Daily Devotionals

Spiritual Treasury For The Children of God

Devotional: December 30th

But thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.- 1 Corinthians 15:57.

Death, though conquered by Jesus; though disarmed of its strength and sting by our victorious Lord, so that it cannot destroy, nay, not wound or hurt the soul of any one of his dear members; yet it is still an enemy, a formidable, disagreeable enemy to nature. When we are left to our natural conceptions, death appears to us with the grim visage of "the king of terrors." We cannot get rid of our fears, nor are we able to make him put on a more amiable aspect. But when in the simplicity of little children, we go to our heavenly Father, and tell him how we are affrighted and terrified at the thought and approach of that dreadful enemy, he drives away our fears and terrors, and relieves our minds. But how does our affectionate Father effect this? by telling us we are perfect and sinless, and therefore we have overcome death, we shall never die, we have nothing to fear, death cannot hurt us? No; though we are sinners in ourselves, and as such must die; though we are without strength to grapple with and subdue this powerful enemy, and though our bodies must fall victims to his stroke, yet, "praise the Lord, O my soul, praise him all his saints," he giveth us the victory; he puts songs of triumph into our mouths, our hearts; not for what we have done, but our Father refers us to the glorious achievements of our elder brother, Jesus; he hath obtained a perfect conquest for all the children of his Father’s family; and victory is not only proclaimed but GIVEN. Jesus is the unspeakable gift of the Father’s love; victory over death is given through Jesus; faith to believe it in the heart, and triumph over it in the conscience, is his free gift also. Thus the Spirit testifies of, and glorifies Jesus; thus his members rejoice in the truth, and are comforted by the truth.

Death was brought into the world by the father of lies, he is vanquished and destroyed by Jesus, who is essentially THE TRUTH. "The soul that sinneth shall die." Die man, or justice must. The man Jesus, the sinner’s surety, fell a sacrifice to this truth; hence truth is fulfilled in his death, justice is satisfied, death is disarmed of its sting, which is sin. Jesus hath "put away sin, by the sacrifice of himself."- Hebrews 9:26. "And the strength of sin, which is the law, Jesus hath perfectly fulfilled in his life for us." He hath fully answered all its demands, and by him all its accusations are silenced. Precious Christ! Happy believer! What harm can the most fierce, poisonous monster do thee when it hath lost its sting, and is without any strength? Most precious truth! "Death is yours."- 1 Corinthians 3:22.

Now to the God of victory

Immortal thanks be paid;

Who makes us conqu’rors while we die,

Thro’ Christ our living head.

Old things are passed away. 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Such is the blessedness of every new creature in Christ. Every believer in him is a new creature. Mind, St. Paul does not say, Old things are passing away, but are passed away. We are not to understand him in an absolute, but in a qualified sense. For if none were new creatures, till all old things were passed away, we should not find one on this side heaven. Now the year is nearly at an end, do not you find your old corruptions cleaving to you? Yea, the old man still whole and alive in you, just as you did at the beginning of the year, or at the beginning of days, when you first believed on Jesus, and were made a new creature in him? Do not you also see just the same reason to comply with these exhortations, as at first? “Put off the old man which is corrupt.” (Ephesians 4:22.) “Cleanse yourself from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit.” (2 Corinthians 7:1.) Why, if so, how can it be said, “Old things are passed away?” Consider, St. Paul is not speaking of the old creation of fallen nature, but of the new creation in Christ Jesus. As men, and descendants from fallen Adam, all the sin and misery of our old nature abides with us. We are still in the flesh. In that dwells nothing but sin and evil. It is under the sentence, and must receive the wages of sin, death. But as believers in Christ, “we are passed from death to life.” (John 5:24.) Being in him by faith, we are new creatures in a new creation. Observe, in the foregoing verse St. Paul is speaking of knowing Christ, and men after the flesh. But now, says he, we have done with carnal views and fleshly knowledge. We are spiritual. We view and know things by faith, as new creatures in Christ. Hence, as we are passed from our old state, old things are passed away from us. Our old notions of God, of Christ, of salvation, our own free will, our legal righteousness, salvation by works, in whole or in part, etc., all are passed away. Yea, our delight in our old companions, in the bewitching vanities of this old world, which is under the curse, and our manner of living and walking in it, are passed away. Our old way of keeping Christmas holy-days, and concluding the old year, in cardplaying and vanity is past away. And if, for conscience sake, we do not keep days by any religious observation of them, we do not spend them in our old way, by “making provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” O says one, I would not keep Christmas for the world. It is superstitious. Pray then do not keep it for the devil and the flesh. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” Galatians 5:25.

The soul that’s born again in Christ,

Is quite in a new state:

With perfect righteousness is blest;

Old things are out of date.