MANY persons entirely mistake the gospel. They imagine that God is now demanding something of them, that they have something to do in order to be saved. At least, they think they must love God. They do not see that the gospel is the very opposite to this; that it is a declaration of God's love to man, and that God in it brings to them, just as they are, everything that they need for present peace and eternal blessing, through our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is nothing for the sinner to do; first, because he cannot do anything acceptable to God (" they that are in the flesh cannot please God," Rom. 8:88So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)); ROM 8:88So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)and, secondly, because Jesus has done it all. He by Himself purged our sins. He finished the work which the Father gave Him to do. He “is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:44For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Romans 10:4)). ROM 10:44For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. (Romans 10:4) The nail is rent, the way into the holiest is made, Jesus has gone into heaven itself by His own blood, and now He appears in the presence of God for us, so that the sinner can come at once, through the sacrifice of Christ, into God's presence.
This God has done. His love has effected this. The Holy Spirit has comedown to witness to the infinite perfection of the sacrifice of Christ, and of His -everlasting priesthood.
These glad tidings the gospel makes known; it tells out the way in which God's wondrous mercy has met man's need, and the posture of patience and long-suffering He takes towards this guilty world.
It is natural to man's proud heart to imagine that he must do something for salvation. The Philippian jailer thought so. Under a sense of need and danger he cried out to Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
But he was soon told that he had nothing to do. The answer was, “Believe on the Lord.
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." In other words," Trust in One who has done everything to save you." This is God's way of saving sinners, and there is salvation in no other.
When the heart perceives that God Himself is the sinner's Saviour, through Jesus, his faith and hope are then in God. A friend lately said, “When I considered the words, No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath, declared Him '—and thus saw God in Christ, the sinner's Saviour, I could rest in God at once; all my fears vanished.”
The thought that we must love God to be saved, instead of being saved solely because God loves us, clings most tenaciously to fallen nature; but nothing short of seeing God's love to us in the cross of Christ, even when we were dead in sins, can give peace. Another gentleman, after living in sin for many years, in companionship with many others, heard that the ringleader of the party was converted. All were sorry to lose such a jovial friend, and marveled that he could be such a fool as to he religious. Still he was very decided, and went to his old associates one by one to speak to them of the salvation he had found in a crucified Saviour.
There was one, however, that he passed over. It was this very gentleman of whom I am speaking; and he felt it much. This led him to reflect, and soon he began to realize the unsatisfying character of the pleasures of sin, and to feel that he, too, had a soul. He read his Bible, but could get no comfort. He thought that he had something to do, and that he never accomplished what he wished.
One day, however, he met his old friend, who said to him, "Do you ever read your Bible?”
“Yes, I do," he replied;” but I cannot get comfort out of it; I cannot love God.”
"No," said his friend,” nor could I; but the blessed truth is, that God loves me," and then wished him good morning.
"God loves me," "God loves me," thought the gentleman to himself; what can he mean?
But before he reached home that day, the thought of God having given His only begotten Son to die on the cross to save sinners flashed upon his soul with divine, living light.
“Now," thought he, “I see it. I see now that God loves me as a sinner. Yes, God so loves me as to save me "; and his whole soul was filled with joy and peace. So it is, as the apostle John declares: “Herein is love not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." This enables us to love and serve God; for "we love Him, because He first loved us”
(1 John 4:10, 1910Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)
19We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)). 1JO 4:10-1910Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. 15Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. 16And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. 17Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 19We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:10‑19) It is here the heart finds real joy, gathers up strength for service, and gives glory to God.
“He saw me ruined in the fall,
And loved me notwithstanding all;
He saved me from my low estate,
His lovingkindness, oh, how great”
H. H. S.
By the Cross the way was opened for God to bless man according to the infinite preciousness of the blood of Christ.