“This Christ, none but the Father can reveal (Mat 11:27). And to
come through Christ is for the sinner to be enabled of God to hide himself
under the shadow of the Lord Jesus, as a man hides himself under a thing for
safeguard (Mat 16:16). Hence it is that David so often terms Christ his shield,
buckler, tower, fortress, rock of defense (Psa 18:2; 27:1; 28:1). Not only
because by
[Christ,] he
overcame his enemies, but also because through [Christ,] he found favor with God the Father. So God says to
Abraham, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield (Gen 15:1). The man, then, that
comes to God through Christ must have faith by which he puts on Christ and in
Him appears before God. Now he that has faith is born of God and so becomes one
of the sons of God by virtue of which he is joined to Christ and made a member
of Christ (Joh 3:5, 7; 1:12). Therefore, he as a member of Christ comes to God;
I say, as a member of Christ, so that God looks on that man as part of Christ,
part of His body, flesh, and bones, united to Him by election, conversion,
enlightenment, the Spirit being conveyed into the heart of that man by God (Eph
5:30). So that now he comes to God in Christ’s merits—in His blood, righteousness,
victory, intercession—and so stands before Him, being “accepted in the Beloved”
(Eph 1:6). And because this poor creature is thus a member of the Lord Jesus,
and under this consideration has admittance to God, therefore, by virtue of
this union is the Holy Spirit conveyed into him, whereby he is able to pour out
his soul before God.”
-John Bunyan English
Baptist Preacher 1628-1688
www.missionafricajk.net
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