the Fourth Week after Easter
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Daily Devotionals
Grace for Today
Hebrews 6:18
‘Fled for refuge’
Read Psalms 91:1-16
The manslayer in Israel had to flee to one of the cities of refuge which God had appointed. If he had fled to any other city for refuge, he would have found no mercy. The avenger of blood would find him and slay him. If he would be saved, he must flee to the refuge God had appointed. Even so, all who would be saved by the grace of God must flee by faith to the refuge God has appointed, and that refuge is Christ. ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12). The only refuge for our souls is the Lord Jesus Christ. Both for salvation and for the consolation of our souls in any time of trouble, we must flee to Christ alone. Christ is our refuge, not the church. Christ is our refuge, not our works.
Salvation is obtained only by fleeing to Christ. There was no place of mercy, peace, safety and rest for the manslayer until he ran through the gates into one of those cities of refuge. It was not enough that he knew where the city was located, how large the city was, what provisions were in the city and how to get to the city. If he would be saved he must enter the city. Once he entered the city four things happened: (1) He declared his cause, confessing his offense. (2) He came under the protection of the city. (3) He received a complete acquittal of all guilt. (4) He was cleansed from all guilt, representatively, when the high priest died. None of these benefits were his until he entered the city. But once he entered, all were his, and his soul was peaceful. In exactly the same way, when the guilty sinner flees to Christ for refuge, he declares his cause: ‘I am a sinner in need of mercy’ (1 John 1:9). He comes under the protection of Christ John 10:27-28). He receives a complete acquittal, full justification, being absolved from all guilt (Romans 3:24). And he is cleansed from all sin by the blood of Christ, who died as his Representative (Hebrews 9:14). Having fled to Christ for refuge, we are safe and secure in him.
