IT is passing strange that so many people I should use these words when asked as to their hopes for the future. And yet, when we remember how Satan blinds the eyes of them that believe not, it does not seem so strange after all.
The person who says he is "doing his best" is certainly blind. I do not mean, of course, that he cannot see with his eyes, but that he is blind to the truth, just as we sometimes say that a man is blind to his own interests, or blind to the danger he is in. There are three great truths to which such a person is utterly blind.
First, he is blind to the fact that his own words are not true, that he is not doing his best, and that even if he were to try a great deal harder he would still not be doing his best. Further, any man, if he will seriously think for a minute, will admit that he is far from perfection. Yet nothing but perfection will do for God. He will accept nothing less.
Some years ago a great monument was to be erected in America to the memory of General Worth. It was to consist of a single stone. This stone, one of the largest and heaviest ever quarried, weighed one hundred and seventy-five tons.
After it had been prepared, at great expense, and was ready to be set up, it was discovered to be imperfect. There was a single defect in it. Because of this, it would not do, and the contractors had to prepare another.
Mark the point. One defect caused the rejection of this huge and costly stone. And one imperfection in anything that is presented to God will surely lead to its being rejected.
How then can anyone expect God to accept his "best" when even the "best" is marred, not by a single imperfection, but by many?
You may say, "What more can a man do than his best?" But that is not the point. The point is that no man can truly say that he has done his best, or that he is doing it. You know very well that your thoughts, and words, and actions are not always your very best!
It is also true that if you could succeed in always doing your best, it would still be marred by many a flaw, and that God could not possibly accept it.
Secondly, the person who talks about "doing my best" is blind to the great truth that God is not asking anybody to do anything in order to be saved. He knows very well that “every man at his best state is altogether vanity."(Psa. 39:5.) He knows that" there is none that doeth good, no, not one." (Rom. 3:12.)
How foolish of people to speak of “doing their best,” when God says that there are none who do good! God knows also that we are "without strength" (Rom. 5:6), and that therefore we cannot do what we ought to do.
So God does not demand anything from us in the shape of "doing." He does not even ask us to "do our part." As all our "doing" is short of perfection, God will not accept any of it in payment, or even in part payment of the price of our salvation.
Thirdly, the person who talks about "doing my best" is blind to the wonderful truth that all the "doing" has been done for us by Someone else, namely, the Lord Jesus Christ. When He hung upon the cross He said: "IT IS FINISHED.”
Have you ever thought of the meaning of those three words? They do not mean that the Lord Jesus presented His perfect life to be accepted by God instead of our imperfect life.
But they mean that by His sufferings and dying upon the tree He did a mighty work, whereby all your sins may be forever put away. Towards this great work you are not asked to contribute a single thing. You are not told that Christ has done His part and now you have to do yours. You are not even bidden to pray, or make good resolutions in order to be saved.
If you really believe what God says in the Bible about your sins, how terrible they are in His sight, and how deserving they are of eternal judgment, you will repent. You will confess to God what a poor, unworthy sinner you are. Then you will be glad to hear the good news that you can be forgiven and saved through simply trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is not hard to understand, is it? We all know what "trusting" means. It is not merely believing certain things about a person, however true those things may be. It means confiding in that person.
Now the Bible says: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." (Acts 16:31.)
It says again: "Whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins." (Acts 10:43.)
Since the way of salvation is so plainly explained in the Scriptures, no one has any excuse for his ignorance. Yet the fact remains that thousands and thousands of people who have Bibles, and can read them, are altogether ignorant of the truth as to this important matter.
Now that it has been put before you, reader, see to it that you do not miss this great blessing.
H. P. B.