The Double Cure
Devotions with Pastor Jason Lim

In the well-loved hymn “Rock Of Ages”, the first stanza refers to our Lord Jesus when it says

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.”

The writer says, “Be of sin the double cure.” The grace of God through Jesus Christ is, in a sense, like a double cure: it saves us from wrath (the penalty of sin), and it makes us pure (saved from the power of sin). The desire and intention of God in Jesus Christ is not only our salvation but our sanctification.

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness but present yourselves… to God as instruments for righteousness.” (Romans 6:12-13)

The grace of God in a Christian’s life is not just a transaction but a transformation. God is not here just to make us righteous in position, but He also wants to make us righteous in practice. So sanctification is that process whereby the life of God is made more manifest in the believer’s life. It is the process through which we become less like the world and more like His Son. God’s desire is indeed that this double cure will be manifested in you, saved from wrath and made pure.