A HAPPY MAN!

The apostle Paul and the psalmist David speak of a "blessed man." A man blessed of God. "Blessed" in one sense means "happy." The only "true" happiness is through what the Bible calls "imputation." The individual who is blessed of God is the one to whom "God imputeth righteousness without works." It is the one to whom the "Lord will not impute sin." (Rom.4:6,8) What a great work of God's grace it is when we are made to know the reality of imputation. It is the only means by which our sin is every really removed from us and the only means by which we are ever righteous. Those who do not know the truth of it or do not desire to understand it are those who seek to establish a righteousness of their own before God. Without imputation all is condemnation! Imputation involves a real transfer of sin (the full penalty of it) to another and the one it is transferred to assumes the full responsibility of it. All the sins of God's elect were imputed or transferred to Christ. In death He assumed the full responsibility and suffered the full penalty of it. That is what He is doing in His death on the cross. The sinless One is "made sin for us" and dies in our place. His righteousness is imputed to us and we are "made the righteousness of God in Him." (II Cor. 5:21) Paul tells us that God justified Abraham and he was counted a righteous man by God. How did this sinner Abraham become such before God? He believed God's promise to provide a perfect righteousness for him from One outside of himself. That One is Christ! But then Paul records the good news. "Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Rom.4:22-25) So real was the transfer of my sin debt to Christ and the transfer of His righteousness to me that I can rest, rejoice and look forward to meeting Him as the Righteous Judge. My sin is gone (He put it away) and my righteousness is perfect (It is His righteousness). I know this because God has declared it in His word and revealed it by His Spirit through the gospel. It is His promise and I believe it. GS

GOD'S FREE, SOVEREIGN, DISTINGUISHING.GRACE

The tendency of this truth is most sanctifying: for a man to feel that God alone hath made him to differ from another - that what he has he has received - that by the free, distinguishing grace of God, he is what he is, -- is a truth, when experienced in the heart, is surely of the most holy influence. How it lays the axe to the root of self! How it stains the pride of human glory, and hushes the whispers of vain boasting! It lays the renewed sinner where he ought ever to lie, in the dust; and places the crown, where it alone ought to shine, bright and glorious, upon the head of sovereign mercy. "Lord, why me? I was far from Thee by wicked works; I was the least of my father's house, and of all, the most unworthy and unlikely object of Thy love: and yet Thy mercy sought me, Thy grace selected me out of all the rest, and made me a miracle of its omnipotent power. Lord, to what can I refer this, but to Thy mere mercy, Thy sovereign and free grace, entirely apart from all worth and worthiness that Thou didst see in me? Take, therefore, my body, soul, spirit, and let them be, in time and through eternity, a holy temple to Thy glory."

Octavius Winslow

Are you afraid of the consequences of death, and what will come after? Throw yourself upon God, in Christ, and you are safe. Christ's righteousness is law-proof, death-proof, and judgment-proof.

Augustus Toplady

A MAN OF THE OLD SCHOOL

We are persuaded that every true servant of Christ must be a man of one idea, and that idea is CHRIST. He must belong to the very oldest school, the school of Christ; he must be as narrow as the truth of God; and he must, with stern decision, refuse to move one hair's breadth in the direction of this infidel age. (I Cor. 2:2) C.H. Mackintosh

LET THE TRUE BE TRUE

There are in every generation those who profess to be believers but who are in truth false professors. They give outward approval to the basic scheme of the gospel and even God's people at first glance believe them to be true. But when the scriptures are remembered in regard to the spirit and character of believers who are saved by God's grace and regenerated by His Spirit, a question quickly arises in the mind and heart as to whether or not such are true believers. There are few in our day that give mental consent to the gospel of sovereign grace; but there are even fewer who have believed it in the heart so that God has produced in their lives the fruit of grace. Paul says that in spite of false professors always seeking to mingle in with the true like the tares with the wheat, God is not fooled nor His purpose of grace hindered. "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (II Tim. 2:19) God knows His own and each of them are to distinguish themselves before this world in this manner...."Let every one that nameth the name of Christ DEPART FROM INIQUITY." Let all true believers be those who not only TALK grace but also WALK grace! Let no man think that his character or conduct can commend him to God but let no man think that he can have Christ who alone can commend him to God and it not have a great influence on his character and conduct. True believers are not only distinguished by sound doctrine but also by a life that is clearly influenced by a relationship with a holy God. Where the Spirit of God has brought spiritual life, the fruit of that life will be present and the fruit of the Spirit is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance:" (Gal. 5:22,23) Let all who truly trust in the imputed righteousness of Christ the Righteous One "depart from all iniquity" not only in doctrine but also in attitude, character, conversation and conduct. And any who make little of these things or who walk not in this course, let us depart from them and have no fellowship.