Morning By Morning #14

…mighty to save.

Isaiah 63:1

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Through the words to save we come to understand the great work of salvation, from our first holy desire to our complete sanctification. God’s mercy is wrapped up in these words, for Christ is not only “mighty to save” those who repent but He is mighty to cause them to repent. Those who believe in Him, He will take to heaven; but more than that, through His might, He will give them new hearts and will work faith into their lives. He is mighty to cause the person who hates holiness to love it and to compel someone who despises His name to bend his knee before Him.

Yet these words are not fully defined even in all of this, for the Lord’s divine power is equal in a person’s life after the work of salvation has been accomplished. The life of a believer becomes an ongoing series of miracles performed by “the Mighty God” (Isa. 10:21). The bush continues to burn but is not consumed. After making His people holy, He is mighty to keep His people holy and also to preserve them in His reverence and love until He perfects and completes their spiritual existence in heaven.

Christ’s mighty power does not lie in making someone a believer and then leaving him to fend for himself, for “he who [begins] a good work…will carry it on to completion” (Phil. 1:6). He who imparts the first seed of life to a dead soul divinely continues that life, strengthening it until it completely bursts the bonds of every sin and until that soul leaps from earth perfected in glory.

O believer, what an encouragement this is! Are you praying for a dearly loved one? Don’t give up—Christ is “mighty to save”! You are powerless to reclaim even one rebellious soul, but your Lord is almighty. So take hold of His mighty arm, stirring it to exhibit its strength.

Are you troubled about your own situation? Fear not! His strength “is sufficient for you” (2 Cor. 12:9). Whether Jesus is working salvation into another or continuing a work in you, He is “mighty to save.” The best proof of this lies in the fact that He has saved you.

You can be thankful a thousand times over that He is not “mighty to destroy”—but He is “mighty to save”!

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

In Spurgeon’s first paragraph today we see that salvation, sanctification, and repentance are all works of almighty God. We also see that even faith itself is a gift and is something He works into our lives.

Knowing that salvation, from that first wooing of the Holy Spirit to complete sanctification, is a work of the Father should give us an ever-increasing view of God’s grace. And having the proper biblical view of salvation should bring Him glory, for we see that salvation is only of Him and from Him.

These truths should fill our hearts with gratitude for our loving God who “is mighty to save” and who is mighty to sanctify as well.

“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it” (1 Thess. 5:23 – 24).