57).
Christ is the solace of a believer's life. There are times in the believer's life when the only comfort and consolation we have is Christ. And he is all the comfort we need. How sweet the solace of his presence!
Christ is the standard of a believer's life. Christ himself is the standard by which God's children live in this world. He is the example we follow. He teaches us how to love, how to forgive, how to suffer, how to bear reproach, how to pray and how to honour God. We strive in all things to walk in his steps.
Christ is the security of a believer's life. 'Your life is hid with Christ in God.' If Christ is my life, then my life is secure. Nothing can harm me until Christ is dethroned; and that cannot happen. Since Christ is my life, I must live.
And Christ is the satisfaction of a believer's life. Because Christ is my life, I can never be satisfied with this world, or with life in this world. My life will only be satisfied when I behold his face in righteousness and awake in his likeness (Ps. 17:15).
Christ is all in the salvation of God's elect. Our election in eternity was in Christ. God has chosen us in him as our covenant Head. In the matter of our redemption Christ is all. He alone is our Redeemer. He bore our sin. He paid our debt. He satisfied the justice of God for us. And he did it all by himself. Christ is all in our justification too. We stand accepted and acquitted before God only by his righteousness and shed blood. His name is 'the Lord our Righteousness'. The quarrel between God and our souls was taken up by Christ and settled by Christ. And Christ is all in sanctification. We are positionally sanctified in Christ. We are progressively sanctified by the power of Christ. We shall be perfectly sanctified by the glorification of our bodies and souls with Christ. Salvation, from start to finish, is the work of Christ.
Christ is all in what we call practical Christianity. Christ alone gives me comfort and hope before God. Christ alone gives me strength for every trial and grace to persevere in the faith. Christ is all to be known, all to be chosen, all to be loved, all to be desired, all to be delighted in, all to be thought upon, all to be followed and all to be obeyed. We need no law but Christ and the example he has left for us to follow. Does any believer need a higher, more compelling motive for anything than Christ himself?
Christ is all to be preached. The Bible, in its entirety, is a book about Jesus Christ. No doctrine and no precept can be rightly understood apart from Christ. Christ is the key which unlocks the treasure chest of Holy Scripture. 'He is the treasure in that field, the marrow in that bone, the manna in that dew, the diamond in that ring, the milk in that breast (John 5:39).' (Philip Henry)
Christ is all in heaven. The foundation of that city is Christ. The gate to that city is Christ. The light of that city is Christ. The joy, bliss, and happiness of heaven is Christ. The praises of the redeemed in heaven for all eternity are the praises of Christ. The reward of God's saints in heaven is Christ himself. Heaven is Christ and Christ is heaven to my soul.
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