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

"But God commendeth His love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8 [KJV] It is a very blessed heightening of divine mercies, when we behold them as not only bestowed upon those that deserved them not, but upon those that deserved the reverse of them. It is not enough, in our account of God's love, to say that God was gracious when we had done nothing to merit His favour, but that God was gracious when we had done every thing to merit His displeasure. This is among the sweet features of the gospel. And the reason is very plain. God Himself is an infinite Being, and therefore His love must be an infinite love. All the properties of it are infinite; it must be exercised to suit an infinite power; it must be such as corresponds to infinite wisdom; and its effects must be such as shall be suited to infinite goodness.   Hence, therefore, in the display of it, such manifestations must be given as shall set forth, that the love of God, a...

"Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you."   -I Peter 1:20 [KJV] By "these last times" is meant this present dispensation, the dispensation of grace under which we live, and they are called the last times chiefly for two reasons:   1. Because Christ was manifested in the last days of the legal dispensation of the old covenant, which now, as decaying and waxing old, was ready to vanish away (Hebrews 8:13) , which it did when at the destruction of Jerusalem the whole of the temple service, including the sacrifices offered there, was brought to an end.  2. Another reason why the dispensation under which we live is called "the last days" is because it is the final revelation of God. It is "the time accepted," "the day of salvation," of which all the prophets have spoken (2 Corinthians 6:2; Acts 3:24) .  Christ is now upon His throne of grace; the great, the glorious, th...

The God Who is not in Hiding.  by D.G. Miles McKee In Christ Jesus, God has brought His righteousness near (Isaiah 46:13). Therefore, when telling others of His salvation we need to stress that salvation is not some distant and mysterious thing that we have to work hard to obtain.  We don’t have to coax God to come near to us.  We don’t have to, for example, experience the ‘warm fuzzies’ about God in order to get saved.  ‘Warm Fuzzies’ will not bring salvation any nearer than it already is.  Waiting until we feel good about God before we receive salvation is just another form of legalism.  Salvation has already been accomplished (2 Corinthians 5:21). It is finished!   God Himself tells us to call upon His name (Psalm 105:1) for to call upon Him is to believe on Him and to believe on Him is to rest in Him. (Romans 10:13; Romans 4:24; Acts 16:31).   As we gossip the gospel, we don’t offer people a long list of duties to do, or feelings to be fo...

"So Moses the servant of the L ORD died." -Deuteronomy 34:5 [KJV] My soul! close the month, in contemplating the death of this highly-favoured servant of the Lord: and mark in him the sure event of all flesh: "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." What a blessed account hath the Holy Ghost give of this man. "There arose not a prophe t (we are told) like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face."   But, as if to draw an everlasting line of distinction between him and his Master; between the highest prophet, and the Lord God of the prophets; the Holy Ghost was pleased, by the ministry of His servant the apostle, to state the vast distinction: "Moses verily was faithful (saith he) in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after: but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house are we;" Hebrews 3:5, 6 . Indeed all the great and distinguishing events in the life of Moses became more o...

"That I may glory with Thine inheritance." - Psalm 106:5 [KJV] The Church is Christ's  inheritance . He purchased it by His own blood. He went into captivity for it, and He redeemed it by pouring out His precious blood for it. Now this inheritance  glories:  "That I may glory with Thine inheritance."   And in Whom does it glory? It glories in its covenant Head. It does not glory in itself—in its pious self, righteous self, strong self, religious self; "let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me." "He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." The glory of the Church is to glory in her covenant Head—to glory in Christ and in Christ alone; to glory in His strength, love, blood, grace, and righteousness; and to glory in it, herself being covered with shame.   None can glory in Chri...

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"That I may rejoice in the gladness of Thy nation." - Psalm 106:5 [KJV] What is  "the gladness of God's nation?"   To be saved "without money and without price;" to be saved by grace—free, rich, sovereign, distinguishing grace, without one atom of works, without one grain of creature merit, without anything of the flesh . This is "the gladness of God's nation;" to rejoice in free grace, grace superabounding over the aboundings of sin, grace reigning triumphant over the dreadful evils of our heart. It is grace that "gladdens" a man's heart. Oh! sweet grace, blessed grace! when it meets our case and reaches our souls. Oh! what a help, what a strength, what a rest for a poor toiling, striving, labouring soul, to find that grace has done all the work, to feel that grace has triumphed in the cross of Christ, to find that nothing is required, nothing is wanted, nothing is to be done. It is a full and perfect, complete and finish...