OUR FINISHED SALVATION!

"The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many." -Matthew 20:28 [KJV]

Most gracious words to me, who am a poor sinner, and have nothing to bring to Christ, but an empty hand, to receive most precious ransom for me, who have the sentence of death in myself. May faith be high, and self low tonight! The poor disciples were now wrangling about precedence and supremacy. What was the consequence? They were moved with indignation. They strangely forgot the end of Christ’s coming, and the nature of His kingdom. God knows we are poor as beggars, yet proud as devils. The very same spirit works in us all, as did in them. Lord grant that the evil which occasioned these words, may be made a blessing to us. 

Consider, (1st.) Our proud notion of ministering to Christ. Some indeed did minister to Christ of their substance, (Luke 8:3.) But this was of natural things. Though empty of all good, and full of all evil, yet we vainly think, we can minister something to Christ of our spiritual substance, which shall be available towards our salvation. It is dreadful to have both pride and poverty! There is no character so despicable. Yet it is ours. 

But, (2d.) O wondrous love! Christ came to minister to our wants, and subdue our pride. He wants nothing from us. He bestows all upon us. He gives us to see our poverty, to hide pride from our eyes. He shows us our misery, that pride may not destroy us. He makes us feel our extreme indigence, that He may supply us out of His fulness. He ministers the grace of conviction, of our lost and helpless state in ourselves, that He may comfort us in conversion of our souls to Himself. But do I minister nothing to Christ for salvation? Poor sinner, thou hast nothing to minister, but a sinful body and a sin-sick soul. Is it so? Art thou sensible of it, and crying to Him under it? Then Christ hath indeed ministered His Spirit to thee. Here is glorious comfort for thee. 

(3d.) Christ came to give His life a ransom for many. Even for ALL that the Father gave Him, (John 6:39.) ALL such are known of God—known by Christ— and they too may know, that they are of the blessed number of Christ’s ransomed ones. How? more surely, than if they heard a voice from heaven telling them so. “They shall come unto Me.” There is the most sure evidence. To come, sensible that we have nothing to minister to Christ, and to take the ransom of His death as our finished salvation, this is the faith of God’s elect. All such was given to Christ, and shall eternally reign with Him. See Romans 5:17. 

 

To minister to our distress, 

And save our souls from hell, 

Came down the Lord our righteousness, 

With love unspeakable.

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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