O, God, my heart is fixed on Thee, to sing and give Thee praise;
I’ll praise Thee, Lord, among Thy saints, as we our anthems raise.
As we our anthems raise; as we our anthems raise.
I’ll praise Thee, Lord, among Thy saints, as we our anthems raise.
I’ll praise Thee for Thy mercy great, that reaches down to me
In Christ my Savior, I am blessed with all salvation free.
With all salvation free; with all salvation free.
In Christ my Savior, I am blessed with all salvation free.
I’ll praise Thee for Thy righteousness as sent from Thee above;
Thy law and justice satisfied in union with Thy love.
In union with Thy love; in union with Thy love;
Thy law and justice satisfied in union with Thy love.
I’ll praise Thee for Thy cleansing Word that sanctifies my soul;
As in my heart Thou art glorified in Christ who makes me whole;
In Christ who makes me whole; in Christ who makes me whole;
Today’s Speaker: Brother Jim Casey will conduct the 11:00 am service today. Pray for him as he delivers God’s word.
Television Broadcast: Our Reign of Grace Television program is being broadcast on WFXL Fox 31, Channel 4. The program will air every Sunday morning at 11 AM.
Radio Broadcast: Sunday morning at 9:30am on 98.7 FM –WISK.
Web Sites: Visit our web sites at: Reign of Grace: www.rofgrace.com
This is the Scripture-assurance for a child of God, or believer, to see everything in himself as nothing, and himself everything in Christ. Faith is the ground of things hoped for, and the evidence of things unseen, Heb.11:1. All other assurances are rotten conclusions from the Word; and such things as true legal teachers have invented, not understanding the mystery of the Kingdom of Christ. The Scriptures bid you see nothing in yourself, or all as nothing. These teachers bid you see something in yourself; so as the leaving out Christ in sanctification, is the foundation of all doubts, fears, and distractions. And he that looks on his repentance, on his love, on his humility, on his obedience, and not in the tincture of the Blood of Christ, must needs believe weakly and uncomfortably.
--- John Saltmarsh {Free-Grace, 1649}
Christ the Life of the Believer
A believer hath a twofold condition; {yet as a believer but one} in Christ, in himself; yet he ought ever to consider himself in Christ by faith, not in himself; in Christ he hath perfectly obeyed the whole Law, perfectly suffered and satisfied for all his sins to the Justice of God, and in Christ is perfectly just and righteous; and therefore it is said that our life is hid with Christ in God, and we are raised up with Christ, and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, even already; but in himself there is a body of lust, corruption, and sin; and there is a Law revealing sin, accusing, and condemning; so as if a believer live only by sense, reason, and experience of himself, and as he lives to men, he lives both under the power and feeling of sin and the Law; but if he live by faith in Christ, believing in the life, righteousness, obedience, satisfaction, and glory of Him, he lives out of the power of all condemnation, and unrighteousness. And thus a believer is blessed only in a righteousness without, not within; and all his assurance, confidence, comforts, are to flow into him through a channel of faith, not of works, believing himself happy for what another, even Christ, hath done for him, not what he hath done or can do for himself.
--- John Saltmarsh {Free-Grace, 1649}
Assurance in Christ Alone
The greatest peace any saint enjoys is not to be neither ground, nor encouragement for them to believe; therefore not any terrors any possess, ought not to be a ground of discouragement in believing, for our happiness is not in anything that we feel or apprehend in ourselves, but in the Word and Promise of God, and in that we are known of God, who loves us and comprehends us in Himself, and His not imputing our trespasses unto us. {Psal.32:1-2} - Faith is an assenting or cleaving to the Truth and Faithfulness of God in his Promise, not from anything the soul sees or feels in itself, but from something it apprehends in God in his Word. {Rom.4:20-22} - Assurance is not from the nature of faith, nor from the direct act of faith, but from the reflect act of faith, which is for a man to see and know that he believes; which assurance is from the light and testimony of the Spirit of God in the conscience of one that is already a believer, causing the soul to know it believes; “the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” {Rom.8:16}
--- Samuel Richardson {Divine Consolations, Part Two, 1649}
Blood of Christ
The blood of Christ doth, with powerful and undeniable arguments plead for those for whom it was shed. The straying and straggling sheep which are within the reach of God's Eternal Grace cannot be condemned, because “the good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” {John 10:11} God knoweth that he hath received satisfaction beforehand for their sins, by the hand of the Lord Jesus, who is not now to pay anything, but hath already made payment for all their debts, and is become the Mediator of the new Covenant of Grace, which is sealed in his own blood; under which covenant upon this consideration there can be no remembrance of sin. {Heb.10:14} God beholding his elect in their Propitiation, which is Christ.
--- John Simpson {Perfection of Justification, 1648}
Conditionalism
We grant that God has decreed the end and the means, and whatsoever God has decreed shall unavoidably come to pass; but we deny that faith is any means of our Redemption, Justification, or Salvation. Nothing but the Lord Jesus Christ is the means of our salvation. There are means that are necessary to the revealing and enjoying the comfort of it, as the Holy Spirit and ministers to reveal it and faith to receive it; also, there be fruits and effects of the love of God, as faith, love, and obedience to Christ - yet these are no means of our salvation.
--- Samuel Richardson {Justification by Christ Alone, 1647}
Older
Top
