WHILE walking along a country road on a pleasant evening some months ago, overtook a bright-looking little girl, about nine years of age. I asked her, “Do yet know who Jesus is?” She at once replied smilingly, “The Son of God.”
“And do you know what He did?”
“He died on the cross.”
“For whom did He die?”
“Sinners.”
“And who are sinners?”
“Wicked people.”
Up to this point her face was lighted with that peculiarly pleasing expression of frank innocence so frequently to be observed in young children, and her answers were given with manifest pleasure.
My next question, however, seemed to bring her to a stand. I asked, “Are you one of the wicked people?” She made no reply. Evidently she did not wish me to think her wicked.
“Then,” I said, “if Jesus died for the wicked people, and you do not know whether you are one of them, you cannot tell whether Jesus died for you.” She kept her eyes fixed on the ground for some seconds, and her face wore a most puzzled expression. Suddenly she brightened up, and looking at me with beaming eyes, said, “He died for all.” She had solved the difficulty, and now was able to say that Jesus died for her, without owning herself to be one of the wicked people.
What a picture of the human heart! Nature can accept the truth so far as owning that “Christ died for all,” but when it comes to a question of individual state, the heart loves to have somewhat of its own to which to cling. It would, if possible, accept salvation without owning its own condition in God’s sight as desperately “wicked.” But in this it only shows its own deceitfulness.
The Scripture, which tells us that “One died for all,” speaks thus; “If One died for all, then were all dead,” showing that the death of Jesus proves the whole world to be in the place of death. Jesus, the representative man, died; therefore all have died. We are not told to consider that “if One died for all,” therefore we are saved.
When it is a question of individual salvation, we read that “this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” and those who believe can say, “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” “when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly;” “Himself bare our sins in His own body on the tree;” “We have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins;” while each believer can say, “He loved me and gave Himself for me.”
The question of sins must be raised before the thought of salvation can be entertained. Jesus is the Saviour of sinners. He welcomes the sin-burdened soul; He delights to bind up the broken heart, to still the troubled conscience, to pour balm on the wounded spirit, to speak words of comfort and peace; to say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee.”
“But the proud He knoweth afar off.”
J. C. K.