He That Believeth On The Son by Don Fortner

A preacher once asked, what he thought was a well instructed congregation, “How can a person be saved?” An old man replied, “We must repent, forsake our sins, and turn to God.” “Yes, and with a true heart,” added another. “And with prayer,” added a third. A fourth spoke up and said, “Yes, and it must be the true prayer of the heart. `The Lord looketh on the heart.’“ “And we must be diligent in keeping the commandments,” added the fifth. Each one contributing his own part, they had come up with a creed that made the preacher realize that none of them knew God.

The carnal mind, which is enmity against God, maps out a plan of salvation that gives the sinner something to do. The very reason why some who read these lines are yet without God’s salvation is just this ― Like the Jews of old, you are trying to establish righteousness and obtain God’s salvation by works rather than by faith. You stumble over the Stumblingstone. You are, in your opinion, too good to be saved by grace alone through the merits of Christ, the sinner’s Substitute (Rom. 9:32-33). There are others who clearly understand what some have called “the plan of salvation.” They know that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. They fully understand that their own works have nothing to do with God’s salvation. They know that “Salvation is of the Lord.” But salvation is not a plan. Salvation is a Person! Many have a wretched tendency to leave Christ out of the gospel. They talk about salvation, but not about Christ. That is like leaving flour out of bread. Without Christ there is no gospel; and there is no salvation. The plan of a house will provide no shelter. Neither can “the plan of salvation” provide salvation.

If you would be saved, you must “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” “He that believeth on the Son hat everlasting life: he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Christ is the only Door of salvation, the only Way to God; but you will never be saved unless you enter in through the Door and walk in the Way by faith. It will do you no good to look at the Door, admire the Way, and gain a detailed knowledge of “the plan of salvation,” if you do not “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Salvation is to be had only by personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It cannot be had by baptism, church membership, moral reformation, or religious indoctrination. Salvation can be possessed only by personally believing on the Son of God. Will you now believe on the Son of God? Will you trust Christ alone as your Lord and Savior? If you will, if you can trust the Lord Jesus Christ, you are saved; you have been born of God. Your faith in Christ is the fruit and evidence of God’s election, Christ’s redemption, and the Holy Spirit’s effectual call. If you will not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you cannot be saved. The wrath of God abides on you and shall soon destroy you forever! By Don Fortner

The Authority and Inspiration of the Scriptures by B.B. Warfield

Christianity is often called a book-religion. It would be more exact to say that it is a religion which has a book. Its foundations are laid in apostles and prophets, upon which its courses are built up in the sanctified lives of men; but Christ Jesus alone is its chief corner-stone. He is its only basis; he, its only head; and he alone has authority in his Church. But he has chosen to found his Church not directly by his own hands, speaking the word of God, say for instance, in thunder-tones from heaven; but through the instrumentality of a body of apostles, chosen and trained by himself, endowed with gifts and graces from the Holy Ghost, and sent forth into the world as his authoritative agents for proclaiming a gospel which he placed within their lips and which is none the less his authoritative word, that it is through them that he speaks it. It is because the apostles were Christ's representatives, that what they did and said and wrote as such, comes to us with divine authority. The authority of the Scriptures thus rests on the simple fact that God's authoritative agents in founding the Church gave them as authoritative to the Church which they founded. All the authority of the apostles stands behind the Scriptures, and all the authority of Christ behind the apostles. – by B.B. Warfield

God willing

Ponder this question, to what extent do you believe God willing. To what do you trust to be God’s will. Do you trust it to truly be His will that your computer works ok? Do you trust it to be truly His will that you are safe and have money? Do you trust it to be truly His will and that He holds your last breath? Do you trust it to be truly His will and He decided and secured your eternal salvation? Oh wait a minute now that might be going to far… It is blasphemy to say trust in the Lord, trust in the Lord, but to never submit and trust in the Lord. To say you trust in the Lord to do and provide all things and then to say also that God loves everyone and died for everyone and it is up to you is not know or trust the Lord. At what point does man stop trusting God and instead trust themselves. It is sorrow that others will trust a sovereign God to provide and take care of the little things that in eternity mean absolutely nothing but look to themselves for the most important and greatest of all gifts that we are incapable of providing for ourselves.

Can you cry out by His grace and mercy God willing you saved me (Eph 1:5). God willing my name is in the book of Life (Rom 9:11). God willing you died for me (Rom 5:10-11). God willing you called me (Rev 19:9). Because your will would have never done it, desired it, nor could achieve it.

A grace that all can understand by J. C. Ryle

If there is one feature in Jesus' character more notable than another, it is His unwearied kindness and love. Let us, like Him, show kindness to everyone with whom we have to do. Let us strive to have . . . an eye ready to see, a hand ready to help, a heart ready to feel, and a will ready to do good to all. Let us be ready to weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice. This is one way to recommend our religion, and make it beautiful before men.

Kindness is a grace that all can understand.

Kindness is one way to be like our blessed Savior.

Kindness is one way to be happy in the world.

Kindness always brings its own reward.

The kind person will seldom be without friends.

By J. C. Ryle

True Christian Love by A. W. PINK

Love is the Queen of the Christian graces.

It is a holy disposition given to us when we are born again by God. It is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. True spiritual love is characterized by meekness and gentleness, yet it is vastly superior to the courtesies and kindnesses of the flesh. We must be careful not to confuse human sentimentality, carnal pleasantries, human amiability and affability with true spiritual love. The love God commands, first to Himself and then to others, is not human love. It is not the indulgent, self-seeking love which is in us by nature. If we indulgently allow our children to grow up with little or, no Scriptural discipline, Proverbs plainly says we do not love them, regardless of the human sentimentality and affection we may feel for them. Love is not a sentimental pampering of one another with a loose indifference as to our walk and obedience before the Lord. Glossing over one another's faults to ingratiate ourselves in their esteem is not spiritual love. The true nature of Christian love is a righteous principle which seeks the highest good of others. It is a powerful desire to promote their welfare. The exercise of love is to be in strict conformity to the revealed will of God.

We must love in the truth. Love among the brethren is far more than an agreeable society where views are the same. It is loving them for what we see of Christ in them, loving them for Christ's sake. The Lord Jesus Himself is our example. He was not only thoughtful, gentle, self-sacrificing and patient, but He also corrected His mother, used a whip in the Temple, severely scolded His doubting disciples, and denounced hypocrites. True spiritual love is above all faithful to God and uncompromising towards all that is evil. We cannot declare, 'Peace and Safety' when in reality there is spiritual decay and ruin! True spiritual love is very difficult to exercise because it is not our natural love. By nature we would rather love sentimentally and engender good feelings. Also many times true spiritual love is not received in love, but is hated as the Pharisees hated it.

We must pray that God will fill us with His love and enable us to exercise it without dissimulation toward all. By A.W. Pink

Duties of Parents to their Children Part I by John Bunyan

IF thou art a parent, a father or a mother, then thou art to consider thy calling under this relation. Thy children have souls, and they must be begotten of God as well as of thee, or they perish. And know also, that unless thou be very circumspect in thy behavior to and before them, they may perish through thee: the thoughts of which should provoke thee, both to instruct, and also to correct them.

To instruct them as the scripture saith, and to "bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord;" and to do this diligently "when thou sittest in thine house, when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Eph. 6:4; Deut. 6:7.)
Now to do this to purpose:—
- 1. Do it in terms and words easy to be understood: affect not high expressions, they will drown your children. Thus God spake to his children (Hos. 12:10), and Paul to his. (1 Cor. 3:2.)
- 2. Take heed of filling their heads with whimsies and unprofitable notions, for this will sooner learn them to be malapert (impudent) and proud, than sober and humble. Open therefore to them the state of man by nature; discourse with them of sin, of death, and hell; of a crucified Savior, and the promise of life through faith: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Prov. 22:6.)
- 3. There must be much gentleness and patience in all thy instructions, "lest they be discouraged." (Col. 3:21.)
- 4. Labor to convince them by a conversation answerable, that the things of which thou instructest them are not fables, but realities; yea, and realities so far above what can be here enjoyed, that all things, were they a thousand times better than they are, are not worthy to be compared with the glory and worthiness of these things. Isaac was so holy before his children, that when Jacob remembered God, he remembered that he was the Fear of his father Isaac. (Gen. 31:53.)

John Bunyan

Duties of Parents to their Children Part II by John Bunyan

IF thou art a parent, a father or a mother, then thou art to consider thy calling under this relation. Thy children have souls, and they must be begotten of God as well as of thee, or they perish. And know also, that unless thou be very circumspect in thy behavior to and before them, they may perish through thee: the thoughts of which should provoke thee, both to instruct, and also to correct them.

Ah! when children can think of their parents, and bless God for that instruction and good they have received from them, this is not only profitable for children, but honorable and comfortable to parents: "The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him." (Prov. 23:24,25).
Now, The duty of correction:—
- 1. See if fair words will win them from evil. This is God's way with his children. (Jer. 25:4,5.)
- 2. Let those words you speak to them in your reproof, be both sober, few, and pertinent, adding always some suitable sentence of the scripture therewith: as, if they lie, then such as Rev. 21:8,27; if they refuse to hear the word, such as 2 Chron. 25:14-16.
- 3. Look to them, that they be not companions with those that are rude and ungodly; showing with soberness a continual dislike of their naughtiness; often crying out to them, as God did of old unto his, "Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate." (Jer. 44:4.)
- 4. Let all this be mixed with such love, pity, and compunction of spirit (pricking of conscience or heart), that if possible they may be convinced you dislike not their persons, but their sins. This is God's way. (Psa. 99:8.)
- 5. Be often endeavoring to fasten on their consciences the day of their death, and judgment to come. Thus also God deals with his. (Deut. 32:29.)
- 6. If thou art driven to the rod, then strike advisedly in cool blood, and soberly show them, (1) their fault; (2) how much it is against thy heart thus to deal with them; (3) and that what thou dost, thou dost in conscience to God and love to their souls; (4) and tell them that if fair means would have done, none of this severity should have been. This, I have proved it, will be a means to afflict their hearts as well as their bodies; and it being the way that God deals with his, it is the most likely to accomplish its end.
- 7. Follow all this with prayer to God for them, and leave the issue to him: "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." (Prov. 22:15.)

John Bunyan