Personal Ministry to a Christian Faith

Personal Ministry of Steve Kellar

Mighty To Save

The following excerpt is from “A Mighty Savior,” a sermon delivered Sunday morning, January 4, 1857, at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens.

“. . . mighty to save” (Isaiah 63:1).

Commonly, most men, when they read these words, consider them to mean salvation from hell. They are partially correct, but the notion is highly defective.

It is true Christ does save men from the penalty of their guilt; he does take those to heaven who deserve the eternal wrath and displeasure of the Most High; it is true that he does blot out “iniquity, transgression, and sin,” and that the iniquities of the remnant of his people are passed over for the sake of his blood and atonement.

But that is not the whole meaning of the words “to save.” This deficient explanation lies at the root of mistakes which many theologians have made, and by which they have surrounded their system of divinity with mist. They have said that to save is to pluck men as brands from the burning?to save them from destruction if they repent.

Now, it means vastly (I had almost said “infinitely”) more than this. “To save” means something more than just delivering penitents from going down to hell.

By the words “to save,” I understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire, the first spiritual conviction, onward to complete sanctification. All this done of God through Jesus Christ.

Christ is not only mighty to save those who do repent, but he is able to make men repent; he is engaged not merely to carry those to heaven who believe, but he is mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them; he is mighty not merely to give heaven to one who wishes for it, but he is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, to constrain the despiser of his name to bend his knee before him, and to make the most abandoned reprobate turn from the error of his ways.

On this day…

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