Paul denounces the most dreadful curse upon every one who loves not the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 16:22. Why does any sinner love Christ? "We love him because he first loved us." See the awful curses of unbelief: it rejects the love of Christ; it sets at nought his salvation; it seals the sinner under the curse, the wrath due to his sins; and binds him over to eternal damnation. But the unawakened sinner smiles at all this; for he does not believe it. Lord, leave not my soul under this sin of sins, of all sins the most heinous and accursed. O help my unbelief.
See the preciousness of faith: it works by love, even by the love of Christ manifested to us; it receives and takes home his love to the heart; there it works peace in the conscience, delight in God, access to God, boldness before God, joy in God, fellowship with God, conformity to God, and longing for eternal enjoyment of God.
Our sins, which, are the cause of separation and distance from God, are washed away. How? By Christ's own blood. O wonderful to think! O joyful to believe! The holy Son of God has washed us–us unholy, ungodly, hell-deserving sinners, from our sins in his own blood: this precious, this mighty Redeemer hath once appeared, for ever to put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself. Heb. 9:26. What says his Father of him? "In my beloved Son I am well pleased." Matt. 3:17 What saith he of us? "Your sins and iniquities will I remember no more." Heb. 10:17. What say you? Is all this true? Is all this fact, or fable? Upon our belief of this depends our comfort and holiness; and from the faith of this springs glory to God in the highest.
If we firmly believe this, we shall joyfully join the redeemed in earth and heaven, in giving praise and glory to Christ for washing us from our sins in his own blood. But you say, I have sin in me, I mourn over it, and groan under it–the sense of this is needful to keep you humble before Christ: yet faith is above sense; it glorifies Christ for washing away from before God's sight the very sins you feel. You have the sense of fear that you shall perish for your sins: this is a holy fear; this keeps you from sinning. But faith says, "There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1.
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