“You will excuse me, Sir, but I must say that I cannot agree with your preaching tonight.” Such were the first words that a really anxious, but unhappy soul addressed to me the other evening, when something like the following conversation took place. I had finished speaking with others for the evening, so we had quiet and leisure to go into particulars.
“Very likely,” I replied, “but what did I say that you cannot agree with?”
“Why, you stated a great many times, so that I am not mistaken, that the same moment the sinner comes to Jesus, he is received, forgiven, saved, and ought to be happy. I can’t agree with that at all.”
“Well, dear Α., that is just what I did say, and I am thankful it has made such an impression on you. But, pray tell me, did I, in all that, go beyond the truth in my text? (Luke 7:36-5036And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. 37And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 40And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 44And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. (Luke 7:36‑50).) Was not all that true to the woman that came to Jesus?”
“Yes, I know it was all true to her. She knew it was true to her, for she heard Jesus say it. But how can anyone know now that it is true to them, until they feel it? They must have the witness in themselves. I know I have never been able to feel sure, at least, long at a time. I may tell you, Sir, that I was converted about seven years ago, at least I thought I was converted then. I was very happy at the time, and joined the chapel. But doubts came into my mind, and dark clouds came over me. I thought God was hiding His face from me, and I was in great darkness. No one knows what I have gone through but God and my own soul. Often and often I could not sleep in the night. And when I prayed, I could get no comfort, and sometimes I could not pray at all. I could do nothing, and enjoy nothing. I was miserable.”
“But now, dear Α., will you tell me what you have been praying and crying for, all this time? Have you been as bad as this for seven years?”
“Yes, I may say I have, though sometimes I am happy. But my prayer night and day has been that I might know that I was a child of God one of His.”
“Well, but in what way did you ask, or expect, God to make that blessed truth known to you?”
“I want, of course, to feel it, to know it, by the work of His Spirit in me. Everyone knows that it is written in the Bible, and true to them that are His. But I believe there must be a deep inward work of the Spirit before anyone can be sure that they are quite safe. The spirituality of the law must be applied, and we must pass through deep experience before we can be sure, if ever any one can be quite sure in this world.”
“Perhaps you are not aware, A—, that you are making a very serious mistake as to the way of peace. The mistake is this. You are looking at the work of the Spirit in you, in place of the work of Christ for you, I mean the work of Christ on the cross for us sinners. The work of the Spirit rather leads us into trouble by showing us how bad we are. But then the work of Christ is the ground of pardon and peace, because He died for our sins. Blessed Lord! ‘He was delivered for our offenses, and now, where are they? Gone, and gone forever! He put them away by the sacrifice of Himself. Only believe it! Jesus is risen! He left all our offenses behind Him. The Holy Spirit never directs your eye to His own operations in you, valuable and indispensable as these are, but always to the finished work of Christ. The office of the Spirit is to make known to us the Person, Work, and Glory of Christ. But if you get occupied with the evil that the work of the Spirit discovers in yourself, you must be unhappy, and most assuredly will continue unhappy so long as you do so. Neither can you obey that sweet word, ‘Look unto Me,’ and so become acquainted with the Lord Himself, and filled with Him.”
“Well, I believe I have been looking too much to myself. But I have always been taught so. I have never heard that kind of preaching before.”
“But I would like you to be convinced, before we say ‘good night,’ that the preaching is according to the word, and that you heartily agree with it. Once more look at the text. And, first, let me ask you this, Why has the Holy Ghost given us such a detailed account of what took place when that poor sinful woman came to Jesus? Was it not to assure us, that as Jesus never changes, the same thing must take place now, whenever a sinner comes to Him? She came in, poor woman, off the street; she uttered not a word, but fell at His feet, trusting to the mercy that she believed was in Him. And what were the Savior’s first words to her? You must wait awhile? No. You must have a deeper sense of sin in yourself, and of the spirituality of the law? No. You must agonize in prayer many days and nights, months and years, before I can give you the assurance of pardon? No. What then? Now, be honest, what then? Blessed be His name! He first of all turns to the woman, then casts a look—a speaking look—of compassion on the weeping sinner at His feet; and then, the first opening of His lips to herself pronounces her full forgiveness. “And he said unto her, ‘Thy sins are forgiven......And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.’ Now, in all fairness, let me ask you, how did Jesus meet this guilty one? Was it not with present forgiveness—present salvation—present peace? One other thing let me ask you. Is He changed now; or is He the same? Is he now a respecter of persons? Would He be different to any poor sinner who came to Him tonight? Oh! say not so! But I know you would not say so. But oh! why should you think so, and harbor in your mind unworthy thoughts of Jesus?”
“I wish I could see it in that light. I am sure your doctrine is a very comforting one. I have been wishing to serve God, and I have been praying earnestly for seven years, for the pardon of my sins, and I have still my doubts and fears at times. What I can’t get over, is your saying that people ought to know they are forgiven the same evening they believe, and be rejoicing in Jesus.”
“Now, let me ask you another thing. Did Jesus ever send away a sinner from His presence, who came seeking salvation, in a state of uncertainty? Never! no never! He states to all such, in the most positive manner, “Thy faith hath saved thee.” Again, did He ever say to a sinner at His feet, I will forgive thee? Never! no never! But He affirms in the most absolute way, ‘Thy sins are forgiven.’ (Consult Mark 2:5,5When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. (Mark 2:5) Mark 5:34,34And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. (Mark 5:34) Luke 18:42,42And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee. (Luke 18:42) John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24).) The moment that the sinner is in his true place before the Lord—the Savior—all his need is met according to the fullness that dwells in Jesus.
“But then you may ask, how is the sinner to know all this? How is he to get the comfort of it? Certainly not by the state of his own feelings, but from the words that fall from the lips of Jesus. I often say, ‘what we want are good listeners;’ you must listen to the word. ‘Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.’ (Rom. 10:1717So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17).) Jesus speaks to you through the written word, and that word must always have the first place. If you look for happy feelings before you believe the glad tidings, you will be disappointed. You must believe the good news before you can be made glad. And this, I believe, is the great difference between us. You judge, observe, by the way you feel, of your condition before God. I know my state in God’s sight, by His own word. Therefore I can speak positively on every point that is revealed, for the word of God is unfailingly true. When that word assures the sinner that his sins are forgiven, is he to believe it or not? Surely to believe it, and to believe it without a single doubt, just because it is the word of God. Of course, he may often afterward have to confess his sins, but he is still to believe in the full and free forgiveness of all his sins, through the once shed blood of Jesus. The Savior’s announcement, ‘Thy sins are forgiven,’ is always true on the solid ground of the glorious work of Christ for us. Christ sees to this—trust Him.”
“But I often think that I am not a believer at all! That I have never realty felt my need, and come as a lost sinner. I hope I have, but I cannot always feel sure.”
“Well, that is another question, and an important one. If you have never yet believed in Jesus, or come to Him, which is the same thing, see to it now. Sleep not until you have come to Him, believing in His love and grace, and trusting in His precious blood,—the only safeguard from judgment. Many become religious, or pious in their ways, and pass before others for Christians, who have never been exercised about their condition as sinners before God—who know nothing about telling out all their sins before Him—confessing them unreservedly in the secret of the closet, and of receiving full forgiveness through the blood of the Lamb. The prodigal returned to his Father in his rags—in all the reality of his condition as a prodigal. And the Father met him in all the reality of His love and grace. This is the true way for the sinner and God to meet. And mark the results. Not only is there immediate forgiveness, but he is clothed in the righteousness of God.
The kiss of reconciliation is not a moment withheld, nor the ring of the unchangeable affections of the Father. And all begin at once to feed on Christ the slain one, and to rejoice in Him. Thus it is with all who arise and go to the Father. But, pray, what has made you so anxious for so long a time? Is not Christ your object? Do you not desire to know Him? “When this is really the case, the good work is begun.”
“Oh! I do earnestly desire, above all things, to be sure that I am one of His. It is the only thing I do care for. And often, and often, I have come to Him in prayer; but then I can’t feel sure, like you, that I am forgiven and saved. Oh! if I could but feel sure of that, I should be happy.”
“And I am most anxious, dear A—, that you should feel sure. But there is only one way of being sure, and that is, by believing the word of God. Divine life, I doubt not, throbs in your soul, why not satisfy it with the sincere milk of the word? There, in these sacred pages, you will find an answer to all your anxieties. You may read your title clear, written by the finger of God, to the bright mansions above. And if you are content to take that word and to trust in it, you will now feel a divine certainty on every point that concerns you. I mean just now. The word of God is as true tonight as it will be tomorrow. The invitation to come to Jesus is as free,—His love is as real,—His grace is as boundless—His blood is as precious—your forgiveness is as sure—and your acceptance is as gracious—why then not believe it now, and be happy—and rejoice in the Lord? We are saved by faith—made happy by faith—and rejoice by faith. The feelings will follow, but faith must be first.”
FAITH is a very simple thing,
It frees the soul from death’s dread sting,
It looks not on the things around,
It takes its flight to scenes above,
It sees upon the throne of God,
It rests its all on his shed blood,
Faith is not what we feel or see,
God of love has said O
The Perfect One that died for me,
Presents our names before our God,
What Jesus is, and that alone,
It never deals with sinful self,
It tells me I am counted dead
It tells me I am born again
In that He died, He died to sin;
Then I am dead to nature’s hopes,
If He is free, then I am free,
If He is just, then I am just,
What want I more to perfect bliss?
Will perfect me for greater joys
Than angels round the throne. Eph. 1:17-2317That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:17‑23).