May 26
31
Peculiar People
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify unto himself a PECULIAR PEOPLE, zealous of good works.
-Titus 2:14
by Don Fortner
The Holy Spirit declares that God’s elect, once they are called and
converted by his sovereign grace, are made to be a ‘peculiar people’.
The word “peculiar” (v. 14) means “distinctively excellent, valuable,
and honourable.” We are Christ’s portion, the lot of his inheritance,
the jewels of his crown, his fullness (Eph. 1:23), his peculiar people.
Grace has distinguished God’s elect from all others-
They are a people loved by God with a peculiar love (Jer. 31:3),
with a love which he does not have for the rest of Adam’s race.
Let men talk all they wish about “universal benevolence,”
“universal grace,” and “universal love,” -the Word of God
declares plainly that God’s love for his own people is a peculiar,
distinct love (Isa. 43:3-4; Rom. 9:13). It is the distinctiveness
of God’s love for us, who deserve his wrath as fully as Satan
himself, which forms the great motive for our consecration to
our God and his glory (Rom. 12:1-2).
We are the objects of God’s peculiar delight-
The Lord God has made us “accepted in the Beloved.” Being accepted
in Christ, because of Christ, and for Christ’s sake, washed in his
blood and robed in his righteousness, we are a people with whom God
is well pleased, even delighted (Zeph. 3:17).
Being the objects of his love, chosen to eternal salvation and
accepted in Christ, every believer has been blessed with all
the peculiar blessings of God’s free, covenant grace from eternity
(Eph. 1:3-4), and supplied with all the provisions of the Father’s
house day by day and forever.
Every believer has been SEPARATED from the world by peculiar grace-
Electing grace (2 Thess. 2:13-14), redeeming grace (1 Cor. 6:19-20),
regenerating grace (Isa. 43:1-5), preserving grace (1 Pet. 1:5),
and providential grace (Rom. 8:28-30), are the things which make
us to differ from the rest of the world. The distinction is not the
work of our will or of our obedience.
It is the work of God’s grace alone.
“Zealous of Good Works”
Yet, Christ’s peculiar people are made by the grace of God to be
zealous of good works. God the Father ordained that we should walk
in good works (Eph. 2:10). God the Son redeemed us that we should
walk in good works. And God the Holy Spirit effectually teaches
every chosen, ransomed sinner to be zealous of good works
DIVINE ACCEPTANCE
“I will accept you with your sweet savour.”–Ezek. 20:41
Octavius Winslow
There is not an essential truth of the Gospel more dimly perceived or imperfectly estimated, and yet not one more clearly revealed or more unspeakably precious, than the doctrine of God’s acceptance of the believing sinner. An error here is destructive of the scheme of salvation, and fatal to our eternal happiness. May the Holy Spirit open it up in all its scriptural clearness to our minds, and apply it in all its saving, sanctifying sweetness to our hearts!
First, there is the Lord’s acceptance of our PERSON. “I will accept you.” Our person must first be the object of God’s favour and delight before He regards with favour and delight the offerings we bring. It was the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ which gave such virtue, efficacy, and acceptance to His sacrifice. Because He was Divine and sinless, His Godhead imparted dignity and perfection to His Atonement–the Sacrifice of Christ resting, as its basis, upon the Person of Christ. This marked the essential difference between Cain and Abel. Cain brought his offering of fruits and flowers without a personal acceptance, and God rejected both him and his offering. Abel “brought of the fatlings of his flock,” “and the Lord had respect unto Abel,”–first to his person, and then to his offering.
My soul, are you personally accepted in the Beloved? Before bringing to God any flower or fruit of your fancied merit, springing from the stock of your unregenerate nature, have you brought your sins to Jesus–to His blood to be cleansed, to His grace to be subdued? Have you put on in faith Christ’s righteousness, “which is unto all and upon all those who believe?” And have you tasted of the honey that flows from that precious, glorious declaration of the Apostle–“Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ?”
“I will accept you with your sweet savour.” And now comes God’s gracious delight in, and acceptance of, the sweet savour of our spiritual offerings! And what are these savoury offerings, thus so acceptable to God? What a “sweet savour” to Him is prayer!The prayers of the saints are “vials full of odours,” sweet incense perfumed with the yet sweeter incense of their Savior’s divine and precious merits, and so presented by Him with acceptance to God. Pray on, dear saint! If afflicted, pray; your words may be few–your utterances stammering–your faith weak–yet pray on. God having accepted you in the Person of Jesus, will, on the ground of His worthiness, accept the “sweet savour” of your prayers.
What a sweet savour to God are our praises! “Whoever offers praise glorifies Me.” What strong ground have we for joy, what rich material for praise! Were we to rejoice in the Lord all the day, and praise Him all the night–as before long we shall without weariness or pause–it would not be a too exaggerated expression of the greatness of our salvation of grace here, and of the preciousness of our hope of glory hereafter.
What a fragrant offering to God is the dedication of our intellect–the contribution of our wealth–the consecration of our rank, influence, and time–all, all is a “sweet savour” to God, acceptable and accepted through the sweet savour of Christ’s atoning merits. Such, too, is the ministry of those who preach Christ. “We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ in those who are saved, and in those who are lost.” There is a divine savour and power, in that preaching which exalts the Saviour that no other preaching has. Oh for more of the savour of His Name in the pulpits of our day! Truly His Name would then be as ointment poured forth, delighting all who love Him. And such too the liberality of the saints towards the Lord’s ministers–“an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to God.”
Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat, robed in the righteousness of Christ; and when you have presented His blood and righteousness, then lay your own offerings at His feet, for your covenant God and Father has said–“I will accept you with your sweet savour.”
The miserable dregs of self!
(J.C.Philpot, “Meditations on Matters of Christian Faith & Experience”)
“To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:6
We are ever looking for something in self to make ourselves acceptable to God.
We are often sadly cast down and discouraged when we cannot find in ourselves . . .
that holiness,
that obedience,
that calm submission to the will of God,
that serenity of soul,
that spirituality and heavenly-mindedness,
which we believe to be acceptable in His sight.
Our crooked tempers,
our fretful, peevish minds,
our rebellious thoughts,
our coldness and barrenness,
our alienation from good,
our headlong proneness to evil,
with the daily feeling that we get no better, but rather worse,
make us think that God views us just as we view ourselves. And this brings on great darkness of mind and bondage of spirit, and we seem to lose sight of our acceptance in Christ, and get into the miserable dregs of self—almost ready to quarrel with God because we are so vile, and only get worse as we get older.
Now the more we get into these dregs of self, and the more we keep looking at the dreadful scenes of wreck and ruin which our heart presents to daily view—the farther do we get from the grace of the gospel, and the more do we lose sight of the only ground of our acceptance with God. It is “in the Beloved” that we are accepted, and not for any . . .
good works,
good words,
good thoughts,
good hearts, or
good intentions of our own.
If our acceptance with God depended on anything in ourselves, we would have to believe we might be children of God today, and children of the devil tomorrow.
What, then, is to keep us from sinking altogether into despair, without hope or help? Why, a knowledge of our acceptancein the Beloved, independent of everything in us, good or bad.
“Ye are completein Him!” Colossians 2:10
“Their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17
“but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;” Titus 3:5
Eternal Justification and Acceptation in Christ
Ephesians 1:3-6
The Scriptures declare that God’s elect were “accepted in the Beloved” and “blessed with all spiritual blessings” in him “before the foundation of the world.” Were we accepted and blessed in and with Christ from eternity as righteous or as unrighteous? The obvious answer is the only answer: — as righteous.
Blessed, sweet revelation of grace. — Our Lord Jesus Christ is “THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” eternally! — “Accepted in the Beloved!” What a sweet, soul-cheering declaration of grace. Though I am in and of myself nothing but sin, I am accepted in Christ. — Accepted in Christ before the world was made! — Accepted in Christ, though fallen in Adam! — Accepted in Christ before ever I heard his voice! — Accepted in Christ when he called me by his grace! — Accepted in Christ though often in darkness because of my own sin and unbelief! — Accepted in Christ immutably and forever!
I’m accepted! I’m accepted! I’m accepted in God’s Son!
Justified, pardoned, accepted — Holy as the Holy One!
Blest of God with every blessing, long before the world began!
Loved of God and one with Jesus, who can charge my soul with sin?
Heir of God, joint-heir with Jesus, heaven’s gates I’ll enter in!
Face to face, I’ll see my Saviour, He Who put away my sin!
Lamb of God, eternal Saviour, I will ever praise Your name!
Worthy, worthy, worthy ever is the Lamb for sinners slain!
See Him yonder, high exalted, King and Priest upon His throne!
Reign, almighty King, forever! Everywhere, Your will be done.
When is finished all the purpose of our God, the Three-in-One,
All Your saints will bow before You, casting at Your feet their crowns.
Calvary’s stupendous scene!
(Henry Law, “Family Prayers”)
“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.” 1 John 4:9-10
Holy Father,
The heavens, the earth, and all that are therein, proclaim Your wondrous goodness. But Your love shines forth in surpassing lustre at Calvary’s stupendous scene! At the cross we see Your heavenly grace removing the tremendous load of our iniquities from us-and heaping them all on Your beloved Son! We see Him standing as a transgressor in our place.
We see Him, who knew no sin-made sin for us.
We see Him, the all-holy One-accounted as a curse!
We see Your justice leading the spotless Lamb to the slaughter, and rigorously demanding the full payment for all our sin-debt!
Your avenging sword enters into His very heart!
The stream of sin-atoning blood flows!
Full recompense is meted out!
Divine Justice can ask no more.
Charges against us are all obliterated.
The debt-book is cancelled.
If our sins are searched for, they cannot now be found!
The spotless Lamb is devoted to all anguish-that we may be inheritors of all joy.
He is cast off from You-that we may be brought near to You.
He is treated as Your enemy-that we may be welcomed as Your friends.
He is deserted by You-that we may be received to Your everlasting favor.
He is surrendered to Hell’s worst-that we may attain Heaven’s best.
He is stripped-that we may be clothed.
He is wounded-that we may be healed.
He thirsts-that we may drink of the water of life.
He is in darkness-that we may rejoice in the glories of eternal day.
He weeps-that all tears may be forever wiped from our eyes.
He groans-that we may sing an endless song.
He endures all pain-that we may rejoice in unfading health.
He wears a crown of thorns-that we may receive a crown of glory.
He bows His head in death-that we may lift up our head in Heaven.
He bears earth’s reproach-that we may receive Heaven’s welcome.
He is tormented-that we may be comforted.
He is made all shame-that we may inherit all glory.
His eyes are dark in death-that our eyes may gaze on unclouded brightness.
He dies-that we may escape the second death, and live forevermore.
O gracious Father, thus You spared not Your only begotten Son-that You may spare us!
All our sins are cast behind Your back-all are buried in the ocean of reconciling blood!
We can only fall low and cry, “We adore You for the gift of Your Son as our substitute; for the death of Your Son as our ransom!”
Blessed Jesus, we have been standing beneath Your cross.
The sight constrains us to the deepest humility.
Our vile iniquity-is the cause of Your shame!
We cannot fathom the sins which plunged You into such depths of unutterable woe!
We cannot estimate the burden of wrath which thus crushed You.
We cannot deny that the sins which stain us are evils of infinite malignity, since nothing but Your blood could wash away their guilty stains! As transgressors, we abhor ourselves before You.
While we humbly gaze-may we anxiously ponder, “Why, blessed Jesus-why did You thus die?”
May His precious answer sound through every part of our hearts and souls,
“I die-that you may not die.
I lay down My life-to purchase your life.
I present Myself as a sin-offering to-expiate all your sins.
My blood thus streams-to wash out all your guilt.
The fountain is thus opened in My side-to cleanse you from all impurity.
I thus endure your curse.
I thus pay your debt.
I thus rescue you from all condemnation.
I thus satisfy divine justice for you!”