Saintly Sinners

Believer, why did Jesus have to die? Why did He shed His blood for you? Why was the Lord pleased to crush Him, putting Jesus to grief? The reason—so that Jesus could be a guilt offering in your place! Yes you! Unworthy sinner that you are, Jesus died for you, in your place, on the cross, suffering the Father's wrath in your stead!

And what are the glorious results of Jesus' death? Too many to mention here, but some diamond truths are these: for those who repent of their sin and believe in Jesus, their sin is removed, taken out of the way, atoned for, paid for, so that the sinner is forgiven, justified, and the perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed to them! From then on and forevermore the perfect righteousness of Christ envelopes, surrounds, encompasses them as a shield, a fortress, a bulwark never failing.

O Christian, you are still a great sinner, but in Christ you are a saintly sinner! Yes, you long to be perfect. You long to be free from your body of death, from evil thoughts, from this sin-cursed world and all of its temptations. You hate sinning against your precious Savior, but you cannot stop. Though it breaks your heart, you sin still! You drink iniquity like water. The things you want to do, you do not do! All this mortal life you drag around with you the ball and chain of your depravity. Be encouraged burdened sinner, Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection is enough for you. Let these Words from Charles Spurgeon be a balm to your sin-wearied soul.

Mourning Christian! Why do you weep? Are you mourning over your own corruptions? Look to your perfect Lord, and remember, you are complete in Him; you are in God’s sight as perfect as if you had never sinned; yes, more than that, the Lord our Righteousness has put a divine garment upon you, so that you have more than the righteousness of man—you have the righteousness of God.

O, you who are mourning by reason of inbred sin and depravity, remember, none of your sins can condemn you. You have learned to hate sin; but you have learned also to know that sin is not yours—it was laid upon Christ’s head. Your standing is not in yourself—it is in Christ; your acceptance is not in yourself, but in your Lord; you are as much accepted of God today, with all your sinfulness, as you will be when you stand before His throne, free from all corruption.

O, I beseech you, lay hold on this precious thought, perfection in Christ! For you are “complete in Him.” With your Savior’s garment on, you are holy as the Holy one. “Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yes rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

Christian, let your heart rejoice, for you are “accepted in the beloved”—what have you to fear? Let your face ever wear a smile; live near your Master; live in the suburbs of the Celestial City; for soon, when your time has come, you shall rise up where your Jesus sits, and reign at His right hand; and all this because the divine Lord “was made to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.[1]

[1] Modernized from Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Morning reading April 4th.