this lengthy quote is taken from a sermon named God in the Covenant by C. H. Spurgeon
"I will be their God."—Jeremiah 31:33.
But even here there is something special in regard to the child of God. Though God is the ruler of all men, yet his rule is special towards his children; for he lays aside the sword of his rulership, and in his hand he grasps the rod for his child, not the sword of punitive vengeance. While he gives the world a law upon stone, he gives to his child a law in his heart. God is my governor and yours, but if you are unregenerate, he is your governor in a different sense from what he is mine. He has ten times as much claim to my obedience as he has to yours. Seeing that he has done more for me, I am bound to do more for him; seeing that he has loved me more, I am bound to love him more. But should I disobey, the vengeance on my head shall not fall so heavily as on yours, if you are out of Christ; for that vengeance incurred by me has already fallen upon Christ, my substitute, and only the chastisement shall remain for me; so that there again you see where the relationship to all men is universal, there is something special in it in reference to God's children.
Again: God has a universal power over all his creatures in the character of a Judge. He will "judge the world in righteousness and his people with equity." He will judge all men with equity it is true; but, as if his people were not of the world, it is added afterwards, "his people with equity." God is the God of all creatures, we repeat, in the sense that he is their Judge; he will summon them all before his bar, and condemn or acquit them all, but even there, there is something peculiar with regard to his children, for to them the condemnation sentence shall never come, but only the acquittal. While he is Judge of all, he especially is their judge; because he is the judge whom they love to reverence, the judge whom they long to approach, because they know his lips will confirm that which their hearts have already felt—the sentence of their full acquittal through the merits of their glorious Saviour. Our loving God is the Judge who shall acquit our souls, and in that respect we can say he is our God. So, then, whether as Sovereign, or as Governor enforcing law, or as Judge punishing sin; although God is in some sense the God of all men, yet in this matter there is something special towards his people, so that they can say, "He is our God, even in those relationships."those big bold sections just jumped out at me when we first read this sermon - God is the judge whom we long to approach! we will not be condemned before Him if He has adopted us as His children! now, i have believed this to be true for some time, but the reality of it's truth working out in my daily life and thoughts is pretty amazing to me!! though i have believed in some sort of the sense, my heart has led me astray to think that somehow i am guilty, guilty, guilty. ahh, to know i am in liberty to approach God even in my shame because Jesus Christ has redeemed and set me free!
i hope the beauty of this hope is yours in full!
(and i'm sorry about all the crazy fonts and sizes and such - i tried to go back and fix my mess, but it wouldn't change.)
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