MADE HOLY

Every believer has been made holy in Christ. This does not mean that a believer does not commit sin. A believer constantly sins but the scripture says that the Lord does not impute sin to the believer because He imputed that sin to Christ at Cavalry and Christ put that sin away by the blood of His sacrifice. That is what David said in Psalm 32:1-2. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.”

The sovereignty of God is the stumbling block on which thousands fall and perish; and if we go contending with God about His sovereignty it will be our eternal ruin. It is absolutely necessary that we should submit to God as an absolute sovereign, and the sovereign of our souls; as One who may have mercy on whom He will have mercy and harden whom He will.

Jonathan Edwards

THE LORD THINKS ON THE POOR AND NEEDY

“But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God” Psalm 40:17

What comfort there is for my soul to read that though I am nothing but sin…nothing but the lowest, most vile sinner, the Holy God thinks on me. God’s thoughts toward the poor and needy sinner are thoughts of mercy and grace to deliver us from our great sin. The word thinketh means more than just to ponder about in the mind. It is the same word often translated imputed. God’s thoughts are the same as God’s action because God always accomplishes His will. When God thinks on the poor and needy sinner, He purposes to impute to them everything they need. They are needy sinners so God gives them grace to forgive. They are poor sinners so God gives them His rich grace. They are in the prison of sin so God sends the Deliverer to set them free. They are too weak to endure any trial or difficulty so God sent His Son to carry them all the way home on His shoulder. “Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.” (Psalm 40:5).

"Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard (this), said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" (John. 6:60)

The word “hard” here does not mean hard to understand. It means harsh, offensive, intolerable. This is still the way sinful man, without grace, finds the Gospel. Not difficult to understand, but difficult to swallow. Not confusing, but infuriating. You can't get mad about something you don't understand. The indictment upon mankind in Romans chapter one is not that they do not understand God's claims, but that they will not bow to them (Romans 1:21). This is the issue and always has been. Will you bow? Faith is a submission. It is a renouncing of self and a commitment of self to One Who heretofore has been our despised enemy. It is God breaking us of our "wild ass's colt" rebellion, and reconciling us to Himself, by Jesus Christ.