Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: October 31st

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.- John 8:36.

Our most glorious sovereign Lord and King, Jesus, like some mighty conqueror whose subjects have been taken captive by an enemy, delivers them from their captivity, sets them at liberty from the dominion and tyranny of their enemies, and restores them to all the rights and privileges of his kingdom and government. Alas! in what a deplorable state doth our great deliverer find our souls! taken captive by the devil at his pleasure, slaves and vassals to his will and power, under worse than Egyptian bondage, "tied and bound with the chains of our sins," bond-slaves to our corrupt lusts and carnal passions.

In this hopeless, helpless, deplorable state, we all continue without power, yea, without will or desire to be set at liberty. Nay, we are naturally pleased with the drudgery of sin and Satan, in love with our bondage, fancying ourselves at liberty, and enjoying the most perfect freedom; but when our mighty deliverer comes, he makes us free indeed: he bursts our bonds asunder, and casts away the cords wherewith we were bound. Jesus snatches our souls as a prey from the mighty, and the lawful captives are delivered. He invests us with the "freedom of citizens of the New Jerusalem," and gives us the privilege of adoption, to be the sons of God through faith in him. Then are we the Lord’s free-men; made free from sin, Satan, the law, and death. How great is Jesus’ power! how rich his love! how free and sovereign his grace! it came unmerited and unsought by us; it is a freedom unbounded in its nature, and the happy subjects of it shall find it so in a blissful eternity. But here, though free, made free indeed in our spirits, yet we shall find by daily experience enemies and opposers to our uninterrupted enjoyment of it. Sin, though its guilt is washed away in Christ’s blood, and its power destroyed in the soul, will yet rage and war in our members.

Satan, though like a strong man armed, is overcome and cast out, will often rally his forces and wage war against us. As Luther says, ’he who hath Christ for his King and God, let him be assured he hath the devil for his enemy, who will work him much sorrow, and plague him all the days of his life. But let this be our comfort and great glory, that we poor sinners have the Lord of life and death and of all creatures, clothed with our flesh and blood, sitting on the right hand of God, ever living, ever praying for us, who ever defends and protects us.’ The law, though its demands are all fulfilled, and its curse is taken away, though there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus; and death, though disarmed of its strength and sting through the victory of Jesus, yet the sweet sense and comfortable experience of all this is enjoyed by us only while we "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and are not entangled with any yoke of bondage."- Galatians 5:1.

He who lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 2 Peter 1:9.

It is hard to say, whether St. Peter here draws the character of a mere formal professor; or of one who has really tasted that the Lord is gracious, and has awfully backslidden. Be it which it may, it holds forth a solemn lesson of instruction to our souls. We may hence lay this down as a sacred truth, that whatever profession a man makes of faith in Christ- justification by him, hope of salvation through him; yet, if he is destitute of the graces of the Spirit, and the fruits of righteousness in his life, he is blind to the glorious end of the gospel of peace, and is a stranger to the purifying grace and pardoning love of Christ to his soul. Think of this. Pardoning love, purifying grace, and sanctifying influences are inseparable. Where there is the root of grace, there will be the fruits of righteousness. This is as natural as for any cause to produce its effects. But may not these words be accommodated to some, whom we have good reason to hope are the children of God, but are sadly backslidden from him? Do we not see awful instances around us? (1st.) He who lacketh these things, as virtue, knowledge, temperance, godliness, etc. not totally, (for there may be a partial lack of them) has sadly departed from the stedfastness of faith, and that degree of liveliness he once had; has left his first love, and has lost the sweet favour of Christ from his heart. Hence, there is a lack, in not abounding in these things. There may be true faith, and yet somewhat lacking in it. (1 Thessalonians 3:10.)

But such a soul is in sorrow, concern, and distress about it. So the life of grace manifests, that it is not quite extinct. (2d.) He is blind, not totally so; for he may see, but not afar off. He only sees himself, and his own misery and unprofitableness. This causes him to weep and bewail himself. But he cannot see; he does not enjoy the love of Christ, and the sweet peace of God. His sight is dimmed, and his comforts marred. (3d.) He hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. He has lost the sense of pardon in the blood of Christ. Though he remembers there is such a thing, yet he has lost the comfort of it. It is to him, as though it had never been. Satan has obtained the advantage. So false prophets seek “to cause my people to forget my name, saith the Lord.” (Jeremiah 23:27.) That is, the pardon and comfort of his name. Is not this an awful state? O, how much to be deplored! how greatly to be deprecated!

Ten thousand snares our souls surround,

To blind and to deceive:

With watchful care we should abound.

Lest we God’s Spirit grieve.