2 Corinthians 5:21  "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." The Gospel is a mystery! Apart from the Spirit of God revealing the Christ of the Gospel in our hearts, none of us could or would know how sinners could stand just before a Holy God. Our depraved minds and hearts would lead us to believe that we must somehow work out that righteousness ourselves, " For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Romans 10:2-3).      If God will give us ears to hear and eyes to see, what a Glorious Truth this is to learn that the matter of sin and righteousness was settled by the very Son of God on behalf of His people at the cross. How blessed are those in whom God reveals THIS TRUTH of His complete justifying of them in what Christ accomplished by His life and death! So absolute is the work of imputation at the cross that ALL those that Christ redeemed have ALL been already pronounced righteous by the Eternal Judge. There is no sin laid to their charge because it was ALL laid on Him as the sin-Bearer. There is complete righteousness before God’s law because He worked it out and the Father imputed it to their account. True, their sins were infinite and abominable! Yet before God, they were purged away by the precious blood shed unto death of the LORD Jesus, " Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:"  (Hebrews 1:3).       It was on the cross that Jesus Christ satisfied the justice of God and based upon His finished work, all His elect were declared just and righteous. So complete was the work of the LORD Jesus in earning and establishing God’s righteous law and justice that there remains no more sin to charge to any of His elect. All of God’s righteousness imputed to them at the cross is ALL their righteousness before Him. What a comfort for those for whom HE accomplished the work.       The LORD Jesus was made sin for the elect. This does not mean that sin was infused in Him or in any sense made a sinner but rather sin was laid ON Him by God the Father.   "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all," Isaiah 53:6.  The same is true concerning the imputation of His righteousness. It is not infused into the sinner but charged to his account, whereby God declares such a one righteous before Him.  As that sin for which Christ was condemned and punished was not found in Him but charged to Him, so that righteousness by which we are justified and entitled to glory is NOT inherent in us but has been imputed to us. All to whom that righteousness was imputed, the Spirit will, in time draw to the LORD and cause to rejoice in Him and His finished work, repenting of any notion of contributing anything to it themselves, " And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;" (Colossians 2:13-14).    What unspeakable grace is this—that Christ, Who knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him! Here is the heart of the gospel, the glorious exchange purposed by the Father, accomplished by the Son, and revealed by the Spirit. This is not by our merit, but by His mercy; not through our works, but through His wondrous work. As children of God we rest our soul in this finished Righteousness. Clothed in Christ and God's Righteousness imputed, we stand accepted, justified, and complete before the throne of God's justice and holiness, to the praise of His sovereign grace forever.

Ephesians 5:1,2 "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour." The apostle Paul calls believers to be “followers of God, as dear children” and to “walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us.” This divine exhortation flows directly from the rich Gospel Truth declared in the previous chapters: that we are “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6) , redeemed through His blood (Ephesians 1:7) , and made alive together with Christ by sovereign grace (Ephesians 2:4–5). To be followers—or imitators—of God is not a call to mimicry rooted in self-effort, but a fruit of our union with Christ, Who loved us and gave Himself for us “an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour” (Ephesians 5:2). The love we are called to walk in is not a mere natural love, but the divine, electing, Sacrificial Love demonstrated at Calvary, where the Lamb of God bore the sins of His people (John 10:11, Romans 5:8). We walk in love not to become children of God, but as dear children —already chosen, redeemed, justified, and adopted by grace (Ephesians 1:4–5) . Our obedience flows from our position in Christ, Who “loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20) . This love is not general, hypothetical love, but a definite, effectual love that guarantees the salvation of God’s elect. Thus, these verses call us to reflect the Gospel we have received: a life shaped by the sovereign, Sacrificial Love of Christ. For a true child of God, the command here to be a follower of God is not something tedious. It's not burdensome. It shouldn't make you fearful, no more than saying to a child, "follow your father." If that father is a true father, you as a child are going to desire to follow in his steps. Where God has done a work of grace in a sinner's heart and given that sinner His Spirit, the scriptures call that being born again. That word literally means "to be born from above." That's how you become, in your experience, a child of God. There's the giving of the Spirit, and where the Spirit has done that work, there's going to be two things: One, you're going to search out those things that pertain to God. That's where the spiritual interest for the things of God originates. We're not born with this. We're not born thinking of God as a Father. It takes the Spirit of God to teach us. Two, where the Spirit has done that work, there is a searching . There's a seeking after God and His glory. " But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9,10). What then is it to be a follower of God? First, it's to be an imitator of God . Not an imitator in the sense of imitation. The word "follower" here is the word that we get our word mime from. Have you ever watched a mime? They're not saying anything, but you see them sometimes in the streets, some of these actors, they will mime without words certain characters or events, and as they do it, you recognize it. Now, they're not actually that person or they're not actually that event, but you recognize by their actions what they're communicating. With regard to being imitators of God, it is one thing to say that you are a child of God and to profess it—that's using words. It is another thing entirely to live it. That is to communicate something even without speaking a word. Now, there are certain attributes of God that we cannot imitate. God is omniscient. What does that mean? It means He knows everything. Can you imitate that? You can act like you know it, but you cannot. Not in that sense. God is omnipotent—He is all-powerful. He can do whatsoever He wills. Can you imitate that? God is omnipresent. Have you ever thought about trying to be everywhere at the same time—or in two or three different places at once? Sometimes it feels like that’s how life is. But we are so finite. He is not limited by space—we are. Yet there are certain attributes of God that, as we read the Scriptures, we find that we are called to imitate. If we are God's children, we are called upon to reflect these. Truth. What is truth? It is that which characterizes God. "Be ye therefore followers of God,"  as He is in Truth. Don't you suppose that if the Spirit of God is in you, you will desire to follow the Truth, as God is revealed in the Scriptures? David said, "Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way" (Psalm 119:104). That desire to know God in Truth affects who we are. It affects our direction in life. That is why we read this Word. We hear it. We study it. We want to know the Truth with regard to God. Second, it is to value above all else, the privilege of being His child. Why did the Spirit of God put "dear children" in there? Because that's who His people are to Him. They are dear. It doesn't say just as children, but dear children. Why are the Lord's people dear to Him? You know what that word "dear" means? It means "beloved". In fact, it means "well-beloved". I know if I'm beloved or well-beloved of God, it's not for anything in me. It's because He willed to love such as we are. Our being in Him and walking in fellowship with God has everything to do with what Christ accomplished in sacrificing Himself. That is what we see in Colossians 1:12, where Paul says, "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light."   Why are sinners called saints? It is because of that perfect Righteousness that God the Father has imputed to their account when the LORD Jesus finished His work on the cross. Verse 13 continues, "Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son."   It can also be rendered, "into the kingdom of the Son of His love."  That is the work of the Spirit—He brings us out of darkness into light. This is the only way God could ever call any of us "beloved" —because of the Son of His love and what He accomplished. At the cross, when the Lord Jesus laid down His life, we were saved. There, God’s elect were redeemed from the legal condemnation of the law and from the guilt of their sins. This is what Christ did—He saved His people at the cross, and when called by the Spirit of God to Him, they follow HIM.

1 John 2:20 "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." Here is a gracious reminder to the redeemed of the LORD that their knowledge of the truth is not the result of natural ability, religious effort, or human decision, but is purely the work of God's sovereign grace in Christ. The "unction" —the anointing—is the Holy Spirit Himself, sovereignly given by Christ, the Holy One, to all whom He has redeemed by His blood. It is NOT a potential blessing offered to all, but a particular gift bestowed on those elected by God the Father in eternity, for whom the LORD Jesus came into the world and laid down His life, and now by the Spirit of God, enabling them to discern the Truth, abide in Christ, and persevere in the Faith. This verse assures them that their standing and understanding in Christ is the result of God's sovereign will, not their will—a comfort and confirmation that salvation is of the LORD from beginning to end. The term “unction”  is translated here as “anointing,”  which John uses to remind his readers of the spiritual anointing they have received from the Holy One—Christ. This anointing is not to be sought as a separate experience after conversion, but is already upon them through Christ and His finished work at the cross. Let us explore the nature of this anointing: Primarily, anointing  relates to Christ Himself, whose title Christ  means the Anointed One   (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 4:27) . He was chosen and set apart by God the Father as Prophet, Priest, and King—offices traditionally conferred by anointing in the Old Testament. In Christ, all these roles converge: He is the Prophet  through whom God speaks— “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you” (Acts 3:22), He is the Priest  by Whose sacrifice sinners are justified— “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens” (Hebrews 8:1), He is the King  to whom all will bow— “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints” (Revelation 15:3). Having an anointing from the Holy One means that believers share in the righteousness of Christ, imputed to them through His sacrificial death: “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life” (Romans 5:9–10). Christ, the Holy One, is the Foundation of their election, redemption, justification, and sanctification: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Through His completed work, believers receive all spiritual blessings: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). Believers having this anointing know all things —not in the sense of being without need of instruction, but because the Spirit of God reveals Christ in them, granting understanding of the forgiveness and justification already accomplished at the cross through Him. They are contrasted with those who reject the Truth, following after their desires or false doctrines. The believer’s anointing is rooted in union with Christ: His death and resurrection are theirs. Through God-given faith, they come to apprehend the blessings of this anointing, which is bestowed by grace. Christ is their complete satisfaction before the Father, leaving His chosen, redeemed children lacking nothing. The anointing  spoken of by John encompasses the believer's union with Christ, their sharing in His imputed righteousness, and the Spirit’s work of revealing Christ’s sufficiency in them for salvation. This passage emphasizes the centrality of Christ in the believer’s experience and the completeness of their satisfaction in Him.

Matthew 11:28,29 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." This tender yet sovereign word from the lips of our LORD Jesus Christ is not a mere invitation extended to those who might choose Him at their leisure. It is a royal command, spoken with Divine Authority and irresistible Power. The One Who speaks is not only the Shepherd but also the King—He Who has “all power…in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18) . He does not beg sinners to come. He commands the weary, the burdened, the broken, and the heavily laden, saying, “Come unto me.” To “come” is not an act of man's free will, for none will come unless drawn. As our LORD Himself declares: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him” (John 6:44). The call is effectual. Those whom the Father gave to the Son shall come— “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me” (John 6:37). It is not a general offer rejected by most, but a sovereign summons attended by Divine Grace that makes the sinner willing in the day of His Power (Psalm 110:3). Notice that this command is given to a specific people: “all ye that labour and are heavy laden.” These are not those who feel healthy in their souls, nor those resting comfortably in their religious self-righteousness. These are the convicted, the crushed, the conscious of their sin and helpless estate. They labor under the weight of the law they cannot keep, and they are heavy laden with guilt because of the sinfulness of their sin that they cannot remove. To them Christ says, “I will give you rest.” Not offer nor suggest, but I will give, as a gift, sovereignly bestowed. And what is this rest? It is not a pause from labor, but the end of striving to justify oneself before God. It is the soul's resting in the finished work of Christ. It is that Peace which comes from the knowledge that He Who calls is the One Who also bore our sins in His own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). It is rest in His righteousness imputed, His blood shed unto death, His obedience fulfilled, His redemption accomplished. Then comes His further word: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me… For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). The yoke of the law is heavy—it demands and never gives. The yoke of Christ is easy—it has been carried already by Another. The burden of our sin has been laid on Him, “and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6) . What remains for us is not condemnation, but communion. To walk with Christ under His yoke is not servitude—it is liberty. For “if the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). His burden is light because He carries it with us, and indeed has already borne it to Calvary. The believer yoked to Christ walks not alone but in union with the risen LORD, upheld by His Spirit and led by His Word. This command of Christ to “Come” is not to be debated or delayed. It is to be obeyed by His Grace. It is not a suggestion to be considered, but a summons that grants what He promises. And all who come, come not because they willed it, but because they were made willing by His sovereign grace alone. They find in Him their Rest, their Righteousness, and their Reward. Come, then, weary soul—not in your strength, but in His. Come, not to do, but to have done for you. Come, and find that His yoke is easy, His burden light, and His rest eternal, everlasting as Christ Himself.

Romans 4:25 "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." Here we pause and meditate on this glorious text, a summation of the Gospel of substitution by the finished work of the LORD Jesus on the cross. Romans 4:25 sets forth two great Gospel pillars: Christ’s substitutionary death and His victorious resurrection. Both acts are not mere historical events, but Divine transactions rooted in God's eternal purpose, finished redemption, and absolute justification by the death of the LORD Jesus on the cross. “ Who was delivered for our offences …” This speaks of the substitutionary nature of Christ’s death. The word “for”  here means because of  — He was delivered up because of our offences . Not for His own sin, for He had none, but for ours. This is substitution, pure and simple. He stood in the stead of His people, bearing their guilt, enduring their judgment, satisfying divine justice in their name. It was not merely a potential atonement, but an actual propitiation — a real and effectual offering for specific transgressions. Christ was not delivered in hope that some might be justified at some later time, but in certainty that all those whose sins He bore would be eternally cleared once He had laid down His life. Therefore, we must say: when Christ died, God once for all  justified those for whom He died. The penalty was paid, the debt canceled, and the record of sin was blotted out. Isaiah 53:11 declares, “by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”  The bearing of iniquities and the justification of sinners are inseparably linked, and simultaneous. There is no justification apart from the substitutionary death of Christ, and there is no substitution without certain immediate justification when the work was complete. Then Paul adds, “ and was raised again for our justification. " Again, “for”   here means because of  , not to justify us, but because  justification had been fully accomplished at the cross. His resurrection was not finishing the work, but the divine proof and public declaration that the work was done, accepted, and complete. Christ did not rise to make justification possible; He rose because justification had already been accomplished. The resurrection is God's Amen  to Christ’s "It is finished" (John 19:30). Therefore, when we read Romans 5:1, “Therefore being justified by faith…”, we must see the comma rightly placed: “Therefore being justified, by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are not justified because  of our faith, but being already justified , we receive and embrace that justification by faith . Faith is not the cause, but the effect. This is the heart of sovereign grace: a finished salvation, a full justification, accomplished entirely by Christ, and embraced by God-given faith. No room for boasting. No ground for fear. Christ was delivered because of  our sins, and raised because of  our justification. May the LORD cause us to rest entirely in His finished work, rejoicing in the peace we now have with God through Him. Amen.

Galatians 4:30 "Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." Under the Spirit’s direction, the apostle Paul uses the story of Abraham casting out Hagar as an allegory of the truth that law and grace cannot abide together (Genesis 21).   This passage powerfully affirms that salvation is not by the flesh, the law, or human effort—represented by Hagar and her son Ishmael—but solely by God's free and sovereign promise—typified in Sarah and her son Isaac. The bondwoman and her son symbolize all attempts at righteousness through the law (Galatians 4:24-25) , which must be “cast out,” for they cannot inherit the promises of God. As Paul writes elsewhere, “For if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Galatians 2:21).  The freewoman’s son, Isaac, represents those born according to God's promise—chosen, redeemed, and justified entirely by God's grace in Christ. Thus, Galatians 4:30 calls the believer to rest in the finished work of Christ, “not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:9),  and to reject all confidence in the flesh, rejoicing instead in God's sovereign grace in Christ alone. The Galatians had begun to become enthralled again with the law as a means of justification and sanctification under the preaching and teaching of some legalistic preachers, and the apostle drew a line of distinction between salvation by the free grace of God in Christ (typified by Sarah, the freewoman), and any who would attempt to join to it any work or obedience of their own (typified by Hagar, the bondwoman). Such a distinction is necessary in our day, as many who would consider themselves preachers of grace are nothing more than servants of legalism. Nevertheless, when God truly reveals Christ in a sinner’s heart, and teaches them the Gospel, like Abraham with Hagar, they will cast out, and refuse to dwell with any doctrine or former profession that gives credence to man’s will or works.  Many today profess to be Christians based on something that they did to receive Christ. They unashamedly boast of having accepted Christ by their “free will,” and consider that they are the Lord’s because of having made a decision and now doing their best to live true to that profession.  Nevertheless, all such talk of free will and works is nothing but the voice and dialect of the bondwoman of which Paul writes. The only true sons of God are those born of the free woman—those in whom God has placed His Spirit. They have been made to see that what they once called “free will” is, in truth, bondage to self, sin, and self-righteousness. Now, as sons of the free woman, they freely confess that their salvation is entirely due to the free-will offering of Christ on their behalf: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). They rejoice that God has justified them freely: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24), and that He has granted them grace to live in the freedom of redemption, justification, and sanctification that Christ has purchased for them. As Scripture says, “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). Let us then take to heart the sure word of Scripture: “Cast out the bondwoman and her son.”   As elect and redeemed sons of God, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. All who are born from above—true sons of freedom—gladly yield themselves to Christ, not as slaves under law, but as sons in grace. We serve Him not to be accepted, but because we are accepted in the Beloved. We obey Him not in dread, but in delight, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). We rejoice in His Person, rest in His Word, and glory in His finished work. And all of this is not of ourselves, but springs from the fountain of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ. May we ever live as those who are free indeed, for if the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:36).

Romans 6:3,4 "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." Many people interpret this portion of Scripture as referring to water baptism. While it is true that water baptism is a confession of Faith and symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ, that is not what Paul is describing here. Water baptism cannot purify or remove sin—but the baptism of Christ does. These verses do not refer to His baptism in water; rather, they point to His death. The LORD Jesus Himself referred to His death as a baptism of fire that He would endure, and the word baptism means “an immersion.” So complete was Christ’s work in His obedience unto death, that His baptism with fire was the full endurance of the wrath of God. This fire signifies the justice of God. It is not that the Father hated His Son in any way—for He loved Him unto the end—but Christ willingly bore the wrath that was due unto the people He came to save. Thus, He was entirely immersed in that fire, consumed as The Sacrifice. Even as in the Old Testament, the burnt offering was wholly consumed upon the altar, and the smoke ascended as a sweet savour unto God, so Christ gave Himself wholly in sacrifice. It is written: "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour" (Ephesians 5:2). "Know ye not?"—This is a truth not commonly known by all, but the apostle writes to those who have been regenerated by the Spirit of God, taught of Christ, and have seen in Him their full and perfect justification before God through His death, burial, and resurrection. In Romans 4:25 and 5:1, these truths are closely connected: “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore, being justified, by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” He was delivered up on account of our offenses—that is, the sins of those sinners that the Father had given Him—and was raised again because of our justification. The word “for” in that verse signifies “because of,” not “to.” Thus, His resurrection did not accomplish the act of justifying, but was the declaration that justification was already accomplished, finished, when He offered Himself once for all. There is that knowledge that the Spirit of God gives to those for whom Christ paid the debt, and that the Father gave Him from all eternity. He says, "that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death?" The way that's written, it's not talking about individual water baptism, and it's also speaking in the past tense as if those who were baptized were all baptized at one time, in one place, and one Person, because it says we're "baptized into Jesus Christ." But how? We were baptized (immersed) into His death. Christ and Him crucified. When He died, they were altogether buried with Him in the waters of the death of His sacrifice. So in Christ we live by Grace according to the work of the LORD Jesus Christ, and what He has accomplished. When it speaks there in verse 3 of having been baptized into Jesus Christ and baptized into His death, it's talking about His death; that just as when He died, He was plunged into that death. He died. That means that that judgment was rendered for everyone for whom He died. So if He died for me, when He died, I died. "Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death." That's not talking about water baptism. It's a one-time burial. It's not a continual burying, but it says here, "by baptism into death: that like as: Christ was raised up from the dead."  There's the clear connection that this baptism here is not speaking of water baptism, but the baptism of His death, "like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father." "Even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4). To walk in newness of life does not mean that, now that Christ has paid our debt and the Spirit of God has revealed Him in us, we shall never again struggle with sin. Rather, it means walking in the power and reality of that new life which Christ has accomplished on behalf of sinners such as we are. It is not the presumption that the sinful flesh is entirely eradicated, but the recognition that we are no longer under the dominion of the old man (Adam). To walk in this newness is to never trust in the flesh, never return to the law to establish some personal righteousness of our own, but to reckon ourselves “dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11). It means that, by the Spirit of God, our hearts and eyes are fixed only upon Christ, in Whom our life is hid and by Whom we live.

Revelation 13:8 "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." In this remarkable verse, the Spirit of God unveils a profound truth concerning Christ and the redemptive purpose of God. We are told of a Lamb — not just any lamb, but the Lamb, Christ Jesus — “slain from the foundation of the world.” Many have misread this verse, asserting that Christ was slain before the foundation of the world, as if the cross was accomplished in eternity past. But the text does not say “before.” It says from — indicating a point in time, since the foundation was laid. This matters because it aligns with the entire testimony of Scripture regarding Christ's sacrificial work: that it was accomplished in time, upon a real cross, in real flesh, in the fullness of the time. Paul writes in Galatians 4:4, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Yes, Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world, as Peter declares in 1 Peter 1:20, but "was manifest in these last times for you who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God." What then does it mean that He is the Lamb "slain from the foundation of the world”? It means that from the very beginning of this world’s history — from Adam’s fall and the first shedding of blood to cover sin — the purpose of God in Christ was being unfolded. The Lamb slain was set forth in type, in promise, in shadow, and in prophecy from the beginning. Abel’s acceptable sacrifice pointed to Him. The ram caught in the thicket for Isaac spoke of Him. The Passover lamb in Egypt, the daily offerings in the tabernacle — all cried out, “Behold the Lamb of God!” Christ was ordained to be the Substitute for an elected people that God chose in eternity past, whose names have always been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain. That's Whose book it is. The Lamb slain. However, He is the Lamb slain from or since the foundation of the world. Only the LORD Himself could and did uphold the law in perfect obedience as the God-Man. A body was prepared for Him, since the foundation of the world, Hebrews 10:5. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12). So the LORD Jesus had to come in the flesh to earn and establish the righteousness necessary to satisfy the Law and Justice of God the Father, as a Man, since the foundation of the world. The cross was not an afterthought or a reaction to man's fall. It was God’s determined purpose from the start. Every name in the Lamb’s Book of Life was written before the foundation of the world — not merely foreseen, but foreordained in God's sovereign grace (Ephesians 1:4). However, Christ’s death was not accomplished in eternity. It was purposed from eternity and carried out in time. From the first moment of creation, the slain Lamb was central to God’s dealings with this world, when God slew the innocent victims and clothed Adam and Eve with the skins (Genesis 3:21). Why is this important? Because it lifts our eyes from philosophical abstractions to the historical, effectual work of Christ crucified. It reminds us that our salvation is not based on speculation, but on the accomplished death of Christ in time, for His people, chosen in Him, written in His book, from the beginning. Although on the surface this verse seems simple, it is rich in typological meaning, especially when read in the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It depicts Christ's death by substitution and the imputation of righteousness to God’s elect. It preaches grace—from the beginning, salvation by God's initiative, through blood shed unto death, for the elect. Let us not make His sacrifice a mere mystical figure in eternity. No — He was slain in time, on Calvary’s tree. But from the very dawn of this world, His death prefigured was central in God's purpose, and the unfolding of redemptive history. If your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, it is because the slain Lamb, appointed from before the world’s foundation, came in time, bore your sins, and purchased your redemption. Thanks be to God for the Lamb Who was slain from the foundation of the world!

3 John 1:11 "Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God." In this inspired Scripture, the apostle John gives a pastoral exhortation to his beloved friend Gaius, pointing him to continue to follow after Christ (the only Good). This counsel comes in the context between the faithful example of Gaius and Demetrius, by God’s Grace in Christ, and the harmful, self-serving conduct of Diotrephes, who rejected apostolic authority and acted maliciously toward the brethren. To "follow after good" means more than outward morality; it is the fruit of a heart regenerated by grace, pursuing the glory of Christ and walking after the Truth, as revealed in the LORD Jesus Who is THE TRUTH. Conversely, to follow evil reveals a heart estranged from God, regardless of religious profession. John’s words are not a general moral appeal but a spiritual call rooted in the Truth of the Gospel: only those born of God can truly do good. Thus, the verse challenges believers to examine whom they imitate, what they value, and how their conduct bears witness to their union with Christ. In the context, John is speaking specifically of one named Diotrephes who loved to have the preeminence. "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not" (3 John 1:9). When that's the case, there's always evil that follows. The question then is, how is such evil to be handled? John speaks with firmness and yet love. He's not reacting when he says in verse 9, "he receiveth us not." John is not elevating himself above Diotrephes to say, "Well, because he doesn't receive us, wait until I get there and he's going to find out. I'm going to carry a big stick." John was appointed of the LORD. The very truth of the Gospel is founded upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, " And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;" (Ephesians 2:20). Their instruction that they gave, what we read here in this Word, is the inspired Word of God, and therefore to be received. Not because John said it, but because, just like Paul said, " For I have received of the LORD that which also I delivered unto you... " (1 Corinthians 11:23). Every bit of their instruction was based upon what they had received of the LORD. Here we find John's instruction on how to deal with this issue. It’s not uncommon—whenever you stand before others to proclaim the Gospel, some will always criticize the doctrine and reject the teaching. In this case, Diotrephes had nothing good to say about the apostles. When he says, "receiveth us not," this isn't unusual. True ministers of the Gospel will be spoken against. It's just part of identifying with the Gospel of Christ. It goes against men's nature, and so it is when Gospel ministers stand to exalt the LORD Jesus Christ. The word exposes the heart. Many times there will be a reaction because even as it says in John 3:19, " And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Nothing in this portion of Scripture shows us that John feels like Diotrephes was one of the LORD's, even though he was found among the brethren, and especially in how he uses this language. "Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church" (3 John 1:10). The word “prating” indicates something that is silly and idle. This sounds like what Christ said of the Pharisees, " Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered" (Luke 11:52). And so we see thisa is a very serious matter. Don't follow after evil, but that which is good. What is good? It is all that pertains to GOD in His glory and attributes (the word “good” being a derivative in English of the word “God”. Therefore, good is that which glorifies the character and attributes of God such as His love, and how He shows mercy. It's forgiveness, kindness, and humility. It reflects a quietness that only the LORD can give. If there's an issue, a situation that is beyond our own ability to resolve, then what we do is prayerfully look to the LORD, seek Him. It's not just a matter of learning the doctrine of grace, but the grace of the doctrine, and to learn grace in the heart and in the spirit, as the LORD is pleased to teach us. So this was how John exhorted them to handle this one Diotrephes. Then he ends the epistle with a good example. Here was this one, Demetrius in their midst, "Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true" (3 John 1:12). Why does John commend Demetrius? It is because the LORD, in His sovereign grace, directed him to set forth this man as an example of one who walks in the Truth. Oftentimes, we become preoccupied with those who oppose the Gospel—such as Diotrephes, who "loveth to have the preeminence" (3 John 1:9) —yet the LORD places among us living testimonies of His grace, such as Demetrius. He did not seek recognition or praise from men, for “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” (James 4:6). John writes, “Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself” (3 John 1: 12). This is not mere outward reputation, but a fruit of the Spirit’s work in him. He was kind, gracious, and considerate—not by nature, but by grace. When a man is taught of God, made to see himself as a sinner, bankrupt of righteousness, and brought to cry, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13) , he is made low. Such a soul, being humbled under the mighty hand of God, will walk in meekness with others. He will not exalt himself as Diotrephes did, but will manifest the Truth, not merely in word, but in life. This is the power of God's sovereign grace in Christ, the fruit of the Gospel of Christ, Who “hath made us accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6). This verse sets forth the fruit of God's grace in the lives of His redeemed. The work of grace does not merely change a person’s status before God—it affects their walk. Those born of God, who have been effectually called by His grace and justified by the blood of Christ, are also sanctified by the Spirit. They follow after that which is Good (God), not to become children of God, but because they are. Their doing good is the evidence, not the cause, of divine life within them. Grace teaches the believer to deny ungodliness and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Titus 2:11–12) . The mark of grace is not perfection, but a Spirit-wrought desire to follow Christ, to walk in truth, and to bear fruit unto God, all to the praise of His glorious grace.

Mark 8:22-25 "And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly." Christ's miracles were often public because He was manifesting Himself publicly as the Messiah. These miracles that He did proved Him to be the Messiah. But in this particular case, He pulls this man aside privately. Notice, it doesn't mention anything about him having faith—even in what the Lord was about to do. He was blind. He couldn’t see. And yet we find the Lord separating him out, that this miracle should be for him and not for those around who might be looking for a sign or wonder from the LORD. This text reveals a great spiritual truth. We may not be able to identify with physical blindness, but we can relate to spiritual blindness—if we’re the LORD’s. Spiritually, it is the LORD Who must give us eyes to see. If not, we’ll never know Him, and we’ll never know His grace. So, in this encounter with the blind man, there is a progression in how the LORD was pleased to restore his sight. And by way of parallel, we can see a progression even in how the LORD is pleased to reveal Himself in us. Some argue that as soon as the Spirit has done a work of grace in a sinner’s heart, they have full knowledge and receive that unction of the LORD so that they no longer need to learn anything more. They feel like it’s a done deal. Well, it wasn’t a done deal with this man. In addition, it’s not that we sought the LORD—no, He sought us. Why did the LORD pass by Bethsaida? It was for this one needy sinner, though there were many others, that He passed by on His way to reach this one. Left to ourselves, in our blindness, we wouldn’t even know to reach out to the LORD. We do not know how to pray as we ought (Romans 8:26). In this case, the blind man’s friends brought him, seeking the LORD on his behalf. Certainly, we are concerned for various loved ones, and we pray that the LORD might be merciful to them. But notice the word “besought”—it was a humble plea to the LORD that He might show mercy to this one sinner. We do not come demanding, but seeking. The need was so great that the man could not even seek the LORD himself; he would not have known how to find Him. His condition was one of serious infirmity. And that is true of every one of us—because of who we are and the sinfulness into which we are born. We may have physical sight, but spiritually, we are blind. How we need the LORD to intervene! And here, we see our LORD’s willingness to intercede. God is a merciful God, willing to save those whom He is pleased to save. First, we see how the compassion of the LORD was particular and personal to this man (v. 23). It says, "he took the blind man by the hand," it doesn't say that the blind man took Him by the hand. That's how it's often preached. Sinners are told, "You better get hold of Jesus' hand, while you can." We wouldn't even know where to look. No, He took the blind man by the hand and led him. That's the way it is in salvation. How compassionate that He would take this blind man and lead him gently to where He would be pleased to deal with him. So, we see how the compassion of the LORD was personal and particular to this needy blind man. Here was a man who needed the work of the LORD Jesus Christ. Notice also that he didn't speak a word until the LORD asked him what he saw. We were born in this world in darkness and blindness, but it took the LORD to minister particularly to us. There were a lot of other blind people that the LORD didn't heal that were in the land but the LORD had drawn this one to Himself. Second, it was private. He led the man literally out of town. Can you imagine that blind man as he continued to walk with the LORD wondering what this was all about? He didn't know, but the Lord did because His eye had been set on Him from before the foundation of the world. This was one for whom He came and would lay down His life. It may well be that some of these actually saw the LORD crucified when He hung on that cross because that's why He came. Salvation doesn't often occur in a public setting. Third, not only is this a particular work and private work, but also a purposeful work. The LORD had his eye on this man, even though he could not see the LORD. And when the LORD was pleased to spit on his eyes and touch him, and then ask him what he saw. And he said, "I see men as trees walking." When the LORD first opens our eyes, we don't see Him as clearly as we do now. Yes, His Spirit drew us to Him to cause us to see His accomplished work at Calvary. That's where the Spirit turns the eyes of those in whom He does this work of grace. But oh, how we need Him to continue to do that work, that we might see Him even more clearly! And our confidence is certainly that "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:" (Philippians 1:6). Christ opening the eyes of sinners is a progression. Here in verses 23 through 26, we see this transformation that took place with this blind man through the Power of the LORD . He's the creator and He's the Savior and His work is perfect. Here we see the provision that when He spat on his eyes and put His hands on him, He's the one doing the work. He didn't demand the cooperation of this man that He had given sight to, but He was doing the work from the spittle to laying His hands on him. That's pretty humbling to have someone spit in your eye. A lot of people find this unsettling, but here our LORD knew what He was doing. Then it says he looked up and said, "I see men as trees walking." This part of the passage seems to cause confusion for some because they want it to be immediate. And there are some that in their pride will make you think that when they first believed or had their eyes opened that was it. There's no more learning to be done. That's not the case with the Lord. Didn't the LORD say, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29). That word "learn" is in the present tense. We continue to learn. That's what the word disciple means. We're ever learners. You never graduate from being a disciple. Even the LORD said to His disciples, " I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now" (John 16:12). Even right up to the cross, they did not have a clear view of what that death represented. He continued to teach them, never left them alone, never abandoned them. There's much that we will not know yet, even after all this time of studying the Word. None of us can say, " I know everything there's to know about Christ." He will be the Object of our learning, even through eternity. " Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing" (Revelation 5:12). That's going to be the theme in glory, and how we need to learn of Christ.

2 Peter 3:17,18 "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." In the closing verses of his second epistle, the apostle Peter exhorts believers with a solemn warning and a gracious encouragement. This exhortation is directed not toward earning favor with God, but as the fruit of His electing love and preserving grace. Peter reminds the “beloved” —those chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world—that while false teachers abound and many fall into error, God's redeemed people are called to spiritual vigilance and continual growth. "To grow in grace"  is NOT to increase in God's favor toward us—His grace is free, sovereign, and unchanging—but rather to grow in our experience, understanding, and dependence upon that grace already given in Christ. It is to be more deeply rooted in the unmerited favor that chose us, redeemed us, and keeps us. Growth in grace is evidence of life in Christ, wrought by the Spirit, not the effort of the flesh. "To grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ"  is to grow in the heart’s apprehension of Who He is and what He has done for His people. It is not merely intellectual, but spiritual knowledge—seeing Christ more clearly as the One who bore our sins, fulfilled all righteousness on our behalf as His elect, and ever lives to make intercession for us. This knowledge is by the particular, personal, intimate, and transforming grace of God, produced by the Spirit through the Word. First, to grow in grace is to mature in our understanding of our need of grace . It's like how our children grow. We keep looking for that maturity in the way that they think, act and speak. In the end, that's when we come to say they have really grown up. They haven't changed as far as their nature is concerned. They are who they are, but they have matured in how they use those faculties that the Lord has given to them. That is a very good illustration of how we mature in our understanding and need of grace. It's not that we sin less, but our understanding of sin, prayerfully, as we grow in grace would become more clear and vital. The closer we get to the Light, as the Lord teaches us by His Spirit, the more we see our own sinfulness. We are drawn to the Lord Jesus in humility of grace. There's a clear understanding of our need. If we were in our experience and mind and walk and talk growing more and more in holiness, sinning less and less, what would be the need of the throne of grace? As we grow, we understand our need, " Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:14-15). Is there ever a time when we don't need Christ? Is there ever a time His blood shed is less necessary now than when we first believed? There has been a Man Who lived in sinless perfection, that's the Lord Jesus Christ. But all others that He came to represent still have that sin nature, and therefore the need to grow in grace. And that's why verse Hebrews 4:16 says, " Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Boldly doesn't mean presumptuously, but it means not doubting. It means believing that this One, the Lord Jesus Christ, is our only Hope. And we come to Him based upon what He has said in His Word. " " All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). Who is He calling to come? Not the righteous, but sinners. Second, to grow in grace, we increasingly know and feel our need of the Lord Jesus , not just our understanding and knowledge of our sin. It's again, the word even, because in the original language, that's how that little three-letter word chi can be translated, but grow in grace even the knowledge of the LORD Jesus. And you notice "in" is an italic, so there's no preposition in the original. It speaks of growing grace, even the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It's equating the growing in grace with the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. To grow in grace is to increasingly know, learn of Christ, and grow in Him in all manner, whether in our walk, life, or worship. As we're taught of Christ by His Spirit, there's that growth and that maturity. When you talk about the grace of God, it could be that Power of the Spirit that the Lord puts within one of His own, that He's chosen, and Christ is redeemed. Much like a grain of mustard seed, there is that growing and that maturing, similar to taking a seed and sowing it in the ground. The seed is sown in nothing but dirt, yet if you water it and cultivate it, the next thing you know, it grows into a mature tree or produces fruit in its time. Third, to grow in grace is to mature in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. How do we grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and His grace? Through His Word. As the Lord is pleased to teach us the Gospel, what it shows is that our knowledge, even the best of it, as long as we're in this flesh, is imperfect. Therefore, we need to grow in grace, even in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Can we say at any time that we have all knowledge? This book is about Christ. It's about that great work of redemption that He accomplished for sinners. As the Lord has opened our eyes in regeneration to see Him, He causes us to cry out to Him for mercy and grace, yet that cry is not the end. It's the beginning, just like a baby's cry is the beginning. It's an indication of life. So there's a cry toward Christ. We never stop growing, just like we never stop needing to eat or needing to exercise. There's always the need to grow. " We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth;" (2 Thessalonians 1:3). These are terms that read we in the epistles: that your hope may abound, that love may increase, that patience may have its perfect work. These are all ways of knowing our need of growing in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who is the Object of faith? It's Christ. So to grow in faith is to grow in that knowledge of the One Who is face of it.

Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." This verse is often misunderstood as a reference to divine punishment, but for the believer in Christ, redeemed by His finished work at the cross, there is no punishment left to bear. Christ bore the full wrath of God for all the sins of His people, fully satisfying Divine justice on their behalf. Therefore, God never punishes His children for sin; to do so would deny the sufficiency of Christ’s death on the cross. Rather, in His fatherly love, God corrects and disciplines them, not to condemn, but to draw them in continual repentance and faith to Christ. His chastening is not retributive, but restorative, purposed for their growth in grace and deeper dependence upon Christ. God doesn’t punish us for our sins as His elected redeemed ones:       The death of the LORD Jesus Christ was so complete and perfect as payment for the sins of His people that the all-knowing God no longer sees their sin. While their sin was legally charged against them in their first head, Adam, this changed when Christ came and paid the debt in full. As Romans 8:1  states:  “There is therefore NOW no condemnation…”        Although justification and forgiveness of sins were determined upon Christ the Surety from before the foundation of the world, God withheld the imputation of sin to His people until Christ fulfilled His justice on the cross. Once the payment was made in full, God declared them forgiven and justified, as explained in Romans 3:24-26: “Being NOW justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5:9)   God may chasten us by our sins as His children:       The wanderings, rebellions, and falls of the LORD’s chosen ones do not change their standing before God because of the salvation Christ accomplished for them on the cross. It has been said that there is not an ounce of God’s wrath in chastening His children. Yet, the LORD mercifully uses our sins to chasten us, humble us, and tenderly turn our hearts back to Christ in repentance, as seen in Luke 22:32, " But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." God will get the glory even in our sinfulness Ephesians 1:11–12  — “...being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory...” God, in His absolute sovereignty, works all things—not merely good things—according to the counsel of His own will. This includes even the sins of His children. In a way that only the Sovereign Lord can, He causes all things, including our failures, to ultimately serve His purpose and bring glory to His name. What a profound comfort this is to believers: because of the death of Christ—through which we have been redeemed and justified—no sin can ever separate us from the love of God. As Paul writes in Romans 8:38–39 , “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” When the Lord uses our sin and sinfulness as a means of chastening—not punishing—it is not to condemn us, but to correct us in love. Hebrews 12:11   declares, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”   Though the experience of chastening may be painful, it produces the peaceable fruit of righteousness—the fruit of what Christ accomplished at the cross for our full, free, and complete justification before God. Therefore, as God's elect, we are never condemned for our sin; instead, we are lovingly corrected. This correction causes us to rejoice, not in ourselves, but in Christ and the effectual work He finished on our behalf. Sin remains a real and active enemy within us, but even it is under the sovereign hand of our Redeemer, Who lovingly disciplines us as His dear children. Those who are without chastening are not to be envied, but pitied and feared. Hebrews 12:8   solemnly warns, “But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.”   Chastening is not a sign of God’s rejection, but of His Fatherly love and our true adoption in Christ.