A group had gone to the prayer-room after the meeting and one of the Christians was trying to show John the truth of Rom. 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23): "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." At last the Christian said, "From what you have said, John, you think yourself a pretty fair kind of a man.”
"Well, Mr. Fraser, I will tell you my thoughts about that exactly. I never did much that was bad, nor can I say that I ever did a great deal of good. I think you might call me a middling man.”
Mr. Fraser answered: "That is your opinion, John. But don't you think that everything that exists must have a cause from which it sprang?”
"Certainly I do, Mr. Fraser. I am not so void of sense as not to know that.”
"Well, John, what do you suppose is the first cause of a good man?”
Promptly John answered: "God, of course, sir.”
"And what do you think would be the cause of a bad man?”
Just as positively John replied: "The devil, most certainly; for God never made anything bad.”
Then said Mr. Fraser: "But, John, how do you determine the cause of a middling man?”
Hesitantly, John tried to answer. "W-e-l-l, I supp-o-s-e—.”
"There, John, you are stuck. You say God is the cause of a good man, and Satan is the cause of a bad man, but you claim to be neither! You are middling! Don't you know that some cause made you what you are? As it is neither God nor Satan, what could have made you middling?”
Recovering himself John replied: "Why, sir, I have heard a great many folks like me say that they were middling—that is, neither good nor bad. But really, now that I think of the matter in the way you put it, I begin to be somewhat doubtful whether I am right. Yet, I assure you, sir, I do not think I should be called a bad person.”
Silently praying for wisdom, Mr. Fraser proceeded: "John, did you ever see a middling silver coin, or a middling bank note?”
Quickly John replied: "No, never, Mr. Fraser. They are always either good or bad. But I have known some bad ones to pass for good ones.”
Said Mr. Fraser: "You are right, John. You never saw middling money, and you never saw middling men—that is, as before God. God is a Being of perfect holiness and infinite purity, and He judges according to a perfect standard. To be accepted of Him we must be perfectly fitted for His approval. He cannot receive `middling' men, and call them good. They must be either righteous or unrighteous, either saint or sinner. A middling man does not exist in God's sight.
"So, friend John, when you go home, think seriously on this subject. 'You cannot serve two masters.' At this moment you are either saved or lost; you are either serving God or Satan. You cannot be a middling man! There is no middling cause, no middling life, no middling death, and no middling destiny.”
Reader, this is true of you, too. You are at this moment either saved or lost, righteous or unrighteous, in God's sight. You cannot be middling. You are either a child of God or a servant of the wicked one. You are pardoned or unpardoned. You are either saved for all eternity by God's grace, or you are now under His condemnation. Which?