‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved,’ Psalm 55:22
The state of uprightness in which Adam was created before the Fall can in no way compare to the state of righteousness of the Last Adam (Christ) that He worked out for His representative race by His obedience unto death. Adam’s uprightness was temporary at best, and when he fell, all, even the elect of God fell in him, Romans 3:9. The reality is that although our righteousness is entirely that which Christ worked out for us in the flesh, as a Man, yet, we still bear the consequences of being descendants of Adam and being sinners by nature.
Thank God, however, that grace reigns through righteousness, Romans 5:21. All the mercy and grace that we receive as God’s elect children, flows out of that righteousness imputed that our Lord Jesus worked out in every jot and tittle in His obedient life and sacrificial death. Faith is not the cause or criteria of our justification before God, it is the fruit of having been justified by His death at the cross. It is just that revealed faith that causes us to cast our burdens upon the Lord, knowing that by His grace He does and will sustain us, and will never suffer His righteous ones to be moved.
There are many who are moved away, whose profession is just that, a ‘profession.’ They are described in Mark 4 as those who for a season receive the Word and rejoice, but when the sun comes up and scorches their profession, and because it has no root, it withers away. If the Sun of Righteousness has not risen in their hearts, they are perplexed and distressed and their false hope of salvation exposed.
God will never suffer the righteous to be moved from their hope. As He has clothed them with the garments of salvation, they have always in Christ a faithful High Priest, who knows their infirmities, having been tempted in all points Himself, as a Man, yet, without sin. He upholds our weak souls, and sustains our heavy burdens. At times we may feel ourselves ready to faint away, but being everlastingly united to Christ in His life, death, resurrection, and ascension, we can never be lost. Just because there are times that we may and do forget Him, yet, He remains faithful He cannot deny Himself, and therefore can never deny those whom the Father gave Him from eternity, and for whom He came and lived and died as their Substitute. What a good and glorious hope for each of His chosen, blood-bought, and called out ones! What a comfort to cast every burden of life upon Him, knowing He ever and always cares for us.
Pastor Ken Wimer
