Still Unsaved

(Article for publication week of 12-26-2012 AD)

“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20). We are coming to the end of another year, and many of you are still unsaved. Unsaved! Oh! What a terrible condition!

Some of you have had a prosperous year. You have prospered in your business and in your family, but you are not saved. God has given you His sunshine and rain, and His goodness has not moved you to seek salvation. What good will your temporal prosperity be if you remain unsaved?

Some of you have had sadness, tragedy and adversity this past year, yet your afflictions have not broken your heart in repentance. You remain unsaved. Should you remain unsaved, you will face eternal tragedy and sadness.

Some of you joined the church this past year, but you are still unconverted. Some of you taught Sunday School this year, but you are still unsaved. Some of you sang in the choir this year, but you are still unsaved. Some of you preached many sermons this year, and perhaps were an instrument of conversion to others, but you yourself are in the bond of iniquity and the gall of bitterness.

Some of you have lived very wicked lives this year. Though your sins have brought pain and suffering to yourself and others, you refuse the One Who can fix your terrible plight.

Why are you not saved? It is not because you have not been warned. I have warned you all year of the wrath to come through this column. Perhaps other ministers have preached Christ to you. I have set forth the way of salvation by grace alone, through faith in Christ Alone week after week. There are churches on every road in Simpson County, and some of them preach the true gospel. You have friends and kindred who have pleaded with you to repent and come to Christ, but you remain unsaved. You have folks who care enough for you to pray for your salvation, and yet you are lost. Christ has said, “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out”, and yet you will not come to Him. You have no excuse to remain unsaved since the Saviour is able and willing to save, and you have been told the way of salvation through Him. There is only one reason you are unsaved- you are stubborn and rebellious and plainly say by your inaction “I will not be saved.” You, by your inaction declare that you love your sins and your self-righteousness more than you love Christ. You are declaring that you despise holiness, and prefer sin. This is the reason you are unsaved; you prefer it.

Will you ever be saved? Will you live another year and remain obstinate? You have no guarantee you will live another year. You have no guarantee you will see the last day of this year. If you remain as you are it will be forever said of you as it was of Judas Iscariot, “ it would have been good for that man if he had never been born!

Poor sinner, as far as I know, you do not have to remain unsaved. I plead with you to repent of your sins and trust in Christ Alone for salvation right now. Christ is able and willing to save the chief of sinners. I know because he saved this one.

Christ, the Only Way

(Article for publication week of 12-20- AD2012)

"Jesus saith unto him, 'I am the way,the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me" (John14:6).

The Bible is clear as a bell that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one and only way that a man can get to heaven. You cannot get to heaven on your own. You cannot get to heaven by some man. You cannot get to heaven by Mohammed. You cannot get to heaven by Confucious. You cannot get to heaven by the saints or the martyrs. You cannot get to heaven by anyone or anything except by the Lord Jesus Christ.

First of all, this is the way that God has ordained for sinners to be saved. It does no good to speculate as to whether our all wise and all powerful God could have saved sinners some other way. The fact is the scriptures plainly tell us that Christ is the only way for a poor sinner to be saved. The Bible, the inspired and inerrant and infallible word of God makes it clear that God has ordained salvation through His Eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ is not one of several ways to heaven, but the exclusive way. Dear reader, do not be fooled by the false prophets that tell you that you may choose your own way to heaven. It is popularly believed today that all religions ultimately lead to God, but this is a soul damning lie and those who are deceived thereby will end up in hell forever. Mark it down friend, the Bible says that everything and everybody outside of Christ will spend eternity in hell.

The Bible tells us that there is but one Mediator between God and man , and that is the Lord Jesus Christ (I Timothy 2:5). The Lord Jesus Christ is the God-Man Who is able to put one hand on God and the other on a poor sinner and bring him to God. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Person in the universe that could make the atonement that was necesaary to put away our sins. He is the only One who could live a perfect and sinless life that would be imputed to a believer for his whole and sole righteousness. The only righteousness that can ever fit you to get to God and to heaven is the righteousness of Christ freely imputed to all who truly believe in Him.

Hear another text. Acts 4:12 , " neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved." Get it now, there is salvation in none but Christ. Hear John 10:1, "He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some otherway, the same is a thief and a robber." Don't you see my friend that if you are trying to get to God and heaven some way but by Christ you stand condemned as criminal. How do you think you can stand before God when He says you are a thief and robber.

I urge you to get down off your high horse right now and repent of your sins and come to God through His Son and be saved. If you will call me at 601-927-5070, I will tell you how to be saved.

Perfected Forever

(Article for publication week of 12-12- AD 2102)

"For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14). If you are a believer in Christ this text says you are perfect. Of course we know that this perfection is not in ourselves, but in Christ Alone and His saving work. No one has reached a place where they can honestly say they are perfect in and of themselves. I John 1:10 plainly says, "if we say that we have not sinned. we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." Our Lord taught us to always pray "forgive us our sins" (Luke 11:4). Believers are perfect judicially before God because the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them, though they are far from perfect in their own right.

It is by "one offering" that God's people are perfected- that is the offering of our Lord Jesus Christ made "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). That is the only offering that ever has, or ever will make a sinner right before God. All the blood of the ceremonial offerings of animals under the Old Testament never took away anybody's sins (Hebrews (10:4), or perfected anyone. The Old Testament offerings pointed to the True Lamb of God Who would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29), but they never took away sins themselves. All those offerings were necessary because God had commanded them to teach believers and point them to the coming Saviour, but God never appointed any offering except that of His Son to perfect us (I Peter 1:18). Any pretended "offering" by any man today will not take away your sins. The offerings you give to the church will not take away sin. (Although God loves a cheerful giver and we are commanded to support the Cause of Christ as we are enabled by the Lord.) Note well our text says by ONE offering Christ perfected those who are sanctified. That is as clear as the nose on your face if you will just believe what it says! Christ accomplished the Great Atonement by a singular act. The Bible plainly says that salvation is all of the Lord (Jonah 2:9), it is in no sense a joint effort between God and man.

Now, notice who it is that has been perfected by the one offering made by Christ. Our text says it is those who are "sanctified." Lord willing, we shall have a series of articles on sanctification as soon as we finish with justification, but for now I want you to see that God sanctified His elect people in eternity. Ephesians 1:4 sweetly informs us that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be "HOLY and without blame before Him." "Without blame" refers to our justification, and "holy" refers to our sanctification. At the appropriate time, when we write on sanctification we shall , with the help of the Lord show you how that sanctification is positional, experimental, practical and progressive, but I want you to see today that our text is talking about positional sanctification. God chose His elect in Christ, before the foundation of the world and set them apart for His Own holy use. God sanctified His people in this sense from all eternity. By an eternal, and unalterable decree, God ordained the salvation of His Church. He gave His Son an innumerable (for man) number of folk as His bride. In this eternal decree, God set this vast host apart for His holy use. He chose them in Christ to finally be actually holy (II Thessalonians 2:13), but there was this setting apart by His Sovereign decree even before they had an existence in themselves. These sanctified ones are the ones that Christ has perfected forever by His one offering.

Next I want to point out that Christ made this offering to His Father. In chapter nine, verse fourteen of this same epistle we read, that Christ "offered Himself without spot to God." Christ did not offer Himself to men, nor to angels, not to devils, but He offered Himself to God. In other words, the death of Christ was a sacrificial offering to God the Father as a satisfaction for sin. And God has accepted this offering as the only payment that ever will have to be made to redeem us from our sins.

Finally, note well that Christ has perfected His people FOREVER. By His one and only offering, Christ secured eternal redemption for us. Dear readers, "forever" means just what it says! This text declares the eternal security and final perseverance of everyone for whom Christ died. Since we are perfected forever, it is impossible that any who are in Christ can ever fall away finally and be lost.

Perfected forever! What a grand and glorious gospel!

As Christ Loved the Church

(Article for publication week of 12-5- AD 2012)

“Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).

The usage of the word “church” in our text is the same as we saw in last week’s Narrow Way article as the context clearly shows. The Church that Christ loved, and for which He gave Himself is the whole election of grace, that is, all that are now, have been, or ever will be gathered into Christ. The scriptures use the word “church” in two general senses. First as it is used here in our text, and then in other places to refer to a local and organized assembly of believers. One day we may write on the doctrine of the church, but this is as much as we need for our present business. Husbands are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the Church.

It should be clear from a text like this that love is much more than feelings over which we have no control. Husbands have no choice but to love their wives, for Christ commands us so to do. I have known more than a few people who deserted their spouse with the announcement that they just didn’t “love them any more“. This is rank disobedience to the word of God, and therefore a great evil, for we are commanded to love our spouse (see also Titus 2:4 for the reciprocal duty of wives). Our Lord purposed to love His people in eternity and is bound and determined to love them forever.

Now, as I say, love is a command to be obeyed, not a feeling that may change. And this is most evident in that Christ is the example for us husbands to love our wives. “Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it.” Christ loves His church by providing for her, and caring for her, and by governing her. Christ loves His Church particularly and persistently. But above all, He gave Himself for her. That is he died for our salvation. Our Lord laid down His life to redeem His people from sin and save them with an everlasting salvation. Christ loved His Church sacrificially. He gave Himself!

Whatever may be said about our Lord’s general benevolence and goodness to the whole world (and there is much to be said), it is evident from this text that His saving love is set upon His Church. It should be evident that His saving love for His people is special and particular. The context of our passage clearly shows that. Just as a faithful husband loves his own wife in a way he loves no others, so Christ loves His church (to repeat for emphasis and clarity), which is comprised of all who are now, have been, or ever will be gathered into Christ.

Christ loved His people so much that He left heaven’s bright world to come into a sin cursed world to bleed and die for the salvation of all who would ever believe in Him (another way of describing Christ’s church). He gave Himself for us. That is He gave Himself as a Substitute for us. Christ’s church was under penalty of death with the whole Adamic race, but Christ gave Himself for us to satisfy the justice of God’s law. In giving Himself for us, Christ actually and definitely secured the salvation of every heir of promise. Every one that is in the True Church of Christ is saved because Christ died for them. And because Christ loves His people with an everlasting love they can never fall finally and be lost.

Much more could be written, and we hope we will be permitted so to do for the glory of our Great God, the advancement of His kingdom, and the eternal good of His people. May the Lord bless you all my, dear readers.

He Paid the Price

(Article for publication week of 11-28- AD 2012)

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His Own blood” (Acts 20:28).

Our text this week is the apostle Paul’s farewell address to the elders of the church at Ephesus. Here is the great duty of the true ministers of Christ- to feed the Lord’s people.

The first thing I want you to notice in our text is the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. The text says that the Church was bought with the blood of God. Now, we know that it was the Lord Jesus Christ, the Eternal and Coequal Son of God, the God man, Who shed His blood for our redemption. So it is evident that Paul was saying that Christ is and was truly and properly God.

Secondly, notice with me that the redemption made by Christ is spoken of in our text in economic terms. The Church was purchased with the blood of Christ, Who, as I say is clearly God. We have here the language of the marketplace. The atonement secured by Christ was a commercial atonement. There was a price that had to be paid, and the Lord Jesus Christ paid the price. This commercial, or economic aspect of the atonement is shown by other passages which speak of our sins in terms of indebtedness. For instance, our Lord taught us to pray, “forgive us our debts” (Matthew 6:12). We were indebted to God because of our sins. Christ paid our debt that we owed to the justice of God’s law.

Thirdly, please notice the high price of salvation. It took the blood of Christ, that is His death, to save us from our sins. The price of salvation is higher than any man can ever pay. We have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ, not with silver or gold (I Peter 1:18). Nothing but the blood of Christ can ever wash away our sins. None of our good works can ever pay the price of redemption. Our tears of repentance will not pay, or help pay the debt of sin we owed. Our faith cannot pay the price. Rites and rituals, ordinances nor sacraments (so-called) will ever pay, or help pay the debt we owed. But the precious blood of Christ paid once and for all the debt that all the Church owed.

Fourthly, note well that Christ got what He paid for. He actually purchased His Church. He did not just make a down payment, and leave it to us to pay the rest. A thousand times “No”! Salvation is all of the Lord. It is not a joint effort between Christ and sinners. No! The full price of redemption was paid for every blood bought soul when Christ died on the cross.

Finally, I want to be sure who is meant here by the “church”. Our text has nothing to do with a denomination, or a group of churches, or even a local organized assembly. The “church” here in our text is the whole election of grace. Every heir of promise chosen by God, redeemed by Christ, and called by the Holy Spirit is in the “church” of our text. Now, hold your seat and don’t go off on a tangent. I am not suggesting that the organized church is unimportant. I am not suggesting that Christians ought to hold the organized church in contempt. This is one of those ways that some have destroyed their souls by falling into a ditch on either side. There are multitudes who belong to a visible organized church who have no evidence of being saved. Then there are others who maintain that it is superfluous to belong to the church since salvation is in Christ and not the church. Both of these are dangerous errors. It is true that salvation is in Christ, not the church. But it is the duty of all believers to join a local assembly and submit to its doctrines and discipline. Lord willing, we will write on the doctrine of the church one of these days, but now I want you to see that often in the scriptures the “church” refers to all the elect of God. It includes all the Old Testament saints as well as all the New Testament saints. It includes the dying thief who never got baptized, and never joined the visible church. Christ paid the price for all the Father gave Him in the covenant of grace.

Christ paid the price in full. Praise the Lord!

The Death of Christ

(Article for publication week of 11-21- AD 2012)

“As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:15).

The reader is invited and encouraged to read the entire tenth chapter of John’s gospel. In this chapter our Lord declares Himself as the Good Shepherd of His sheep. In our text today the Great Shepherd says that He would lay down His life for His sheep.

No one could ever be saved apart from the death of Christ. We were under the sentence of death because of our sins. “The wages of sin is death,” we read in Romans 6:23. God is determined to punish sinners, and death is the only proper punishment for rebellion against God (which is what sin is). Physical and corporeal death is the wages of sin, and ultimately the second death in the lake of fire, that is eternal hell. Christ laid down His life that we would be saved from so great a death and have eternal life.

Now, Christ is the Only Person in God’s universe Who could have died for His sheep. Our text, and verse 18 show Christ to be properly God. The knowledge of the Father and the Son speaks of their relationship and coequality from all eternity. In verse 18, Christ declares something that no ordinary man ever could- that is He has power to lay down His life, and to take it again. This is because He is the God-Man (I Timothy 2:5). This also tells us that Christ died to make an atonement for sin, not just as a martyr for a good cause.

First consider that Christ died a substitutionary death. He died for His sheep. That is He died in their “room and stead” as has been oft repeated down through the history of the Church. Never forget that God will punish the sinner, or He will punish the sinners Substitute. Christ acted as a substitute for His sheep. That is, He eternally assumed all our obligations including our obligation to be punished for our sins. God transferred our guilt to the Shepherd of our souls, the Lord Jesus Christ, and punished Him instead of us.

Next, please note well, that this text plainly shows that Christ made a definite atonement for His people. That is He died for His sheep particularly. This text says that Christ actually and definitely and really made an atonement for His elect people, whom He calls in our text this week “my sheep.” I want you to see that Christ did not die in vain, but accomplished salvation for all for whom He died.

Poor sinner, your only hope is in the death of Christ Please know that if you are trusting in Christ Alone for your whole and sole righteousness, that you are one of His sheep, and that Christ died for you, and did everything necessary for your salvation. Salvation is not by our works in any sense, but by the work of Christ, exclusively. May the Lord bless His dear sheep to believe this wonderful gospel.

Death Abolished by the Work of Christ

(Article for publication week of 11- 14--AD 2012)

“Who (God) hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His Own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, Who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (II Timothy 1:9-10).

Surely it would take a multitude of articles and sermons to draw out all the wealth of this text. The text tells us that salvation is indeed all by God’s sovereign grace who chose His people in Christ before the foundation of the world and made all the arrangements necessary to bring them to eternal glory. But I wish to focus our attention this week primarily on the expression in verse 10 “Who hath abolished death.”

Christ has abolished death for His people. The curse of Adam brought upon all his posterity the sting of death (Genesis 3:19; Romans 5:12). But God Who is rich in mercy, had purposed from all eternity that His Eternal and Coequal Son should bear the awful curse for His elect people and abolish death for them. Thus our text tells us that in time Christ was manifest, that is He became a Man to redeem us from the curse of the law and all its evil effects. All the sins of all God’s people were transferred to Christ and He suffered as the Just Substitute to satisfy the just requirement of God’s law. Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again the third day for our justification (Romans 4:25; I Corinthians 15:1-4). Thus He arose triumphant over the devil, sin, hell and the grave. So our text says that Christ “abolished death.”

First of all Christ has removed the sting of death for us. Death is indeed a monster. We are naturally afraid of death, for it appears to be an awful and final thing. Unbelievers certainly should fear death, for it will usher them into their awful eternal state. But believers have no need to fear death, for Christ has abolished all its evil effect. For believers death is the door that opens to heaven and immortal glory. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord we read in the fifth chapter of II Corinthians. As soon as believer closes his eyes in death, he is with Christ in paradise (Luke 23:43).

Secondly, Christ has abolished the Second Death for His people. Eternal hell is described in Revelation as the “second death.” The finally impenitent are doomed to eternal death. That is they are fixed in a state of conscious suffering forever. Thus to die outside of Christ is to spend eternity facing God as your eternal Judge and Executioner. Truly it can be said of everyone who is outside of Christ as our Lord said of Judas Iscariot, it would have been better if they had not been born. But Christ has abolished the second death for His people. It has no power over us. Again, Christ died for our sins. He fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law of God, and no one can lay any charge to the elect of God.

Thirdly, Christ has abolished death for the believer because He will raise up our bodies at the final day I Corinthians 15:52; I Thessalonians 4:16-17; John 6:39). Though our bodies must see corruption and return to dust, the Lord will gather up that dust and raise it up in a new body fashioned like unto our Lord. Our omniscient God knows where every atomic particle is, and regardless of how long our bodies have slept in the dust, it will be no hard thing for our omnipotent God to re-gather every particle of our formerly sin cursed bodies and raise them up incorruptible.

As one hymn writer so ably expressed it, “I face the monster death and smile”! Dear believer in Christ, you have no reason to fear death because all its evil has been abolished by Christ and He has taken away its sting. May the Lord bless His dear people to be delivered from all fear of death.

The Believer's Sins Forgotten

(Article for publication week of 11-7- AD 2012)

"And I will remember their sin no more" (Jeremiah 31: 34). Oh! What a glorious declaration by God Himself! He declares that He will not remember His people's sins.

First of all we need to see that this is a judicial statement. It is something that God wills, or purposes. We know that God is omniscient, and that He does not literally forget anything. All things are naked and open before His all-seeing eyes. God makes this declaration because He has eternally justified His people and not one charge can ever be brought against them (Romans 8:33). Christ has taken away our sins by His atoning death. Christ was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification (Romans 4:25). So, you see this is a judicial declaration that God makes when He says He will not remember the believer's sins against him as far as the justice of His law. And this is a vital Biblical concept in which the believer will be greatly blessed. There are so many blessings and comforts you will miss if you do not see the judicial aspect of your salvation. And there are many things in the word of God you will not understand without a clear grasp that justifification is a judicial act of God.

In my fellowship with the Lord's people through the years I have seen there are three things in particular that often disturb their peace and comfort. First of all many are concerned because of the enormity of their sins before they were converted. Some believers have been saved from particularly degraded sins. Now we know that there is no sin that is so small that it does not deserve eternal damnation, but we need always remember there are no sins so great they will not be forgiven those who truly repent. So dear child of God who has been saved from terrible and gross sins, let not your conscience be troubled because the blood of Christ has washed away all your sins forever.

Secondly, believers are often distressed by their sins since conversion. The child of God has been given them a new nature that loves the Lord and hates sin, and his great desire is that he would never sin again. His spirit is willing, but his flesh is weak. He is always repenting and sorrowing for his sins and learning from our Lord's Model Prayer, "forgive me my sins". The believer in Christ can draw comfort from our Lord's declaration that he has willed not to remember his sins. Be sure the death of Christ has taken away all your sins, past, present and future.

Thirdly, we know many of the Lord's people (including your poor writer) who are often troubled in their spirits about the day of judgment. Will the Lord bring up our sins against us at the final Day? After all the Bible says some sober things regarding the Day of Judgment. "we shall all give an account", and "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." Your poor writer does not claim to have all the answers, but I draw my comfort from this week's text, "I will remember their sins no more." Justification is an eternal , immanent act of God's free grace, not a work that a sinner performs. Whatever the scripures may say about our final accounting before God, we can rest in the work of Christ and the judicial declaration that God has made. Whatever the Bible may say about God's gracious rewarding of His people in the day of judgment, He will never bring our sins up against us, for He judicially does not remember them. They have been expunged from His record . As a hymnwriter expressed it:

"Bold shall I stand in that great day
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
While through Thy blood absolved I am
From sins tremendous curse and shame."

The Conversion of the Dying Thief

(Article for publication week of 10-31- AD 2012)

“And Jesus said unto him, ‘Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise’ “ (Luke 23:43).

A dear minister of old astutely and accurately commented on this text, “the Bible gives us one account of a “death bed” conversion, so that none need despair, but only one that none might presume.” When a man dies who had no visible evidence (to us) of being saved, this account gives us hope that he could have been converted in his final hour. However, this is no basis for unscriptural presumption, nor unreasonable conjecture. You who are now unconverted, flee to Christ today, for indeed today is the day of salvation. Do not vainly imagine that you may have some final opportunity to repent and believe in Christ. But I repeat, we are not without hope even when a man dies in whom we saw no evidence of his being saved. God’s surprising grace may be discovered even at the final hour. Christians have good reason to always be hopeful, but never presumptive.

The account of the conversion of the dying thief proves to us that there are none too sinful for God to save them. The Lord Jesus Christ died for the chief of sinners. Though your sins be as scarlet, they indeed shall be as white as snow. Here was a sinner as sinful as he could be, but he cried for mercy in his last hour and Jesus showed him mercy.

We also see in this account that salvation is indeed all of sovereign grace. It was too late for the dying thief to go to church. It was too late for him to get baptized. It was too late for him to amend his ways, or attempt moral reform. It was too late to “do penance” (so-called). It was too late for this man to do anything to save himself, or help save himself. But it was not too late for Christ to have mercy on his poor soul. This man was completely helpless in the matter of the salvation of his soul. But friend, that is where you and I are. We are just as sinful as the dying thief, and just as powerless to do anything to save ourselves or help Christ save us. But praise the Lord, that is the kind of folks Christ saves- those who know they are vile sinners, and know that they have no merit of their own.

But I want to show you another thing about the dying thief’s conversion. That is, that there is no prescribed prayer for a sinner to repeat, or formula for true faith in Christ, in order to be saved. The dying thief just simply pleaded, “Lord remember me”! You see salvation is not in our praying, but it is in Christ Alone, the true object of saving faith. In fact when we read the various accounts of conversion in the scriptures, we see that no two sinners said or did the same thing when they were converted. One dear sister said not a word to the Saviour but simply lay at precious feet and wept (Luke 7:38). Dear readers, salvation is not in your praying, or weeping, or raising your hand, or signing a card, or shaking the preacher’s hand, but it is Christ Alone. Saving faith is simply looking to him and coming to him by faith, however it may be expressed verbally or nonverbally.

Now get this. The converted thief has been in heaven with Christ now for two thousand years, although he was a Christian but a few hours. What a glorious gospel! What a surprising conversion (every one is)! What a wonderful Saviour! I want you to know that every one who believes in the Saviour of the dying thief will also hear those blessed words, “today shalt thou be with me in Paradise” and shall be with Him forever. Thank the Lord for sovereign grace and the Saviour of Sinners.

Our Sins Purged

(Article for publication week of 10-24- AD 2012)

“Who (God the Son) being the brightness of His (God the Father‘s) glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself, purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3).

What can be done about your sins? This is the test of the worth of any religion, how does it teach us to deal with our sins? If your religion cannot tell you how your sins may be dealt with, it is worthless and vain.

The Bible tells us how a Christian’s sins are dealt with. They have been purged by the saving agency of Christ, and atoned for by His propitious death. Christ has made a full atonement for the believer’s sins, and they are no more charged to his account.

There is nothing else that can ever purge our sins, but the atoning death of Christ. A sinner could spend a million years in hell, and the fires of hell would never purge him from his sins. This is the reason that guilty sinners must spend eternity in hell, because their sins and the guilt incurred thereby cannot be taken away by the punishment of hell. A sinner could cry an ocean of tears of repentance, and that would not purge him from his sins. Indeed, a broken heart, and a contrite spirit are evidences of a gracious state, but sorrow for sin will not take away sin. None of the Old Testament animal sacrifices ever purged one sin. Those typical sacrifices only pointed men to the True Lamb of God who would purge His people’s sins. Rites and rituals can never purge our sins. But what none of these things could ever do, Christ accomplished by His death burial and resurrection. Christ is the only One and the only Way, and the only Agency that can ever purge you of your sins. This is the reason you must look to Him Alone for your salvation.

Now notice with me that the text this week says that Christ purged our sins “by Himself.” This was a work that only Christ could perform in the way that God’s Wisdom had ordained our salvation. According to God’s will and purpose it was only the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was both God and Man, Who could take care of our sin problem. Note well that our verse this week plainly declares the Deity of Christ. He was the very brightness of the Father’s Glory, and His express Image. He as God, who created all things, upholds all things by His sovereign power. This unique Person, the Eternal and Coequal Son of God was the only Person that God’s wisdom and purpose designed to be a sin bearer, and as One Who could purge our sins. This was a work that Christ did by Himself. Man’s efforts can contribute nothing to the work that has been accomplished by Christ. Our text says that Christ “purged” our sins (past tense). Nothing can be added to the work of Christ, and praise the Lord nothing can be taken away from it!

This is the way that God justifies a poor guilty, bankrupt sinner. He sent His Son to make a full atonement by His death, and thereby purge our sins. They’re all taken away! The believer’s sins are all taken away! Our text declares that Christ finished this work, for He has now sat down at His Father’s right hand. Christ has left nothing incomplete in this work. There is nothing for a sinner to do, but believe this glorious gospel and rejoice in Christ who has taken away our guilt by purging our sins. That will do to ride the river with.

The Uncondemnable

(Article for publication week of 10-17-2012 AD )

“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession for us” (Romans 8:34).

This is a gloriously strong assertion of the justification of God’s elect. The believer in Christ is not only uncondemned, he is uncondemnable! What an encouragement to the believer in Christ! What a comfort to those under a load of guilt! The child of God cannot be condemned by anyone in the universe, because he is justified by God (verse 33).

Paul issues a bold challenge to every devil in hell. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died. Paul issues this challenge with the confidence that none can be condemned for whom Christ died. By His substitutionary death, Christ fully atoned for all the sins of God’s elect. Not one for whom Christ can ever be condemned, because Divine Justice was satisfied by the dying Saviour. Our sins were charged to Christ as our vicarious substitute, and we are fully absolved from the awful penalty they so richly deserved.

I pray that you would be enabled to believe this glorious truth of the efficacy of the death of Christ. Our text this week, and the larger passage in Romans 8:28-39, boldly asserts that the Lord Jesus Christ died efficaciously- that is His death accomplished all that God intended for it to accomplish. I want you to see that the scriptures teach that Christ did not die in vain, but that He was a glorious success in dying for His people. Not one lamb in Christ’s flock can ever be lost, because Christ died for His sheep and saved them to the uttermost.

“It is Christ that DIED”! We ourselves were under the sentence of death for our sins. But Christ agreed with His Father in an everlasting Covenant of Grace to become a Man and die a torturous death to redeem all the Father gave Him in eternity. The death of the Lord Jesus Christ eternally satisfied the perfectly strict justice of God, and God the Supreme Judge of the universe is satisfied. God is determined to punish sinners, but His glorious wisdom and mercy designed that elect sinners should have Christ as a Substitute. So God punished the Substitute and declared elect sinners “not guilty”!

Now God being strictly just, will not punish sin twice. He is not such an unjust Judge as would hold men in double jeopardy. (By the way, our judicial system being rooted in the Bible upholds this principle of not trying a person twice for a crime of which he is already found innocent.) He will punish the sinner, or the sinner’s Substitute, but He will not punish both. The sentence has been fully executed upon Christ, and so not one charge can be laid to the elect, and no one anywhere can condemn them. The believer in Christ is uncondemnable.

Christ died for all the sins of all His people fully justifying us before God. Christ died for all our sins past, present and future. The believer in Christ will never be punished for his sins because Christ was punished for us. (God’s Fatherly chastisement is another matter to be considered another time, but presently we are considering our judicial and eternal standing with God.)

Dear reader, if you are trusting in Christ Alone for salvation you are uncondemned- yea uncondemnable. God does not condemn you, for all your sins are forever taken away. And if the Judge of all the earth does not condemn you, who can? May the Lord bless His dear people to understand this glorious gospel.

Propitiation

(Article for publication week of 10-10- AD 2012)

“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:10).

Fundamental to the doctrine of justification is propitiation. Propitiation means that God’s holy anger toward a believing sinner has been appeased. God’s justice has been satisfied by the death of Christ.

God is rightfully angry with sinners. Sin is an affront to His holy nature. It is nothing less than rebellion against the Ruler of the universe. Sin is treason against the Creator. In His righteous and holy anger, God is determined to punish sinners. Mark it down, God will punish you, poor sinner, unless His anger is turned away. The sharp sword of God’s justice hangs over you and will eternally and infinitely cut you down, unless God be reconciled.

Our text tells us that God’s love for His people moved Him to make a Covenant of Grace, whereby His Eternal Son agreed to be a propitiation for all the elect of God. It is not that we loved God, but rather that He loved us. Indeed, His love was set upon His elect from all eternity. God loved us before He ever created us. Though God loved His people unchangeably and eternally, He would not relax His Holy standard. God MUST punish sin. God is too holy not to punish sin. He is too just not to punish sin. Sin must be dealt with, and God’s holy justice must be satisfied.

So, our text says, the Eternal Father sent His Eternal Son to satisfy the justice of His broken Law. Christ was sent, because He eternally agreed with the Father about the matter of the eternal redemption of His elect. Christ said in John 6:38-39, “I came down from heaven, not to mine Own will, but the will of Him that sent me, and this is the Father’s will that hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me, I should lose nothing, but raise it up at the last day.”

God hath devised means whereby His banished be not expelled. He appointed His Son to be a Substitute for all that He purposed to save. God will either punish the sinner, or He will punish the sinner’s Substitute. The believer has Christ for His substitute! “The chastisement of our peace was upon Him” (Isaiah 53:5). In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ suffered in His soul. This was the beginning of His sufferings, which would end in His death on the cross. God dealt with Christ as a sinner, because He was bearing the sins of His people. Divine justice was satisfied by the propitiation made by Christ as blow after blow of God’s justice was dealt to Him. God poured out His wrath upon His Own dear Son. Christ is an Infinite Person, so in a moment of time, he suffered infinitely for all who would ever look to Him by faith.

Since Christ was made a propitiation, God’s anger is eternally appeased regarding His people. The believer is at peace with God, because His justice has been satisfied by Christ. This is a wonderful Gospel indeed! Our God is reconciled! When you are able by grace to believe that, you will be the happiest person on earth. May the Lord give you faith to believe that today.

Peace with God

(Article for publication week of 10-3- AD 2012)


“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” (Romans 5:1).

Dear reader, can you say that you have “peace with God”? To be sure there are multitudes who have a false peace. There are many who have had their wounds healed slightly by some false prophet, and they are going on to hell with a false sense of security. They cry “peace, peace”, but there is no peace.

The only way you will ever have peace with God is to be justified by faith. The only way you can have peace with God is through His eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You can only have peace with God on His terms.

Our text opens with a “therefore”. This is a great help in our interpretation of the word. In other words, after Paul has made his arguments, he draws a conclusion. Because of everything he has written to us in the first four chapters of Romans, he comes to this glorious conclusion, that the believer in Christ, and only the believer in Christ has peace with God. In Romans 1:18-3:19 Paul was inspired to show us that all men without exception are under the wrath of God. I shudder to write it! “The wrath of God”! Dear reader do you not see that in your natural state you are an object of God’s holy and just wrath? Do you not see that you deserve that wrath? And if you remain as you are without Christ, the wrath of God will come pouring down on you with the fires of eternal vengeance. OH! I just pray that the Holy Spirit will awaken you to that fact, that you are under God’s wrath. This is how the Apostle starts, and it is the place that all preachers must start, that is to get people lost, for Christ only saves lost people. This is the great need of the hour, for sinners to see their lost and ruined estate.

But then, after he shows us our lost condition, he shows us how God justifies elect sinners. God justifies His people by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Alone. The very righteousness of God is imputed to all who believe in Christ. Since the believer is declared as righteous as God (for he surely is), the believer has peace with God. The sins that made us fit for God’s wrath and condemnation are all taken away by the redeeming work of Christ.

Peace with God! Neighbours that is shouting ground! I am on good terms with God because my sins are taken away, and the righteousness of Christ (which is the righteousness of God, for he is verily God) is imputed to me.

This is true and genuine peace. The believer in Christ may have peace in his soul, though there may be wars and rumours of war all about him. Though this life is attended by many conflicts, the child of God has true peace because he has been saved from his sins and reconciled to God. The only way you will ever have that kind of peace is by believing in Christ for your salvation. May the Lord grant it.

The Passive Obedience of Christ

(Article for publication week of 9-26-2012 AD)

“And being found in fashion as a Man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

It is by the obedience of Christ that believers are constituted righteous in the sight of God (Romans 5:19). The obedience of Christ is both active and passive. Christ actively obeyed the law to a jot and a title (Matthew 5:17-18). He always did those things which pleased His Father (John 8:29).This active obedience is imputed to the believer so that God reckons the believer has actively kept His law.

The obedience of Christ is also passive, as spoken of in our text here in Philippians 2:8. Christ was obedient unto death. As our Surety, Christ had obligated Himself to stand good for all our obligations. As rational creatures, we were obligated to obey the law of God and answer to Him for every transgression thereof. By breaking the law of God we were condemned and sentenced to death, the proper punishment for sin. By His passive obedience, Christ stood in our room and stead, as our Substitute, and died for us.

He “became obedient unto death.” The sword of God’s vengeance was raised to strike the terrible blow to Christ’s people. God had pronounced death as the proper punishment for those who broke His law (Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). It was for the sins of His people that Christ died (I Corinthians 15:3). He had no sin of His Own, but it was for the sins of others that he died. He was just Himself, but He suffered for the unjust (I Peter 3:18). We were under the curse of the law, but Christ was made a curse for us, and so redeemed us from the awful curse (Galatians 3:13).

The death to which we were subject is physical, spiritual and eternal. Since sin is cosmic treason against the Infinite God, the only proper punishment is infinite death. This is the reason Hell is eternal. Eternity is not long enough to satisfy the wrath and hatred of an Infinitely Holy and Just God. After a million years in hell, the unsaved sinner is still under the penalty of the law. Hell will not purge him of his sin. And so Hell has to go on forever.

Since Christ is an Infinite Person, He was able to undergo the wrath of God and suffer eternal punishment in a moment of time. Christ is the God Man. His Manhood is Joined to His Deity in such a way as it could be said that we were purchased by the very blood of God (Acts 20:28). All the sins of every elect sinner were put upon Christ and He became a sin Bearer.

Christ passively obeyed God by willingly dying for the sins of His people. No man took His Life, but He laid it down (John 10:18). He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane , “not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” Christ became obedient unto death, even the cruel and ignominious death of the cross. He was numbered with us transgressors. He was treated by God as if he were a sinner Himself, though He was perfectly sinless.

It is by such perfect obedience that all who trust in Christ Alone are made righteous. Believers are justified by the active and passive obedience of Christ. As dear old Isaac Watts expressed it,
         “The best obedience of my hands dares not appear before Thy throne.

          But faith can answer Thy demands by pleading what my Lord has done.”

(Columnists note: this article was originally planned for 8-29. Due to my being late for the deadline, it was not run that week. It was not the editor’s fault, it was all your columnist’s fault. It should have followed the article entitled “the “Active Obedience of Christ.” Should any wish to read the articles in their original sequence, you may do so by visiting the matthewsevenfourteen blogsite.)

Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone

(Article for publication week of 9-19- AD 2012)

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;” (Romans 3:24-25).

The Reformers used to say, that justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ Alone. Of course the True Church was preaching and teaching these things long before the Reformation, as the pre- Reformation confessions of such groups as the Waldenses will show. (If any of you would like to know more of how the gospel was preached and maintained in the centuries before the Reformation, I have a wealth of information in my library that I would love to share with you. I’d love for you to come drink a cup of coffee or a glass of ice tea with me, and we can visit in the things of the Lord.) Be that as it may, we are thankful for men like Luther and Calvin and Zwingli and so many others that the Lord used to declare these truths so powerfully back in the sixteenth century, although, we repeat for emphasis, that the true church was preaching these things all along, and the Lord did not leave Himself without a witness during the centuries between the death of the Apostles and the Reformation.

This glorious gospel of “grace alone, faith alone, Christ Alone” is clearly set forth in our text this week. At first glance, it appears that this is a contradictory statement, to say three different things “alone” justify us. But as we shall see, it is not contradictory at all, but rather it is looking at justification from three different aspects. Note well, I did not say that there are different ways that a man is justified, but I said, it is three different aspects of justification.

Justified by grace, justified by faith, and justified by Christ are three different ways of saying the same thing. When we say “justified by grace”, we are speaking of the moving cause of justification. It was the free and sovereign grace of God that moved Him to justify and save His people. The cause of justification is found completely in God and His grace, and not of anything found in the elect sinner. We see this in the expression “justified freely by His grace”. We have written on this before, but for emphasis, clarity, and for the sake of those who missed previous articles, I remind you the word translated “freely” in our text means “without a cause”. There is no cause in us for God to save us; the cause is in His Divine, sovereign, and free grace.

When we say “justified by Christ”, we are speaking of the grounds of our justification. Our text this week says plainly, “His righteousness”. The whole and sole grounds of salvation is in the righteousness of Christ, worked out by Him Alone by His active and passive obedience (See Jeremiah 23:6,e.g., and previous Narrow Way articles). Again, this is another way of saying justified by grace, because it is by Christ’s imputed righteousness that a sinner is saved without any works, merits, or efforts on the sinner’s part.

When we say, “justified by faith”, we speak of the instrumentality of justification. Our text this week says “through faith”. It is by faith alone that the elect sinner receives the justifying righteousness of Christ. Faith is the only channel through which grace flows. This is another way of saying “saved by grace” (see Roman 4:16), for the elect sinner is justified by Christ, the object of saving faith, and faith is actually a gracious gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).

To quickly summarize this week’s message, let me state it again, and ask you to pay particular attention to the use of our English pronouns. “Justification is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ Alone.” The slight nuances of the use of our English pronouns in this sentence summarizes well the Biblical way of justification in its moving cause, instrumentality and sole grounds. And all of this is discovered in scripture alone, and is to the glory of God Alone.

The Great Substitution

(Article for publication week of 9-12-2012 AD)

“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” (II Corinthians 5:21).

Our text this week tells us that believers in Christ are justified by a great work of substitution. Christ is the Substitute for His elect people.

Let us begin by being sure we understand the use of the pronouns in our text. “He (God the Father) hath made Him (God the Son) to be sin for us (believers in Christ), Who (Christ the Son) knew no sin; that we (God’s elect) might be made the righteousness of God in Him (Christ).” God has made His Dear Son to be sin for His elect people (that is all those who are graced by God to believe in Christ). Christ is the believer’s Substitute.

Now I want you to see that there is no way this could be true except for imputation. The Lord Jesus Christ was made sin by imputation. He Himself was personally and actually without sin. He was holy, harmless, and undefiled and separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:26). There was no deceit in His mouth, and He never did any violence (Isaiah 53:9). No man could convince Him of sin (John 8:46). Our Lord was impeccable, and to even suggest that He could have sinned is the blackest of blasphemies. Our text proclaims that Christ was made to be sin, because all the sins of all His elect people were imputed to Him. That is, God the Father by a judicial act, reckoned His Son as a sinner, because He willingly and gladly agreed to be a Surety and Substitute for His people. I repeat for emphasis, there is no way this could be true except by imputation. Works- mongers who deny imputation would have to twist this text to say that Christ was actually a sinner Himself, again a most vile blasphemy. Imputation is required for Christ to be sinless Himself, and yet be made sin for His people. Our text today is absolute proof of the wholesome Protestant doctrine of imputation. Those who deny imputation deny the very gospel, and it is most questionable if they are Christians (God knoweth infallibly, not us). I am trying to stress how important the doctrine of imputation is to our understanding of the gospel. Imputation must be made clear, and cannot be emphasized too strongly.

Our text says that all the sins of all God’s people were transferred to Christ. And so He was made to be sin. God the Father treated His Son as sinners should be treated, that is He poured out His wrath upon Him! He was just Himself, but He suffered for the unjust, because our sins were counted as His! Oh! My soul behold and wonder! God is determined to punish sin, and He will either punish the sinner, or He will punish the sinner’s Substitute.

Since Christ took our sins as His Own, and truly suffered for them, we (that is believers in Christ) are made the righteousness of God. God by a judicial act regards us in right relation to His law because Christ has fully atoned for all our sins. Note well, it is by imputation that we are made the righteousness of God, for none of us are actually and personally righteous in and of ourselves. God justifies the “ungodly” (Romans 4:5). The believer is not actually righteous any more than Christ is actually a sinner. We are made the righteousness of God because God imputed our sins to Christ, and imputed His righteousness to us. That is the greatest transfer that has ever been!



The Passive Obedience of Christ

(Article for publication week of 8-29-2012 AD)

“And being found in fashion as a Man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

It is by the obedience of Christ that believers are constituted righteous in the sight of God (Romans 5:19). The obedience of Christ is both active and passive. Christ actively obeyed the law to a jot and a title (Matthew 5:17-18). He always did those things which pleased His Father (John 8:29). This active obedience is imputed to the believer so that God reckons the believer has actively kept His law.

The obedience of Christ is also passive, as spoken of in our text here in Philippians 2:8. Christ was obedient unto death. As our Surety, Christ had obligated Himself to stand good for all our obligations. As rational creatures, we were obligated to obey the law of God and answer to Him for every transgression thereof. By breaking the law of God we were condemned and sentenced to death, the proper punishment for sin. By His passive obedience, Christ stood in our room and stead, as our Substitute, and died for us.

He “became obedient unto death.” The sword of God’s vengeance was raised to strike the terrible blow to Christ’s people. God had pronounced death as the proper punishment for those who broke His law (Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:4; Romans 6:23). It was for the sins of His people that Christ died (I Corinthians 15:3). He had no sin of His Own, but it was for the sins of others that he died. He was just Himself, but He suffered for the unjust (I Peter 3:18). We were under the curse of the law, but Christ was made a curse for us, and so redeemed us from the awful curse (Galatians 3:13).

The death to which we were subject is physical, spiritual and eternal. Since sin is cosmic treason against the Infinite God, the only proper punishment is infinite death. This is the reason Hell is eternal. Eternity is not long enough to satisfy the wrath and hatred of an Infinitely Holy and Just God. After a million years in hell, the unsaved sinner is still under the penalty of the law. Hell will not purge him of his sin. And so Hell has to go on forever.

Since Christ is an Infinite Person, He was able to undergo the wrath of God and suffer eternal punishment in a moment of time. Christ is the God Man. His Manhood is joined to His Deity in such a way as it could be said that we were purchased by the very blood of God (Acts 20:28). All the sins of every elect sinner were put upon Christ and He became a sin Bearer.

Christ passively obeyed God by willingly dying for the sins of His people. No man took His Life, but He laid it down (John 10:18). He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” Christ became obedient unto death, even the cruel and ignominious death of the cross. He was numbered with us transgressors. He was treated by God as if he were a sinner Himself, though He was perfectly sinless.

It is by such perfect obedience that all who trust in Christ Alone are made righteous. Believers are justified by the active and passive obedience of Christ. As dear old Isaac Watts expressed it,
“The best obedience of my hands
dares not appear before Thy throne.
But faith can answer Thy demands
by pleading what my Lord has done.”

The Active Obedience of Christ

(Article for publication week of 8-22-2012 AD)

“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

It was by the disobedience of one man, Adam, that the entire human race was declared as sinners by God the Judge of all the earth. God imputed the sin of Adam to all his posterity because Adam was the federal head of the human race. Death reigns over all men, even though they had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression (Romans 5:14). Since all men are under the penalty of death for Adam’s transgression, it must be that they are counted as sinners by imputation. To be sure, all men are natural and practicing sinners, but all stand condemned in Adam, and that justly, for we are all in Adam seminally and representatively. All of us were involved in the Adamic Fall, and are implicated in the First Transgression. The “many” of the first clause of our text is the entire human race. God declared you were a sinner even before you were conceived because you belong to a fallen race, that is the race of Adam.

But glory be to God! He did not leave the whole human race in this fallen condition! According to His sovereign grace, God imputed the obedience of His Son to His elect people (the “many” of the second clause). Many (but not all) are saved by the obedience of Christ.

Your best obedience “dares not appear” (Isaac Watts) before God’s throne. But the obedience of Christ can and does stand before God without flaw. The Lord Jesus Christ obeyed the law of God perfectly and completely. He kept the law of God to a “jot and a tittle”. He kept the First Table of the law perfectly by loving God with all His being. He kept the Second Table of the Law perfectly by truly loving His neighbour as Himself. Christ kept the Ten Commandments in deed, thought and motive. He answered all the just demands of the Law by undergoing its full penalty. This active obedience of Christ is imputed to the believer in Christ (again, the “many” of the second clause). The believer in Christ is made, that is constituted righteous by the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ (the “one” of the second clause of out text this week).

The righteousness spoken of in our text can only be the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, for Christ is the only Man Who has ever truly obeyed God. His obedience is counted as righteousness for the elect sinner.

Now, perhaps some trembling soul is thinking, “am I one of the “many” who are made righteous by the obedience of Christ?” We can only point you to Christ for the answer to that question. Be sure the soul who quits his own righteousness, and trusts in Christ Alone for His whole and sole righteousness is among the “many” for whom Christ obeyed God and worked out a true righteousness.

It is by the obedience of Christ Alone that you are found righteous before God. It is not a matter of your imperfect obedience mixed with the perfect obedience of Christ, but it is by the obedience of ONE! I pray the Lord will bless you to believe that right now.

The Saints’ Righteousness

(Article for publication week of 8-15-2012 AD)

“In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is the name whereby He shall be called, ‘THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS’ ”.  (Jeremiah 23:6). This is a wonderful prophecy of our Lord Jesus Christ, as the preceding verse will show. Even as the Lord gave dire prophecies to Israel and Judah through His prophet Jeremiah, He also gave to the true believers among them the promise of the coming of His Son Who would be their true righteousness.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the righteousness that God requires for His people. Our own righteousness will not do, but the righteousness of Christ will give us that which we need for a right standing before God.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our true righteousness. Being truly God, and truly Man in One glorious Person, He was able to work out a righteousness that was acceptable to the Thrice Holy Jehovah. Since He was made of a woman, but not of a man, He was not tainted by Adam’s Fall as every other man is. His humanity was joined to His Deity in such a way as He could by His active and passive obedience obey the law of God for His elect people. Being truly God, His righteous life is properly called the righteousness of God, the righteousness that is truly imputed to His people (Romans 3:21-26).


The Lord Jesus Christ is our (when I use the pronoun “our” I am talking to believers) whole righteousness. The righteousness that Christ provides His people is in strict accordance with the law of God. God requires that we love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and none of us have ever done that. But Christ did love God with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength, and His obedience is accounted to the credit of His people. God requires that we love our neighbour as ourselves, and none of us have ever done that. But Christ did truly love His neighbour as Himself. Christ always treated everybody right. Again, the obedience of Christ is counted as the believer’s very own. God declares that His people have perfectly obeyed the Ten Commandments because Christ obeyed them, and His obedience is imputed to us.

Furthermore, Christ is our whole righteousness because He underwent the wrath of God and was punished for our sins. He was the Righteous Who bore the sins of the unrighteous (I Peter 2:24, e.g.). The believer in Christ has a righteous record with God because Christ by His death, burial and resurrection took away all our sins, and by a sinless life gave us a sinless record.

But then, Christ is our sole righteousness. Get this now- salvation is not a joint venture between God and sinners. Salvation is of the Lord! God will have none of your righteousness, for it is all filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). You must be justified by the righteousness of Christ Alone. I once heard a pretty well known preacher on the radio claim that justification was by us doing all we can, and then Christ would make up the difference. That is not the gospel. It is another gospel which is not another (Galatians 1:6-7). Sadly, this is what multitudes of professing Christians vainly imagine, that is, that their own works or merits helps save them. Christ is a true believer’s sole righteousness. Note well, our text says,” the LORD our righteousness.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the believer’s whole and sole righteousness. Look to Christ Alone for you true justifying, saving righteousness.

If you will contact me this week I will send you absolutely free a back issue of the Free Grace Broadcaster, edited by my dear friend and fellow servant, Elder Jeff Pollard, pastor of Mt. Zion Bible Church in Pensacola, Florida. This particular issue is on the theme of Imputed Righteousness and has some wonderful messages by Charles Spurgeon and others. I can be reached by phone at 601-927-5070 or by email at brickfloyd@bellsouth.net. May the Lord bless all my dear readers.

An Eternally Important Question

(Article for publication week of 8-8-2012 AD)

“I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?” (Job 9:2).

This week we return to the place we started when we began our series on the doctrine of justification. We began this series on March 14 of this year and we have shown that you must have a perfect record with God, that you have no righteousness of your own, and we have begun to show you the gospel of imputed righteousness. I would encourage you to visit our blogspot at matthewsevenfourteen.blogspot.com and go back and read all the articles in this series to see the progression of truth that is involved in the doctrine of justification.

There is no more serious matter for you to contemplate than the salvation of your soul, and your record before the all holy and all righteous Jehovah Who is the Judge of all the earth. The question pondered by Job in our text this week is indeed the most important question we can ask, and we had better be sure we have the Biblical answer to it. As I say in my title this week, it is the eternally important question.

You ought to be concerned about the doctrine of justification for your safety. Dear Reader, don’t you know you have a never dying soul that must live in eternity somewhere? Don’t you know you will face God on the Day of Judgment? For your eternal safety, please hear the word of the Lord! God will do one of two things with you. He will either justify you, and bring you to heaven, or He will condemn you and send you to hell. Unless God declares you “not guilty”, you’re a goner. I come to this computer every week with your eternal soul in view. I am labouring for your eternal good. Some of you do not care for your own soul, but please know that Thomas Ray Floyd does care for your soul. Unless you are justified by God you are in great danger, eternal danger. But if you are justified by God by His free and sovereign grace, you are safe eternally.

Secondly, you ought to be concerned with the doctrine of justification for your comfort. There are some of the Lord’s people who are truly saved, but not having a good understanding of how God justifies them, they are often in great distress of soul. They struggle with assurance because they do not have a clear understanding of how God imputes the righteousness of Christ to their account, and how Christ actually put away all their sins, past, present and future. The gospel is the good news of how an ungodly sinner may stand before God as if he had never sinned. Poor elect sinner who is struggling under the burden of guilt and condemnation, believe in the dear Saviour Whose righteousness is reckoned to you, and it will comfort your soul like nothing else can.

Thirdly, we ought to be concerned with the doctrine of justification for our usefulness to God. Those who rightly understand the article of faith upon which the Church stands or falls, that is, the very heart of the gospel, are the most useful to God and to His dear people. Preachers who think that the gospel is social activism are poor excuses for preachers. In fact they are generally not true preachers, but false prophets. Preachers and Sunday school teachers who just tell their hearers to be nice and polite are not giving the gospel. Religious people who do not know the gospel are a menace to society. Now let us take a short, simple test of whether we know the gospel. Suppose you were called to the bedside of a dying man who has never been to church and has lived a desperately wicked life. Now in his dying hour he becomes concerned for his soul and what can be done about his sins. It is too late for the poor wretch to amend his ways. Could you in such a case take the word of God and show this poor wretch how his sins are actually absolved, and how he can die and face God with a righteous record? If you can’t then you don’t know the gospel yourself, and you are of no use to God, or anybody, as far as anything spiritual and eternal.

If you will keep reading the Narrow Way I will (DV) keep labouring for your eternal good. Keep reading and with the help of the Lord we will learn more of the answer to Job’s great question.

The Righteousness of God Imputed

(Article for publication week of 8-1-2012 AD)

“But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:” (Romans 3:21-22).

“The righteousness of God” is a phrase that we find many times in the Book of Romans, and is fundamental to our understanding of the doctrine of justification and of salvation. Paul used this expression in chapter one, verse seventeen to introduce his great theme in the Epistle to the Romans. A careful reading of our text today reveals that Paul is not referring to the “righteousness of God” as one of His essential attributes, but rather he is describing the righteousness that is imputed to the believer in Christ. It is the very “righteousness of God” which is accounted to the believer. Judicially, God considers a believer in His Eternal Son to be as righteous as Himself. What a glorious gospel!

This is a most astounding truth of God’s word. Although the believer is in and of himself ungodly (Romans 4:5), God imputes the righteousness of His Son to him, yea, to everyone who believes in Him. God declares every believer in Christ to be righteous. Because of the justifying righteousness of Christ, the believer is in right relation to the law of God. This is the only way a poor sinner can ever have his record right with God, that is by imputed righteousness.

Now, Paul declares here in our text that this way of justification had been witnessed by the Old Testament (“the law and the prophets”). God’s way of salvation has always been the same. Abraham and David, and every other Old Testament saint were justified by the imputed righteousness of Christ (Romans 4:3,6). The Old Testament believers did not have the light that we now have, but they were just as saved as we are. With the coming of Christ and the giving of the New Testament there was a full manifestation of what had always been the gospel of grace. What Abraham and David believed for their salvation is now fully manifest to us. The very righteousness of God is “unto and upon all them that believe.”

   

The righteousness of God is “unto” them that believe. That is, it is a free gift. Salvation is a gift, not an offer. Remember, we have already shown in previous articles that it is God Who justifies (Romans 8:33), and we are justified without any cause in us (Romans 3:24). A poor sinner can do nothing to save himself, or help save himself, so he simply trusts in the merits of Christ for his whole and sole righteousness. So the justifying righteousness of Christ is said to be “unto” the believer.

But notice also that the justifying righteousness of Christ is “upon” the believer. This tells us that the righteousness of Christ covers us. Thus did David say, “blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered” (Romans 4:7). The prophet Isaiah wrote so sweetly (see again how the Old Testament gave the gospel witness), “. He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

Finally, let us see that this righteousness is unto and upon everyone that believeth. Though your sins be as black as the hinges on hell’s gates, the righteousness of Christ is counted as yours through faith in Christ. Remember, God justifies the ungodly. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). My text promises that everyone who believes in Christ for his whole and sole righteousness is right with God, that is justified. May the Holy Spirit draw you to the Saviour, and give you faith to believe in Him for justifying righteousness.

Imputation, not Impartation

(Article for publication week of 7-25-2012 AD)

      “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).

      I told you last week that the same Greek word that is translated “impute” in Romans 4, is also translated “counted” in this great chapter that tells us that believers are justified by the righteousness of Another. Our text this week is one of those places. God counts a believer as righteous as Christ, though the believer in and of himself remains ungodly. God justifies the ungodly! Oh! What a glorious gospel!

      Dear reader if you suppose yourself to be a good person, my text does not apply to you. I would highly recommend that if you think yourself to be righteous, don’t read the Narrow Way any more! Go ahead and turn to the sports section or something else that interests you, for the gospel is only for sinners. But to those who know from the Bible and their own experience that they are helpless sinners, and ungodly in and of themselves, keep reading, for we have a message for the ungodly! The fact is all people are ungodly, but some haven’t found it out yet.

     Now, look again at our text. It says that God justifies the ungodly. This is because the believer is justified by the righteousness of Christ and not his own righteousness. The believer is justified by an alien righteousness, a righteousness not his own. We have no righteousness of our own whatsoever. We must be found as righteous as God to be right with Him. And this we have in the Lord Jesus Christ only.

     The righteousness of a believer is imputed, not imparted. There is an eternity of difference between the two. The righteousness of a believer is imputed to his record, not infused into him. If you will take the time to read and study Romans 3:20- 5:21, you will see that. This is the difference in working for salvation and in believing in Christ for salvation. God justifies a believer, because of Christ alone. I repeat- God justifies the ungodly.

     Now, to be sure, the Holy Spirit surely does impart a new nature to God’s elect when He regenerates them. But this is to be considered under sanctification, not justification, which we will (DV) do in due time. But first we need to see the critical truth of how we may be “just with God” (Job 9:2). A believer’s righteous standing before God, the Righteous Judge is not because of the new nature imparted in regeneration and continued in sanctification, it is because of Christ Alone. Our righteousness with God is not because of the gift of faith the Holy Spirit gives to the elect sinner, but again, because of Christ Alone. The blessed man is the one to whom God imputes righteousness apart from anything in himself, or anything he does. The only righteousness that will ever fit you for heaven is that which is imputed. When you believe that you are a blessed person!

     

Imputed Righteousness

(Article for publication week of 7-18-2012 AD)

      “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, ‘Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin’” (Romans 4:6-8).

      We have shown you in previous articles that none can be saved by their own personal righteousness (Romans 3:10; Isaiah 64:6). We have also proven that God justifies His people by His Own sovereign grace without any cause being found in the ones He justifies (Romans 8:33; 3:24). Justification is an eternal act of God’s free and sovereign grace, whereby He declares a believer righteous in His Own Eyes because of the righteousness of Christ Alone.

     Our text today is a reference from the thirty-second Psalm where David expressed his faith in God’s grace for his righteousness. The fourth chapter of Romans is fundamental to our understanding of justification, for here the Apostle Paul declares plainly that elect sinners are justified by imputed righteousness. The fourth chapter of Romans is clear that all believers are saved the same way, and that is by imputed righteousness.

    Imputation is a glorious concept, and the person who is favored to believe it is, as the Psalmist says, truly “blessed.” The same Greek word also is translated here in Romans four as “reckon”, and “counted.” The idea is that God counts, or reckons a believer as truly and perfectly righteous because of the righteousness of Another. The word “impute” means “to charge, attribute, or ascribe.” Theologically, it means to reckon to a person what is not his. You see, God counts a believer as righteous as Christ, although the believer is actually and completely unrighteous himself. The believer has no righteousness of his own, but he has a righteousness that is far better- the righteousness of Christ!

    Now the Psalmist David knew himself to be a wretched sinner, as every true believer in Christ also knows. He knew he could never be saved by his own works because he was such a vile wretch by nature. This every heaven born soul has been taught. The person who boasts of his own righteousness and supposes that he may be justified by something he does, or by some inherent righteousness of his own, is sadly deceived. But to those who have come to the end of themselves, and given up all hope of self-righteousness, the gospel declares the imputed righteousness of Christ for the sinner’s justification.

    Blessed is the man who is justified God’s way. Our text says he is indeed doubly blessed, for God positively declares him righteous, and negatively does not charge him with his sins. Thus we see what a glorious blessing it is to be justified by God by free grace alone in Christ Alone. God does not see any sin His people! All our sins have been covered the text says. The Righteousness of Christ completely covers all our sins!

    Blessed are you if by grace you are enabled to believe this glorious gospel that declares the righteousness of God in His Son that is reckoned to the account of all who believe in Him. Blessed is the believer in Christ!