HOW precious is the Gospel of Christ! How it tells forth the wonderful truth “that God is Love!” See how the Saviour Himself speaks it forth with loving lips from His loving heart, knowing that every blessing freely bestowed upon guilty man would cost Himself dreadful curse and agony. He says, “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Here is indeed wonderful love, bestowing a wonderful gift, to save sinners from a dreadful destruction, and to give the wonderful blessing of everlasting life. Might not the Son of God have told us that God was so justly angry with such a world of offenders that He was determined to take vengeance, and leave them all to reap the bitter curse due to their sin? But so great was His love that we find instead the glad tidings that “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” And so the dreadful vengeance fell on Him, and God’s anger is turned away. And Christ has opened a new and living way, wherein whosoever draws near to God shall be lovingly welcomed to His arms, His heart, and to the glorious heaven above.
Precious indeed is the Gospel of Christ. Instead of God’s anger we are told that, “God so loved.” Instead of His loving angels, He “so loved the world.” Instead of His loving such as men, judging by an outward appearance, would call good, He loved sinners—sinners sunk and wrapped in sheer worldliness, in friendship with the world which is at enmity with God; and yet He “so loved” them.
This great and wondrous love is manifested, in that He sent not an angel to cut us off and consign us to the bottomless pit, as He might have done;, but gave His dear Son to live a life so pure, in the face of the bitterest contempt, opposition, temptation, and cruelty; and to die even the death of the cross, to make an atonement for sinners wretched, vile, rebellious, lost. Well may we rehearse the lines,
“Crimes of such horror to forgive,
Such guilty daring worms to spare—
This is Thy grand prerogative,
And in the honor none shall share:
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?”
So, then, each poor guilty one that is drawn by this wondrous love, and flees to Christ for refuge, is safe. Each poor trembling sinner who comes to God by Him shall be saved to the uttermost. The life and death of Jesus, the righteousness and atoning blood of Jesus, all the blessings and benefits thereof, are really and truly made over to each humble believer in Him. He bore his curse, and he inherits the blessing, even life for evermore. Truly happy are the people who are in such a case. Their happy hearts and tongues may well rehearse His praise. They can say,
“Thou dear Redeemer, dying Lamb,
We love to hear of Thee;
No music like Thy charming Name,
Nor half so sweet, can be.”
Truly herein shines the Father’s love, the Saviour’s grace, and the Holy Spirit’s life-giving and soul-comforting power.
Alas for those who wander on in ignorance, blindness, rebellion, and hardness of heart, with no sure hope, no heavenly light, no love to God and things divine! Alas, alas! the end of these things is death. O may many a reader, under the drawing influence of this wondrous love, be brought to see and to flee unto Him who alone can save.
—B. B.