Today’s Speaker: Brother Randy Wages 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 10:30 am on Mix 107.7 FM
Web Sites: Visit our web sites at: Reign of Grace: www.rofgrace.com
Sympathies: Our sincerest sympathy is extended to Robert Margeson, whose brother, John Margeson, passed away on Monday.
Birthdays: Frank Jones - July 21st – Leigh Ann Flynn – July 27th
IMPUTATION
“For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “He” - God the Father who designed the salvation of a multitude of sinners before the world began. “Hath made Him” - God the Son who was appointed by the Father in the covenant of peace to be Surety for all those entrusted to Him by sovereign, electing grace. “Made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin” - the only way the holy, impeccable, eternal Son of God could be made sin was by imputation - the sins of all His chosen people were reckoned to, charged to, transferred to the account of the appointed Savior of sinners. “Hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin” - this is that body of people, chosen unto salvation, set apart from the rest of the perishing world according to God’s eternal purpose of grace. “Might be made” - these words do not imply that maybe these will be made the righteousness of God, and maybe they will not. They mean - in order that - and declare a certain result. “The righteousness of God in Him.” - as Christ could only be made sin by imputation, so the only way sinners could be made righteous was for the righteousness of Christ to be imputed unto them. This is that everlasting righteousness referenced in Daniel 9:24 which Christ Jesus brought in by His substitutionary death and resurrection. The transgressions of the world of God’s elect are not charged to them (verse 19) but to Christ and His righteousness is imputed to them. They are, therefore, declared by God to be legally acquitted of all guilt. “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth” (Romans 8:33).
--- PastorJim Byrd
But, how different is the salvation of God! "By the blood of Thy covenant, I have sent forth Thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water" (Zechariah 9:11). Jesus, by His death, hath paid the ransom and made the captives His own. Therefore, He has a legal right to their persons and with His own power He brings them forth. It is glorifying to His grace to bring out the prisoners from the prison and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. "I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house" (Isaiah 42:6-7).
--- William Rushton (edited)
True & False Religion
There is but one true Religion, but there are many false; the false Religions seeming to differ exceedingly amongst themselves, in very many things even in the object of worship, and in the matter, and manner; yet be they never so different, there is one common foundation, wherein they do all agree, and wherein they differ from the true. The true Religion declares unto us a God in chief reconciled, pacified, pleased - a justice already satisfied, a propitiation made, sins taken away; and we have not one jot, not one apex in all the new Covenant to be found of reconciliation to God. The new Covenant manifesting unto us a God already reconciled to us, and the whole ministry of reconciliation propounding our reconciliation to God. Now this is the common character of all false religions of what sort whatsoever, Jews, Turks, Papists, Pharisaical Protestants, Heathen; yea all propound to some degree or other, an angry God, a deity not reconciled, and then prescribe certain means and services whereby to appease his wrath, and to quench his displeasure, and to obtain his love and favor. Man does not oftener seek after salvation, but he naturally stumbles upon this principle; 'What shall I do to be saved?' The world would be saved by doing. Luther speaking of this difference, does more than once compare the false religions unto Sampson's foxes, Judges 15:4; their heads looking divers ways, but they were fastened together by the tails. They differ indeed in some circumstances, but in the main substance they agree in one. Do we not see some men contending with the Papists, with wonderful eagerness? Do we not see others tugging, and halting, one one way, the other another, one for this ceremony, and another for that, as though there were a mortal difference between them; yea the difference so great, that it is sometimes the greatest reason for one side to refute this or that because the other uses it. Now he that shall search into the innermost secrets of these antagonists, shall find, them that so eagerly differ about circumstance, {who could have believed it?} to agree in substance. Like ships that sail in the sea a great way asunder, yet all tending to one haven. All tending to this end, to win or obtain the favor of an angry God. This that hath been spoken may prove a help to administer a spirit of discernment unto the simple, in these distracted times, wherein the Commonwealth is not more distracted than the Church. Now among so many diversities of opinions, how shall we know which is the old and the good way, that we may walk in it? One saith I am Christ, another nay, but I am Christ; for thy direction, search for that religion that abaseth man, that giveth the glory of grace to God; that propoundeth the free love of God in Jesus Christ, without mixture of anything in the creature, that is the true religion, all the rest are false; that is the true way, and strait line, all the rest are counterfeits, and crooked.
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