TRUTH AND EMOTION

The gospel of salvation in Christ is the truth of God. The gospel declares the truth about how God saves sinners by His grace not our merit; by His work not ours; by His choice not ours. We can never compromise that truth because God only saves sinners by the truth and never by a lie. But that truth should not be preached or heard as dry, dead, emotionless facts. The gospel should move the hearts of God’s people. True religion is not just an outward show of emotion, but the gospel should move the emotions of those who trust Christ. Our emotions should be moved to hear how Christ died for sinners. My emotions should be moved to hear what Christ suffered in order to save my soul. My emotions should be moved to hear how the Lord Jesus Christ is right now making intercession for me. May the Lord be pleased today to make our hearts burn within us as we hear the gospel and make us feel emotions of thanksgiving, joy, peace, awe and wonder when we hear one more time who the Lord Jesus Christ is and what He has done for His people.

Pastor

It has been my experience that focusing on whether or not I am saved always leads to confusion and doubt, but focusing on whether Christ is the Saviour has always led to simplicity of thought and confidence.

Pastor Joe Terrell

THE ABSURDITIES OF FREE-WILL

Free-will brings with it so many absurdities that it cannot be received.
(a) It makes man the cause of his own salvation.
(b) It puts grace into man's power, not man's will under the power of grace.
(c) It robs God of the honor of making one to differ from another, and ascribes it to man.

(d) It allows man a liberty of boasting to God, saying, "God, I thank Thee that Thou gavest me power to will (yet Thou gavest that to Judas as well as me), but I thank myself for the act of willingness, since I receive from Thee no more than Judas did."

(e) It exempts the creature from the power of God, as if man, spider-like, could spin a thread out of his own bowels whereon to climb to Heaven.
(f) It maketh man the cause why God willeth this or that; so God must attend on the will of man, and not be infallible in His (cont.) decrees, nor working all things according to the counsel of His own will (Eph 1:11, Ps 115:3).

(g) Then the apostle James lied in saying "every good gift" is from God (Jas 1:17); and Paul also was mistaken in Romans 9:11. He should have said, "It is of man that willeth and runneth," and not, "Of God that showeth mercy."

John Gill

His Glory is Our Salvation

“My glory will I not give to another” Is 42:8. Yes, our Lord is jealous for His glory. But let us not think that His jealousy is anything like ours. He is not in the least threatened by the vast majority of men who do rob him of his glory. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Ps 2:4. It is the Lords mercy that He strips His people of their glory Job 19:9 and makes Himself their ONLY glory. 1 Cor. 1:31. The Lord loves His children too much to allow them to rob themselves of Him, by robbing Him of His glory. Truly He has set His glory among the heathen Ez. 39:21, by putting Christ in us, our only hope of glory. Col. 1:27.