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

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the L ORD , which made heaven and earth.” -Psalm 121:1-2 [KJV]  GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT TO FOLLOW: God’s Word tells us to look up to Him alone for salvation as He reveals Himself in the glorious Person and finished work of Christ (Isaiah 45:21-25) . It also tells us that we can look up to Him alone for help in time of need. When we, as children of God, experience trouble in this world, and we often do, our real help can only come from the Lord.  Our brother Job said, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble” (Job 14:1) . Our Lord JESUS Christ told us that “...in the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) . These troubles come from without and from within, but we know that no trouble can separate us from the love of God in Christ (Romans 8:35-39) .   And whatever trouble we experience...

"...a nd take the helmet of salvation." -Ephesians 6:17 [KJV] It is excellently said, “Resolve for hardships, or lay down thine arms. Few come at the beat of Christ’s drum to His standard. Many that list by external profession under Him, after a while drop away and leave his colours. It is suffering work they are sick of. Many men are more tender of their skin than of their conscience. They had rather the gospel had provided armour to defend their bodies from death and danger, than their souls from sin and Satan.” -Gurnal’s Christian Armour All this is, because they have not on the helmet of salvation. What is this? “For an helmet, the hope of salvation” (I Thessalonians 5:8.) Do not all naturally hope to be saved? Yes, some in one way, and some in another. But all natural hopes are false hopes. Therefore they die and perish. But this helmet is a supernatural and divine hope . All men have not faith. Therefore they have not Christ, Who is the helmet of hope....

What do you think of Christ? Part 4   by D. G. Miles McKee   “What think ye of Christ? is the test To try both your state and your scheme; You can­not be right in the rest, Unless you think right­ly of Him.” -John Newton. In parts 1, 2 and 3 we discovered that no one was ever born like Jesus, no one ever lived like Jesus, and no one ever worked like Jesus.  This time we will consider how no one ever dealt with sinners like Jesus. We´ve got to get it through our heads that religion can´t help lost sinners.  Sin separates us from God and must be dealt with righteously before there is proper reconciliation.   Let´s, for example, say that a man has begun to sense that separation which sin has caused.  He has begun to feel conviction.  He senses he needs some sort of remedy to get rid of the discomfort caused by sin.  So, he starts going to church on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it is not a gospel preaching church and there he is told th...

“Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” What is it to call on the Name of the Lord?  It is to call on the Lord Jesus Christ for all of our salvation, start to finish!  “Call His Name Jesus: for HE shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) .   To call upon Him for salvation is to call upon HIM and NOT my religion.  It is to call upon HIM, and NOT my devotion as a Christian.  It is to call upon HIM, and NOT my good, moral obedience to the law.   It is to call on HIS will and purpose in ALL things, and NOT my will or decision in anything!  It is to say: “I can’t save myself, YOU must save me!  This is not in my hands, this is in YOUR hands alone!  I plead YOUR finished work!  I beg for YOUR abundant grace and mercy, through the shedding of YOUR own blood!”   It is to believe in the heart: “Lord, I can’t even call on You unless You call on me first.”  That is calling upon the Name ...

" Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.  My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.  God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day." -Psalm 7:9-11 [KJV]   “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6) .  What, then, is the new birth? It is not the removal of anything from the sinner nor the changing of anything physical or fleshly in the sinner; instead, it is the communication of SOMETHING NEW to the sinner. The new birth is the impartation of a NEW NATURE. When we were born the first time, we received from our parents their nature; so too, when we are born again, we receive from God His nature. The Spirit of God begets within us a spiritual nature (Galatians 5:17; II Peter 1:4) . That which is born of man is human; that which is born of God is divine and spiritual (I John 3:9) . N...

" Above all, taking the shield of faith." -Ephesians 6:16 [KJV] When Christ has the heart, it will say, if I can see nothing of Christ in the text, that text is nothing to me. Here is a shield of defence. What is it? A mere assent of the mind? A cold consent of the tongue, to some certain propositions? Is this the shield of faith, which will cover my head, and defend my heart in the day of battle? Is it believing a system of doctrines, without having the heart warmed with love, or the life influenced by the power of them, that the apostle exhorts me above all to take?  O no, nothing less is this shield of faith than Christ, precious Christ. Never, never have any idea of faith, without including its author and object. Otherwise it is a mere non-entity: a notion which has no real existence but in fancy. When we hear people insist, that faith is our righteousness—that faith is imputed to us for righteousness, we are led to think they take up, and are in love with ...

“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” -II Corinthians 3:17 [KJV] Paul encourages all believers to stand fast in the liberty and freedom we enjoy in the Lord Jesus Christ. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1). Consider these brief thoughts on the believer's freedom in Christ: 1). Where Christ in the gospel is, the Spirit of illumination in our heart, there is freedom from darkness. "I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12) . "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Colossians 1:13). 2). Where Christ in the gospel is, the Spirit of regeneration in our heart, there is freedom from the bondage of sin. "And ye shall know the truth, and the t...