Jun 26
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THE JUSTICE OF GOD, OUR COMFORT
God is absolutely and inflexibly Just. “Justice and judgment are the habitation of Thy Throne” (Psalm 89:14), He would never condemn or punish someone who was not guilty, nor would He ever not punish and not condemn someone who was guilty. He said, “I will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:7). The comfort of the Gospel is clearly set forth in this! When God condemned and punished Christ on the cross, it was not the innocent being punished and condemned. God’s justice would never allow that! When God made Christ sin, Christ became guilty of the sin He was made to be, and the inflexible Justice of God demanded His condemnation and punishment. “For He hath made Him to be sin, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21). In Him being made sin, who knew no sin, we (all for whom Christ died) are made the righteousness of God in Him. So now, the absolute and inflexible justice of God demands our salvation. God would never condemn and punish someone who had no guilt and who had never sinned. This is exactly who we are in Christ! The justice of God is the comfort and assurance, and ground of trust to the believer!
“I feel, when I have sinned, an immediate reluctance to go to Christ. I am ashamed to go. I feel as if it would do no good to go—as if it were making Christ a minister of sin, to go straight from the swine-trough to the best robe—and a thousand other excuses; but I am persuaded they are ALL LIES, direct from hell. John argues the opposite way: “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father;” Jer. 3:1 and a thousand other scriptures are against it. I am sure there is neither peace nor safety from deeper sin, but in going directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. This is God’s way of peace and holiness.”
Robert Murray M’Cheyne
The only reason any son of Adam would not believe themselves to be full of sin is because they have never found themselves alone in the presence of the One who is absolutely Holy.
Greg Elmquist
HE.- Salvation begins with God. The glorious subject of this verse is none other then the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. He – the eternal, omnipotent, all-wise, and perfectly holy God- has taken the initiative. It was not man who sought God, but God who sought man. Left to ourselves, we were “foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved” (Titus 3:3), utterly without hope. But God, in His infinite mercy and loving-kindness, moved toward us. This great act of God’s own purpose and grace. “Salvation is of the Lord ” ( Jonah 2:9). He alone is the Author and Finisher of our faith. What a humbling truth: the One most offended by our sins, is the very One who provides the remedy!
He sees not only God’s greatness, but his own vileness.
(Job 42:5-6), “My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.”
What a staggering confession Job makes at the end of his long trial. This man, once described by God Himself as blameless and upright, now lies in the dust, broken not merely by suffering–but by a clearer vision of the holy God. He had spoken much about the Almighty before, and he had held fast to his integrity. But now, having encountered the grandeur, power, and sovereignty of the Lord; Job is utterly undone.
“My ears had heard of You.” Like many, Job had known about God. He had right theology. He had heard of God’s justice and righteousness. He had offered sacrifices and lived in reverent fear of God. But this knowledge, though sincere, was still inadequate. Now, through the furnace of affliction and the Lord’s searching questions, Job sees with the eyes of his soul. “Now my eyes have seen You!” Not physically, but spiritually–his understanding has been illuminated. He sees not only God’s greatness, but his own vileness. Not only God’s glory, but his own guilt.
True sight of God always humbles a man. It silences his arguments, shatters his pride, and brings him to his knees.
This is what happened to Isaiah: “Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips!” (Isaiah 6:5).
It happened to Peter: “Go away from me Lord; I am a sinful man!” (Luke 5:8).
And here it happens to Job: “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Those who truly know God will be humble–and those who know themselves, cannot be proud.
When a soul truly sees God, it sees itself rightly. Self-righteousness dies. Complaints vanish. Boasting is silenced. What remains is worship and repentance–a heart bowed low in the dust, not just because of sorrow, but because it now sees the holiness, wisdom, and majesty of God as never before.
May we too move from hearing to seeing–from a mere notional knowledge of God to firsthand experience of God’s greatness. And may that vision lead us to the same place as Job: humbled, repentant, and silent before the Lord of glory.
John Flavel
So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. Lk. 17:10
“Unprofitable servant”. This is not just a humble way to express one’s service to God. It is literally true. To make a profit is to gain assets as a result of an investment. Since our God is perfectly complete within Himself, whatever investment we make to serve the Lord profits Him nothing. The desire and ability to serve the Lord is for our benefit. It is the Lord’s love and grace that would give us a glimpse of His glory by allowing us to worship and serve Him. It adds nothing to Him for He cannot be added to. To worship God is our greatest profit. It is our greatest need and our greatest blessing. It profits God nothing. We are “unprofitable servants.”
Greg Elmquist
Nothing can be more soothing and consolatory to a poor, sorrowful, afflicted follower of the Lord Jesus in His hours of suffering, than the consideration that He who is now exalted at the right hand of the majesty on high, was once, when on earth, “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” And the highest possible relief to the anguish of the soul under temptation is the consciousness of the sympathy and compassion of Christ. He who wept when upon earth in beholding the tears of His people, cannot be unfeeling of them now though in heaven.
Robert Hawker
| Almost everything belonging to the believer is sealed; the foundation on which be builds is sealed. “Hymeneus and Philetus, concerning the truth, have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure; having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his,” {2 Tim. 2: 18, 19}. I do understand this passage as some good men do; that by seal here is meant the secret purpose of God, or his prescience. By this foundation the apostle undoubtedly means the Lord Jesus Christ; as it is written, “According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise master-builder I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” {1 Cor. 3: 10, 11}. Now this foundation standeth sure; as the prophet Isaiah speaks. “Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion, for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste,” {Isa. 28: 16}. From this text Paul takes it, and says, with the prophet, “Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure; having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his.” Now this foundation, which is Christ Jesus, has got the seal of God upon it. “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you; for him hath God the Father sealed,” {John. 6: 27}. Christ was sealed with the Holy Spirit; he was |
| distinguished, pointed out, authorized, anointed, commissioned, and sent to be the promised and long looked-for Messiah. He was filled with the Holy Ghost from the womb, and sealed by the public descent of the Holy Spirit upon him at his baptism, just before he entered on his public ministry. The miracles that he wrought, and the souls that he converted, were all scriptural evidences of his being sealed and sent of God. Hence the apostle concludes, that though some, who profess the name of Christ, depart from the faith themselves, and overthrow the faith of others; yet the true Messiah, who is the omniscient God, and who, as man, is sealed with the Holy Ghost, must know who his own elect are; he must know whose sins he bore, for whom he died, and who are his own purchased possession: and surely he will never lose what |
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| his Father has given him, nor suffer any of those to be plucked out of his hand who are made his charge. The good shepherd may suffer Satan to steal away the wolves, but not the sheep; for the Lord (but none else) knoweth them that are his. Hence it appears that the believer’s foundation is sealed, and so is the believer himself; and his sealing, is said to be in Christ – “In whom, after that ye believed, ye were sealed,” {Eph. 1: 13}. And thus God seals both the Saviour and the saved. “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God: who hath also sealed us,” {2 Cor. 1: 21}. Those, therefore, that are joined to the Lord are one spirit, for the seal of God is upon them both. |
William Huntington
THE SPIRIT OF TRUE PREACHING
There is a big difference in preaching at someone and preaching to someone. There is a big difference in preaching to condemn someone for being wrong and preaching to convict someone that God is right. There is a big difference in loving to preach and preaching in love to those you love.
Romans 9 is as clear a passage in all of the Bible concerning God’s sovereign election, sovereign mercy, sovereign grace and power. But we need to begin preaching the Truth in the spirit in which Paul wrote it. He began by saying, “I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart… for my brethren, my kinsman” (vs. 2-3). No man spoke the Truth more boldly or plainly, yet he did so “In love” (Ephesians 4:15). We need to uncompromisingly preach the Truth of the Gospel of God’s sovereign grace in Christ. But, Oh for grace to preach the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Christ, Who cried, “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem!” Christ was the only One who had a right to get mad at people, yet he wept over them.
Paul Mahan
A WORD ABOUT HOLINESS
If I could truthfully state that I have no interest in becoming more holy; that is, more graciously submissive and obedient to the will of God, both preceptive and providential, then according to the teaching of the Word of God, I would be acknowledging that, spiritually, I am dreadfully unhealthy – or dead!
On the other hand, if I could honestly state (or even think), looking over a congregation of God’s saints, that I am holier than they, or most of them, or even some of them, then according to the teaching of God’s Word, I would, in fact, be the most unholy of them all!
Man can only look on the outward appearance; thus no man can truly know the circumstances of another, or God’s measure of light, measure of faith, or measure of grace to another. Those who judge themselves to be more holy than others are doing what God forbids; measuring and comparing others to themselves, and themselves to others; and they, like the ancient Pharisees, have a self righteous, self-inflated, spiritually egotistical view of themselves.
Oh! but let a man compare himself to Christ, the Holy One of God, and he will not be rejoicing in his holiness, but with his hand over his mouth, lamenting his sinfulness, unbelief and disobedience. A pastor once asked an elderly lady of his little country congregation what she thought it was to grow spiritually or in the grace of God. After a brief pause, she said, “A Christian’s growth in grace is like the growth of a cow’s tail.” Somewhat puzzled by her answer, the pastor asked if she would explain. The simple, uneducated, country lady replied, “The more a cow’s tail grows, the nearer it comes to the ground, and the more a Christian grows in grace, the more he takes his place in the dust before God.” And if I may add, the more he loves and clings to Christ, and the more he desires to be like Him – holy! The only way one can ever esteem and glory in his holiness is if he is walking away from God’s light – not walking in it, nor even walking toward it!
– Maurice Montgomery