It is utterly impossible that true, solid, eternal peace can be enjoyed, or true spiritual worship presented, until the conscience is purged by the blood of the cross. I must know not only that all the claims of my conscience, but that all the claims of God’s throne have been perfectly answered by One who died in my stead, ere I can breathe freely, walk at ease, or worship within the veil. There is no if, no but, no condition.
The door is thrown open as wide as the sinner’s heart could desire. His nature, his condition, and all his heavy liabilities have been divinely met in the cross. God can say, “Deliver him from going down to the pit,” not because he has kept all My commandments, nor even because he has earnestly tried but reluctantly failed to keep them, nor yet because he has sincerely repented and purposes to lead a new life; no; but because “I Have Found a Ransom.” Here is true peace. God knew the exact amount of ransom required, and He has Himself found it—found it all—found it for Me.
Reader, rest here! See the full amount of ransom told out beneath the eye of infinite holiness in the life blood of Jesus! See it! hear it! believe it! rest in it! You are not asked to throw the weight of a feather into the balance to make up the full amount. Jesus has paid all; and as the eternal Father raised Him from the dead, and enthroned Him at the right hand of the Majesty in the highest heavens, He, as it were, declared in the audience of all created intelligence—He sounded abroad through the entire universe, “I Have Found a Ransom.”
It is needless for you to say, I can find no rest, I am so terribly bad. I try to live better, but it is all the same. The more I try, the worse I am; I try to keep the commandments; I do all I can, but yet I do not have peace; I am not happy, I do not know that my sins are forgiven.
Dear friend, all this is “I.” You must look away from this poor miserable guilty “I” altogether. God says, “I Have Found a Ransom.” Has He found it in you or outside of you? Has He said, I have found ninety-nine parts of the ransom and you must find the hundredth? Ah! no; He has found it All, He has done all, and He knew what was necessary, and He tells you “The Glad Tidings” in order that you may “hear and live.”
Do not, therefore, read another line of this article until your weary heart has found sweet repose in God’s ransom. He does not ask you to pay a farthing; but He tells you He has paid all. Take Him at His word—confide in His love—lean on His ransom. May God open your eyes to see and your heart to understand and believe the things that are for your eternal peace.
Yet here in God’s most blessed Word,
His love is seen, His voice is heard;
He speaks to you, He speaks to me
With such sublime simplicity.
He loved the world, His Son He gave,
The guilty and the lost to save;
To save them from the woes of hell,
O! This is love unspeakable!
Not by our works, but by the blood
Of Him who once our surety stood;
Nothing but this could e’er atone—
The blood of Jesus Christ alone.