Online Bible Audio/Readings Links (ESV)
8/12 Reading Portions: 1 Samuel 2; Romans 2; Jeremiah 40; Psalms 15-16
Psalm 16:2
“You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.”
GOOD
This statement was true before we were saved and is still true since we’ve been saved. Jesus Christ is King and Lord of all. The unsaved just do not submit to Christ’s sovereignty or lordship. We, at times, also stumble in that pursuit. This statement from David’s psalm is a lynchpin to holy living. Every moment you and I surrender to this truth, the more we can trust our Lord for all things, and the more we can put on the strength of the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of His might (Eph 6:10). Apart from Christ, we have no good; and apart from Him we can do no good (John 15:5); because in our flesh dwells no good thing (Rom 7:18). When we believe our salvation has made us sinless and without corruption (as some have erred in their thinking), we would have to throw out most of the Bible; and we certainly could not read the portions assigned this week and say, “Yea and amen!” —Psalm 14 and Romans 1-7 to name a few. Were the false doctrine of “entire sanctification” true, our prayers would be a demand upon the sovereign God to do our will, not His. Entire sanctification means we would not need to trust in Christ for His righteousness placed upon our account; or trust in His power to praise Him, pursue righteous acts, or prevent wickedness from soiling our lives. Entire sanctification would reduce the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary’s cross to a mere convenient step toward our perfection, rather than Christ’s sacrifice being the most glorious and unrivaled event of all history for all eternity. Beloved friends, let no one deceive you. We are truly more than conquerors through Christ who loved us (Rom 8:37) because of our submission to His Spirit (Rom 8:4), by God’s grace. We are not victorious because of abilities born or reborn within us, but in Christ alone who dwells in us by the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Our victory in Jesus comes
Not because we ‘re good;
But by God’s grace the work was done
Through Christ’s own precious blood.
