"And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Luke 10:25.
We are not disposed to regard this lawyer as a straightforward man asking an honest question, and we should but delude ourselves were we to view him in that light. There is no reason to look upon him as an anxious inquirer, to whom eternal life was a priceless prize for the sake of which he was willing to surrender everything. Had he been so, he would have come in a different state, and received a different answer. But he stood up to tempt the Lord. Miserable and impious occupation! Ignorant of the common condition of man, and therefore of his own -ignorant of grace and of his personal need of it-he proudly asks at what point in a life of good works his title to eternal life would be established. Coming on such a ground, and in such a way, the Lord could only refer him to Moses. "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" The man answering said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." The Lord replied, "Thou hast answered right," adding significantly, "This do, and thou shalt live."
Ali! but had the lawyer done this? and was he doing it then? The answer may he gathered from his further question, "And who is my neighbor?" This betrays an uneasy conscience, whose condemning voice he fain would silence if he could. But bringing the matter nearer home, I would venture to inquire of you, my reader, whether you know anyone who has always loved God supremely, and his neighbor as himself. And were the circle widened until it embraced the whole earth, do you think, among its many millions, there could be found one individual who had done this? The question happily is not left for us to answer; it has been answered already. Here it is: "God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God." And with what result? "Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Psalm 53:2, 3. If then the keeping of the law were the only means of life, who would ever inherit it? All would he shut up in hopeless condemnation, seeing that none have rendered, nor can render, what the law requires.
Yet the law is holy and just and good. It could not be otherwise if God be the giver of it. It supposes evil in man; for why forbid coveting if there were no disposition on our part to covet? But while recognizing the sinful tendencies of our nature, it makes no allowance for them; the holiness of the law would be gone if it did.
Here let me briefly deal with a common fallacy, that inasmuch as we are unable to fulfill the requirements of the law, we cannot be justly condemned for our failure. Stay, stay, dear friend; by what road do you reach such a conclusion? Were you thrown out of employment, and had no means of paying your rent, would you tell your landlord, that seeing you were not in a position to pay, you were therefore clearly not responsible? Surely that plea would not prevail. Would you not rather own your responsibility, and cast yourself upon his grace?
The claims of the law are inexorable. It never relaxes them on account of human weakness. "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." Gal. 3:10. Thus runs its dread sentence, and who among thoughtful men imagines he can make good any claim for eternal life on such a ground? If eternal life is to become ours, it must reach us some other way; and this way the Lord proceeds to unfold in the parable that follows. Let us quote it:
"A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was; and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought
him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him: and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee." Luke 10:30-35.
There is little need to ask who is meant by the man that went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves by the way. Humanity at large may see itself in him. From the gates of Eden to the flood, from the flood to Sinai. from Sinai to Calvary, from Calvary to this hour, it has been a going down. Men are far from God; individually they are so. They have gone down and fallen among thieves, who, after wounding them, have flung them mercilessly into the ditch to die. Satan has deceived men, sin has pierced them through with many sorrows, the world has played them false; everything is gone, and life itself is flowing away. But see! here comes a priest; perchance this holy minister of the law may help. "He, he, priest, help; a dying man is here!" The priest sees him, and pursues his way as if he heard no call. A Levite now draws near; perhaps this representative of the law in its less exalted functions may afford some help. "He, he, Levite, help; a dying man is here!" He comes and looks, and passes by as the priest before him had. For such the law had no help, and priest and Levite stalk silently away. Yes, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." No help then may the sinner look for from the law; it promises life to those who walk in its precepts perfectly, and its curse rests on those who do not.
People seek salvation on the principle of law, as if the commandments and the ceremonies and services of "the Church" were so many rounds in the ladder by which they were to climb to the heavenly city. Now Scripture speaks expressly that "as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse." How so? Because no one ever kept it; no one has continued in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them (Gal. 3:10). And is not this the very teaching of our parable? Did priest and Levite, the exponents of the law on its moral and ceremonial sides, bring salvation to the dying man? Did they lift him out of the ditch? Nay, but they passed him by without one pitying look or sympathizing word. The law had nothing for such a man save its curse, nor has it aught else for you.
Grace, and grace alone, grace as opposed to law, grace pure and unmixed, is the sinner's only hope. If the state of the dying traveler is a true representation of our own, then we need the Samaritan to look upon us, to have compassion, to come to us where we are, to bind up our wounds, to lift us out of the ditch, and to take care of us- someone who will of and by himself do everything. Such a One we have in Jesus. In Him the soul may find an answer to its every need, may find it now. If one is under the solemn sentence of a broken law, it is written, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." Gal. 3:13. Is one troubled about his sins? It is written, "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree." 1 Pet. 2:24. Does one feel the exceeding sinfulness of sin? It is written, "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." Mark 2:17. And if one fears he is too bad to come to Jesus, it is written, "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." John 6:37. God has provided a Savior for sinners.
It is to be observed that the Samaritan, after having bound up his wounds, did not leave the man where he was. He set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him, and finally gave special charge concerning him to the host. To the very end, salvation is of the Lord. Alas! the thought is too common, that after divine grace has saved us we may break down and ultimately perish after all. Break down, we surely may, but ultimately perish is another matter. Saved by grace as far as past sins are in question, and then put under law, so that salvation may be retained and heaven reached at last-such is much of the Christianity of the day! But this is not Christianity. Those whom Jesus saves He keeps, keeps to the end. None shall pluck them out of His hand, nor separate them from His love. Moreover, they are brought to God, and made members of the body of which Christ is the Head. Godliness is indeed enjoined, and abhorrence of evil of all kinds; but while insisting on this, we must hold fast the doctrine of free grace.