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

" Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen: let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation." -Judges 10:14 [KJV] A severe sarcasm from the Lord to apostate sinners! It causes a hell upon earth to a renewed soul, to hear and feel just upbraidings from the Lord of heaven: this is one of His severest chastizings to His children. Here is an awful charge, and a severe reproof: the Lord keeps us clear of the one, that we fall not under the other.  Consider, (1st.) the charge: it is idolatry. They had gods of their own choosing. For the Lord’s sake, and for our soul’s sake, let us not think, we are in no danger of falling into this sin! It is committed by professors every day. Aged Paul wept over such. Though they professed Christ, yet they were enemies to His cross: their belly was their god: “Their hearts were set upon earthly things” (Philippians 3:19.) Such are not content with Christ as their own; to live in fellowship with Him: to walk in self-denie...

" Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." -Revelation 2:10 [KJV] This text has been seized by Arminian hands, dragged to their mint; the impress of man’s faithfulness struck on their minds, as his title to a crown of life; and pressed into their service, to militate against the electing love of God, and finished salvation by Christ only. O, Christian! does not your heart rise with indignation against such a self-exalting notion? It is the very dregs of unfaithfulness to Christ. Are you not ready to spurn it with a holy vehemence, saying, Get to hell, from whence you sprung?  What! my faithfulness on earth the cause, the condition, the merit of my being crowned in heaven! O, my law-fulfilling, justice-satisfying, sin-atoning Jesus! can I ever think so meanly of Thy agony and bloody sweat; Thy cross and passion; Thy precious death and burial; Thy glorious resurrection and ascension; and of the coming of the Holy Ghost? as though all thi...

" For Thy name’s sake, O L ORD , pardon mine iniquity, for it is great." -Psalm 25:11 [KJV] Strange plea! Great is mine iniquity, therefore pardon it! Such an address at a throne of grace, never arose from a self-righteous heart. No: with the Pharisee of old, such are ready to say, “Thank God I am not such a sinner as David was: I never committed the horrid crimes of murder and adultery: his iniquity was great indeed.” It was so; but souls, enlightened by the word of truth, to see the spirituality of the holy law of God, will agree to our Saviour’s comment upon it, that lust is adultery in the heart, and anger a species of murder in the soul (Matthew 5:28.) “Out of the heart proceed murders, adulteries,” etc. (ch. 15:19.)   Sensible of the desperate wickedness of our heart, convinced of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, who will dare plead, Pardon mine iniquity, for it is little? Is it against a little God, sin is committed? Is it a little wrath revealed agai...

How righteous are those sinners for whom Christ was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, sinners to whom God the Spirit has given spiritual life, repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? We are far more righteous than our father Adam was when God created him and he stood innocent before his Creator in the garden prior to his fall. The first Adam had a creature righteousness, which he ultimately lost by his disobedience (Romans 5:12) .   The children of the Lord, however, have the righteousness of the Son of God freely imputed to us. Adam’s righteousness was forfeited through one willful transgression (Romans 5:21a) , but the righteousness we have can never be lost, for it is the righteousness of Christ Jesus our Lord Who liveth and abideth forever.   By His one act of obedience, His substitutionary, sacrificial death upon the cross (Romans 5:21b) , we were made “the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21) . ...

" He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool." -Proverbs 28:26 [KJV] We all do so naturally: therefore, we are all natural fools. But, through our blindness, we are ignorant of it; through pride, we will not own it. How many continue in this awful state of folly, ignorance, and pride! Among the many who are made wise unto salvation, how doth this folly of self-confidence cleave to them! Say some, “To be sure, it is the greatest folly for natural men to trust in their own hearts; for they are deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: but God hath given me a new heart, a clean heart, and a good heart; and surely I may trust in it.” This is the natural language of folly; not the judgment of a new creature in Christ .  Hear the Lord: “I will give them an heart to know that I am the L ORD ; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto Me with their whole heart” (Jeremiah ch. 24.) So that the new heart, the clean heart,...

" By the obedience of One, shall many be made righteous." -Romans 5:19 [KJV] St. Paul speaks of “...another Jesus, another Spirit, and another gospel” (II Corinthians 11:4.) Some talk of a Jesus, Who shed His blood for sinners, and yet leaves them to perish for want of righteousness: this is another Jesus than what the Scriptures reveal. They speak of a Spirit, Who strives to make sinners righteous; but, meeting with so much unexpected, perverse wickedness in their nature, He gives over His attempt, and suffers them to perish in their sins: this is another Spirit, than that Spirit, whose office it is to convince us of sin, and of the righteousness of Christ, to sanctify us in Him, and to glorify Jesus.  Again; they preach what they call gospel, which consists of certain terms to be fulfilled, and conditions performed by us, in order to obtain righteousness and eternal life: this is another gospel, than that good news of everlasting righteousness, life, and salv...

" There is nothing that will make a person look to Christ alone, cling to Christ alone, rest in Christ alone, and love Christ alone than to realize that everything God is, everything God requires, and everything the sinner needs is in Christ alone. We are perfect in Him (Philippians 4:19; Colossians 2:9-10) ! He is perfect and our being in Him makes us perfect in God's sight." -preacher Henry Mahan