Christ is the Light of the world (John 8:12). All that is not light is darkness. Therefore, all that is not Christ, is only darkness. Do you tremble when you read scripture, because it exposes and condemns all sinners?! Be of good cheer, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15)! Christ is that Light; we are that darkness! Oh, dear brother and sister in Christ! Have you so learned Christ? Has this world and all that is in it become a crucified thing to you (Gal. 6:14)? Not only is the world crucified to me, but more significantly I have been crucified with Christ to sin and every enemy! When we fall by looking to ourselves, we find only darkness. We peer into darkness when we look for good within ourselves. But by God’s grace, “I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of thine only” (Ps. 71:16)! Unless Christ is “all my vision,” all I see will be darkness. “If thine eye be single (seeing only Christ - 2 Cor. 11:3), thy whole body shall be full of light” (Matt. 6:22).
What do I see if I see Christ? I see Him in all of scripture (Heb. 10:7; 1 Pet. 1:11). I long for Him in my conscience and in all of life. I call on Him. I cry for Him and wait for Him to subdue my sin, that giant enemy over which I have no power, but from which He has delivered me, and promised to yet deliver me (Rom. 5:21; 6:14; Titus 2:14; 2 Cor. 1:10; Heb. 7:25). I cry out for Him in all of my darkness. I wait for Him to come from heaven (1 Thess. 1:10). I hate all that would attempt to take His place in my conscience, affections and especially in teaching and preaching His word. I hate when men claim or try to persuade me that I have another hope but Christ crucified, risen, reigning and interceding (Rom. 8:34). I rejoice that He is all to God for me, and that I can come to God by Him and know that I am accepted in Him alone, even accepted as He is accepted (Col. 2:9-10; Jer. 23:5-6)!
When, by His grace, God lifts our eyes to that one window in the ark above (Gen. 6:16), we look away from ourselves and see Christ in all of scripture (John 5:39, 46; Heb. 10:7), trust Him in all of providence (Rom. 8:28) and ask Him to do all that He has said (Ezek. 36:37; 2 Sam. 7:25). Then we have the light of life. “In thy light we see light” (Ps. 36:9).
Our Savior is the Son of God. He is our great Creator. He is Lord of all. Can He who created all things by His word, fail to save us from every enemy by His death on the cross (Rev. 12:7-11; John 12:31)?! All God requires of us, He provided and found in Christ our Mediator. Christ is all to God for us. And by God-given faith, we ourselves look only to Christ. We see Him and trust Him as our all to God. Oh! To have such a Surety is to have peace with God and life and every blessing from God (Rom. 15:13)! He is therefore all of our confidence (Php. 3:3). He is our only hope (1 Tim. 1:1). He is our eternal life (2 Tim. 1:1; John 5:11-12).
If men and devils point to our evident unworthiness and unrighteousness in an attempt to send us repairing our fallen and corrupt old man, sending us to peer within ourselves, we must return the answer of God’s word that our God has put in our conscience: “I am a great sinner, and nothing at all, but Jesus Christ is the full payment and cleansing and perfect covering of all my sin. He is all of my righteousness. He is my all in all” (Micah 7:7-9; Ps. 25:11; Ps. 65:3; 79:8-9; 94:18; 106:4-8; Luke 18:13; Isa. 6:5). And when those same assailants (either without or within) cast doubts on our understanding and what we hold most certain by faith, we do not defend ourselves. We do not point to our intellectual abilities or our own achievements, for we, as they, are ignorant and impotent and barren in ourselves. But we reply to them with our only defense: “Christ crucified is all my wisdom, all of my salvation, all of my righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:24)! When the devil and this world ridicule our weaknesses, they merely describe the natural sinfulness of our mind and will and efforts. We may freely agree with them concerning our own understanding, our own strength, and our own righteousness. We agree with God’s word against ourselves. But we also confidently and joyfully confess: “Christ crucified is all my strength” (1 Cor. 1:24).
When any attack one of Christ’s lambs, especially one of His scrawny, shriveled, limping, whimpering lambs, it is an attack on our Savior (1 Sam. 17:36, 47)! O fiend of my soul, and enemy of Christ’s sheep, you mocked my Savior in the hour of His apparent weakness. You saw Him as foolish and weak and helpless while He hung willingly on the cross, laying down His life for His sheep. But the One you despised, I own as the only Savior of my soul, my great Redeemer, all my righteousness, my great Creator and Sustainer, the King of saints (1 Sam. 16:1; Rev. 15:3), who has conquered all and will complete the work that He started in eternity (2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:1-2; Gen. 1:1-31; 2 Cor. 5:17; Php. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; Heb. 13-20-21)! And when His work is done, I will awake in His likeness. Then I shall be satisfied (Ps. 17:15)! Truly, every child of God is taught by God to answer every foe and the filth of his sin with the answer of Christ crucified (Rom. 8:33-34).
“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Ps. 62:1-8).
“Looking for the blessed hope and appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13, LITV).
What do I see if I see Christ? I see Him in all of scripture (Heb. 10:7; 1 Pet. 1:11). I long for Him in my conscience and in all of life. I call on Him. I cry for Him and wait for Him to subdue my sin, that giant enemy over which I have no power, but from which He has delivered me, and promised to yet deliver me (Rom. 5:21; 6:14; Titus 2:14; 2 Cor. 1:10; Heb. 7:25). I cry out for Him in all of my darkness. I wait for Him to come from heaven (1 Thess. 1:10). I hate all that would attempt to take His place in my conscience, affections and especially in teaching and preaching His word. I hate when men claim or try to persuade me that I have another hope but Christ crucified, risen, reigning and interceding (Rom. 8:34). I rejoice that He is all to God for me, and that I can come to God by Him and know that I am accepted in Him alone, even accepted as He is accepted (Col. 2:9-10; Jer. 23:5-6)!
When, by His grace, God lifts our eyes to that one window in the ark above (Gen. 6:16), we look away from ourselves and see Christ in all of scripture (John 5:39, 46; Heb. 10:7), trust Him in all of providence (Rom. 8:28) and ask Him to do all that He has said (Ezek. 36:37; 2 Sam. 7:25). Then we have the light of life. “In thy light we see light” (Ps. 36:9).
Our Savior is the Son of God. He is our great Creator. He is Lord of all. Can He who created all things by His word, fail to save us from every enemy by His death on the cross (Rev. 12:7-11; John 12:31)?! All God requires of us, He provided and found in Christ our Mediator. Christ is all to God for us. And by God-given faith, we ourselves look only to Christ. We see Him and trust Him as our all to God. Oh! To have such a Surety is to have peace with God and life and every blessing from God (Rom. 15:13)! He is therefore all of our confidence (Php. 3:3). He is our only hope (1 Tim. 1:1). He is our eternal life (2 Tim. 1:1; John 5:11-12).
If men and devils point to our evident unworthiness and unrighteousness in an attempt to send us repairing our fallen and corrupt old man, sending us to peer within ourselves, we must return the answer of God’s word that our God has put in our conscience: “I am a great sinner, and nothing at all, but Jesus Christ is the full payment and cleansing and perfect covering of all my sin. He is all of my righteousness. He is my all in all” (Micah 7:7-9; Ps. 25:11; Ps. 65:3; 79:8-9; 94:18; 106:4-8; Luke 18:13; Isa. 6:5). And when those same assailants (either without or within) cast doubts on our understanding and what we hold most certain by faith, we do not defend ourselves. We do not point to our intellectual abilities or our own achievements, for we, as they, are ignorant and impotent and barren in ourselves. But we reply to them with our only defense: “Christ crucified is all my wisdom, all of my salvation, all of my righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:24)! When the devil and this world ridicule our weaknesses, they merely describe the natural sinfulness of our mind and will and efforts. We may freely agree with them concerning our own understanding, our own strength, and our own righteousness. We agree with God’s word against ourselves. But we also confidently and joyfully confess: “Christ crucified is all my strength” (1 Cor. 1:24).
When any attack one of Christ’s lambs, especially one of His scrawny, shriveled, limping, whimpering lambs, it is an attack on our Savior (1 Sam. 17:36, 47)! O fiend of my soul, and enemy of Christ’s sheep, you mocked my Savior in the hour of His apparent weakness. You saw Him as foolish and weak and helpless while He hung willingly on the cross, laying down His life for His sheep. But the One you despised, I own as the only Savior of my soul, my great Redeemer, all my righteousness, my great Creator and Sustainer, the King of saints (1 Sam. 16:1; Rev. 15:3), who has conquered all and will complete the work that He started in eternity (2 Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:1-2; Gen. 1:1-31; 2 Cor. 5:17; Php. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; Heb. 13-20-21)! And when His work is done, I will awake in His likeness. Then I shall be satisfied (Ps. 17:15)! Truly, every child of God is taught by God to answer every foe and the filth of his sin with the answer of Christ crucified (Rom. 8:33-34).
“Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved. How long will ye imagine mischief against a man? ye shall be slain all of you: as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence. They only consult to cast him down from his excellency: they delight in lies: they bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. Selah. My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Ps. 62:1-8).
“Looking for the blessed hope and appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13, LITV).
Rick Warta
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