“For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”
Romans 6:14
Consider along with hymn-writer John Newton the magnitude of God’s indispensable grace:
“If I were to describe [a believer from Scripture] …, he is one whose heart thirsts for God. … His affections are fixed upon an unseen Savior. … Having experienced much forgiveness, he is full of … mercy …; and having been often deceived by his own heart, he … lives by faith in the Son of God.
“But [if I] describe him from experience …, how different would the picture be? … Though he knows that communion with God is his highest privilege, he too seldom finds it so. … He needs not to be told of the vanity … of all beneath the sun, and yet is almost as much elated or cast down by a trifle as those who have their portion in this world. He believes that all things shall work together for his good, and that … God … overrules all his concerns, yet he feels the risings of fear … and displeasure. … By these exercises [God] teaches us … the … corruption of our whole nature. … His method of salvation is … endeared to us; we see that it is and must be … of grace.”
“If I were to describe [a believer from Scripture] …, he is one whose heart thirsts for God. … His affections are fixed upon an unseen Savior. … Having experienced much forgiveness, he is full of … mercy …; and having been often deceived by his own heart, he … lives by faith in the Son of God.
“But [if I] describe him from experience …, how different would the picture be? … Though he knows that communion with God is his highest privilege, he too seldom finds it so. … He needs not to be told of the vanity … of all beneath the sun, and yet is almost as much elated or cast down by a trifle as those who have their portion in this world. He believes that all things shall work together for his good, and that … God … overrules all his concerns, yet he feels the risings of fear … and displeasure. … By these exercises [God] teaches us … the … corruption of our whole nature. … His method of salvation is … endeared to us; we see that it is and must be … of grace.”
Scripture Focus
Ephesians 5:1-11
Insight
“In this our strong tower/ For safety we hide,/ The Lord is our power,/ ‘The Lord will provide.’” (John Newton, 1725-1807)
Bible In A Year
- Isaiah 23-24
- Psalm 82
- Acts 2
