Christ - Anchor of Our Souls

 Christ is our refuge - Anchor of our souls

An anchor holds something in place that might otherwise without the anchor give way. Ships at sea anchoring down to stay safe during a storm are saved from being wrecked upon the shores. Having an anchor for our souls keeps us safe during the many storms of life. Christ is our anchor, it is Christ we rely upon for safety. We WILL be storm tossed there is no way around that. We live in a chaotic world. Satan would have us wrecked on his rocky shores, our spiritual lives battered and bruised endlessly. Satan wants us caught up in deep dark despair without hope, without any anchor to keep us safe. We must hold fast to the truth that our anchor is strong enough to withstand any Satan storm that exists. Our ANCHOR is the STRENGTH, not us! The strongest of ships can be destroyed in a storm should its anchors give way. Our Anchor will never give way, unless we release the Anchor from us. We must forever have an anchor in Christ! All by His grace and mercy! Christ is our Hope forever!

(Excerpt -  EJ Waggoner Article On Romans 4)

The Oath of God.

It may seem to some a little far-fetched to say that the oath by which Jesus was made priest is the surety of the promise to Abraham. But a little consideration will enable any one to see that it can be no other way. In the sixth chapter *13-20 of Hebrews we read:

"When God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying,  Surely blessing I will bless thee. . . . God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us;  which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail, whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

It's All For Our Sakes. 

Why did God confirm his promise to Abraham by an oath? That we might have a strong consolation.

It was not for Abraham's sake, because Abraham believed fully without the oath. His faith was shown to be perfect before the oath was given. It was altogether for our sakes.

When does that oath give us strong consolation? When we flee for refuge to Christ as priest in the most holy place. 

Within the vail he ministers as high priest; and it is the oath of God that gives us courage to believe that his priesthood will save us. Then our consolation comes from Christ's priesthood, and so from the oath which made him priest.

Therefore the oath of God to Abraham was identical with the oath that made Christ high priest. 

This shows most plainly that the promise of God to Abraham is as wide as the gospel of Christ. 

And so our text, speaking of the righteousness that was imputed to Abraham, says, "Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead."

Ro. 4. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. 23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.