The apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthians said, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for you.” (I Cor. 5:7) He is speaking of that type of Christ which God established in Egypt in Exodus 12 where a lamb was commanded to be slain and the blood applied to the doorposts of the Hebrews homes. That passover lamb was a picture of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrificial, substitutionary death for God’s elect. Thus God says, “And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” (Exo 12:13) When did God see the blood of Christ His Lamb in relationship to His people? He saw Him in eternity past as the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Rev. 13:8) He saw Him on the cross in human flesh as His sinless blood poured out from His wounds. He sees Him now as John did in the Revelation as the Lamb that stands and looks as newly slain, His work finished but fresh. (Rev. 5:6) When Christ died, men saw the literal blood of Jesus Christ. When God reveals Christ to and in a sinner by His Spirit through the gospel, that sinner sees the blood of Christ as that which has cleansed them from all sin. God however has seen it long before we see it. He saw it in that everlasting covenant and had He not seen it then, He could never have seen me in grace! Nor could He have seen Noah as He did before Christ came. “And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.” (Gen. 7:1)

Gary Shepard

Many preachers and others have tried to tell men and women HOW TO BE SAVED by multiplying words without wisdom or knowledge, actually leading sinners AWAY from Christ, AWAY from grace by setting the sinner to DOING and not believing. As preachers, our business is not to give such directions, but, as the apostles did, TO PREACH CHRIST--Christ eternal, Christ incarnate, Christ crucified, risen, and enthroned, a sufficient and complete savior and a present salvation. Then it is that sinners will LOOK TO CHRIST and be converted. HE must be lifted up; for He said, "And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men UNTO ME." A person is not saved by looking to anyone or anything except the Lord Jesus Christ, and this look continues until we see Him and are made like Him.

Horatius Bonar

". . . AND THOU BECAMEST MINE"

Ezekiel 16:8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.

His, whatever else I am, I am His. In this context, I am accurately depicted by God as a cursed, loathsome, forsaken, polluted dead baby lying in an open field, and so I was before He passed by me, but I was His dead baby. The Apostle Paul as a believer cried out, O wretched man that I am (Rom 7:24), and I must daily cry with him, but I’m His wretch. The Caananite woman cried to the Lord Jesus for mercy, but He dismissed her as an unworthy dog. Yet, she answered in effect, Truth Lord, but I’m your dog (Mt 15:21-28).

Since the Master called me, covered me, covenanted with me, cleansed me, clothed me and claimed me (vs 6-10), refer to me in whatever way that you will, I am His. My sin is covered by Christ’s work as my Representative, I am washed in His precious blood, clothed in His perfect righteousness and claimed as His own son. I am nothing, yea less than nothing and vile, but in Christ, I am very beautiful even in the sight of God Himself (vs 13).

Is there any man or devil who thinks to bring a charge against me? Should any wish to argue either the wretched vileness of my nature or any aspect of the incessant river of iniquity that has flowed from my mind, heart, lips and hands since my birth, you would have an infinite supply from which to choose. But being given to Christ by the Father, I am His, and He has pled my case upon His own exemplary merits (John 17). Therefore, malign me for the worm that I am and you’ll get no argument from me, but know that I am His worm, and through Christ’s comeliness (vs 14), I am precious and beautiful to Him, and someday I shall be like Him.

His forever, only His. Who the Lord and me shall part?

Ah, with what a rest of bliss Christ has filled this sinner’s heart

Chris Cunningham

“Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” Ro 3:22 KJV

“if the correct translation of Romans 3:22 is “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference”, what does this phrase actually mean? Does it really mean that the righteousness of God is manifested by the faith of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21-22)? That we are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:16)?

Yes. That is precisely the meaning of the passages. It is the faith of Jesus Christ which brought to light the righteousness of God, by which we are justified. The righteousness of God was manifested, revealed, brought to light, by the faith of Jesus Christ.

But one may answer that we are justified by the blood of Christ, by His death on the cross. And that is quite true – we are. But Christ’s death on the cross, His blood-shedding was a work of faith, an act of faith. It was the “obedience of faith”. Not obedience to the law, but the obedience of faith. The law didn’t demand that one lay down his life for another – but Christ’s faith revealed such love for His people, that while they were yet sinners He laid down His life for them. It is this which we see in the Gospel. It was by faith that He lived (“The just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17) and by faith that He died (Hebrews 12:2). Hence we are justified by the faith of Jesus Christ. By that substitutionary death which He died as an act of faith on behalf of those people whom He loved and gave Himself for (Galatians 2:20).

Ian Potts

That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. Eph 1:12

Peace, joy, comfort and the experience of all the consolations of God’s salvation come to us when we are brought to trust the One that God trusts! They come when we are satisfied with Christ who satisfies God in every way. The order is: “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Rom. 14:17)