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Octavius Winslow, 1856 (edited for
today's reader by Larry E. Wilson, 2010)
Bible Verse
"He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32).
Devotional
How beautiful is the apostle's logic! How conclusive! Arguing from the greater to the lesser, he proceeds to assure you, O believer, of God's readiness freely to bestow all needed blessing. To this he stands pledged. The gift of his own Son, so freely and unreservedly granted, is the security and the channel of every other mercy.
When God sent his Son, the reconciliation had not actually been effected—justice had received no satisfaction and the broken law no repair. Thus "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8, ESV). If then, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, will he freely give us all things (cf. Rom. 8:10; Rom. 8:32).
"All things!" How comprehensive this grant! Since "his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Pet. 1:3), therefore, holding that guarantee in the hand of faith, you may hurry to your heavenly Father, and ask for all that you need. God has bound himself to withhold no good thing from you. He has pledged to grant you all you need, and he will never back away from that pledge.
What is your need? Do you need the Spirit to seal you, to sanctify you, to comfort you? Then draw near and ask the gift. "If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13).
Do you need pardon? Then ask it. He who provided the sacrifice for sin, will he not freely bestow the forgiveness of sin? Is it grace? Having given you the Reservoir of grace, is he not as willing and "able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work" (2 Cor. 9:8)?
Do you need comfort? Having given you the "Consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25), will he not prove to you the "Father mercies and God of all comfort" (2 Cor. 1:3)?
Is yours a temporal need? Are you facing adverse circumstances? Filled with forebodings of approaching difficulty, the pot of oil and the barrel of flour declining, are you anxious and fearful? Take your temporal need to God. What? Will he bestow the higher blessings of grace, and withhold the inferior ones of providence? Never! And can you press to your believing heart the priceless, precious, unspeakable gift of his Son, and yet cherish in that heart the gloomy misgiving thought of God's unwillingness and inability to supply all you need?
"Freely give." God's gifts are both rich and free. He always bestows more, never less, than you ask. It would seem as though he cannot open his hand to a poor comer except that it overflows with a generosity worthy of himself. This is what meets all the objections to your coming which spring from your unworthiness, unfruitfulness, and unfaithfulness. Having nothing to pay, nothing in return is required. "Without money and without price" (Isa. 55:1). Every blessing that God bestows is free as the sunlight, free as the balmy air, free as the mountain-stream, free as the heart of God can make it.
"He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!
all ye who hear,
now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.
Praise to the Lord, who o'er all things so wondrously reigneth,
shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen
how thy desires e'er have been
granted in what he ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee!
Surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee;
ponder anew
what the Almighty will do,
if with his love he befriend thee!
Praise thou the Lord, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee,
decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee.
How oft in grief
hath not he brought thee relief,
spreading his wings to o'ershade thee!
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the AMEN
sound from his people again;
gladly for aye we adore him.
(Joachim Neander, 1680; tr. by Catherine Winkworth, 1863)
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 2011.
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