1252. What the Redeemed Do
What the Redeemed Do
"And not only so, bat we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received the atonement" (Rom_5:11).
1. He must receive the atonement. Salvation is by grace, but it is through faith. God upon the Cross made possible our redemption. Christ died for sinners, and made atonement for sin. But those who come unto God and are saved, must accept or receive that atonement.
The supper call may be sounded, the invitation may be received to the wedding, but it will be of no avail unless the invitation is accepted. Let us notice some of the words that God places before the sinner. He says:
"Come unto Me, all ye that labour" (Mat_11:28).
"Take the Water of Life freely" (Rev_22:17).
"Look unto Me, and be ye saved" (Isa_45:22).
"As many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God" (Joh_1:12, A. S. V.).
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ" (Act_16:31).
There is eternal life in Christ, but the sinner must believe, must receive, must look, must take, must come.
2. He will joy in God. This was not true of us in the days of our sins. When Adam sinned he hid himself in the garden. He was afraid of God. Sin always brings dread. The sinner sees judgment and justice hanging over his head; he feels that clouds of wrath are sweeping down upon him. He possesses a certain fearful looking for of fiery indignation, which he knows will consume him. The sinner is afraid of God, afraid not only of His justice and His judgments; but afraid of His holiness, afraid of His Truth. He knows that the holiness of God condemns his unholiness; he knows that God's Truth reveals his untruth; he dare not approach the light of the countenance of the Almighty face.
The moment we are saved and our sins are gone, we joy in God. There is nothing in God that is not a subject of joy to the believer. The believer joys in the wrath of God, because he knows that he is saved from the wrath; he joys in the holiness of God, because he knows that he himself has been clothed with God's holiness.
3. We glory in tribulation. When a sinner is saved, when he becomes a child of God, why should he be overwhelmed by trials and tribulations? We now therefore have sorrow, but we shall soon see Him, and our sorrow will be turned into joy.
We may suffer, but we reckon that these present sufferings are not worthy to be compared to the glory to be revealed in us.
We may be reckoned as the off-scouring of the earth; we may be maligned and despised, but we shall soon be reigning in glory with Christ.
The believer looks far ahead. He sees the Lord's return. He sees the rapture, the marriage supper, the day of rewards, the reign. What cares he for the present pain? He glories in tribulation.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR