3-28-2008
"See here, as in a glass, the infinite love of God the Father; that when we had lost ourselves by sin, God, in the riches of his grace, sent forth his Son, made of a woman, to redeem us. And behold the infinite love of Christ, in that he was willing thus to condescend to take our flesh. Surely the angels would have disdained to have taken our flesh; it would have been a disparagement to them. What king would be willing to wear sackcloth over his cloth of gold? but Christ did not disdain to take our flesh. Oh the love of Christ! Had not Christ been made flesh, we had been made a curse; had he not been incarnate, we had been incarcerate, and had been for ever in prison. Well might an angel be the herald to proclaim this joyful news of Christ’s incarnation." "Behold here a sacred riddle or paradox: 'God manifest in the flesh.' That man should be made in God's image was a wonder, but that God should be made in man's image is a greater wonder. That the Ancient of Days should be born, that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle; . . . that he who rules the stars should suck the breast; that a virgin should conceive; that Christ should be made of a woman, and of that woman which himself made; that the branch should bear the vine; that the mother should be younger than the child she bare, and the child in the womb bigger than the mother; that the human nature should not be God, yet one with God . . . Christ taking flesh is a mystery we shall never fully understand till we come to heaven, when our light shall be clear, as well as our love perfect." "Why he came: That he might take our flesh, and redeem us; that he might instate us into a kingdom. He was poor, that he might make us rich. (2 Cor. 8:9). He was born of a virgin, that we might be born of God. He took our flesh, that he might give us his Spirit. He lay in the manger that we might lie in paradise. He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven. And what was all this but love? If our hearts be not rocks, this love of Christ should affect us. Behold love that passeth knowledge! Ephesians 3:19."
"See here, as in a glass, the infinite love of God the Father; that when we had lost ourselves by sin, God, in the riches of his grace, sent forth his Son, made of a woman, to redeem us. And behold the infinite love of Christ, in that he was willing thus to condescend to take our flesh. Surely the angels would have disdained to have taken our flesh; it would have been a disparagement to them. What king would be willing to wear sackcloth over his cloth of gold? but Christ did not disdain to take our flesh. Oh the love of Christ! Had not Christ been made flesh, we had been made a curse; had he not been incarnate, we had been incarcerate, and had been for ever in prison. Well might an angel be the herald to proclaim this joyful news of Christ’s incarnation."
"Behold here a sacred riddle or paradox: 'God manifest in the flesh.' That man should be made in God's image was a wonder, but that God should be made in man's image is a greater wonder. That the Ancient of Days should be born, that he who thunders in the heavens should cry in the cradle; . . . that he who rules the stars should suck the breast; that a virgin should conceive; that Christ should be made of a woman, and of that woman which himself made; that the branch should bear the vine; that the mother should be younger than the child she bare, and the child in the womb bigger than the mother; that the human nature should not be God, yet one with God . . . Christ taking flesh is a mystery we shall never fully understand till we come to heaven, when our light shall be clear, as well as our love perfect."
"Why he came: That he might take our flesh, and redeem us; that he might instate us into a kingdom. He was poor, that he might make us rich. (2 Cor. 8:9). He was born of a virgin, that we might be born of God. He took our flesh, that he might give us his Spirit. He lay in the manger that we might lie in paradise. He came down from heaven, that he might bring us to heaven. And what was all this but love? If our hearts be not rocks, this love of Christ should affect us. Behold love that passeth knowledge! Ephesians 3:19."
It is to be feared that there are many who have grown up in a religious atmosphere, or who have been religious most of their lives, who know nothing of true conversion, but are self-deceived, living under a delusion of self-righteousness. The reason is because true Holy Spirit conviction is missing in many modern churches, and from many pulpits in these degenerate days. If religious leaders do not know the way of grace themselves, how can they be instrumentally used by the Holy Spirit in the conversion of others (Luke 6:39)? [Click Here to read a comment by C. H. Spurgeon on this.] The self-righteous religionist, whether in the pulpit or the pew, has missed Holy Spirit conviction, and therefore has never seen himself as a lost, guilty, undone, Hell-deserving sinner before a holy, sin-avenging God (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Romans 3:19; Romans 1:18, Psalm 7:11-13), nor has he in repentance toward God sought for mercy on the basis of the substitutionary blood atonement of Christ on Calvary's cross (Romans 3:23-26, 5:6-11, 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18). The Lord Jesus portrays the condition and attitude of the religiously lost in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican praying in the temple. Luke introduces our Lord's telling of this parable in this way: "And He spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others" (Luke 18:9). The parable as recorded in Luke 18:10-14:
"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.' And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, 'God be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
How about you, my friend? Do you see yourself mirrored by the Pharisee in this parable? Or has the Lord ever brought you by the way of grace under Holy Spirit conviction, so that your attitude was like that of the publican—a lost sinner who was seeking mercy on the basis of the precious shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ—crying out unto the Lord, "God be merciful to me a sinner." According to the meaning of the New Testament Greek word, hilaskomai, translated "merciful" in this passage, the publican, as he gazed upon the bloody sacrificial lamb in the temple (an Old Testament type or shadow of Christ crucified), was pleading for God to be propitiated toward himself a guilty sinner—a clear reference to the substitutionary blood atonement of Christ (1 John 4:9-10), the Lamb of God (John 1:29), Who died in behalf of guilty sinners on Calvary's cross. Do you know Him as your blessed Lord and Saviour?
"The divine Spirit wounds before He heals, He kills before He makes alive. We usually draw a distinction between law-work and Gospel-work; but law-work is the work of the Spirit of God, and is so far a true Gospel-work that it is a frequent preliminary to the joy and peace of the Gospel. The Law is the needle which draws after it the silken thread of blessing, and you cannot get the thread into the stuff without the needle: Men do not receive the liberty wherewith Christ makes them free till, first of all, they have felt bondage within their own spirit driving them to cry for liberty to the great Emancipator, the Lord Jesus Christ. This sense or spirit of bondage works for our salvation by leading us to cry for mercy."—C. H. Spurgeon, as quoted in "The Law and the Gospel," by Ernest Reisinger
What is the real truth about the present state and condition of the human race, and our relationship to God our Creator? This question is the theme of Part I of the unpublished book, "Man's Ruin . . . God's Remedy" by John Roden. Click on each heading to read.
Introduction Part One—Man's Ruin Man's Original State The Fall of Man The Tragic Results of the Fall of Man Fallen Man Is Now In Spiritual Darkness Fallen Man's Heart Is Now Corrupt Fallen Man Is Now Under Satan's Power Fallen Man Is Now a Rebel, an Enemy of God Fallen Man Is Now Under the Reigning Power of Sin Fallen Man Is Now Unable and Unwilling to Return to the True God
Introduction
Part One—Man's Ruin
Man's Original State
The Fall of Man
The Tragic Results of the Fall of Man
Fallen Man Is Now In Spiritual Darkness Fallen Man's Heart Is Now Corrupt Fallen Man Is Now Under Satan's Power Fallen Man Is Now a Rebel, an Enemy of God Fallen Man Is Now Under the Reigning Power of Sin Fallen Man Is Now Unable and Unwilling to Return to the True God
Fallen Man Is Now In Spiritual Darkness
Fallen Man's Heart Is Now Corrupt
Fallen Man Is Now Under Satan's Power
Fallen Man Is Now a Rebel, an Enemy of God
Fallen Man Is Now Under the Reigning Power of Sin
Fallen Man Is Now Unable and Unwilling to Return to the True God
The concept that many have of God is like "the man upstairs," a kindly grandfatherly being who takes no notice of sin, but overlooks it entirely—a concept totally different from the reality of the true and living God who reveals Himself in the Holy Scriptures. Read the following chapters of "Man's Ruin . . . God's Remedy":
"Fallen Man Is Now Under the Sentence of Death" "Fallen Man Will Stand Before God on a Future Judgment Day" "Fallen Man Is Now Under the Wrath of God"
"Fallen Man Is Now Under the Sentence of Death"
"Fallen Man Will Stand Before God on a Future Judgment Day"
"Fallen Man Is Now Under the Wrath of God"
This is Part II of the book, and sets forth in detail the sovereign grace of God in the salvation of lost sinners from among Adam's fallen race. Click on each heading to read those chapters which have been completed. Other chapters will be added later, as they are completed.
The Remedy Defined: The Sovereign Grace and Mercy of God 1. The Triunity of God 2. The Meaning of the Grace of God 3. The Meaning of the Mercy of God 4. The Grace and Mercy of God Bestowed Only Through the Lord Jesus Christ 5. God Is Sovereign in the Exercise of His Grace and Mercy The Remedy Planned: God the Father's Eternal Purpose of Grace in Christ 1. The God of Absolute Sovereignty 2. God the Father Predestined the Provision of the Remedy 3. God the Father Predestined the Application of the Remedy 4. God the Father's Wonderful Blueprint of Grace: An Unbreakable Chain (1) The Link of Foreknowledge (2) The Link of Predestination (3) The Link of Effectual Calling (4) The Link of Justification (5) The Link of Glorification The Remedy Provided: God the Son Personfies the Grace of God
The Remedy Defined: The Sovereign Grace and Mercy of God
1. The Triunity of God 2. The Meaning of the Grace of God 3. The Meaning of the Mercy of God 4. The Grace and Mercy of God Bestowed Only Through the Lord Jesus Christ 5. God Is Sovereign in the Exercise of His Grace and Mercy
1. The Triunity of God
2. The Meaning of the Grace of God
3. The Meaning of the Mercy of God
4. The Grace and Mercy of God Bestowed Only Through the Lord Jesus Christ
5. God Is Sovereign in the Exercise of His Grace and Mercy
The Remedy Planned: God the Father's Eternal Purpose of Grace in Christ
1. The God of Absolute Sovereignty 2. God the Father Predestined the Provision of the Remedy 3. God the Father Predestined the Application of the Remedy 4. God the Father's Wonderful Blueprint of Grace: An Unbreakable Chain (1) The Link of Foreknowledge (2) The Link of Predestination (3) The Link of Effectual Calling (4) The Link of Justification (5) The Link of Glorification
1. The God of Absolute Sovereignty
2. God the Father Predestined the Provision of the Remedy
3. God the Father Predestined the Application of the Remedy
4. God the Father's Wonderful Blueprint of Grace: An Unbreakable Chain
(1) The Link of Foreknowledge (2) The Link of Predestination (3) The Link of Effectual Calling (4) The Link of Justification (5) The Link of Glorification
(1) The Link of Foreknowledge
(2) The Link of Predestination
(3) The Link of Effectual Calling
(4) The Link of Justification
(5) The Link of Glorification
The Remedy Provided: God the Son Personfies the Grace of God
The Lord Jesus Christ—Jehovah-Jesus, the great Law-Giver Himself—put a face on God's holy Law, being Himself the very essence of God's holiness, incarnate in human flesh. His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are an exposition of the Law of God, and set forth the great principles and commandments of righteousness for God's people in the Kingdom of God under the New Covenant. If we would see the most impressive manifestation of the holiness of God, and a vindication of His Law (as well as His grace, love, and mercy revealed), we must go to the hill of Mount Calvary. Turning our eyes to the Cross of Christ, we see there what an abominable thing sin really is, how much God really hates it, and how He is determined to punish law-breakers in His holy wrath—because in behalf of His chosen people, the Lord Jesus in substitutionary blood atonement "bore our sins in His own body on the tree" (2 Peter 2:24), fully satisfying the punitive demands of the Law in their behalf (Galatians 3:10-13). As we behold there the Son of God Himself suspended upon that accursed tree, blood flowing down from His many wounds, and hear the words, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46), we see that the cross of Christ is the most awesome monument of the holiness and justice of Almighty God, and the most solemn warning of the lost sinner's danger in the coming Day of Judgment. For if "God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all" (Romans 8:32), and if for every true believer, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13)—what then must await the lost sinner who dies and enters eternity without being sheltered under the precious shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ? The cross, the cross of a crucified Saviour, is the most powerful, the most impressive demonstration of sin, righteousness, and judgment, for it truly magnifies and glorifies the holy Law of God (Romans 3:31). No wonder Paul the Apostle wrote, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:1-2)! See also Galatians 6:14 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-31). Dear friends, under the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit in conviction, the cross of Christ will melt the hardest heart, and lead the most hardened sinner to repentance, for it also reveals the great love, compassion, and grace of this holy God for poor lost sinners (Revelation 3:17, Luke 15, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, Romans 5:6-11, 1 John 4:9-11), and how He can be both just and the Justifier of him who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24-26)! The central message of God's Holy Word, then, from Genesis to Revelation, is blood redemption in the crucified, risen, exalted and glorified Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:44-49)!
My friends, God never calls a man into the ministry to misrepresent Him—therefore let every man who claims to be a minister of God preach this Gospel of blood redemption by substitutionary blood atonement, exalting and glorifying the crucified, risen Lord Jesus Christ, lest he be found at last to be a false teacher, accursed of God, preaching "another gospel," "another Jesus," by "another spirit." (2 Corinthians 11:4,13-15, Galatians 1:6-9).