The Bible tells us that the way to be saved is to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” To believe in Jesus, or to have faith in Jesus, means the same thing as to trust in Him. When Jesus hung bleeding and dying on the cross, He was suffering the punishment of our sins. And because He has suffered for our sins, we go free. We are pardoned and saved when we believe in Jesus, or when we trust in Him.
I was reading the other day about two little children—a brother and sister. Their names were Charles and Jane. They loved each other very much, and were generally good children. But sometimes they gave way to bad tempers; and then they had to be punished.
One day little Jane, who was but four years old, had been doing something wrong. To punish her for this her mother told her she couldn’t go out to play, but she must sit still in the corner of the nursery for half an hour. Presently Charles came in. He was older than Jane. Finding that his sister had to be punished for doing wrong, he said,
“Mother, please let me sit in Jane’s place, and take her punishment for her.”
His mother was pleased at his kiness, and said he might. Then he ran up to his sister and kissed her and said,
“Now Janie you may go and play, and I will stay here in your place.”
When Janie was gone he settled himself down quietly and seemed to be eaged in thinking earnestly about somhing. After a while he said,
“Mother, isn’t this like Jesus?”
“What do you mean, my child?” asked his mother.
“Why, didn’t Jesus take our punishment when He hung upon the cross, that we might not be punished forever, just as I have taken Janie’s punishment?”
That little fellow was right. He understood God’s way of salvation. His sister was out playing because he was bearing her punishment.
“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iquities; and with His stripes we are healed.”
What any poor sinner has to do in order to be saved, is to trust in Jesus. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
“Whosoever believeth” — or trusth—in Jesus, “hath everlasting life.”
Jesus has done everything for us. There is nothing left for us to do for salvation but to trust in Jesus and what He has done. It is not our tears or prayers that saves us. It is not being baptized or receiving the Lord’s supper that saves us. It is Jesus who saves us. He saves all who trust in Him. Many people won’t believe this. They think they must do something themselves before Jesus will save them. But this is a mistake. And we never can be happy till we give up trying to do anything, and just trust in Jesus. He is the altogether worthy One.
ML 03/04/1945