A man in the prime of life was sick. Suddenly laid aside by illness from an active business life and from a prominent place in the church of which he was an esteemed member and officer, he now had time to think. Never before in the days of health and religious effort had he considered his own personal condition in the sight of God. Nor had he thought where he would go when earthly life was ended.
On a Lord's Day afternoon a friend called to see him. In the course of conversation he said to the sick man: "I have more than once been at the very gate of death. I cannot describe the peace I enjoyed at the prospect of meeting God, simply trusting in the precious blood of Jesus Christ as my only plea, my only title.”
The sick man raised himself on his elbow and said: "I have been thinking about the same matter a good deal of late. I fear I have not been sufficiently zealous in religion to enable me to say I can look into the future as you do. I would give all that I possessed if I could.”
"Religion is not a title to heaven, dear sir," replied the Christian visitor. "Religion never gave anybody peace with God, or a title to His presence. The blood of Jesus Christ alone can do that.”
The sick man seemed bewildered. He had always thought that religion was the very best thing in the world. He presumed that when people spoke of "conversion," "salvation," and "cleansing in the blood of Christ," they simply expressed in that way and according to their own peculiar creed the same thing that he called "religion." His friend realized his perplexity and taking advantage of it sought to bring before him the gospel of God's salvation. He said: "May I read you a short portion of the Scriptures?”
The portion chosen was the twelfth chapter of Exodus, in which an account of the Passover, the sprinkling of the blood, and the safety of the firstborn are given. Commenting briefly on the verses, the visitor remarked: "It was the blood shed and sprinkled, the blood trusted in, and it alone that gave safety to all within the houses that night. All under the shelter of the blood were safe; all outside it, no matter what their character, were doomed to judgment.”
There was a solemn silence in the room as he stopped speaking—a silence which the visitor felt unwilling to break, as it seemed to him that God was working deep conviction by His Spirit through the Word in the soul of him who lay there.
At last the sick man stretched out his hand and grasped the hand of the visitor. He said slowly, with great emotion: "It's all in the blood. I see it now, as I never did before. I have been trusting to my religion and my own righteousness. Now I see clearly that my only title to salvation is believing in the blood of Christ.”
The Christian bowed his head in silent thanksgiving to God, and at the request of the sick merchant, now filled with peace and joy, he bowed his knees and gave thanks to God for his deliverance and conversion.
How many think that religion is a savior! How many are trusting to their own righteousness and good works to take them or to help them into heaven! God declares that the precious blood of Christ, trusted in by the sinner, is his only shelter from coining wrath.