In a large southern city was a charitable hospital for incurably sick people. Dr. Wood, a Christian doctor, and Mr. Harrell, an evangelist, often visited these poor people bringing God's way of salvation before them.
One of the most afflicted of the poor, suffering patients had never responded to the simple story of the gospel. This young man, Bob Hardy, now about twenty-three years old, had been born blind, and since early childhood had been almost completely paralyzed.
He had his full mental faculties and the full-grown body of a man, but lay, year after year, a totally helpless invalid. Their hearts yearned over this poor man with his seemingly hard and rebellious spirit, and often prayed for him.
On this visit to the hospital, Mr. Harrell was much burdened about Bob, so after visiting a few wards he went directly to his room, but he seemed to be sleeping. The evangelist would have passed by, but the ward nurse greeted him by name. Bob heard and called out, "Hello, Mr. Harrell!"
He turned to speak to him, noting again the rigid body and limbs and the sightless eyes. A wave of deep pity for the helpless lad swept over him as he answered gently: "Well, Bob, you remember me. How is it with you, my boy? Has your soul found rest in Christ?"
The poor face, lined with marks of suffering, grew tense. With evident effort the answer came: "How can I, Mr. Harrell? That is not for such as I. The nurse has been reading to me from the books a lady brought, and not one thing of them all can I do."
Yes, on the table by the bed were these little books—futile—useless—in their doctrine of "do."
Breathing a prayer for words of wisdom, the servant of the Lord took in his own hand the stiff unresponsive fingers of the crippled lad. In solemn tones he asked: "Bob, is God unfair?"
As though discovered in his own secret thoughts and realizing their unworthiness, the stuttering answer came: "N-no, oh no, Mr. Harrell; I wouldn't say that."
"Oh, yes, dear boy! If God's way to 'peace that passeth understanding' demands of you one thing that you can't do and others can, then indeed He would be unfair. But 'shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?'
"True, 'God is light,' and a holy God cannot overlook sin. But 'God is love,' too, and because 'God so loved the world... He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' John 3:16. That is God's own word, Bob; you've heard it many times. Let us take His Word rather than listen to the reasonings of men.
"God's way to save lost sinners, Bob, was through the death, burial and resurrection of His own dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to do for them what they could never, never do for themselves. 'God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned [or judged] sin in the flesh.' Rom. 8:3.
"This blessed Savior 'came unto His own'—to the world as well as to His earthly people, the Jews—`and His own received Him not.' They rejected Him, Bob; they would not have Him as Christ, the Messiah, nor as Israel's King. They refused Him as Savior and as Lord.
"But as many as received Him'—oh, the simplicity of it! Those who took Him at His word and let Him into their hearts—`to them gave He power to become the sons [children] of God, even to them that believe on His name.'
"To the weakest, feeblest, most helpless one who will believe and receive Him, to that one He gives the power to become God's child. That is all that the strongest man can do in order to know forgiveness of sins and to become a partaker of God's life, safe for eternity.
"Oh, Bob, you can do that—without moving a muscle, without speaking a word—you can `believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved.' "
Tears filled the evangelist's eyes as he saw tears stealing from the sightless ones. Helpless to brush them away and too choked with emotion to speak, Bob thought over and over: "believe-receive—saved." As in a dream he heard his friend's whispered "Good-by, Bob, just rest in God's Word."
Yes, Bob has found the work of salvation all done, and he can simply rest. Eph. 2:8,9 is his portion now, "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Yes, Christ has done it all. Just rest in the finished work of Christ on the cross.