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

The Wednesday Word None C an Perish There “Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat Where Jesus answers prayer; There humbly fall before His feet, For none can perish there.” -John Newton We can all remember a time when we were sinners. Oh yes, I know we are (present tense) sinners (1 Timothy 1;15) but I’m talking about when we knew we were vile and base and living in despair. And do you remember what happened? Jesus interposed and led us to the cross and assured us that, None can perish there! Then by the Spirit and the Word we were taught precious truths like the Mercy Seat (Exodus 25:17-22). We learned that it was made of pure gold and thus a picture of Christ (Exodus 37:6). It pointed us again to Jesus the only sinless one who ever lived. Indeed, None can perish there! God told Moses He would commune with him from above the Mercy Seat (Exodus 25:22). It is no wonder then that in John 14:6, Jesus, being the Mercy Seat, said, "I am the way, the t...

In II Peter 1:1, the apostle Peter addresses those he writes to as "them that have obtained like precious faith." We know that faith comes from God and is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8). The faith that God gives never stands alone. Faith is only as good as its object. What distinguishes this "precious faith" and makes it precious? The faith of God's elect is precious for this reason: "Unto you therefore which believe HE is precious.." (I Pet. 2:7). Faith in anyone or anything else is worthless! True faith believes God. Like Abraham, we "believe on Him that justifieth the ungodly" and the object of this God-given faith, Christ, is counted for our righteousness before God (Rom. 4:5). Do we get righteousness by faith? Through faith we are brought to realize and see that God in grace has made us righteous by imputing to us the very "righteousness of God" in Christ. The truth is, we don't "obtain" righteo...