"Salvation is of the LORD." -Jonah 2:9

"Say unto my soul, I AM thy salvation." -Psalm 35:3 [KJV]   To keep water sweet, it must be perpetually running; and to keep the life of God up in the soul, there must be continual exercises. This is the reason why the Lord's people have so many conflicts, trials, painful exercises, sharp sorrows, and deep temptations,— to keep them alive unto God ; to bring them out of, and to keep them out of that slothful, sluggish, wretched state of carnal security and dead assurance in which so many seem to have fallen asleep—fallen asleep like the sailor upon the top of the mast, not knowing what a fearful gulf is boiling up below. The Lord, therefore, "trieth the righteous." He will not suffer His people to be at ease in Zion; to be settled on their lees, and get into a wretched Moabitish state.    He therefore sends afflictions upon them, tribulations, and trials, and allows Satan to tempt and harass them. And under these feelings the blessed Spirit, from ti...

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism." -Ephesians 4:5 [KJV] Jesus saith of His church, “My dove, my undefiled is but one” (Song of Solomon  6:9.) One body, composed of various members, espoused to Him, by the Spirit, as “to one husband” (II Corinthians 11:2.) Hence called His own body (Ephesians 1:23.) All such are most dear to the Lord. He nourisheth and cherisheth them. For they are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones (Ephesians 5:30.) He is their one Lord, and His name is ONE (Zechariah 14:9.)     This is most true in doctrine. But this is not all. For it is found most sweet in experience also. This is by one faith. By this, we enjoy and walk in sweet and holy fellowship with our Lord and Head. What if I were told, there is one sun, what comfort would that afford me, if I never were to see its light, feel its warmth, and enjoy its influence? Whatever is written of our one Lord, I enjoyed in experience by this one faith. But some talk of v...

"I sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was sweet to my taste."  - Song of Solomon 2:3 [KJV] My soul! hear what the church saith concerning her Lord, in those early and distant ages, before thy Redeemer became incarnate, and mark the strength of her faith and love. Did old testament saints thus sit down with a recumbency on the person, work, and finished salvation of Jesus, as those determined to arise no more, when they beheld Christ only through "the shadow of good things to come;" and shall not thy rest in Christ, and thy enjoyment of Christ, be equal, and even greater than their's? For shame, my soul! let it never be said, that their views of Jesus, who was then yet to come, and had all the vast work of redemption to perform, were as lively as thine, or their delight in those fruits of His salvation, which they partook of by anticipation, sweeter to their taste, than they are now enjoyed by thee. Thou hast lived to see th...

  ​      ‘The Christian’s victory over sin cannot be achieved by the strength of his resolutions, nor by the plainness and force of moral motives, nor by any resources in himself. He looks to Jesus Christ, and conquers in His strength.  In other words, the victory is not obtained in the way of nature, but of grace, [see Romans 7:14-25, KJV] .’   -Excerpt from An Exposition of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, Charles Hodge, p.246, Robert Carver & Bros. Publishers [1859 A.D.]

"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe ” - I Thessalonians 2:13 [KJV]   God works by and with His Word to the salvation of sinners (Psalm 19:7-8; James 1:18; I Peter 1:23-25) . When the gospel comes to the heart of the sinner with the Almighty hands of God it will effectually accomplish His sovereign purpose in our soul (Isaiah 55:11; I Thessalonians 1:4-5) . Notice carefully what the Word teaches us.     1).  Quickening of dead sinners to life in Christ Jesus. “ Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures” (James 1:18; Ephesians 2:1) .     2).  Enlightening of the darkened and depraved mind. “ For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our he...

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”   -I Timothy 1:15 [KJV]   Several years ago, my dear friend, Don Bell, preached a message from the above text that, to this day, I have not forgotten.  His two points were very simple: I am a great sinner, and Jesus Christ is a great Savior .  Brother Don made the point that these are two things we learn over and over in our Christian life – we never get past them.   I asked Brother Scott Richardson, not long before he died, if things had gotten easier as he had gotten older.  Did his struggle with self and sin get easier, etc.  He said, “Not with me it hasn’t.” Scott was still learning what Brother Don Bell had preached in that message – “I am a great sinner.”   Scott told us all something else, “As I am convinced that I am a sinner, it gives me more reason to look to the One who is the Savior of si...