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Octavius Winslow, 1856 (edited for
today's reader by Larry E. Wilson, 2010)
Bible Verse
...who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification" (Romans 4:25).
Devotional
Obeying, suffering, and rising as the Representative, Surety, and Head of his church, may we say that in a sense what he did was not so much his own act as that of the church in him? He did not obey for himself. Nor did he die and rise again for himself. He did so for "the church, which is his body" (Eph. 1:22–23).
Therefore, his resurrection secured his church's entire release, discharge, and justification. This was when the foundation of acquittal was established, when the underpinning of our justification came to light. The emerging of the Redeemer from the grave secured the emerging of the redeemed from all condemnation. His release from the cold grasp of the destroyer released them from the iron hand of the law.
As he left the court of God's justice and the prison-house of death, the church—purchased with his blood—left with him, legally and fully discharged, exclaiming, as the last barrier yielded and the last fetter broke, "Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us" (Rom. 8:34)!
Precious Redeemer! what surpassing glory beams forth from your empty grave!
Christ Jesus lay in death' strong bands,
for our offenses given;
but now at God's right hand he stands
and brings us life from heaven;
therefore let us joyful be
and sing to God right thankfully
loud songs of hallelujah. Hallelujah!
It was a strange and dreadful strife
when life and death contended;
the victory remained with life,
the reign of death was ended;
Holy Scripture plainly saith
that death is swallowed up by death,
his sting is lost for ever. Hallelujah!
Here the true Paschal Lamb we see,
whom God so freely gave us;
he died on the accursed tree—
so strong his love!—to save us.
See, his blood doth mark our door;
faith points to it, death passes o'er,
and Satan cannot harm us. Hallelujah!
So let us keep the festival
whereto the Lord invites us;
Christ is himself the Joy of all,
the Sun that warms and lights us.
By his grace he doth impart
eternal sunshine to the heart;
the night of sin is ended. Hallelujah!
Then let us feast this joyful day
on Christ, the Bread of heaven;
the Word of grace hath purged away
the old and evil leaven.
Christ alone our souls will feed,
he is our meat and drink indeed;
faith lives upon no other. Hallelujah!
(Martin Luther, 1524; tr. Richard Massie, 1854, alt.)
Be sure to read the Preface by Octavius Winslow and A Note from the Editor by Larry E. Wilson.
Larry Wilson is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In addition to having served as the General Secretary of the Committee on Christian Education of the OPC (2000–2004) and having written a number of articles and booklets (such as God's Words for Worship and Why Does the OPC Baptize Infants) for New Horizons and elsewhere, he has pastored OPC churches in Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio. We are grateful to him for his editing of Morning Thoughts, the OPC Daily Devotional for 2025.
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