(Written by a dying young man three weeks before his death.)
“I’LL tell you exactly how it appears to me. It’s similar to being on a ship sinking at some distance from the shore. The captain offers me a lifebelt, in which I have to trust to keep me floating until my feet touch the ground, and I know that I’m safe. But how do I know the lifebelt is all right? I haven’t had the opportunity of ripping it up to examine and see there’s no iron in it; and yet to that I’ve got to trust my life. People ought to examine their supports, in the light of eternity, when in good health.”
So spake a dying young man (the writer) in regard to faith in the finished work of Christ. But there was no question as to his being a child of God, even in face of the above remarkable expression as to the possibility of the insufficiency of Christ’s work. The utterance simply indicated a subtle suggestion of that one who deceived our first parents by the query, “Hath God said?” How often, alas! when the body is worn out by sickness, and the mind has correspondingly lost its power of resistance to what it knows to be false, do we find Satan busy raising doubts and fears; but, thanks be to God, it can ever be noticed that the exercise, through which one passes at such periods, only serves to strengthen the faith the devil seeks to weaken; and the present instance was no exception.
The father of the dying man, to whom these remarks had been addressed, inquired with some surprise: “ ‘You surely do not allow such infidel thoughts in regard to God’s acceptance of Christ’s sacrifice of Himself;’ and if God is satisfied, why should not you be? ‘The good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep.’”
“How may I know that I’m one of the sheep?” queried the doubter.
It was quite enough. The statement was as logical as it was true. The young man knew he had “come,” therefore had been “given” of the Father (John 10:2929My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. (John 10:29)), therefore was one of the “sheep”; and as Christ neither “casts out” nor “loses,” he could, accepting God’s offer of pardon, as a lifebelt without iron, rest in faith on God’s estimate as to the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice of Himself to meet all His claims in respect of sin; and, in addition to this, he could take his place amongst those in regard to whom the Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:2929Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29)).
And now, reader, in whatever state of health you may be now, I ask you solemnly, Have you examined your supports? Can you obtain confirmation from the Word of God, for the ground on which you are resting, as to your soul’s salvation? Or are you trusting to anything else than the gospel, “... how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day” (1 Cor. 15:3, 43For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3‑4))? If so, you will find out too late that “after death” you’ll have nothing before you but the Great White Throne, and the realized fact that “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:1515And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)).
Some time ago the writer stopped a man in the street in order to ask the way to a certain place. He was directed to it, and accompanied part of the way by the man, whose road lay in the same direction. Conversation turned on scriptural subjects, but to the writer’s astonishment, in answer to the question, “On what grounds are you resting for forgiveness of sins?” the man replied, “I’ve been baptized, and I take the sacrament.”
A little later, when visiting a hospital, the writer put the same question to a professing Christian about to undergo a serious operation, and received the reply, “Oh, I’ve led a very decent life, and I’ve done nobody any harm.”
There was but one answer to both men, who erred “not knowing the Scriptures,” and that is found in Ephesians 2:8, 9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.” And again in Romans 4:5: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
“Feelings,” too, are often taken advantage of by the devil to prevent a soul acknowledging the Lord Jesus as his Saviour. While speaking to a young man on an Atlantic liner, who, stricken down with consumption, was coming home to die, as to whether he had received Christ as his Saviour, he answered:” I know all about the plan of salvation, and I believe it, but I couldn’t say I’m saved, because I don’t feel like it; besides, when I have felt like it, those feelings have worn off.”
Alas! how sad that one’s feelings should influence in a matter of such vast importance as the soul’s salvation. Where, in Scripture, can a passage be found authorizing us to judge as to whether we are fit to stand before a holy and just God on the ground of feelings? On the contrary, we read, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God?” (Heb. 9:1414How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14)).
There is nothing about feelings here; but I will tell you where feelings will come in. When you have once recognized Christ as your Saviour, and as the One who has borne on Calvary’s cross the judgment due to you for your sins, and have believed that “the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin,” then you will feel that “ye cannot do the things that you would” (Gal. 5:1717For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Galatians 5:17)), for you will have “put on Christ” (Gal. 3:2727For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:27)).
To illustrate what I mean, let me refer to a little incident written me from Greece some time ago by a missionary. He had a young brother, fifteen years of age, who was very tall. Possessing, naturally, a boyish heart, he presented a ludicrous appearance when playing marbles and other childish games with lads of his own age, but who were of the normal height. To cure him, his brother (the missionary) bought him a man’s attire and a top hat. This at once appealed to the lad, for, arrayed in such a style, he felt he could no longer join his former playmates in their games, no matter how strong his desires to do so might be. And so you’ll find it, dear friend, when you have “put on Christ” that your “feelings” will fall into their right place.
And now, in closing, remember that, according to God’s Word, “He that believeth not 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)). Therefore, “Because there is wrath, beware lest He take thee away with His stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee” (Job 36:1818Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee. (Job 36:18)); and, for aught you know, “This night thy soul shall be required of thee” (Luke 12:2020But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? (Luke 12:20)). What then?
O. G. H. N.
FRAGMENT. — It is the work of Christ without you, and not the work of the Spirit within you, that must form the sole ground of your peace with God. You must beware of resting your peace on your feelings, convictions, tears, repentance, prayers, duties, or resolutions. You must begin with receiving Christ, and not make that the termination of a course of fancied preparation. Christ must be the Alpha and Omega. He must be EVERYTHING in our salvation, or He will be nothing. Beware, lest you fall into the common mistake of supposing that you will be more welcome to accept of Christ if you are brought through a terrible process of “law-work.” You are as welcome to Christ now as you ever will be.
W. R.