Close Doesn't Count [Tract]

Full text of Close Doesn’t Count

An atheist spoke angrily to a Christian companion, “The gospel you preach has not done much good in the world. There is plenty of wickedness and suffering in the world. I don’t believe and won’t have your religion.”

The two continued their walk. Soon they passed a very dirty boy playing with some mud. The Christian turned to the atheist, who happened to be a soap manufacturer. “Your soap has not done much good in the world. See, the boy is filthy, and there is plenty of dirt in the world. I don’t believe in your soap.”

“But,” said the soap manufacturer, “my soap is all right, if it is applied.”

“In a similar way,” replied the Christian, “‘the gospel of Christ … is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth,’ and all who have believed have certainly found out the truth of these words. The trouble with you is that you have never applied the gospel to your OWN soul, any more than that dirty boy has applied your soap to his body.”

Have You Applied the Gospel?

Have you applied the gospel? Have you received the gospel of God for yourself and found it the power of God to your own soul?

Think about your mobile phone for a moment. You plugged the charger cord into the side of the phone firmly. You shoved the other end down through the tangle of cords into the power strip. But the charging light won’t go on. You blame the manufacturer, wiggle the cord and complain to anyone available to listen. Along comes a friend and reaches down into the jungle of cords by the power strip. He pushes the plug firmly into the socket and the charging light goes on. The prongs were aligned with the holes but the cord was loose. For all practical purposes, “close” doesn’t count. There must be contact.

So with the gospel. There must be contact. There must be a personal transaction between your soul and the Saviour. True, He died on the cross for all mankind, to make an atoning sacrifice for sin, enabling God, a God of love, to righteously offer salvation and forgiveness to guilty men. “Christ Jesus … gave Himself a ransom for ALL” (1 Timothy 2:6). And if for all, then it is for YOU. But to receive forgiveness and salvation it must be accepted. It must be applied. There must be contact. Can you see this?

Are You Serious About This?

You are travelling on to eternity. Time is very brief, and eternity is forever. The Bible tells us plainly that there is both a heaven and a hell. It tells us nothing that defiles enters heaven; hence it is perfectly sure that no sinner in his sins can ever enter there, and you have sins.

But it is also perfectly sure that no sinner, who really and truly trusts the Saviour as his Saviour, will be refused, for did not our Lord utter those reassuring words, “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out” (John 6:37)?

Again I ask, Are you serious about this? Believe me, there is enough in this message to save your soul. Study it carefully. Grasp its meaning. Repent of your sins. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but HAVE everlasting life” (John 3:16).

“Be it known … that through this Man [the Lord Jesus] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him all that believe ARE justified from all things” (Acts 13:38-39). “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye HAVE eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Again I ask, and remember the issues of eternity depend on your answer: Have you applied it?