Birthdays: Alisha Pedersen – Aug. 7th | Edith Ann Tennyson – Aug. 9th
Hymns for service: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – p. 204 Fade, Fade, Each Earthly Joy – p. 266
NO LIFE BY LAW
It is not a lawful use of the law to seek justification and acceptance with God by our obedience to it; because it is not appointed for this end, or capable of answering it in our circumstances. The very attempt is a daring impeachment of the wisdom and goodness of God – “For if righteousness could come by the law, then Christ has died in vain” (Galatians 2:21, 3:21). So that such a hope is not only groundless, but sinful; and when persisted in under the light of the Gospel is no less than a willful rejection of the grace of God. – John Newton
Now then, there is but one thing with which Almighty God is satisfied – entirely satisfied – and that is THE PERSON AND WORK OF HIS SON! It is with Christ that we must be satisfied, not with ourselves, nor anything about us! When we cease from ALL our labors, and ALL our righteous ness, and ENTER INTO HIS REST, pardon and peace will come without delay. – Horatius Bonar
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that [CHRIST] was manifested to take away our sins; and in [CHRIST] is no sin. (1 John 3:4-5)
True faith is a total confidence in Christ alone as the Sole Accomplisher of salvation. For this reason, it is obvious that many professors of religion (and even of grace) are not true believers. They cannot be because they do not know from the Holy Scriptures WHO the Lord Jesus Christ really is and, most of all, WHAT He actually accomplished in His suffering and death on the cross. As Paul said, “How can you believe on Him of whom you have not heard?” The masses of deceived souls rally around their favorite preachers rather than the One who by Himself saved His people from their sins. Their faith is a believing of what their favorite preacher says rather than a believing of what God has actually said in His Word.
-- Pastor Gary Shepard
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
To “be IN CHRIST” means to be reconciled unto God by the merits of Christ’s righteousness imputed (accounted, charged, reckoned). The fruit of this great and gracious work of God to reconcile His chosen people to Himself in and by the Lord Jesus Christ is that are given the resurrection life of Christ in the new birth. Being regenerated by the Holy Spirit they believe in and receive Christ as their whole salvation and righteousness before God. When this happens, it can truly be said “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Does this mean they no longer sin, that they now have no struggles with the flesh, and that they are now righteous in their character and conduct? NO! If that is the case, none of us have been made new creatures in Christ. But their old world view has “passed away,” and their present world view has “become new.” They now view God, themselves, Christ Himself, and others in a whole new light – the light of reconciliation to God through Christ, which is the Gospel light – “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more” (2 Cor. 5:15). That which they highly esteemed before as being good and pleasing to God is now an abomination and idolatry to them. That which they held in contempt and unbelief before (the Gospel of God’s grace in Christ), they now see as their only hope of salvation and eternal life. We see a great example of this in the apostle Paul – “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Php. 3:7-9). God reconciled Paul unto Himself by His grace based on Christ’s righteousness imputed, and by the power of the Holy Spirit Paul was brought to be reconciled unto God through Christ on the same ground (2 Cor. 5:20-21). When this happened, his old world passed away, and his whole world became new. – Pastor Bill Parker
Older
Top
