Since my salvation it has been my habit, and one which I recommend to others, to daily read a concise summary of the gospel. It is the gospel of grace in Christ which comforts us, which reproves us of sin, and which stirs us up to grateful holiness. For me this has been to keep a small tract in a pocket or wallet to read on buses or in lines. If the chance appears I might give it away or have the texts fresh in my mind.
Here's a letter I wrote today to a friend,
Lately I've felt like a "wart in the body of Christ", feeling like I hardly effect anything for the better. I get along with people and have some fun times, but how often do people go away with a renewed sense of God's awesome love and power? I do not deny there is are some frightening, overwhelming aspects of who God is - such as that He will punish all sin to the extreme. Yet, the scriptures also say in Psalm 130,
"Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.
Lord, hear my voice: let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my prayers.
If You, LORD, should tally up sins, O Lord, who shall be able to stand?
But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word do I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.
Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all His sins."
See here, there is another fear of God which is filial, that is, like a son has towards his father. This type of reverent fear can only be known by those who have been adopted by grace into the family of God - being born again as brothers and sisters with Christ. I spent eleven years being fearful that I had not been good enough, before He opened my eyes to have faith in Christ's offering and intercession alone. As Spurgeon said, "the light was there, but I was blind."
I can't tell you how many times I've read and re-read Romans 20-30,
"No fleshly person shall be justified in His sight by obedience to the law: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being foretold by the law and the prophets;
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation (an appeasement of just wrath) through faith in his blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission (complete forgiveness) of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus.
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? No: but by the law of faith.
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works of the law.
Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: Seeing there is one God, which shall justify the Jews by faith, and gentiles through faith."
Ephesians 2:1, 3-10 is a comfort as well,
"He brought you to life, who were dead in trespasses and sins...
even when we all had our lifestyle in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has made us alive together with Christ, for by grace you are saved, And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
So that in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them."
This is one of my favorite hymns, by William Cowper. I love it because I believe it,
There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.
Washed all my sins away, washed all my sins away;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.
Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
Ever since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.
Lies silent in the grave, lies silent in the grave;
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.
Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared, unworthy though I be,
For me a blood bought free reward, a golden harp for me!
’Tis strung and tuned for endless years, and formed by power divine,
To sound in God the Father’s ears no other name but Thine.
May God bless you,. Christ is the light from sunrise to sunset. In Him is no darkness at all.
John 8:12, "I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."