May 15
2
1 John 4: 8: He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9: In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10: Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
God is love. He would be love had he never saved one sinner. But thankfully, God’s love is in Christ and only in Christ. In Christ, God sees his people as precious and honorable and loves his people and gives men for their life, and as the text declares, even his own Son. (Is 43: 4) Oh, what love! God sent his only begotten Son into the world, not to make it possible for his people to live, but to give his people life through the doing and dying of his Son. He shall not fail! (Is 42: 4) Every sinner that God loves, God saves. He sent his Son not merely to make propitiation possible but “to be” the propitiation for our sins, not merely to make atonement possible for his elect but “to be” atonement for our sins, not merely to attempt to expiate the sin of his elect but “to be” the expiation of our sins. And because Christ is the Propitiation for the sins of his people, because atonement has been made, because our sins have been expiated, God shall give each of his elect that eternal life he sent Christ to give us, by regenerating us for “God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved).” (Eph 2: 5) Due to the finished work of our Propitiation, each elect child of God shall be brought to cry out in saving faith, “thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.” (Is 38: 17) God’s love for his elect is sovereign, unconditional, distinguishing, everlasting, unchanging love. Does God love men in hell? Of course not! So then those who say God loves all men will have to say that God’s love changes based on whether or not men love him. That’s conditional, changing love. That’s how sinner’s love but not how God loves. “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” (Jer 31: 3)
Further, the text declares that God’s love is manifest, in that God did, and does, all this for us through Christ, though his people did not love him. In another place, God says not only did we not love him, our minds were enmity against God; we were alienated from God and enemies in our minds by wicked works, yet God reconciled us in Christ his Son and called us by his gospel. (Rom 8: 7; Col 1: 21) This shows us that God is the only one who loves unconditionally and that the unconditional love of God for his people is the foundation of the believer’s salvation, not anything in his people. Of God’s elect, he says, “The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers.” (Deut 7: 7-8)
Lastly, each child in whom the Spirit of his Son dwells shall love God—and shall love God enough to tell the truth about his love. The text says, “He that loveth not knoweth not God.” God will keep us in his love by his correcting hand, “for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth….But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.” (Heb 12: 6-10) And believer, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8: 38-39)
So away with this blasphemous, contemptuous accusation that our God loves all sinners yet stands by idle while some perish in hell. Do you think God gave his only Son leaving it to chance, hoping that dead, God-hating sinners might work a miracle for themselves and do the impossible by believing on Christ, apart from his grace? Would you? Of course not! Sinners are being told lies because preachers are trying to meet their quotas of converts each year. But unless sinners are told the truth then they have only persuaded a sinner to believe a false god, one that depends upon the sinner because his love is meaningless without the sinner making his love to have saving efficacy. God forbid we teach such a thing! Proud sinners think we deserve for God to love us. Men are appealing to the sinners pride with their lies and trite sayings. Is that love? Truth is, God’s love humbles his people and makes his people lovers of God, constraining those those he loves so that we want God to receive all the glory. He that loveth not—not enough to declare the truth to perishing sinners—knoweth not God; for God is love!
Clay Curtis.
FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD
The apostle John pointed to Christ saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (Jn 1: 29) Again, he said, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1Jo 2:2 AV) We know the world does not mean all men in the world because Christ said he only laid down his life for the sheep. He prayed not for the world but for them God gave him. (Jn 10: 15; Jn 17: 9) Those for whom Christ died are redeemed, are reconciled to God, therefore none shall be lost. Christ accomplished eternal redemption for us. He is the propitiation for our sins. So we know the world does not mean all men in the world.
The world means all ages, all times, throughout the world. Christ is the propitiation for our sins that live in this moment of time, and not for ours only, but for his people in all ages of the world. The point is that no matter the time in which his people live throughout the whole world, Christ is the one Mediator, the one propitiation for our sins. (1 Tim. ii. 5) Christ alone put away the sin of his people—those that died before his coming to those that saw his day to those in our day to those he shall call right at the end of time—so Christ is the one Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world. Clay Curtis
His names and titles
(William S. Plumer, “The Rock of Our Salvation” 1867)
Jesus Christ is a wonderful, a glorious person. His names and titles are as important as they are significant. Every one of them is as ointment poured forth. His people sit under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit is sweet to their taste. To them He is altogether lovely.
He is their Advocate, the angel of the covenant, the author and finisher of faith. He is as the apple-tree among the trees of the forest; the alpha and the omega.
He is their the Beloved, the Shepherd and Bishop of souls, the bread of life, the righteous Branch, the bridegroom, the brightness of the Father’s glory, and the express image of His person. He is a bundle of myrrh.
To His saints He is and is owned to be Creator, captain, counselor, covenant, cornerstone, a covert from the tempest, and the chief among ten thousand.
He is to them as the Dew, the door into the fold, a days-man, a day-star, a deliverer, a diadem, and the desire of all nations, ranks, and generations of pious men.
In their eyes He is the Elect, Emmanuel, the everlasting Father and eternal life.
He is a Fountain of living waters to thirsty souls, of joy to troubled souls, of life to dying souls. He is the foundation on which His people of all ages safely build their hopes of heaven. He is the father of eternity, the fir-tree under whose shadow the saints rejoice, the first and the last, the first fruits of the greatest harvest ever gathered, the first-born among many brethren and the first-begotten from the dead.
To His chosen He is as the most fine Gold, a guide, a governor, a glorious Lord, God, the true God, God over all blessed for ever.
He is the Head of the church, the health, the hope, the husband, the heritage, the habitation of His people. He is the horn of their salvation.
He rides upon the heavens by His name JAH. He is the Jehovah, the inheritance, Judge and King of His saints. He is their Light, their life, their Lord, their leader, their lawgiver, their atoning lamb, the lily of the valley, the lion of the tribe of Judah.
He is the Man Christ Jesus, the master, the mediator, the messenger of the covenant, the minister of the true sanctuary. He is the mighty God of Isaiah, the Michael of Daniel, the Melchisedek of David and of Paul, the bright and morning star of John, and the Messiah of all the prophets.
He is the Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. He is at once the root and the offspring of David.
He is the Peace, the prince, the priest, the prophet, the potentate, the purifier, the propitiation for our sins, the physician of souls, the plant of renown, the power of God unto salvation, the Passover of all saints. He is a polished shaft in the quiver of God.
He is the Rock, the refuge, the ruler, the ransom, the refiner, the Redeemer, the righteousness and the resurrection of all who walk in white. He is the rose of Sharon.
He is the Seed of the woman, the seed of Abraham, the seed of David, the stem of Jesse, the Son of God, the son of man, the shield, the strength, the surety, the Shiloh, the sacrifice, the sanctuary, the salvation, the sanctification, and the sun of righteousness to all believers.
He is the Truth, the treasure, the teacher, the temple, the tree of life, the great testator of His church.
He is the Way, the well of salvation, the Word of God, the wisdom of God, the faithful witness. He is THE WONDERFUL.
His person is one; His natures are two. He is both human and divine, finite and infinite, created and uncreated. He was before Abraham, though not born for ages after that patriarch slept with His fathers. He was dead, and behold He is alive for evermore!
On earth He had no where to lay His head; yet He disposes of all diadems. By Him kings rule and princes decree justice. He has the arm of a God, and the heart of a brother. To Him all tongues shall confess and all knees bow; yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. None loves like Him, none pities like Him, none saves like Him!
It is not surprising that such a person lives and reigns in the hearts of His people. No marvel that the virgins love Him, and the saints praise Him, and the martyrs die for Him, and the confessors are not ashamed of Him, and the sorrowing sigh for Him, and the penitent lie at His cross and pour out their tears before Him, and the humble trust in Him, and the believing lay fast hold of Him and will not let Him go. His frown shakes the frame of universal nature, His smile gives life, His presence converts dungeons into palaces, His blood cleanses from all sin, His righteousness is the white robe of the redeemed.
If men would be safe, or wise, or holy, or happy, or useful, or strong, or victorious–let them look to JESUS! Let them look to none else, let them walk in Him, abide in Him, glory in Him, and count as loss all things besides. You may look at the law until the spirit of bondage overwhelms you with terrors and torments. You may go about to establish your own righteousness until you can boast, and sin, and perish like a Pharisee. You may weep until the fountain of your tears has gone dry, you may have all gifts, understand all mysteries, bestow all your goods to feed the poor, and yield your body to be burned; but all these things will not atone for sin, will do nothing toward regaining the lost favor of God, will not make you fit for the inheritance of the saints in light.
“None but Christ! None but Christ! None but Christ!” has been the cry of the faithful witnesses of all ages when truth has triumphed, when sinners were converted, when saints shouted for joy, when the word of God mightily grew and prevailed.