THIS portion of Scripture is quoted from Isa. 28:1616Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. (Isaiah 28:16). It is quoted by Paul twice, by Peter once, implying, no doubt, its threefold importance. It assures us that there is safety and sure support in the Lord Jesus Christ for all who believe. If you turn to Isa. 28:1616Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. (Isaiah 28:16), Rom. 9:3333As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. (Romans 9:33), and 1 Peter 2:66Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (1 Peter 2:6), you will find that this promise is connected with Christ as the foundation which God has laid; and to those who build their hopes upon Him this assurance is given. Looking at Christ as the only foundation, and believers as the building, will help us to understand these important and precious words.
1. TO WHOM IS THE ASSURANCE OF PERFECT SECURITY GIVEN? “Whosoever believeth on Him.” It is to those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as a real living Person. It is faith in Him. Faith in a ceremony will not save, even though it be appointed by Christ Himself. Neither is salvation promised to faith in a doctrine, even though that doctrine be perfectly scriptural. Everywhere in Scripture it is Christ Himself that is set before us as the object of faith; “Whosoever believeth on Him.”
“Jesus Christ Himself is the chief corner stone.” True faith looks to Him and rests upon Him as crucified and risen. Christ Himself in His person, His death, His resurrection, His intercession is all our salvation, and meets all our need. His call to us is, Look unto Me and be ye saved; not to My cross, but to Me who died thereon; not to My gifts, but to Me in whom all gifts are found, and from whom they flow. A real, living, personal Saviour is our only hope. These words show us that—
It is by faith, alone we are saved. It does not read, Whosoever is humbled for sin shall never be ashamed. It is true no one will ever trust in Christ without conviction of sin more or less, but to feel the need of a Saviour is not to trust in the Saviour, though, if true, it will lead to it. The truest humility springs from faith; the soul is never so humble as when it trusts in Christ utterly and alone. Neither is the promise to those who are kindly disposed. Not that kind and generous actions are worthless, far from it; they certainly benefit men, but they do not justify us before God. Even if we do all commanded we are unprofitable servants, we have no claim upon God, since we have only done what was our duty to do. Faith produces generous feelings and actions, but it does not trust them, they are the fruits, not the root; it rests on Christ alone and the work He completed on Calvary’s tree. Jesus Christ is not half a Saviour, still less the one-hundredth part of a Saviour. He is all and in all, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
It is faith that trusts Christ wholly and undividedly that receives this assurance. Consider the words in connection with Isa. 28:1616Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. (Isaiah 28:16), and you see that the believer must rest upon Christ, just as the stone rests upon the foundation; the stone rests upon the foundation not partly, but wholly; in like manner we are encouraged to rest upon Him. Make Christ all your confidence, cast your soul upon Him with all its sins, your life with all its needs, your eternity with all its possibilities. He is able to bear you and keep you safe from all evil.
“Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude.”
You will never find rest until you make Him all your trust. These words also teach us that—
It is by faith that adheres to Christ continually. The stone placed upon the foundation continues to rest upon it; has it been supported by the foundation for fifty years, it must be supported still if it remains a part of the building, just as muck supported as at the first. Just so must Christ be trusted. We can never become independent of Him. No experience, however sweet, no service, however successful, can support us in the trying hour. All our experiences, services and attainments are imperfect and sin-stained. They cannot be trusted as the ground of acceptance with God, even though proofs of His love to us. Our hope must rest on Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, from first to last. Death must find is confiding in Him alone, and to those who thus adhere to Him this assurance is given. You will notice also that there is no time limit in these words. The promise belongs to the young believer as well as to the old. And should a soul just about to enter into eternity cast itself upon Jesus Christ, however guilty it may be, yet the promise, holds good. This word “whosoever” opens wide a door of hope for sinners of every character, every age, and every race.
2. THE ASSURANCE ITSELF. “They shall never be ashamed.” In Isa. 28:1616Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. (Isaiah 28:16) it reads, “shall not make haste,” like one in a panic through sudden fear. The man who built his house upon the sand promised himself perpetual safety, but suddenly the storm beats upon it and the floods are gathering around it on every side, he feels it shake, and hope of safety dies; he looks this way and that in haste to flee and find a sure refuge. He who believeth shall not thus make haste; he hastes to Christ, but not from Christ; he finds the foundation sure and firm in the overwhelming flood, and so abides in peace. He whose heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord, shall not be afraid of evil tidings. It also means that he shall not be silenced and put to the blush. We have read of people who have boasted of their title to an inheritance, but when their title was examined it was found worthless; they were “ashamed,” dumbfounded: they had no plea to urge, they had been indulging delusive hopes. Such will never be the case with those who believe on Christ. Their title to every needful blessing here, and to eternal glory hereafter, will hold good. It will never be disputed, even by the Judge of all the earth. In Christ Jesus we find boldness before God now; in Him also we shall find boldness in the Day of Judgment.
“Bold shall I stand in that great day,
For who aught to my charge shall lay
While through Thy blood absolved I am
From sin’s tremendous curse and shame?”
It is a promise that secures believers against all disappointment. All they looked for and expected shall be fully realized.
Do they trust in Christ for pardon, their sins shall not be remembered against them any more forever.
Are they hoping in Him for preservation unto eternal glory, He will keep them from falling and present them faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
So with every hope founded on Christ and warranted by His word, all will be fulfilled. Those who trust in their wealth will find it useless in the day of death. The man who trusts in his moral actions will be like him who had not on the wedding garment—speechless before the King; but the hope resting on the Lord Jesus Christ will never fail, nay, rather its fulfillment will exceed all our present conceptions and desires; when we see Him as He is, we shall say, “The half was not told me.”
You may take the promise in the widest sense. Faith in Christ shall never be disproved, never be found to be untenable for man nor dishonorable to God. It will never fail to satisfy the conscience and calm its fears. It will never be out bidden and eclipsed by anything better—yea, all other hopes will pale before this and disappear like stars before the rising sun.
3. THIS ASSURANCE IS FOUNDED ON THE SCRIPTURES. It is God who has promised: His word cannot be broken. He cannot lie. The believer’s safety does not rest upon his own feelings, or impressions, or perceptions, but upon the word of Him who is able to perform all that He has said.
O. T.
God is Love.— “Divine love is sovereign; it is above evil, although it rejects it by the necessity of its nature, and judges it with the authority of its righteousness. God is love; this is the sovereign liberty of His nature.”
J. N. D.