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

‘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, verses 14-25 [Romans 7].’  -An Exposition of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, Charles Hodge, p.246, Robert Carver & Bros. Publishers [1859 A.D.]

Without Strength! by D G Miles McKee   ‘Without strength’ is a literal description of our state apart from Christ  (Romans 3:12; Romans 5:6) . We have no ability to save ourselves. We are utterly helpless! You may argue the point, but God won’t. In His mind it is perfectly clear. He says that we are so weak and destitute in our natural state that we cannot hear His words (see John 8:43) or even see His Kingdom (see John 3:30) .   It is when we get a sight of our utter spiritual impotence that we realize Christ alone must be our salvation: if He doesn’t save us then we will not be saved.   It is those who are without strength whom the Lord saves.  In fact, so long as we think we have some strength to perform ‘the great act of faith’ we cannot be saved. H. Bonar remarks that it is when we find out that we have no strength we will cease to work and believe!   Remember how Jesus commanded the man with the withered arm to stretch out his hand? (...

"Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah; comely as Jerusalem." -Song of Solomon 6:4 [KJV] And what was Tirzah? One of the cities in the lot of Manasseh, (Joshua 12:6, 24.) And no doubt, as Judea was the glory of all lands, Tirzah, which was a part of it, was lovely. And the comeliness of that highly favoured spot, Jerusalem, is celebrated in the sacred Song; "In the mountain of His holiness," saith the Psalmist,  "beautiful for situation, and the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion , "   (Psalm 48:1, 2.) And is Christ's church, in her Lord's eye, thus beautiful? Yes! He Himself saith she is: and, by consequence, every individual member of her is so, which constitutes her one body. Pause, my soul, over this account, and let thine everlasting meditation dwell upon the pleasing subject. Thou art mourning continually over thine infirmities; thou feelest what Paul felt, and thou groanest under the same burden as he groaned under: and,...

"This is the true God, and eternal life."   -I John 5:20 [KJV] O the blessedness, which eternity itself can never exhaust, of possessing eternal life! There is something to my mind so singularly blessed in the expression "eternal life , "   that I cannot help dwelling upon it. How the thought, the feeling of it expands the breast! Compared with it, how poor, mean, and low is our temporal life and all its concerns—the short span which God has allotted to us here below! And do observe how our eye is directed by holy John to the true God as being Himself eternal life. He is not only the Giver, the Spring, the Subject, the Object of it; He Himself is it all. O if He has but quickened our souls by His Spirit and grace, we carry now, even now, eternal life in our breast! for this eternal life is the precious fruit on earth of that eternal life in heaven which was with the Father and was manifested unto us (I  John 1:2). But how shall we know that we have etern...

"Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"   -II Corinthians 13:5 [KJV] Happy for ministers, when their mission from Christ is called in question, they can appeal to their people’s hearts, to prove that Christ is spoken to them. Happy for Christians, to examine, prove, and know themselves, and to find Christ is in them. Ignorance of ourselves lies at the bottom of all error, and self deceit. Lord help us deeply to consider of this important question. (1st.) Know ye not your own selves?  Come you are very ready to judge ministers, find fault with them, and call their gifts and graces in question. Look at home. Know yourselves. Be not puffed up. Consider yourselves. Be humble. Your hearts are deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Your nature is totally corrupt and abominable. In your flesh dwelleth no good thing. Its motions are, to bring forth fruit unto death. Its lustings are, continually unto sin. ...