What love we see in our Lord to those who are His members. It is not only that the gates of hades shall not prevail against it, but also that all the journey through, there are the promises of His grace for it, in whatever way His members need it, as we have seen in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. His Word and Spirit are with us (1 Cor. 2:12), and prayer, “praying always” is the proper attitude of our souls. We have Him who loves us, and gave Himself for us; and as our Advocate, if any man sin (1 John 2:1) to restore our souls to happy communion with the Father.
This is what He desires for every true child, not only to be assured that we are children, but to be in happy communion with God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Then, if it is sustaining grace we need, we have Him as our Great High Priest, ever living to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25). And He does which is by faith of Jesus Christ. The work of Jesus Christ, as the Sin bearer, on the cross, has declared God’s righteousness, and the sinner who believes, is brought into this new blessing which is unto all (everybody), and upon all believers. None need go away now, in their sins, for there is no difference, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, and sin cannot be excused. It must needs be judged, but the believer is justified freely (without cause) by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. God’s righteous judgment fell on Him, whom God hath set forth a mercy-seat through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the passing over of the sins of a past dispensation—God’s forbearance with those saints who lived before the cross; their sins were carried forward, and put upon Jesus (Isa. 53:5). Now in the present, we can look back, and see God’s righteousness declared, and God is the justifier of him who believes in Jesus.
Can the sinner boast of his works? Such a thought is gone. The finished work of Christ declares that it is faith alone; the two will not mix. “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith,” without any works, or law keeping. This is as true for the Gentile as for the Jew. God is the one to whom all nations are responsible, and He has made the same provision for all, so both are justified on the principle of believing in what God has done through the work of Christ. Does this make void the law? On the contrary, it establishes the law, for all the weight of the judgment of the law fell upon the blessed Son of God.