Feb 17
10
Little did she know, that amid the sheaves—she would find a husband! C.H.Spurgeon
“Ruth left and entered the field to gather grain behind the harvesters. She happened to be in the portion of land belonging to Boaz, who was from Elimelech’s family.” Ruth 2:3
“She happened.” Yes, it seemed nothing but an accident—but how divinely was it overruled! Ruth had gone forth with her mother-in-law’s blessing, under the care of her God—to humble but honorable toil; and the providence of God was guiding her every step! Little did she know, that amid the sheaves—she would find a husband; and that he would make her the joint owner of all those broad acres; and that she, a destitute foreigner, would become an ancestor of the great Messiah!
God is very good to those who trust in Him, and often surprises them with unlooked for blessings. Little do we know what may happen to us in the future; but this sweet fact should cheer us—that nothing which is really good for us—shall be withheld from us!
The word “chance” is banished from the Christian’s vocabulary—for we see the hand of God in everything. The seemingly trivial events of today or tomorrow, may involve consequences of the highest importance. Take comfort—our Lord deals as graciously with all His servants—as He did with Ruth!
“For your Maker is your husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and your Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” Isaiah 54:5
As in the marriage union man and wife become one flesh, and, God having joined them together, no man may put them asunder, so when the Lord Jesus Christ, in “the everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure,” betrothed the Church unto himself, they became before the face of heaven, one in indissoluble ties. As he undertook in “the fullness of time” to be “made of a woman,” she became one with him in body by virtue of a common nature; and becomes one with him in spirit when, as each individual member comes forth into a time state, the blessed Spirit unites it to him by regenerating grace. Such is the testimony of the word of truth. “We are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones;” “He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” Her union, therefore, with his flesh ensures to her body conformity in the resurrection morn to the glorified body of Jesus; and her union with his spirit ensures to her soul an eternity of bliss in the perfection of knowledge, holiness, and love. Thus the union of the Church with Christ commenced in the councils of eternal wisdom and love, is made known upon earth by regenerating grace, and is perfected in heaven in the fullness of glory.
The Church, it is true, fell in Adam from that state of innocence and purity in which she was originally created. But how the Adamic fall, in all its miserable consequences, instead of canceling the bond and disannulling the everlasting covenant, only served more fully and gloriously to reveal and make known the love of Christ to his chosen bride in all its breadth and length and depth and height! She fell, it is true, into unspeakable, unfathomable depths of sin and misery, guilt and crime; but she never fell out of his heart or out of his arms.
Yet what without the fall would have been known of dying love or of the mystery of the cross! Where would have been the song of the redeemed, “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood?” Where the victory over death and hell, or the triumphs of super-abounding grace over the aboundings of sin, guilt, and despair? Where would have been the “leading captivity captive,” the “spoiling principalities and powers, and making a show of them openly, triumphing over them in himself?” What would have been known of that most precious attribute of God, mercy? What of his forbearance and long-suffering; what of his pitiful compassion to the poor, lost children of men?
As then the Church’s head and husband could not and would not dissolve the union, break the covenant, or alter the thing that had gone out of his lips, and yet could not take her openly unto himself in all her filth, and guilt, and shame, he had to redeem her with his own heart’s blood, with agonies and sufferings such as earth or heaven never before witnessed, with those dolorous cries under the hidings of his Father’s face, which made the earth to quake, the rocks to rend, and the sun to withdraw its light. But his love was strong as death, and he endured the cross, despising the shame, bearing her sins in his own body on the tree, and thus suffering the penalty due to her crimes, reconciled her unto God “in the body of his flesh, through death, to present her holy; and unblameable, and unreproveable in his sight.” J.C.Philpot
Facts about the election of Grace
Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance (I Thessalonians 1: 4-5)
An election which does not lead a person to believe the gospel, confess in his heart, confess Christ in baptism, and identify whole heartedly with the Lord’s church is not the election of grace.
Election which does not give a person a new birth, a new heart, a new nature to love Christ, to love one another and to live and express that love daily is not the election of grace.
An election which does not result in a new walk, a new attitude, a new spirit of unity and fellowship is not the election of grace
An election which does not make a person generous toward others, liberal in his support of the gospel ministry, liberal toward his house and other families and who had not learned that it is more blessed to give than to receive, is not the election of grace.
An election which does not (in time) produce these fruits of the Spirit, a growth in grace, the knowledge of Christ, which delivers a person from a covetous spirit, the vanity of the flesh and the pride of self is not the election of grace.
There was a time when only God knew we were His elect! There came a time when we knew that we were elected by God! There comes a time when others know that we are His elect! Henry Mahan.
The Election Results Are In
Tommy Robbins
“Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:4
I never cease to be amazed (although I shouldn’t be) that so many make the mere knowledge of a system of doctrine to be their anchor of hope for eternal salvation. Nothing could be more deadly than holding the truth of God in unrighteousness – “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” Romans 1:18. As clearly revealed in our text, those who were chosen by God the Father, redeemed by God the Son and regenerated by God the Spirit not only believe the truth, they also have a new heart, a new Spirit, and therefore a new life.
The elect of God upon regeneration love Christ and believe all truth as is revealed in Him. The result of Divine election in Christ is a new creature. They not only have a “head” for sound doctrine, they have a new “heart” for Christ. It is obvious that when “Calvinists” or “The Reformed”, or anyone, argues, debates and glories in points of “doctrine” they are preaching themselves rather than Christ Jesus the Lord. It is amazing (although it shouldn’t be) how men love to amuse themselves with themselves rather than simply and singularly preach Christ and all truth in Him.
My question is, “Do we know Christ in vital union by His blessed Spirit or have we learned some doctrine? Have we come to Christ by His efficacious grace or have we come to ‘the doctrines’? Precept without the Person is cold, hard, legal, dead and damning. The greatest evidence of being one of God’s elect is believing on Christ, falling in love with Christ, resting in Christ, joying and rejoicing in Christ, and as a result, commitment to His gospel, and His church.
Yes, I believe the five points. They are the summation of the gospel. However, the knowledge of them is not my salvation. Again, the result of Divine election is – “… that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent” John 17:3.
Conclusion: One may learn doctrine and yet may never know Christ. However, everyone that knows Christ believes and loves the truth.
Married to Christ
While marrying a young couple yesterday, I asked them if they would promise to honor and love one another, “till death alone shall part you.” We believers were married to the law in the sense that we were bound and responsible to honor it. We were “under the law,” and though sinful and incapable of honoring it, it was nonetheless our duty before God to do so perfectly. Paul uses this beautiful comparison to show what our relationship is now to the law, and to the son of God.
Being dead to the law, we are married to Christ, and yet not considered “adulterers.” In other words, we have no requirement to honour the law, and yet are guiltless before the law.
Free from the law O happy condition,
Jesus hath bled and there is remission.
Cursed by the law and killed by the fall,
Christ hath redeemed us, once for all.
It may seem extreme to you that I would say, we have no requirement to honor the law, but think about it believer. If we are responsible to honor God’s law, then we must inhabit Hell forever. Christ honored it for us, and paid our sin debt, and we add nothing to what He has done for us. Nothing.
This does not mean we do not respect the law, and even try to obey it both outwardly and inwardly, but we have found that what we would, we do not, we cannot. Paul even says we “delight in the law of God, after the inward man,” but understand. We are dead to the law for righteousness, and we are married to Another.
We cannot, do not, shall not honor the law with our works, though we do desire to and strive to, but our Husband did, and we are one with Him as man and wife are said to be before God, one flesh. We bring forth fruit unto God because our works, just like our persons, are accepted “in the Beloved.” Let us praise Him both now and forever, our Husband, our Beloved, the Lover of our souls and Him Whom our soul loveth.
Chris Cunningham.
Redemption in Christ
“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forebearance of God. Romans 3: 24-25
The sufficiency of the coming Redeemer was so pleasing to God, so honoring to his name, and so glorious in his person that full benefits were dispensed at the very fall of man. There is not a single blessing upon the whole of the Old Testament saints that did not come as a result of the Fathers good pleasure “…who first trusted in Christ” (Ephesians 1: 12) “To HIM give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10: 43) Upon the integrity of his person creation was brought into being, providence arranged, favor shown, and the spirit of the living God came and took up his abode with his people. The great God of Glory vested such trust upon this Redeemer that should he fall, God would have to vacate his throne and cease to be God. Surely, if God put such a high value and trust in Christ, you and I ought to trust him who has now appeared and accomplished the work.
Darvin Pruitt
WE ARE NOT JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW
The Scripture distinctly teaches us that we are not justified by the law nor is the law a rule of life. That which can only curse can never justify and that which can only kill can never be a rule of life (Romans 3:20). Both the Jews who had received the law and the Gentiles who had never had the law were now to be saved through grace (Acts 15:11). Not only were they to be saved by grace, but also they were to “stand in grace” (Romans 5:2) and to grow in grace” (II Peter 3:18). All who seek to put believers under the law are tearing down the very foundations of the Christian faith. Listen to the strong words which came from the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:12; “I would they were even cut off which trouble you.” Pastor Scott Richardson