Pray with Spurgeon: How could God be a forgiving savior AND a fair judge?

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DAILY PRAYER (BY SPURGEON)

Lord, understanding your gospel caused us much pain, for we found in our hearts an enmity to you, a natural alienation; and we found that we had grieved you, that we had vexed your spirit by sin. We admire you all the more for this, for we would not care for a God who did not hate sin. Oh, with what reverence we fell at your feet, even when we heard you speak in tones of thunder, and say, “The person who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:20).

When your grace had really made us to know you, your justice, terrible as it was, had our submissive reverence. We felt that, if our souls were sent to hell, righteousness and justice would approve it well. O God, we remember how we lay at your feet. Our thoughts were as a case of knives cutting our hearts; and then you came to us, and you made your love known. O blessed day in which you revealed yourself dressed in the silken robes of love! When we saw, that Jesus died that we might live, that the cross was the best proof of divine affection, then we looked to Jesus suffering in our stead. We trusted in the great atonement, and we found a peace.

Amen.

VERSE OF THE DAY (COMMENTARY BY SPURGEON)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

when we read of anything being a wage, what does it mean? It means that it is a reward for labour. Death is sin’s due reward, and it must be paid. A master employs a man, and it is due to that man that he should receive his wages. If his master did not pay him his wages, it would be an act of gross injustice. Now, if sin did not bring upon man death and misery, it would be an injustice. It is necessary for the very standing of one universe that sin should be punished. It must be so. They that sow must reap. The sin which hires you must pay you. Wrong cannot produce right. Iniquity, transgression and sin must, in the nature of things, become darkness, sorrow, misery, death. Every transgression and disobedience must receive its just recompense of reward. There is no use in attempting to alter it so long as God and justice reign: those who do sin’s work must receive sin’s wage, and “the wages of sin is death.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCE

How could God be a forgiving savior AND a fair judge?

Today’s prayer and Scripture reading celebrated the wonderful good news that our just God is also a gracious Savior. How can God fulfill these two (seemingly contradictory) offices? How can he be “just and the justifier” (Romans 1:16)? Because his justice has been completely satisfied on the cross of Christ.

Christ took our sin onto himself — a doctrine often called, “The Great Exchange,” which is also the title of an incredible book, The Great Exchange: My Sin for His Righteousness by Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington.

(Any book written by Jerry Bridges is worth having — he’s also clear and understandable, while being robustly biblical and incredibly practical)

This book is a rich, biblical explanation of the logic of our salvation (Christ paid for our sins!). It is also a very practical guide to show how this doctrine can change your life and fill you with hope today.

I know The Great Exchange will be a blessing to you, so I hope you’ll grab a copy today.

Buy The Great Exchange: