Hello and good evening

Hello and good evening

Hello

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me;
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home!

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine!

Happy Sunday

Good evening

Hello

Nothing can fill the soul but God, nothing can quiet the soul but God, nothing can satisfy the soul but God, nothing can secure the soul but God, nothing can save the soul but God.

Thomas Brooks.

Christ Precious to Those Who Believe

John Fawcett

No man comes to Christ for pardon—who does not see the greatness and grievousness of his sins. No man believes with the heart unto righteousness—who is not convinced of the insufficiency of his own works to justify him before God. No man looks to the Redeemer for justification—who does not see that he is under the sentence of condemnation. No man comes to Jesus that he may have life—who is not sensible, that, as a sinner, he is doomed to eternal death. Thus, true faith implies a conviction and belief of what the Word of God reveals, concerning the state and condition of fallen man.

Good works should be done out of gratitude to God for saving us. We should never boast in our works by thinking that we earn for ourselves a right standing with the Lord by them. Christ has already earned our right standing before the Father, If you believe the gospel you have already been justified by grace through faith. So we do good knowing that we already have been justified, not to get justified.

Salvation by law keeping is impossible. Christ alone has kept the law, the rest of us fall short daily. If God were to judge you based on your imperfect law keeping you would be condemned for your sins. Only perfection will do in the eyes of the Almighty, imperfect law keeping doesn’t cut it. That perfection is found not in your works, but in Christ’s work alone. Rest and rejoice in His righteousness.

My hope of salvation lies in the fact that Christ bore my sins on the cross, and that God will never count them against me because He has already judged them in Christ. My hope rests in the perfect righteousness of Christ, not in my imperfect obedience which will never measure up. By grace through faith I am clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and God accepts me just as He accepts His Son, and He loves me just as He loves His Son. This is where my hope lies, not in my good works, not in my imperfect obedience, but entirely in the grace of God, and in the perfect work of Christ.

Law + grace is still law.

Law keeping will not justify or save anyone.

Christ alone has kept God’s law in order to justify us completely.

Grace alone is God’s gospel.

We are saved by grace, and kept saved by grace. Not saved by grace and kept saved by law.

The work of Christ is sufficient in every way to completely justify a sinner.

And this is good news.

The law and gospel distinction is absolutely necessary in explaining justification. Once you conflate the law and the gospel you have a false gospel. Justification is always by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We are forgiven of all of our sins, declared to be righteous, receive eternal life, and are saved from the wrath of God by grace through faith alone. After being justified we are to obey Christ commandments, but obedience to the law should never be seen as making us right with God, or keeping us right with God. The law was never put in place to justify us, Christ alone does.

The gospel of the kingdom is all about Christ and what He has done to save sinners. His life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. His current rule and His sovereignty over the nations. His intercession on behalf of His people. The gospel always points to Christ and His work. All are commanded to repent and believe the gospel. All are commanded to bend the knee to Christ. Salvation is found in Him alone. Justification is by grace through faith alone.