Daily Devotional Readings
We do not know the mysteries of God's eternal decree. But a few things are clearly revealed in the Scriptures about election. Election is a free, sovereign, eternal, irreversible and loving act of God's abundant grace. Election is in no way contrary to the promises of God revealed in the gospel. It is promised: 'Come unto me and be ye saved all ye ends of the earth.' 'Come unto me, and I will give you rest.' 'Whosoever will, let him come and take of the water of life.' 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' 'If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.' I know that the promises of God are sure and the responsibility of every man stands, election not withstanding. 'God commandeth all men to repent.' 'This is his commandment, that we believe on the name of his Son, Jesus Christ.' You must repent of your sins, believe on Christ and submit to him as Lord and Saviour. If you will not, your damnation is just. If you do, it is because God has chosen you as the object of his love before the world began.
Paul told the saints at Thessalonica that he knew their 'election of God'. But how could he know it? He tells us five things that gave clear evidence of their election. If you have experienced these things, you too were chosen in Christ before the world began.
1. God's elect have heard the gospel effectually (v.5.) They have heard the voice of God in the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit.
2. God's elect have become followers of Christ (v.6). They imitate him in faith, in love, in patience and in spiritual joy.
3. God's elect are committed to the gospel (v.8).
4. God's elect have been converted to God (v.9). They have experienced a mighty change: a change of mind, a change of masters, a change of motives.
5. God's elect are waiting for Christ (v. 10). We live not for this world, for ease, or for gain. We live in anticipation of Christ's glorious descent.
Upon what do you rest your hope of acceptance before a holy God? Baptism? Church work? A religious experience? A moral reformation? All these things, in themselves, are vain, empty and useless. They are worse! Apart from the knowledge of Christ, they are a positive curse. If you and I trust anything, in any measure, for our total acceptance before God, other than Jesus Christ, we shall surely perish! 'Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.'
Our text declares that 'He [God the Father] hath made us accepted in the beloved [God the Son).' Here is a doctrine full of consolation to our hearts. God Almighty has made all of his people accepted, perfectly and completely, in Christ! It is no marvel that we should accept Christ. But there is wonder in this God accepts us, sinners deserving his wrath, in Christ Jesus! Beloved, there exists a positive and eternal union between Christ and his people. We are one with Christ. A rapturous thought! Bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh! 'We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.' We are one with Christ in his heart from all eternity. Our names are written beneath his in the book of God's eternal election. We are in the hands of Christ, as the Surety of our redemption and eternal glory. We are in the loins of Christ spiritually. As in Adam we sinned and died, even so in Christ we died upon the cross and rose again! And we are in his very person. By a living faith we are joined to the God-man. He lives in us and we live in him! This is the vital union of faith, enjoyed by God's elect. This is the beginning of heaven and eternal glory. Being accepted in Christ, we have become the objects of God's pleasure. As God is pleased with his Son, he is pleased with all who are in his Son. Think of this, believing soul: God is well-pleased with you for Christ's sake! 'He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.'
A false faith can do many things and produce many things, which make it hard to detect. A false faith can experience deep conviction for sin like Judas. It can tremble at the Word of God like Felix. It can repent like Esau. it can obtain high office in the church like Judas, Diotrephes and Demas. A false faith can speak well of Christ: 'Never a man spake like this man.' It can experience deep religious emotions like the stony-ground hearers. It can diligently perform religious works like the Pharisees. A false faith can even preach the gospel, perform miracles, cast out demons and persevere to the end (Matt. 7:22-23). But, as I read the Word of God, I see that there are three things that a false faith can never do.
1. A false faith can never produce a heart broken over sin (Psa. 51). It can offer sacrifices to try to appease God for sin. It can do good works to try to make up for sin. It can even confess sin. But 'The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.' Such brokenness and humility, because of inbred sin, a false faith cannot produce.
2. A false faith cannot rest in Christ alone as the way, the truth and the life (I Cor. 1:30-31). True faith relies upon Christ alone for salvation. When I say that Christ alone is my Saviour, I mean that he is all my redemption and cleansing, all my justification and sanctification, all my righteousness and holiness, all my pardon and forgiveness, all my glory and desire, all my hope and reward. But a false faith must mix in human merit with the merits of Christ, free will with free grace and man's works with the work of Christ.
3. A false faith cannot and will not submit to the lordship of Christ (Matt. 6:24). We cannot perfectly submit to Christ because of our sin. We would if we could, but our sinful nature prohibits us. But all who have a true faith in the Son of God submit to Christ totally. We bow to his sovereign lordship whole-heartedly. Christ alone is our rightful Lord. He has a rightful claim upon all that we are and all that we possess. Where there is no submission in the heart, there is no faith in the heart.
Happy is the sight of a man who has a purpose in his heart! The man who purposes something in his heart plans for it; he makes whatever sacrifices are necessary to accomplish the purpose of his heart and he will not be turned aside from the purpose of his heart.
This was Paul's rule for Christians in their giving: 'Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; riot grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.' Paul tells us that we are not to compel men to give that which they would prefer to keep for themselves. The legal precept of tithing requires a man to pay his tenth to the church, whether he really wants to or not. Such a doctrine is totally contrary to the free spirit of the gospel. God's children give freely. We count it one of our highest privileges on this earth to give of our means to the work of the gospel. What a privilege it is for a redeemed sinner to provide food for a missionary's table! Yet the believer should not be careless and haphazard in his giving. He should give according to the purpose of his heart. This means two things. First, we should give with a cheerful heart. And, second, we should plan to give. That is to say, we should plan our financial affairs so that we can give to the work of the gospel. If I have a dependable car, or a comfortable house, I ought not to trade that car for a newer model, or exchange that house for a more luxurious one, if in doing so my ability to give to the work of the gospel is hindered. It is infinitely more important for me to give of my means to the preaching of the gospel than it is for me to improve my social standing.
Are you ready to give? Am I? Let us give freely, cheerfully, abundantly and sacrificially. If we are constrained to do so, our constraint is not a legal one, but ours is a constraint of love. Knowing the love of Christ for us, we 'prove the sincerity of our love' to him by giving from a willing heart. Let us purpose in our hearts to give, for Christ's sake.
There is an abundance of instruction in the New Testament about Christian giving. All of I Corinthians 9, 2 Corinthians 8 and 2 Corinthians 9 are taken up with this subject. But there are no commands to the people of God anywhere in the New Testament about how much we are to give, when we are to give, or where we are to give. Tithing and all systems like it are things altogether foreign to the New Testament. Like all other acts of worship, giving is an act of grace. It must be free and voluntary. But there are some plain, simple guidelines laid down in the New Testament for us to follow.
1. Christian giving must be motivated by love and gratitude towards Christ (2 Cor. 8:8-9). Love needs no law. It is a law unto itself. It is the most powerful and most generous of all motives.
2. Our gifts must arise from willing hearts (2 Cor. 8:12). If that which you give arises from a willing heart, if it is given freely and cheerfully, it is accepted of God. The Lord is not concerned with the amount of your gift, be it great or small; he looks to the motive behind it.
3. We should give to the work of the gospel in proportion to our blessings from the Lord (I Cor. 16:2). We are expected to give generously in accordance with our own ability.
4. All of God's people should give ('everyone,' I Cor. 16:2; 'every man,' 2 Cor. 9:7). Men and women, rich and poor, old and young - all who are saved by the grace of God are expected to give for the support of God's church and kingdom.
5. We should be both liberal and sacrificial in our giving (2 Cor. 9:5-6). Beloved, we have not really given anything until we have taken that which we need, want and have use for and given it to the Lord (Mark 12:41-44).
6. Our gifts must be voluntary (2 Cor. 9:7).
7. We are to give as unto the Lord (Matt. 6:1-5). We give, not to be seen of men, but for the honour of Christ, hoping for nothing in return.
8. This kind of giving is well-pleasing to God (Phil. 4:18; Heb. 13:16).
In the early days of the Church there were some self-appointed, free-lance preachers who came from Jerusalem to Antioch, perverting the gospel of Christ and subverting the souls of men. They were preaching the law of Moses, telling God's people that faith in Christ is not sufficient; you must also keep the law of Moses. Paul and Barnabas refused to tolerate their heresy. Paul calls these legalists 'false brethern' and 'spies'. His choice of terms was not accidental. Usually those who preach and promote the law of Moses spend a great deal of time spying on others, so that they may bolster their own claims to 'righteousness' by sitting in, judgement upon others.
Paul shows us by his example that the spirit and doctrines of legalism must not be tolerated by the people of God. It matters not whether men preach the law of Moses as a basis for justification, as the measure of sanctification, as a rule of life, as a motive for Christian service, or as the grounds of reward in heaven - all preaching of law works is an intolerable evil.
Let no one confuse the issue. The issue is not godliness or ungodliness of life. The issue is not what the believer does, or how the believer lives in this world. The issue is the motive and attitude of the heart. The legalist is motivated by fear. The believer is motivated by love. The legalist hopes to be rewarded for his work. The believer hopes to honour God in his work. All law service is looked upon and performed as a matter of duty. Prayer, Bible reading, attendance at public worship and tithing always have an element of either the fear of punishment or the promise of reward, as they are performed by the legalist. The believer prays because his heart longs to commune with God, reads the Word because he wants to know God, attends worship because he desires to hear from God and gives because he loves God. The service and work of love is considered a privilege by the one who performs it. And you can be sure of this: God will never accept anything except that which is done with a willing heart (2 Cor. 8:12).
There is one question that is, above all others, of greatest importance. Our Lord himself asked it: 'Dost thou believe on the Son of God?' The question is not, 'Are you religious?' Most people are. In comparison with this question, all questions concerning denominational affiliations and theological opinions are insignificant. How can I put this question to you with due solemnity? 'Dost you believe on the Son of God?' Life and death, heaven and hell, eternal bliss and eternal misery depend upon your answer. Perhaps there are some of you whose hearts are troubled by this question. You may be genuinely concerned about the state of your soul. You are wondering, 'What is it to believe on Christ?' Let me try to help you. There are three things essential to what we call saving faith.
1. Before any man can believe on Christ, he must have a knowledge of him. This knowledge comes through the preaching of the gospel. When the Holy Spirit applies the preached Word he makes us to know our need of Christ. He teaches us our guilt and helplessness. And he makes us to know who Christ is and what he has done. He shows us that the Son of God died in the place of sinners, satisfying divine justice, and that he has power to save sinners upon the merits of his substitutionary work.
2. There must be an assent, or agreement, to the testimony God has given concerning his Son. True faith is more than just agreeing with the historical facts and doctrinal truths of the gospel. But wherever there is true faith, there is an agreement in the heart with God's testimony in the gospel.
3. The sinner must trust Christ. Do you realize your wretched condition before God? Do you know yourself to be a sinner, helpless and undone? Do you assent to the truth of the gospel? All of this is good. But something more is required. You must cast yourself upon the arms of mercy. You must commit your soul, and all your hopes of salvation and life, to the Son of God, knowing that it is in his power to show you mercy and grant you eternal life. You must believe on Christ. 'Dost thou believe on the Son of God?' God help you to believe.
Eternity is a subject about which the wisest man can know only a little. It is a subject which we must approach with our Bibles in our hands. Let us seek to know what is written about eternity. What does the Scripture say? Only those who recognize the sobering reality of eternity can live in a proper relationship to the things of time. Let me give you four statements which I picked up from an old writer, that will help you to live in the awareness of eternity.
1. We live in a world where all things are temporal and passing away. That man must be blind who cannot see this. Everything around its is decaying, dying and coming to an end.
2. We are all going to a world where everything is eternal. The great unseen world that lies beyond the grave is eternal. Whether it is happy or miserable, joyful or sorrowful, it will never end. The bliss of heaven is eternal and the torments of hell are eternal.
3. Our state in the unseen world of eternity depends on what we are in time. If we are the sons of God here, relying upon the merits of Christ as our only hope of salvation, we shall be the sons of God eternally, living in the glory of Christ. If we are the children of wrath here, rejecting Christ, we shall be the children of wrath in hell for ever, rejected by Christ.
4. Jesus Christ is the great Friend to whom we must turn for life and help, both for time and eternity. Jesus Christ alone can save your soul. Only his blood can wash away your sin. Only his righteousness can make you holy. Only his grace can present you faultless before the throne of glory. You must trust him now and live for ever, or you will for ever die.
Take your mind off the things of time, and think for a while about the reality of eternity. How will it be with your soul in eternity?
We all know that believers in this world bear a likeness to our Lord in his humiliation. As he was in this world, so are we in this world. As he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, so are we. As he was the object of the world's hatred, so are we. As he was tempted by Satan, so are we. As he was despised and forsaken of men, so shall we be. As he went through many sufferings and death to glory, so must we. This is a great blessing of grace and a wondrous condescension of mercy, that we should have such a likeness to our Redeemer.
But our text does not say, 'as he was'. It says, 'as he is'. Do you behold the Son of God, our Saviour, in glory? There sits God in our nature. And though we are not yet there personally, we are there in our Representative. And being in Christ, we are like Christ. As he is the Son of God, we are the sons of God. As he is loved by God with an everlasting and unchangeable love of complacency and delight, so are we. Yes, God loves us just as he loves his well-beloved Son. As Christ is chosen of God and precious, so are we chosen and precious in his sight. Oh, blessed grace! As our Lord in heaven is perfectly righteous, so are we! He is justified and acquitted from that charge of sin, which he voluntarily took upon himself. And in him we are completely righteous. I wish that we could all grasp this truth - Christ is all our righteousness, and we are immaculately righteous in him. 'With his spotless garments on I am as holy as God's Son!' 'In him is no sin.' And, if I am in him, I am freed from, justified from and cleansed from all sin in the sight of God.
But John specifically says here that there is a likeness between the nature of God in heaven and his children upon the earth. 'God is love.' And the children of God in this world reflect this nature of their Father in heaven. The love of God is patient, kind, faithful, forgiving and sincere. And all of his children reflect this nature of love in this world, for 'As he is, so are we in this world.'
The gospel is not preached until we have told men who Christ is, what he did, why he did it and where he is now. Here are five things which will always characterize the preaching of the gospel.
1. The gospel is a message that honours God's holy law. God would not and could not tarnish his holy law in order to forgive sin and save sinners. God is willing to be merciful, but his righteousness must be established, his holy law must be fulfilled. This is one part of our Saviour's work. He brought in an everlasting righteousness by his perfect obedience to God's law as our Representative Jer.23:6; Rom. 1: 16-17; 3:24-26).
2. The gospel is a declaration of satisfied justice. This is the doctrine of substitution. God satisfied the infinite demands of his own justice by the substitutionary sacrifice of his Son. Someone said, 'God cannot suffer, and man cannot satisfy; but the God-man both suffered and satisfied.' That is the gospel: Jesus Christ has fully satisfied the penalty of sin for every believer! (Gal. 3:13.)
3. The gospel of God is a proclamation of salvation by grace alone (Eph.2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9). God would have all men to know that the sinner's standing before him is altogether a matter of pure, free grace. Man gets nothing from God, and man cannot be accepted before God, except by grace. Every idea of human merit is contrary to the gospel (Gal. 5:2).
4. The gospel of Christ is an announcement of grace freely bestowed upon men. There are no conditions for the sinner to meet, no works for the sinner to do, no emotions for the sinner to feel, in order for him to prepare himself to believe on Christ. In preaching the gospel we freely invite all who will to believe on Christ and be saved. No sinner is excluded from the gospel except those who exclude themselves by their unbelief (Rom. 10:11-13).
5. The gospel of the grace of God declare the accomplishment of eternal salvation. We have no partial salvation to preach. We preach an almighty Saviour, who saves for ever (John 10:27-31).
No man can faithfully preach the gospel of Christ without offending men. To many it is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence. The preaching of the cross is the one means which God has ordained for the salvation of sinners. Yet, it is most offensive to the natural man. Why? The answer is not hard to find.
The gospel of the grace of God offends man's dignity, because it addresses all men as sinners. The gospel leaves no place for human dignity. It is the great leveller of men. All are sinners. We all by nature are nothing more than helpless, condemned sinners.
The gospel of God offends man's wisdom, because it comes by divine revelation. It is not possible for any man to know the gospel, unless it is revealed in his heart.
The gospel offends man's pride, because it declares a particular and effectual redemption. Our Lord Jesus did actually put away sin. By his mighty act of death, as our Substitute, Jesus Christ did really and completely accomplish eternal redemption for his people. There is nothing for the sinner to do, whereby he might proudly claim merit before God. You must bow to Christ, receiving all grace from him as a pure, free gift, or you must perish.
An the gospel of God's grace and glory in Christ offends man's love of self, because it demands discipleship. The gospel demands commitment. It demands total, unreserved surrender to the lordship of Christ. No man has saving faith in Christ who does not in his heart confess and acknowledge that Christ is Lord, submitting to his will, surrendering to his dominion, and trusting his grace. If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and King, he is not your Redeemer and Saviour.
To many the gospel is offensive. That cannot be changed. As surely as you attempt to make it pleasing to natural men, you will compromise its message and there will be no gospel in it. But to them who are the called by almighty grace, it is the power and wisdom of God.
Multitudes of every generation perish in their sins, and are lost for ever in hell, though they have been well instructed in gospel truth. Why?
Since the day that our father Adam sinned against God and plunged our race into spiritual death, bringing upon all men God's just wrath, man has tried to excuse his sin and shift the responsibility of his condemnation to someone other than himself. He arrogantly attempts to lay the blame for both his guilt and his damnation off on God. It cannot be done. If you go to hell, you will be without excuse; it will be your own responsibility. It will not be because your sins are so hideous that you could not be saved. All manner of sin may be forgiven. You will not go to hell because of God's eternal decree. Nowhere in the Bible is it written that God predestinated anyone to go to hell. It will not be because of any lack of ability in Christ, or any lack of willingness on his part to save you. Christ is both able and willing to save all who come to him by faith. And you will not go to hell because you were never given a wide, free, sincere invitation to come to Christ and be saved. Our Lord says to you, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' He says, 'I have called, and ye refused.' No, if you go to hell the simple fact is you will go to hell because you were unwilling to come to Christ for life. As he said, 'Ye will not come to me that ye might have life.'
Try as you may to shift the blame for your lost and ruined condition, you cannot. You are lost because you will not be saved by Christ. J.C. Ryle was right when he wrote, 'The loss of man's soul is always attributed in Scripture to man's own want of will to be saved.' The axe must be laid to the root of the tree. If you are saved, it will be entirely God's fault, the result of deliberate effort on his part. If you go to hell, it will be entirely your own fault, the result of deliberate effort on your part.
Marvellous condescension! This man, who is above all other men, holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners – this man receiveth sinners. This man, who is none other than God the eternal Son, before whom the angels hide their faces – this man receiveth sinners. Who can describe such love? It would be no great thing for any of us to seek after and receive sinners. They are of our own race. But that this man, the offended God, against whom the transgression has been committed, should receive such is a marvellous act of love and grace! He took upon himself the seed of Abraham. He bare the sin of many in his own body on the tree. And now he is willing to receive the vilest of the vile!
'This man receiveth sinners', not that they may remain in their sins; but he receives sinners that he might pardon their sins, justify their souls, cleanse their hearts by his purifying Word, preserve them by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and enable them to serve him. He receives sinners that they may show forth his praise, enjoy his fellowship and worship at his throne. This man takes sinners from the dunghill and wears them as jewels in his crown. He plucks them as brands from the burning and preserves them as monuments of his mercy. How precious in the sight of Christ are those sinners for whom he shed his life's blood! The Son of God opens the golden gates of his royal heart and receives sinners right into himself. He admits the humbled, repentant sinner into a personal union with himself and makes him a member of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. There was never such a grand reception as this! This fact is still most sure today. Though the Son of God is exalted to the throne of glory, he is still receiving sinners today, just as he was when he walked the streets of Jerusalem. Say, sinner, will you flee to him?
There is much talk today about degrees of reward in heaven. But the gospel of the grace of God allows no place for human merit. God is no man's debtor. That which he gives to men and does for men, both in his life and in the life to come, is the reward of pure grace, not of debt.
In order for something to claim merit before God, it must be perfect. God's infinite holiness, righteousness and justice will accept nothing less than perfection. Where is the man who has ever done anything that is perfect in the sight of God? Who among us would be so brazenly self-righteous as to desire God to judge and reward him upon the grounds of his own works? Our tears, our faith and the very best of our good works are so full of sin that, were they not washed in the blood of Christ, they would demand our eternal damnation!
Our only acceptance before God is Christ. He perfectly fulfilled every requirement of God's law as our Representative and satisfied every demand of divine justice as our Substitute. Now, being clothed in his righteousness and washed in his blood, everything that God can and will give to men is ours, because we are in Christ. 'He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?' In Christ, 'All things are yours.' When the Lord Jesus Christ presents us faultless and without blame before God, we shall be perfect, having no spot of sin or blemish of infirmity; and no good thing shall be withheld from us.
I read of no secondary joys in heaven. None of God's elect shall be placed in the back settlements of Canaan. The dying thief had no good works by which to claim anything from God. Yet he entered heaven, was accepted and rewarded by God in exactly the same way as the apostle Paul, through the merits of Christ, our Substitute, and his reward was just as full. Both the thief and the apostle have all they wanted and all that God can give: they had all of Christ!
The Lord Jesus Christ has given us true liberty. In Christ we have been freed from sin, Satan and the law. In him we are free from all religious traditions, customs and superstitions. And in Christ we are free to use every creature of God for food, happiness, comfort and satisfaction. Neither the church nor those who preach the gospel have any authority to bring God's people under bondage again, by making their own rules, dogmas and covenants for Christian conduct. I offer these suggestions with the prayer that they may help you to honour the Lord in the exercise of your liberty in Christ.
1. Do not make the use or non-use of indifferent things a point of merit before God. Indifferent things become idolatrous when you make the use or non-use of them a means of obtaining favour with God, a means of religious devotion, or a means of obtaining a peaceful conscience.
2. Use all things in moderation. The believer's principle of conduct is not total abstinence, but temperance, moderation and self-control. Eating is not wrong, but gluttony is. A glass of wine is not wrong (our Lord did provide the wine for the marriage feast of Cana), but drunkenness is wrong. Entertainment is not wrong, but revelling is. Our principle is 'Use all things wisely, abusing none.'
3. Carefully avoid offending your brother. I do not mean that you must submit to the self-righteous notions of men. But we must not be the cause of a brother acting contrary to his own conscience. This is what Paul means by offending the brethren. We must avoid it at all costs. My brother's conscience is more important than my personal desires.
4. Make your use of all things subservient to the glory of God, the gospel of Christ and the welfare of the church. In all things, make your love for Christ and his people the basis of your actions. Use your liberty in Christ for the honour of Christ, and you will not go far astray. We must avoid both licentiousness and legalism. Both are dreadful evils. God's people are called into liberty!
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