Isaiah 43:21-28

Isa. 43:21-28. In this prophecy of the great gospel salvation, the freeness of God's grace in it, as not being at all for our righteousness, is largely insisted on here in verse Isaiah 43:21, and also in verses Isaiah 43:4; Isaiah 43:7; Isaiah 43:25, and beginning of chap. 44. The sovereign good pleasure of God and His electing love is represented as the grand original of all those blessings, and in the 22nd and following verses is particularly shown how it is not and cannot be for any sacrifice offered by those that are the subjects of these blessings, or any righteousness, or anything given, offered or done by them, or anything whatsoever of their own, verse 26, and it is particularly shown that they have nothing of their own but sins either in themselves or in their ancestors. When the children of Israel were redeemed out of Egypt, and had corn given them, which was a great type of the gospel redemption, and care was taken to instruct the people that it was not for their righteousness. So here when the redemption of the children of Israel out of Babylon is spoken of, verse 14, another great type of gospel redemption, and that redemption is prophesied of under that type; great care is also taken to inform the Church that it is not for their righteousness. Thus the doctrine of justification by free grace without the works of the Law, or our own righteousness, is the doctrine both of the Old and New Testament, and this confirms it that when the Apostle so much insists on justification without the works of the Law, he means without any moral goodness of ours whatsoever. Justification is the thing here especially spoken of, as appears by Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 43:26. See chap. Isaiah 48:9-11, with the context.

Isa. 46:1-7