“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:13-14 *****
Not All the Blood of Beasts
Author: Isaac Watts
Tune: BLEST BE THE TIE THAT BINDS (H. Naegeli)
1. Not all the blood of beasts On Jewish altars slain Could give the guilty conscience peace Or wash away the stain.
2. But Christ, the heav'nly Lamb, Takes all our sins away; A sacrifice of nobler name And richer blood than they.
3. My faith would lay her hand On that dear head of Thine, While like a penitent I stand, And there confess my sin.
4. My soul looks back to see The burden Thou didst bear When hanging on the cursed tree; I know my guilt was there.
5. Believing, we rejoice To see the curse remove; We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice And sing His bleeding love.
Justified! "How then can man be justified with God?..." Job 25:4
1. The JUSTIFIER--"It is God that justifies." The sentence of acquittal must come from HIS lips and be registered in His books. 2. The JUSTIFIED--man, the sinner, under wrath, the ungodly, the condemned. 3. The JUSTIFYING FACT--the death of Him whose name is Jehovah our Righteousness. 4. The JUSTIFYING INSTRUMENT--faith. Not strong faith, nor great faith, nor perfect faith, but simply faith, or believing. "We are justified by faith." 5. The JUSTIFYING MEDIUM--the righteousness of God. This is the "best robe" which is prepared for the prodigal. By it he is clothed, beautified, made fit to enter his Father's house and sit down at his Father's table. Christ is Himself our justification. In Him we "stand." In Him we are "found." Him we "put on." With Him we are clothed; by Him we are protected as by a shield; in Him we take refuge as in a strong tower. "FOUND IN HIM!" What then? Our own "self" has disappeared; instead there is Christ, the beloved Son in whom God is well pleased. --Horatius Bonar (I808-1889)
****** Able to Save "Able to save" means something more than just delivering men from hell. "Able to save" is the whole work of salvation from the first conviction of sin to complete glorification. Christ is not only "able to save" those who REPENT, but He is able to make men repent. Christ is not only "able to save" those who BELIEVE, but He is able to give a new heart and work faith in men. Christ is not only "able to save" those who CONTINUE IN THE FAITH, but He is able to keep us from falling and give us a holy desire to be like Him. --Pastor Henry Mahan
****** Righteousness by Christ! "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." Galatians 2:21 It would be a miserable thing indeed, and sadly frustrating, and making void, the riches of God's grace, to join anything of the work of the creature, in whole, or in part, as in the least contributing to justification before God. For if righteousness comes by the law: if any of the fallen race of Adam could be supposed capable of working out for themselves a righteousness of their own; yea, could perform a single deed or exercise a single thought of purity to recommend themselves to the great Searcher of hearts: in this case, it would set aside, the necessity of redemption. For this would at once show that the creature hath a capability of somewhat, be that somewhat ever so little; and by improvement, more might then be expected from him. And then, the consequences which would follow would be that there could have been no cause for so great a sacrifice as God's dear Son. The blood of Christ might have been spared: and Christ (as Paul saith) is then dead in vain. Whereas, the decided, unalterable language of Holy Scripture on this point is that without shedding of blood there is no remission. Hebrews 9:22. That it was in due time, Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6. And that, if one died for all, then were all dead. 2 Corinthians 5:14. Oh! the foul ingratitude in attempting to lessen the infinite importance of Christ's obedience and death as the sole cause of salvation! Oh! the horrible presumption in, thereby, impeaching both the wisdom and love of God in the contrivance of such vast mercies! And, oh! Thou dear Redeemer! what base returns are these to Thee and all Thine agonies and soul-travail, when men set up a righteousness of their own to lessen, thereby, the infinitely precious sacrifice of Thyself on the cross, whereby alone, Thou hast perfected for ever them that are sanctified! --Robert Hawker
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