And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, "You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. Moreover, Ruth, the Moabitess, the wife of Mahlon, I have acquired as my wife"
(Ruth 4:9-10).
THEME
REDEMPTION
During the American Revolution, the British Crown offered General Joseph Reed a bribe. He replied at an August 11, 1778, meeting of the Continental Congress by saying, "I am not worth purchasing, but such as I am, the King of Great Britain is not rich enough to do it."
Boaz was rich enough to take Ruth as his wife. As a close relative of Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law, Boaz paid the price out of duty, but apparently he also loved Ruth.
The Old Testament redeemer had to be a near relative, be willing, and be able to pay the price. Although love for the redeemed was not a requirement, it sometimes motivated the redeemer. More important, God Himself redeemed Israel because He loved the people.
Roman law added an obligation to the rules of redemption: The redeemed had to repay the ransom price. Redeemed people were in debt to their redeemer until they cleared the liability.
Like Joseph Reed, we were not worthy of being purchased, but God loved us so deeply that He bought us with His Son's life. And we can only repay the Redeemer by offering our own lives in return.
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APR 08
EPHESIANS 2:1-10
It is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).
After hearing the gospel explained, people often say, "You mean there's nothing I can do to deserve it? That's too easy." People object to the idea that God gives unmerited favor so freely to unworthy sinners. Many find it difficult to trust a God who offers salvation as a free gift.
Bible teacher G. Campbell Morgan told of a coalminer who came to him and said, "I would give anything to believe that God would forgive my sins, but I cannot believe that He will forgive them if I just ask Him. It is too cheap." Morgan said, "My dear friend, have you been working today?" "Yes, I was down in the mine." "How did you get out of the pit? Did you pay?" "Of course not. I just got into the cage and was pulled to the top." "Were you not afraid to entrust yourself to that cage? Was it not too cheap?" Morgan asked. "Oh, no," said the miner, "it was cheap for me, but it cost the company a lot of money to sink the shaft." Suddenly, the truth struck him. What cost him nothing--salvation--had not come cheap to God. This miner had never thought of the great price God paid to send His Son so He could rescue fallen humanity. Now he realized that all anyone had to do was to "get into the cage" by faith.
Because of God's grace, salvation is a free gift. But to receive it, we must stop trying to pay for it and start trusting what Christ has done on the cross. It's free, but it's not cheap.
--P.R.V.
Salvation is free to us, but it cost God an enormous price.
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APR 09
PHILIPPIANS 3:7-14
That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection
(Philippians 3:10).
Salvation is knowing a Person. We are not saved by anything we do; we experience redemption only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. By His perfect life and sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary, He provided it for us. No wonder the longing of the apostle Paul's heart was that he might "know Him."
The YOUTH'S LIVING IDEALS magazine related the following story: "An old Christian woman whose age began to tell on her had once known much of the Bible by heart. Eventually only one precious bit stayed with her, 'I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day' (2 Ti 1:12). By and by part of that slipped its hold, and she would quietly repeat, 'That which I have committed unto him.' At last, as she hovered on the [borderline] between this world and heaven, her loved ones noticed her lips moving. They bent down to see if she needed anything. She was repeating over and over again to herself the one word of the text, ‘Him, Him, Him.' She had lost the whole Bible but one word. But she had the whole Bible in that one word."
Though her memory had failed, that dying saint of God never lost the One she loved so well. Her salvation was based on a living relationship to Jesus Christ. He satisfied her heart's need even in death. The only way of salvation is through knowing the Savior.
--R.W.D.
Knowing the Scriptures is one thing; knowing the Savior is another.
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APR 10
JOHN 3:14-21
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God (John 1:12).
"While Andrew Jackson was President of the United States, a man was given a court trial and condemned to die. President Jackson offered to pardon him but the condemned man refused the pardon. Prison authorities, the Attorney General of the United States, and others earnestly endeavored to convince the man to accept the pardon. They tried to impress upon him that it would not only spare his life, but that if he did not accept the pardon it would be an insult to the President. The man persisted. . . . The Attorney General consulted the Supreme Court, asking whether legal authorities could not force the man to receive the pardon. The court ruled that the pardon was merely a printed statement until the man accepted it. If he rejected the pardon, it remained printed matter" (William McCarrell, MY FAVORITE ILLUSTRATION).
It is much the same with God's salvation. Even though the Lord Jesus has provided redemption for everyone, only those who accept His pardon actually benefit from His offer. Until we personally trust Christ as Savior, we will never be free from the judgment of God upon sin. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).
Salvation is offered to all. But to experience it and to benefit from all its rich and enjoyable blessings, we must accept it.
--R.W.D.
Salvation is free--but we must receive it.
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APR 11
ISAIAH 53
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5).
Underscore this truth: The death of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary was substitutionary--He died in our place, the Just for the unjust, and He is our only hope for eternity.
A Christian woman visiting a mortally wounded soldier had just finished praying when a nurse entered and said to him, "You have no need to worry over your sins; anyone who willingly gives his life for his country is all right." The soldier smiled weakly, but shook his head and said, "That is a mistake. When I lay out there on the battlefield, I knew I had given my all. I hadn't failed my country. But that didn't help me to face God. I wasn't fit to die, and I knew it, and it has troubled me every day since. But just now, as I heard this woman's prayer, I realized that the Lord Jesus was punished for all my sins, and a great peace has come into my soul. I'm not afraid to die now, because He has forgiven me."
Although that nurse meant well, she spoke in tragic ignorance. But the soldier grasped the foundation of the gospel--that Jesus died for our sins. A poet wrote: "O Christ, what burdens bowed Your head, / My sins You had to face; / You took my load, died in my stead, / Gave Your life in my place, / A sacrifice--Your blood was shed! / You saved me by Your grace."
We need to pause frequently and thank the Lord Jesus for dying on the cross and paying for our sins. He alone did it, and He did it alone.
--P.R.V.
The only valid passport to heaven is signed in Jesus' blood.
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APR 12
JOHN 12:44-50
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners
(1 Timothy 1:15).
If a man who couldn't swim fell into deep water and called for help, would you throw him a book called FIVE EASY SWIMMING LESSONS? Shout encouragement? Or jump into the water and yell, "Just follow my example. I'll teach you to swim"? None of those actions would save the drowning man. He doesn't need a book, a motivational speech, or swimming lessons. He needs a savior, someone to reach him where he is, pull him out of his life-threatening circumstances, and deliver him to safety.
Our spiritual condition demands the same kind of action. The Bible says "all have sinned" (Ro 3:23), and "the wages of sin is death" (Ro 6:23). Everyone born into this world is a sinner doomed to destruction. We cannot redeem ourselves by reading books about religion, by trying harder to do right, nor by following the example of others. Our only hope of escape from sin's deadly embrace is Christ, who stooped down in grace to redeem the dying.
The Bible says that "the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). He redeems all who trust in Him for salvation. Just as a drowning person must cease struggling and relax in the arms of his rescuer, we too must trust in the Lord Jesus.
--R.W.D.
Christ believed is salvation received.
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APR 13
JOHN 4:5-15
"If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink"
(John 7:37).
How simply our Lord presented the gospel. He often depicted the sinner's response to the salvation He offered in terms of everyday activities like eating, drinking, and receiving.
During a gospel meeting in a town in Ohio, a man was greatly convicted of his need of the Lord Jesus. He concealed his feelings even from his wife, who was a lovely Christian. One evening when she was away, he became so anxious about his condition that he began pacing the floor. His daughter, noticing her father's agitation, asked him what was wrong. "Oh, nothing," he replied, trying in vain to relieve his pangs of conviction. The youngster, with the profound simplicity of childhood, said, "Daddy, if you were thirsty wouldn't you go and get a drink of water?" Her words startled the father. He thought of his thirsty soul, so parched and empty. Then he remembered what he had heard in the meeting--that the gospel was like a freely flowing fountain. He resisted no longer. That night he asked Jesus to save him.
Nothing can quench our spiritual thirst but Jesus. The wells of the world only make us more thirsty. Jesus said, "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst" (John 4:14).
--P.R.V.
No matter how much we drink from the wells of wealth and achievement, we will only become more thirsty.
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APR 14
ROMANS 4:1-8
Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely
(Revelation 22:17).
Concerned Christians asked evangelist George Needham to visit a rich and socially prominent man, but when he arrived at the man's house he found him to be very busy. Needham apologized for the intrusion but asked the man if he had time for one quick question. Receiving permission to ask, Needham said, "Are you saved?" "No," replied the rich man, "but I am trying to be a Christian." "How long have you been trying?" Needham asked. "For twelve years," he answered. To that, the evangelist responded, "Permit me to say that you have been very foolish." Taken back by the statement, the man asked Needham what he meant. Needham calmly explained, "You have been trying for so many years, yet you haven't succeeded. If I were you, I would give up trying and start trusting."
That evening, to Needham's surprise, the man came to the church where he was preaching. His face reflected a look of peace and joy that the evangelist hadn't seen earlier in the day. After the meeting, the visitor said to Needham, "I have been foolish indeed, wasting twelve precious years of life vainly trying, when salvation could have been mine by simply trusting."
The Bible does not tell us to work or do or try to be saved. The apostle Paul said, "But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness" (Ro 4:5). The only way to receive eternal life is to stop trying and start trusting Jesus.
--P.R.V.
Salvation is not try, but trust; not do, but done.
