Daily Devotionals

Mornings and Evenings with Jesus

Devotional: November 22nd

Neither is there salvation in any other. - Acts 4:12.

HOW important it is for us to know what is our spiritual state! This knowledge is not only desirable, but it is absolutely necessary. Without this knowledge it would be impossible for us to see the beauty of the gospel, or ever to be sensible of the evil of sin or the excellency of purity, or to relish the privileges of the righteous. Yea, the gospel, without this knowledge, would be repulsive to us; it would be like offering alms to the wealthy, or pardon to the innocent. Nor need we be afraid of knowing what our condition is,-of knowing what we are and what we deserve; but we should be concerned to avail ourselves of this knowledge, that we may seek after the relief provided. It is indeed absolutely necessary for us to know how we must be saved, lest we should incur the guilt of the man who built his house upon the sand, instead of placing all our hopes upon that rock which God has laid in Zion.

Christ is the only ark in which we can be preserved; if we enter into this, we shall be saved. Some have vainly asked, Is there any other way? If there be, it is either secret or revealed: if secret, nothing can be known or said about it. The apostle here expressly declares, what all Scripture abundantly confirms, that there is salvation in none other than in Jesus. Hence we read, “Help was laid upon one that is mighty;” and no man cometh unto the Father but by Christ. “Other foundation can no man lay than is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Let us therefore turn away from every thing else, and look only and entirely to him. Let us look for all we hope to Him upon whom the Almighty has laid help, remembering the language of the apostle:-“To him that worketh not, but believeth on him who justifieth the ungodly, his faith shall be accounted unto him for righteousness:” as much as if he should have said, “Leave off building your edifice, which will not shield you from the storm of divine wrath, and flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before you in the gospel.” “Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? [that is, to bring Christ down from above:] or, Who shall descend into the deep? [that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.] But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart; that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation;” for the Scripture saith, “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” There is salvation in none other than in one almighty Deliverer. He is the sinner’s Saviour, in whom we are blessed with “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.”

And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? - Luke 17:17.

LET us view the narrative as a picture, and observe the various things in it, not as objects of curiosity, but as affording lessons “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.” Behold the picture, and see, First, that all our Saviour’s miracles were not connected with salvation. As his works on the bodies of men were designed to be typical of his operations on the soul, we sometimes find them blended together. But this was not always the case.

Here we see ten lepers sharing equally his kindness, in their miraculous recovery, and yet nine of them remaining unchanged, morally and Spiritually, the same as before. And there are many also now who, like the Jews of old and these lepers, have experienced temporal and signal deliverances, without experiencing that Spiritual salvation which they were designed and adapted to prefigure.

What is bodily health if the soul is sick, and diseased, and dead? What are these nine lepers the better for their cure now? We may look again and see that adversity and affliction are more friendly and favourable to our intercourse with the Saviour than prosperity and health. These lepers, while they were suffering under their malady, cried to him with a loud voice; but, alas! as soon as they are recovered they go away and never think more of him. Thus many will “pour out a prayer unto God when his chastening is upon them,” and this circumstance will also serve to account for the afflictions of the righteous.

There is a needs be for them. If we look again we shall see that the generality of those who receive favours from God act as if they were insensible of their obligations. Oh! the ingratitude of these men made them much more vile than their former disease did. This ingratitude is general, and extends even to the righteous.

We may take the case of Hezekiah as an affecting illustration, and in how many instances do we see this, and find that we ourselves are not free from it. We may observe that however we forget our obligations the Lord remembers them, and expects suitable returns for them. He sees whether we are thankful with the one, or regardless with the nine, whether we come back to give God the glory with the Samaritan, or profanely depart with the Jews. He sees what blessings we receive from him, and how we receive them. He expects from us suitable improvement and returns.

We may observe also that we are not to avoid duty on the ground of singularity. Here was only one man out of ten, but he dares to come back regardless of the rest. He stood alone. So did Noah. Here was a world ungodly, nevertheless Noah walked righteously with God. Observe that the most unlikely sometimes excel the most promising. Who would not have expected more from the Jews than from this Samaritan? How many, who have but few advantages, have made greater improvement than others with more abundant privileges.

But lastly, let us observe the glory of the Lord Jesus, and think of his goodness. See, how no sooner did these men cry than he heard them; and let us remember that he has now what he always had, an ear for the destitute and the miserable. Let us behold his all-sufficiency and self-sufficiency. Power does not always accompany benevolence; but we see “nothing is too hard for the Lord.”