I can never forget the deliverance, followed by the peace, which came to me when the light of that glorious truth dawned upon my soul, that it was not saints, but sinners that Jesus came to save; and that it was bad people, and not those who thought themselves to be good, unrighteous, that God receives and forgives for Jesus' sake.
For long years I had tried to sin less, live better, in the hope that God would favor me because of this, and grant me mercy at the last day. The most we heard in the way of preaching, favored this idea. We were earnestly taught to be good, and to do good, to attend the "means of grace," to read the Bible, and in some way which was not made very clear, God would exercise His mercy to forgive whatever sins remain uncompensated by these good deeds.
There was nothing of Christ, nor His work of redemption on Calvary's Cross, but He was a good Example and Intercessor for us on suing for mercy to be granted us in the judgment day. No present, free and known salvation was ever spoken of, nor had I ever met any who owned he was saved through the Lord Jesus Christ.
You may understand my surprise when a near relative of mine wrote me a letter saying she had been "saved" while attending some Gospel meetings, and that the words that led her to the Savior were: "'God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.' It is not good people, but bad, that God loves and Jesus saves," she said. "This is where nearly all make mistakes; they want to make themselves good, and think that God will then save them, whereas God saves sinners just as they are, and all for Jesus' sake.
"I resented this at first, my proud heart rebelled against it; but bit by bit my pride was humbled, and I had to take my place as a sinner, with nothing, able to do nothing, and then the Lord saved me.
"O, that I could, with the voice of a trumpet, tell it far and wide that: "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:88But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8).