ARE you saved, my reader?
If Christ, or death, came this moment, could you meet either without fear, in the confidence that you would go straight to that place of bliss where God is? Do not evade the question, I beseech you, for it is the most important one that can be asked you,—your never-dying soul, your eternal destiny, heaven and hell, are at stake.
If you are not saved, then yours is a most awful position; for if death or Christ came now, you would be consigned to endless torment as the reward and result of your sins. If you inquire what I mean by being saved, my reply is, Has God forgiven you your sins, and made you fit for heaven?
On the supposition that you are unsaved, I am about to show you God's salvation, and the way you may gain it; and to this end I shall divide this paper into three heads, viz.:—
1. The sinner's need of salvation.
2. God's mode of providing salvation for the sinner.
3. The way the sinner obtains this salvation.
First, therefore, as to THE SINNER'S NEED OF SALVATION.
God has not left man to discover unaided his ruin and need as a sinful fallen creature. He has written a Book, in which He has plainly and distinctly revealed his history and condition as seen and known by Himself, the One who never errs. To this book we therefore go to learn the extent and measure of the sinner's need of salvation.
In Rom. 3 you will find the most startling declaration of the failure and depravity of the whole human family. "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NO, NOT ONE:... THERE IS NONE THAT DOETH GOOD, NO, NOT ONE.... FOR ALL HAVE SINNED, AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.”
Now I want you to consider that expression, "none righteous"; to ponder over that statement, "all have sinned,"— for, bear in mind, you are included there. It is useless for you to say, "That doesn't mean me." When God says "None," He means "none"; and when He says "All," He means "all"; and in order that you and I, and everybody else, may know what we are in His sight, He has written with the pen of eternal truth, "There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none that doeth, good, no, not one; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Now if there be none righteous, it is clear that you have no righteousness. If there be none that doeth good, you cannot pretend to possess any goodness. If all have sinned, you must be a sinner. If all have come short of God's glory, you clearly are on the wrong side of heaven's gate. "Come short of God's glory," is God's description of the sinner's position with regard to heaven; he is outside of it, has come short of it, and cannot by his own individual efforts reach it.
If this be true, my reader, does it not show that you sorely need salvation? and as it is God's word, can there be any doubt of its truth?
Now the Bible teaches that MAN is ruined, for he is born in sin (Psa. 51:55Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. (Psalm 51:5)); is lost (2 Cor. 4:3, 43But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:3‑4); Luke 14:1010But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. (Luke 14:10)); is condemned already (John 3:1818He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18)); has the wrath of God abiding on him (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)); is unrighteous (Rom. 3:1010As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10)); is devoid of goodness (Rom. 3:1212They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:12)); is guilty before God (Rom. 3:1919Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. (Romans 3:19)); cannot please God (Rom. 8:88So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:8)); has come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)); is blinded by Satan (2 Cor. 4:3, 43But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:3‑4)); is dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:11And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (Ephesians 2:1)); must be born again (John 3:3-73Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. (John 3:3‑7)); walks according to Satan (Eph. 2:22Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (Ephesians 2:2)), and according to the course of this world (Eph. 2:22Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (Ephesians 2:2)); is by nature a child of wrath (Eph. 2:33Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (Ephesians 2:3)); has no hope (Eph. 2:1212That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (Ephesians 2:12)); is without God in the world (Eph. 2:1212That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: (Ephesians 2:12)); will, if not saved, be judged according to his works, and, as a result, be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-1511And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11‑15)).
I want you to ponder over this terrible list until the fact is engraved upon your soul that every word of it is true of you. Do not, I beseech you, read it and say, “Yes, I quite believe it is true of some." But read it, and know that this is God's description of your state,—a description given not by mortal erring man, but by the God who made you, and in whose presence you must shortly stand.
But man's heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, as God says in Jer. 17:99The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9), and yours may even deceive you with the thought that you may be able to deliver yourself from this position. I therefore ask you to refer again to Rom. Hi., where God declares it to be impossible, for says He, "BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW THERE SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT." Future good conduct can never atone to God for past misconduct. If it were possible for you to cease from sin this moment, and lead hereafter a sinless life, there would yet remain before God's eye the black dark sins of your past life; and the question would still be, "How are you going to satisfy His holiness with regard to those sins?" For remember, God cannot pass over sin while the claims of His holiness remain undischarged. "Without the shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:2222And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Hebrews 9:22)).
In that same chapter where God says, "All have sinned, and come short of my glory," we hear Him also saying, "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in my sight." What have you to say to this, reader? Are you learning what a desperate condition yours is?
There are many invalids so weak as to be unable to help themselves, or even to move hand or foot.
Now this illustrates your own helpless condition as a sinner. The sad dark catalog on page 147 is descriptive of your state, and you are unable to alter one single fact in it, you have no power to get out of that awful condition; to speak figuratively, you cannot move hand or foot.
Read that black list again, and receive it, I pray you, as the voice of God to your soul. Read it, I say, as one who must soon stand in the presence of Him who is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity. Now look at
GOD'S MODE OF PROVIDING SALVATION FOR THE SINNER.
Here are glad tidings. God has not left you to perish eternally, because of your sin, and inability to deliver yourself from its consequences. He has come out and declared Himself to be on your side.
Not by surrendering His holiness, mind, but by bringing forth One who was qualified so to deal with the question of sin as to make perfect satisfaction to Him concerning it.
You see, when man was ruined by sin, and utterly unable to save himself, God took up the matter— not, however, to judge, but to save him. But to do this He had to give up the Son of His bosom to the death and shame of the cross, to make expiation for sin, and to die for sinners.
For the sinner's salvation the death of the Son of God was absolutely necessary; nothing short of this, nothing more; and when it was demonstrated that this must be, God hesitated not, but freely delivered up that Son.
And remember, this gift was bestowed, this love manifested, on behalf of the sinner whose ruined, sinful, apostate state is depicted on page 147. Read that catalog again, please, then read John 3:1616For 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), and ask yourself whether human thought could ever have conceived such marvelous love.
In the gospel of the blessed God two facts are stated, (1) That man needs salvation; (2) That God has provided salvation for him through the atoning death of His Son.
At the cross, Jesus the Mediator voluntarily came between God the Judge, and man the sinner, that He might Himself endure the sinner's judgment, that He might personally receive the stroke of divine justice against sin. The judgment was meted out; the stroke felt; the sinless Sufferer cried out in the measureless agony of His stricken soul, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? " and died. The claims of divine holiness in respect of sin were met, the work that was needed for the sinner's salvation was accomplished; Jesus is raised from the dead, ascends into heaven, is exalted a Prince and a Savior, crowned with glory and honor; and God, satisfied about sin, immediately comes out to the sinner, not in judgment, but to offer him an eternal salvation. Now see
THE WAY THE SINNER OBTAINS THIS SALVATION
This is it, reader,—by grace,—through faith. “By grace," is God's part;" through faith," the sinner's, "Not of works," shows that Christ's one work is sufficient.
The sinner then obtains God's salvation through faith, without the addition or help of a single good work, ordinance, or ceremony whatsoever.
Mark this particularly, for the devil is busily engaged at the present time in hiding the glory of Christ's work, by occupying men with ordinances and ceremonies, and persuading them that they are necessary to salvation. Be not deceived, my reader, you may be baptized a thousand times, and yet go to hell; you may partake of the Lord's Supper an equal number of times, and yet perish eternally, —and this because there is not an atom of saving merit or virtue in either of these ordinances. THEY ARE NOT THE BLOOD OF CHRIST; they are merely shadows of His work, and not the work itself.
Neither of them can impart a particle of blessing to an unsaved person, neither is in the smallest degree an aid towards salvation. Many will be in glory who have never either been baptized or partakers of the Lord's Supper, and millions will be in hell who have conformed to both; and yet in saying this we are not denying that these institutions are scriptural, and most precious in their place.
Salvation results exclusively from the finished work of Jesus, and is to be obtained by faith alone, apart from works, ordinances, or anything else whatsoever.
The Word of God reveals the sinner's need, by disclosing his terrible depravity and wretched weakness. But the work of Christ meets this need by putting away the sin, and rendering it unnecessary for the sinner to do anything towards saving himself. By faith, then, he must take his true place before God,—confessing his sinfulness, and weakness, and appropriating the work of Christ as that which was undertaken for his salvation, and which is sufficient for him.
There are many blessed illustrations of this fact in God's Word.
Jesus began His ministry with the announcement of the precious truth, " As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life " (John 3:1414And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (John 3:14)).
Please turn to Num. 21. You will find five things there,—(1) That Israel sinned; (2) God in judgment sends fiery serpents, which bite many of the people; (3) Moses prays for them; (4) God hears, and tells Moses to make a serpent of brass; (5) " And it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived.”
What did the bitten Israelite do, my reader?
Did he betake himself to the Jewish ordinances for salvation, washing in the water of purification, according to chapter 19, or keeping the passover, as enjoined in chapter 10.? Not a bit of it I He just took God at His word,—he looked, and lived And Jesus said, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, EVEN SO must the Son of man be lifted up; THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.”
Blessed, thrice blessed, "Even so!" It means, my reader, that just as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness as an object for faith, so should Jesus be lifted up on the cross; that as the dying Israelite looked and lived, so may you, a lost sinner, look and live.
In John 6 the multitude inquire of Jesus, “What shall we do that we might work the works of God?” Jesus answers," This is the work of God, that ye BELIEVE on him whom he hath sent.”
To the sinner of the city, who in her misery, and the longing of her heart for deliverance from that misery, sought His presence, Jesus says, “Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace" (Luke 7).
When the woman with the bloody issue touched the hem of His garment, and then, astonished, and in fear at the marvelous result of that touch, falls down before Him, Jesus dismisses her with the blessed words, " Be of good comfort, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace " (Matt. 9:2222But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. (Matthew 9:22)).
And to the blind men who cried after Him, “Son of David, have mercy on us," Christ replies, “Believe ye that I am able to do this?" They say, “Yea, Lord." "Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you; AND THEIR EYES WERE OPENED" (Matt. 9:29, 3029Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. 30And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. (Matthew 9:29‑30)).
When the Philippian jailer, affrighted by the earthquake, comes into the presence of the apostles of Jesus, and asks the question, “What must I do to be saved?" they immediately reply, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
Thus do the Scriptures distinctly and unmistakably testify to the glorious fact that the Son of God has so perfectly finished the work that was needed for the sinner's salvation, that there does not remain one jot or tittle for the latter to do.
The instant he feels his need, takes his true place before God as a sinner, and believes on the Lord Jesus, as the One who died to become his Savior, he is saved, everlastingly saved.
Every blessing provided by God for man is connected with faith as distinct from works. If it be salvation, Scripture announces that “by grace are ye saved through faith." If justification, Scripture teaches that “being justified by faith, we have peace with God." If it be eternal life, Scripture proclaims, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." And faith is, JUST TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD.
And yet thousands of people, in answer to the question of how they hope to get saved, reply, “I'm doing all I can," quite unconscious of the fact that God is not asking them to do all they can, nor indeed anything at all. He is simply asking them to bow to the truth of their sinful, miserable, weak condition, and that Jesus His Son died to become their Savior.
It is God's glory to save the sinner, and it is Christ's glory to have provided the ground of this salvation; and God will never permit His own glory, nor that of His Son, to be clouded by admitting man as a co-worker. Man is the sinner, God the Savior; and if the former would be saved, he must be so on God's own terms, and these are “BY GRACE, THROUGH FAITH.”
The Holy Spirit in Rom. 5 says salvation is of faith, that it might be of grace. If the sinner obtained it by his works, it would not be of grace but of debt. Now God will never Consent to be a debtor to the sinner. The sinner must be as debtor to God, hence God bestows upon the believer a salvation towards which the latter contributes nothing, a salvation which is altogether the result of Christ's atoning work. Will you, my reader, consent to be a debtor to God? then take salvation at His hands this moment. His word to you is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved; “and God never says what He does not mean.
I once asked an aged woman if her sins were forgiven. She replied that they were not. I asked her when she thought they would be forgiven.
She said she could not tell,—she prayed to God night and morning for forgiveness. I asked her how long she had prayed thus. She replied, “A great many years." "What," I said," do you mean to say that you have prayed all these years for pardon, and still remain unforgiven? What a hard-hearted God yours must be 1" And then I told her of the God who “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have ever-lasting life.”
But must I not pray? do you ask. Well, what do you pray for? Salvation and pardon? If so, God is offering these to you; and it is an insult to ask Him for them, for it amounts to a denial that He is offering them. Men would count you foolish if you were to ask something of a person who was all the while holding it out for your acceptance.
When Peter was preaching to those poor anxious Gentiles in Acts 10, he said, speaking of Jesus, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him SHALL RECEIVE REMISSION OF SINS.”
If prayer is necessary to salvation, my reader, why did he not tell those sinners to pray? and if it was not necessary in their case, can you explain why it should be necessary in yours?
Why will you not forthwith take God's word as it stands, refusing your own, and everybody else's thoughts, and cast yourself as a poor lost sinner on Jesus the Savior of sinners, believing in Him as the One able and willing to save you? Doing this you will get the blessing, which can be got in no other way.
Do you say the terms are too easy? Too easy Ah, my reader, the terms are easy, marvelously, gloriously easy for you; but have you ever considered what the procuring of this salvation cost the Son of God?
To make salvation so easy for you, He endured agonies which no creature will ever fathom. He, the Son of the Father's bosom, the Beloved of God, the sinless, unsullied Lord Jesus Christ, was at the cross made sin, and as such had poured out upon Him all the unutterably terrible wrath of an offended, insulted, holy, sin-hating God.
Remembering this, will you ever dare to say again that the way to be saved is too simple, too easy? Once more I repeat, God's word to you is, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." If in spite of this you die unsaved, what answer will you make to God when you stand before Him in your sins, a neglecter of His salvation?
The basis on which the believer's salvation rests is an imperishable one. It is THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.
There was only one thing in the universe that could put away sin, and that was the blood of God's Son. That precious, precious blood, poured out in atonement at Calvary, is the answer to God for the blackest, darkest, foulest life. There is not a sin which it cannot take away. Through its virtue, Saul the Pharisee, chief of sinners, Mary Magdalene, a crucified thief, and millions of others, once loathsome through the leprosy of sin, are now in the immediate presence of a sin-hating God.
The power of God could not put away sin, nor could His love. Works, tears, prayers, repentance, ordinances, ceremonies, cannot put away sin. One thing only will suffice, and that is the blood of Jesus. “And one of the soldiers, with a spear, pierced his side, and forthwith came thereout blood and water," " The blood of Jesus Christ God's Son cleanseth us from all sin." Search the Scriptures, friend, and find, if you can, anything beside that blood that will take away sin?
Well now, the blood of Christ having been shed, God both can and will save the sinner who seeks salvation through Jesus alone, apart from any merit or goodness which he might think it necessary to bring to Him. Do grasp the fact so clearly established in Scripture, that on the ground of the one great, atoning, sacrificial work of Christ, God bestows an everlasting salvation upon every sinner who believes in Jesus.
You have not to become better first. God will save you just as you are; your need gives you a claim upon His mercy. Just as the prodigal returned to the father's house, filthy and in rags, manifestly the one who had so sinned against that father, so do you come this moment to God, not excusing yourself, and resting on nothing but the blood and merits of His dear Son, and you will instantly get the prodigal's welcome; the Father's arms will be around your neck, His kiss imprinted on your brow, and Jae Himself will conduct you to that home, the joy and music of which will never end.
In contrast, then, to the condition of the sinner as detailed in the first catalog, the believer in Jesus is born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:55Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)); is saved (Titus 3:55Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; (Titus 3:5)); shall not come into condemnation (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24); Rom. 8:11There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)); is delivered from the coming wrath (1 Thess. 1:1010And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)); stands in grace, accepted in the Beloved (Rom. 5:22By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:2); Eph. 1:66To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)); is counted righteous by God (Rom. 4:55But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5)); brings forth fruit unto God (Rom. 7:44Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. (Romans 7:4)); rejoices in hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:22By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:2)); has everlasting life (John 6:4747Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (John 6:47)); walks after the Spirit (Gal. 5:2525If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25)); is by birth a child of God (John 1:12, 1312But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12‑13)); has God as his Father (John 20:1717Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)); is an heir of God, and predestinated by Him to be conformed to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:17, 2917And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:17)
29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (Romans 8:29)).
Now, my reader, contrast the two catalogs, and bear in mind that the first is the fruit of sin, and man's inability to free himself from its consequences; the second is founded on the atoning blood of Christ.
Yes, thank God, all these unutterable blessings result from, and are built upon, that precious blood.
What a foundation! Not the blood of Christ and human merit. Not the blood of Christ and ordinances, human or divine—but THE BLOOD OF CHRIST ALONE. Reader, that foundation can never be moved, all the assaults of hell can never prevail against it and remember all the misery and ruin of the first list are yours through sin, all the blessings of the second are yours the moment you believe in Jesus.
W. H. S.