GO straight to Christ, and go just as you are, and you will find Him and His salvation. Many make as if they would go to Christ by the way of religion, of resolutions, of reformation, and do not find Him. They stop on the way at religion, or resolutions, or reformation, and do not get beyond them. Oh! these stoppages are desperate evils, preventing men from entering the kingdom! Jesus came into this world to save us. He loves us: He is the Saviour we need. Do not stop short of Him; never rest until you rest in Him. When He was here, those who wanted Him went to Him. Some touched Him, some spoke to Him, but from Himself alone all obtained the blessing they sought. Neither Peter, nor James, nor John, nor the mother of Jesus could save them, but Jesus only; and all these holy persons ever addressed the seeker to Jesus only.
Go straight to Christ, just as you are in your sins. He is the Saviour for sinners; He washes us from our sins. No one else does or can do this. No one receives His salvation save from Jesus, Himself. Why spend your life in vainly trying to wash away your own sins, when Jesus is waiting to save and to cleanse you? Go straight to Him. Do not seek to improve yourself: you need salvation― not improvement. The Lord Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost― not that which was able partly to recover itself. He came to call, not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. If you are “righteous,” you do not need Jesus; if you are a sinner, He is ready now to save you. Then go straight to Him.
Do not live on in a roundabout system of religion. More than half the religions of the professing churches is of this nature. There are varieties of religious plans for keeping men from going straight to Christ. Indeed, some are so convinced of the merit of these plans, that they call it nothing short of presumption to speak of having gone straight to Jesus. He does save, in spite of our religious plans―such is His grace―but in the end all whom He saves come to Him, Himself. Yet why wait? Go now straight to Him.
“Come unto Me” are His words― to Me; there is nothing between the “to” and the “Me.” Do not put anything between, if you wish for His salvation. How many, many times in the Gospels have we His “Come unto Me”! But the cry in the religious world is “Come first to this system or that system of religion, and so you shall at last get to Christ”; or “Come first to a recognized experience or a desired state of mind,” and then you shall find Christ. None of such things can save you. Go straight to Christ, not to any system of religion, not to any experience.
There is not in the Scriptures one word to encourage any seeking sinner in doing anything for salvation save going straight to Christ. There are thousands of persons upon the earth this day who rejoice in the salvation of God; they are saved, and they know it, and thank God for His salvation. It is with them a present possession―a gift received―and their united testimony is that they went straight to Christ.