Dec 12
8
The Divine Redeemer
“And he shall send them a Savior, and a great one; and he shall deliver them.” Isaiah 19:20
That godly man, John Newton, used to complain in his advancing years that his memory was greatly failing him — a complaint that is frequently heard from those who are going down the hill of life. There were, however, two things, he remarked on one occasion, which he could not forget: one was, that he was a great sinner; the other, that Jesus Christ was a great Savior! God grant that you, reader, whatever be your age, or from whatever cause you may have to mourn over a failing memory, may keep these two things in constant, yes, in everlasting remembrance!
The consideration of our own exceeding sinfulness may well cover us with confusion. How many, under a sense of their heinous and aggravated transgressions, have been brought to the very verge of despair! But oh! how delightful, in such a case, to hear of “a Savior, and a great One.”
That such is His character the representations of the inspired writers show in the clearest and most decisive manner. A celebrated writer, when asked what was his opinion of the Socinian system, (that Jesus was a mere man,) replied, that it was “a cold negation, the whole secret of which consisted in thinking lowly of Christ.” Now in the evangelical system it is quite the reverse. The gospel scheme, far from being merely negative, is especially marked by the positive character of its disclosures; and the whole secret of the apostles and their companions was, not to think lowly of Christ — but the intense desire by which they were actuated of exalting Him above all blessing and praise, and showing that in all things, and over all people, whether human or angelic — He had a glorious and exclusive pre-eminence.
There is much that is worthy of our devout contemplation in those representations in which the greatness and dignity of Christ are indirectly set forth. The memorable words of the apostle Paul may be taken as a specimen: “He who spared not his own Son — but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not, with him also, freely give us all things?” “The all things here mentioned,” it has been remarked, “reach to an overwhelming amount. They include the possessions, advantages, privileges, and blessings of every kind, which can be the cause or means of any real good to the faithful Christian. In another passage the apostle enumerates — the world, life, death, things present, things to come — clearly all that is useful, great, and excellent, in the present state, and to all eternity. Mighty total! Can imagination grasp it? Yet the unutterable donation is represented as small, and scarcely to be considered — in comparison with God’s gift of His Son.
The reasoning is from the greater to the less: and it is put, not as an argument at all precarious — but as a thing the most self-evident and certain. It plainly tells us that the bestowment of the universe would be a lower act of munificence, a less demonstration of the kindness of the Infinite Being — than His having given His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him may not perish — but have eternal life. What then must be the dignity of the Son of God!
I implore the reader to press upon himself the question: What must that person be — of whom this superiority may be assumed? Let Paul’s assertion and argument be taken upon the Socinian or Arian scheme, and how does it appear? Can any reflecting man say that it even approaches the height of this great argument, or yields a sense winch reason can call tolerable?”
Blessed Jesus! let me ever have high thoughts of You, both in Your person and in Your work. A creature-savior would be altogether inadequate to meet my case. But as in You dwell all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, I feel encouraged to apply to You, in the face of all my guilt, and all my manifold necessities; and I would commit, unshrinkingly, the keeping of my soul into Your Almighty hands, feeling assured that the precious deposit will then be in secure custody. by John MacDuff 1855