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| each of these rocks has been collected over the years |
my heart.
honestly, i don't like what i am seeing.
first, let me say that i love the Lord Jesus. He has redeemed my life from the pit. HE has purchased me with His own blood, that i might be made righteous. Amazing grace has truly saved a wretch like me. Because of the high price that was paid for me, i see even the smallest of offences as equal to the most heinous of sins. Sin. black, disgusting sin. Sin that my Saviour died for. My sin, that caused my Saviour to drink the cup of the wrath of God on my behalf, so that I might have HIS righteousness imputed to me. Incomprehensible. Humbling.
on a day to day basis, within the walls of my home, so much of what is in my heart comes out: a snappy reply, an exasperated sigh, a grumpy greeting, a "don't talk to me right now, or else" look. ouch. When i am with others, i can kick in to my "self-preservation" mode pretty quickly: fear of what others think of me, fear that i may offend in some way, fear of not being "enough" for others... really just a bunch of self-centeredness! double-ouch.
my own selfishness disgusts me. my husband works hard all day, and comes home to me not having even given
i am not hopeless though. Our faithful God uses the challenges of my day to work His sanctification in me. I am seeing that i am in need. i am seeing that time in the Word is not something that can be compromised in my day, so that i can do other things. I am seeing that i am ever in need of grace.
if you are seeing an area in your own heart that needs cleansing, don't delay! Forgiveness awaits in the bountiful arms of our Great God, through our great Saviour, Jesus Christ!
Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.
What can avail to wash it away?
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!
~Julia H. Johnston
Love the heart searching going on here!
ReplyDeleteI have a question about something you said: "My sin, that caused my Saviour to drink the cup of the wrath of God on my behalf, so that I might have HIS righteousness imputed to me."
ReplyDeleteWhere does the Bible say Jesus drake the "cup of the wrath of God"? And where does it say "His righteousness is imputed"? Those are some pretty significant claims to make.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Cor 5:21
ReplyDeleteNick, there are many places in the Bible that state that Christ became sin on our behalf. God hates sin. Jesus satisfied God's wrath at Calvary. These are not claims that I make... This is what the full counsel of the Word of God (the Bible) teaches.
ReplyDeleteJesus atoning for our sin is not the same thing as saying Jesus "drank the cup of God's wrath". The Father loves the Son with an infinite love and could never pour out wrath on Him. Wrath entails opposition, and there can be none of that in the Trinity.
ReplyDeleteConsider Mark 10:38-39. Here Jesus says the Apostles will drink the cup that He will drink. If this is God's wrath, then it means the Apostles will have to endure God's wrath also. So the only interpretation that makes sense is the cup is a cup of persecutions, which Jesus and the Apostles would endure.
As far as Imputing Christ's Righteousness is concerned, if you look at places like Romans 4:6-8, it shows that Paul equates "reckoning righteousness" with "not reckoning sin," meaning forgiveness. Thus, there is no "Christ's righteousness" being imputed in Paul's mind. Rather, let's say I have a stain on my shirt. My parent reckons me dirty. Now the parent can clean the stain (forgive), and thus "reckon clean" the shirt, which is another way of saying they will "not reckon a stain" on my shirt.
Nick, i have been to your blog and can see that you hold to a very different doctrine that me. I am not a Catholic. I am a Protestant that stands on the Doctrines of Grace. I know that you passionately disagree with that. I appreciate your comments, and thank you for looking at my blog. You have made assumptions about where i look to have a foundation for my beliefs. There are many places where it speaks of Christ bearing the wrath of God, so that i would not have to be eternally condemned. My works could never be good enough to get me into heaven. I need a Saviour who has taken my place. He bore my sin, in my place, and in exchange has give me His righteousness. It is all over the Word of God.
ReplyDeleteThis will be my last post, but could you give me just 3 of the "many places" where the Bible clearly speaks of Jesus bearing the wrath of God?
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I know of that comes close is when Jesus says "My God, why have you abandoned me," but here Our Lord was quoting Psalm 22:1, but if you keep reading the entire Psalm, starting with 22:1b, you see it is God not sending help from the persecutors; while the rest of the Psalm describes what the persecutors did to Christ.
Just 3 texts would be nice.
Romans 3:1-31
ReplyDeletejohn 18:11
Psalm 75:8 "We may say that the cup held before Jesus was the full measure of the suffering God had set out as the way of payment, or atonement, for the sins of His people. These sufferings had been assigned to Jesus, sufferings which would culminate in the cross." C. Haak
Revelation 14:9-10
The beautiful part of this is that Believers in Christ need not fear the wrath of God any longer, as we are now seen through the work Christ accomplished on the cross on our behalf.
The Law points us to our own inability to be able to keep it! We would not know what sin was were it not for the Law. God demands a sacrifice for the breaking of His Law, and we have that perfect sacrifice in Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.