Sunday Leftovers (2/25/07)

I have been deeply encouraged as I have prepared for communion and the sermon this week. I have read and perused more books and articles than I normally do, and have found many Biblical encouragements.

For instance, I found myself thumbing through J. I. Packer's Knowing God (it's been far too long since I picked it up), and came across these words:

On the cross Jesus lost all the good that He had before: all sense of his Father's presence and love, all sense of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, all enjoyment of God and of created things, all ease and solace of friendship, were taken from Him, and in their place was nothing but loneliness, pain, a killing sense of human malice and callousness, and a horror of great spiritual darkness. The physical pain, though great (for crucifixion was the cruellest form of judicial execution the world has ever known), was yet only a small part of the story; Jesus's chief sufferings were mental and spiritual, and what was packed into less than four hundred minutes was an eternity of agony — agony such that each minute was an eternity in itself, as mental sufferers know that individual minutes can be.

I also appreciated J. Dwight Pentecost's concise summary of justification in Things Which Become Sound Doctrine:

1. God is the source of justification (Rom. 8:30)
2. Blood is the ground of justification (Rom. 3:24-26).
3. Faith is the instrument of justification (Rom. 3:28; 4:5).
4. Grace is the essence of justification (Rom. 3:24).
5. The Spirit is the instrument of justification (1 Cor. 6:9-11).
6. Works are the evidence of justification (James 2:21, 24-25).
7. Christ is the position of the justified one (2 Cor. 5:21).
   

As I read, I was reminded again of the value of reading good writers who love God and honor the Scriptures (1 Cor. 11:1). I am always on the lookout for books on the cross that will deepen my faith and enlarge my understanding of the work of Christ on the cross. One of the works mentioned on this morning's outline would be a great place to start if you would like to add to your own library.

One more thought: A simple concordance search of the words "justify," "justified," and "justification" will yield a rich treasure of the work of God on behalf of those who have faith in Christ. Do the search, look up and meditate on the verses. It will encourage and enrich your soul.