Mar 19
4
‘If You Be Circumcised’
Joe Terrell
Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall
profit you nothing. (Galatians 5:2)
It is a man’s guilt that makes Christ necessary for Him; but it is a
man’s righteousness that will render Christ ineffective for him. The
blood of Christ is the remedy for a man’s sin, but what shall avail for
a remedy for a man’s righteousness? Only the sovereign work of the Holy
Spirit of God is able to overcome a man’s resistance to the grace of the
blood and to make him despair of even his righteousness. But, to refine
the point even more, it is the Holy Spirit’s work in revealing the
testimony of the blood of Christ that breaks the self-righteous will of
man and makes him submit to Christ as his only righteousness before God.
So it is the blood poured out by Christ that remedies the sin of a man,
and it is that same blood revealed by the Holy Spirit that remedies the
righteousness of man.
LAW AND GRACE
Henry Mahan
Law manifests what is in men–sin!
Grace manifests what is in God–love!
Law demands righteousness from men!
Grace brings righteousness to men!
Law sentences men to death!
Grace brings dead men to life!
Law speaks of what I must do!
Grace tells what Christ has done!
Law gives a knowledge of sin!
Grace puts away sin!
“Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be.”
FREE TO COMMIT MURDER
We believe the word of God which declares that Christ established the
law for his people so that every believer called to faith in Christ is
not under law but under grace. Therefore, we are accused of being
antinomians. One of the common arguments involves picking out one of the
ten commandments and saying something absurd like, “So are you free to
commit murder?” It is telling that they always speak of breaking the law
outwardly but never inwardly. The Pharisees of old thought that way. But
our Master said that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause
has broken the law (Mt 5: 21-22; Mr 7: 20-21). Men who think outward
morality is holiness are men that the Lord likened to whited sepulchers
which are beautiful outwardly but within full of dead mens’ bones, and
all uncleaness (Mt 23:27).
No child of God in whom Christ dwells desires to abuse our liberty by
breaking any commandment of God outwardly. In fact, my brethren in
Christ encourage me by their honorable conduct. But though the Spirit of
God has made us “put off concerning the former conversation the old man,
which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts”, and has made us “put
on on the new man, which after God, is created in righteousness and true
holiness”, still, we know that in our “flesh dwelleth no good thing.”
(Eph 5: 22-24; Rom 7: 18) The thing we mourn continually is “O wretched
man that I AM.” By continually crying unto God to deliver us through
Christ Jesus our Lord, God keeps us from the mirage of progressive
sanctification with its progressive sinlessness (Rom 7: 24).
Of course we are not free to commit murder! But make no mistake, we are
free! If we were to commit murder we would be forgiven as was David. It
is because our old man is crucified with Christ, our body of sin is
destroyed and we are no longer the servants of sin “for he that is dead
is freed [justified] from sin” (Rom 6: 6-7). We have “become dead to the
law by the body of Christ” so that we are free from the law. Now we are
“married to another, even to Christ who is raised from the dead, that we
should bring forth fruit unto God” (Rom 7: 3-4). By the faithfulness of
Christ living in us, we have “become servants unto God” that we might
freely live unto our Father (Rom 6: 22) When our Redeemer returns for
his purchased possession and raises our bodies in incorruption we shall
be free from “the body of this death” (Eph 1:14; 1 Cor 15: 42). Until
then—as our accusers live in the deception that legal fear and torment
is freedom—we will live under our Savior’s light and easy yoke of “faith
which worketh by love.” We give God all the glory that “the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made [us] free from the law of sin
and death” (Rom 8: 2; Jn 8: 32; Gal 5:6).
Clay Curtis.
God A Beggar?
False preachers today have made a beggar of the Lord of Lords. No, my
proud religionist, you are the beggar. God is not obligated to do
anything but damn you to the eternal praise of His justice. If you keep
listening to the wrong voices, your end shall be with those before you
of whom Christ said, “I am come in my Father’s name and ye receive me
not, let another come in his own name and him ye will receive.” (John
5:43). ~Scott Richardson
Regeneration makes no alteration on the flesh, but the Spirit. There is
nothing in the flesh made holy. And there is nothing in the Spirit left
unholy. ~Robert Hawker
He Hath Made Him to be Sin
2 Corinthians 5:21
A most amazing statement – The sinless one was made to be sin. God made
the perfectly innocent One to be sin for us. I bless His holy name and
adore Him that He is not unjust in order to be merciful; that He does
not spare the guilty in order to indulge His gentleness. Every
transgression and disobedience has its just recompense of reward. I
bless His holy name that to vindicate His justice. He determined that,
while a free pardon should be provided for all believers, it should be
grounded upon an atonement which satisfied all the requirements of His
holy law.
~Scott Richardson
What Is A Sovereign Grace Bible Conference?
Acts 15:1-35
The first sovereign grace Bible conference was held at Jerusalem during
the apostolic era. The reason for that conference and the things that
transpired at it are recorded in Acts 15. A matter of gospel doctrine
needed to be clearly settled and publicly declared in unison by the
servants of God.
There were some among the Pharisees who professed to believe the gospel
of the grace of God in Christ. But these men sought to mix law and
grace. They wanted to compel believers to be circumcised and “to keep
the law of Moses.” They were saying, “A man cannot be saved unless he is
circumcised and he cannot live right as a christian if he does not live
by the rule of the ten commandments” (vv. 1, 5).
Needless to say, this caused quite a stir. Paul and Barnabas would not
stand by quietly while these Pharisees attempted to put the yoke of
bondage upon God’s children, who had been freed from the law. Therefore,
the churches got funds together to send Paul, Barnabas and other
preachers to Jerusalem, to take counsel with the apostles and elders
concerning this matter (vv. 2-6). After much disputing with the
Pharisees, Peter preached. Then Paul preached. Then James preached. And
when they got done, they wrote a letter to all the churches (vv. 7-29).
They spoke with one voice, declaring to all the world that salvation is
by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
When the conference was over Paul, Barnabas and the other preachers went
home, gathered the brethren, and read the Epistle. When God’s saints
read that letter, they rejoiced in the consolation of the gospel ( vv.
30-31). Then other brethren confirmed the message (v. 32). Not only did
these brethren continue preaching the Word of grace, but many others
were inspired to do so too (v. 35).
This is a sovereign grace Bible conference.We have come together to
clearly, publicly declare in unison to all the world the singular
message of Holy Scripture: That salvation is the work of God’s free and
sovereign grace through our all glorious Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
and to encourage all who will to join us in proclaiming this message.
May it please our great God to bless this conference to that end for
Christ’s sake.
Don Fortner
God is My Judge
“Don’t judge me. God is my judge”. I fear that those who make such
statements have no idea of the standard by which the Judge of all the
earth measures His judgments. “Thou shalt judge the people righteously.”
Ps. 67.4. The Lord Jesus Christ is not only the Judge (Acts 10:42), but
He Himself is the standard by which all men shall be measured. God’s
Holy nature demands all sin to be punished. “He will by no means clear
the guilty.” Ex. 34:7. If He finds one infraction to His law, even in
the secret recesses of man’s heart, He must condemn that person to
eternal separation from Him. “If thou, Lord shouldest make iniquities,
Oh Lord, who shall stand”? Ps. 130:3.
Oh, child of God, let us say with the Apostle Paul; “with me it is a
very small thing that I should be judged of you (man)…” I Cor. 4:3. We
delight in knowing that God is our Judge. “Not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the
washing of regeneration of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us
abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his
grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Titus 3:5-7. ~Greg
DO YOU TRUST CHRIST?
2 Corinthians 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward
The Apostle Paul was so confident in Christ that he preached Jesus
Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 1:23). He determined not to preach
anything but “Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). A faithful
servant of Christ will commit the salvation of his hearers to Jesus
Christ alone. His trust in Christ is witnessed by his continued and
faithful preaching of Jesus Christ only. A man who turns to the Law of
Moses for the sinner’s sanctification has lost confidence in Christ. A
man who turns himself or his hearers to something more than Christ to
present him perfect to Holy God does not have trust in Christ. He does
not think Christ alone is sufficient to save. Believers who trust Christ
are an epistle of Christ’s work. “Forasmuch as ye are manifestly
declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with
ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but
in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Cor 3:3). Because our hearers reflect
what we teach many think we must preach law to keep the flesh in check.
But if we are led by the Spirit of Christ then we will trust Christ to
instruct his children and save them to the uttermost through his gospel.
Do you trust Christ to make you perfect to stand before Holy God? Pastor
Eric Lutter