CHRIST is the great theme of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, and the only Saviour for sinners. “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:5, 65For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:5‑6)). Every writer points to Him, and to Him alone.” I, even I, am the Lord; and besides me there is no saviour” (Isa. 43:1111I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. (Isaiah 43:11)). No sooner had sin entered, than we read in the first book of Moses that the Lord God tells of One who should bruise the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:1515And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)). Abel’s firstlings of the flock; Noah’s ark; Abraham’s son Isaac, bound on the altar on Mount Moriah; Joseph rejected and exalted―all point to Christ. The blood of the paschal lamb; the deliverance of Israel at the Red Sea; the sacrifices under the law, ―all tell of the death of Christ.
The writings of the psalmist David abound with allusions to the coming Saviour. Prophet after prophet tells of the sufferings, and sounds forth the glories, of the great Redeemer. The Old Testament abounds with type, figure, shadow, illustration, pointing to Christ. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John alike present Jesus, the only Saviour, in the varied glories of His Person, and tell of His finished work upon the cross. All the apostles proclaim the glad tidings of salvation through and in this same Blessed One, once crucified, dead, and buried, but now risen and glorified in the heaven above. Their writings testify to the perfection of His sacrifice; that His finished work is the alone ground of salvation; and that He is all (Col. 3:1111Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:11)).
Above all, the Father saith from the excellent glory, “This is my beloved Son; hear him” (Luke 9:3535And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. (Luke 9:35)). The Son Himself said on earth, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:66Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)). The Holy Ghost witnesseth to His exaltation in glory as a Prince and a Saviour (Acts 5:31, 3231Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. (Acts 5:31‑32)).
Wherever we turn, in short, in the Word of God, both His testimony and that of His servants is to the Person and work of His Son, the only Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Beloved reader, what think you of Him? Strange that so many thousands should seek salvation by so many plans of their own or their fellows’ devising, or, at most, add Christ as a kind of makeweight to their own righteousness, in the face of so full a testimony from God’s own Word.
The writer was traveling in the train when a respectable-looking woman began telling another that she was on board a certain steamer when a sailing vessel collided with it, and that her master, mistress, and three children, besides a large number of others, were drowned, and added that she herself sank twice beneath the surface of the waters, when a man caught hold of her and saved her life. When asked what her title was to heaven, if she had been drowned, she replied, with the greatest self-confidence, “I never did any one any harm, and I often go to church.” It seems almost incredible that there should be such sheer ignorance of the way of salvation in this land of Bibles. And what must we think of the teaching of the church that she attended that she had not learned better than that! He replied by telling her that she must have another and a better title, and endeavored to show her God’s simple and blessed way of salvation, as illustrated in her own preservation from drowning; that just as she was saved from death by the strong grasp of the man who, at the risk of his own life, drew her out of the water, so the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had descended to the depths of Calvary’s cross, not only at the risk, but at the cost, of His own life, to save poor, perishing sinners, and that by simply trusting Him, He would save her.
Perishing in a watery grave, and unable to rescue herself, this woman needed a saviour. And perishing in your sins, you, too, need a Saviour, sinner, and Christ Jesus is the Saviour you need. “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all” (1 Tim. 2:5, 65For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy 2:5‑6)). Have you believed on Him? God points you to Christ. Moses, the Psalmist, the prophets, point you to Christ. The evangelists point you to Christ. The apostles point you to Christ. We point you to Christ. Christ Himself says, “Come unto me” (Matt. 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)).
Eternity is at your door. Death stares you in the face; judgment rests upon you; the world lying in the wicked one is all around you. Sin is on you, has dominion over you, and comes from you. A lifelong’s sins in thought, word, and deed are laid to your charge. Your own heart condemns you; your own conscience accuses you. And you have to meet God. Well, what are you going to do? If you meet Him a sinner in your sins, you will perish everlastingly. If you seek to remedy the past by reformation in the present, you will prove no better than a whited sepulcher. But if you cease from your own vain efforts to better the flesh, and believe on God’s dear Son, you shall be saved (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)). “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Tim. 1:1515This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)). It is Christ, dear soul, that you need; yes, Christ, and Christ alone.
And not only does every writer in Scripture point to Christ, but every sinner that has received blessing, or ever will, receives it through Him. From Genesis to Malachi, many believed the promises of God concerning the Blessed One to come, and were accounted righteous by God. The New Testament gives us abundant instances of faith in Him. Simeon took Him in his arms as a babe, and rejoiced in God’s salvation. Anna spake of Him to all who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. Peter confessed Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:1616And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. (Matthew 16:16)). The dying thief confessed Him as Lord. Thomas says, “My Lord and my God.” Paul preached Him as the Son of God. And we might bring forward numberless instances of blessing and salvation through His peerless name. Never was self-judged sinner refused by Him. “Any man,” “whosoever,” were the precious words which fell from the lips of the Son of the Blessed, inviting all to come with confidence to Him. And whether the soul or the body, He healed, and healed perfectly, all who came. Will you then come to Him?
What is it that keeps you back? Do you still think you must be better first? If you tarry till you are better, you will never come at all. Do you think you are too great a sinner? Saul of Tarsus was the chief and Christ saved him. Do you think this salvation is too cheap? Too cheap! It cost the life of God’s Beloved Son. That is why it is costless to you. Do you think the plan too easy? Too easy! Why, if a single difficulty had been left, all must have missed it altogether. Do you think it seems too good to be true? That just brings out the marvelous grace of the blessed Saviour-God, whose salvation it is. It is provided just to suit the need of sinners, who richly deserve the lake of fire. Christ did the whole work, and God presents Christ to you. Receive Him by faith, and you are saved; die without Him, and you will be damned.
And in this blessed Christ of God every precious treasure is to be found. We may compare Him to a golden casket filled with precious jewels. In possessing the casket, you possess the contents. Having Christ, we have every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:33Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:3)). Everything a soul can possibly need is to be found in Him. Do you want forgiveness? In Him we have forgiveness (Eph. 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)). Do you want to be justified? We are justified in Him. Do you want redemption? In Him we have redemption. Do you want wisdom? Christ “of God is made unto us wisdom.” Do you want righteousness? Christ of God is made unto us “righteousness.” Do you want sanctification? Christ of God is made unto us “sanctification” (1 Cor. 1:3030But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: (1 Corinthians 1:30)). Believe on Him, and all these blessings are yours, ―now, and forever.
“‘Tis a vast exhaustless treasure,
Saviour, we possess in Thee.”
The work of Christ is a finished work, and a perfect work. By it God has been glorified, His righteousness vindicated, the claims of His holiness maintained and satisfied, the curse of the law borne, the question of sin settled, death’s sting removed, the victory of the grave overcome. A living, risen, ascended, glorified, seated, triumphant, coming Saviour, is one witness thereto in heaven; and the Holy Ghost, as the present, personal, abiding Paraclete, another witness on earth. Every lost sinner who believes on the glorified One is henceforth and forever viewed of God in all the infinite value and efficacy of the finished work, and all the favor of that blessed, glorified Man, the Beloved (Eph. 1:66To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:6)). The whole blessing is yours, reader, when you believe. From one end to the other of His Word God presents His Son as the object of faith in a thousand different ways, using the simplest of language and figures, that sinners may be blessed. For instance, we read, ―
And yet, in the very face of these simplest presentations of the Gospel, man raises a thousand difficulties of his own devising, instead of taking the Lord simply at His word. How are you treating Him? On all hands we meet with those who are talking of their religion, their righteousness, their works, their frames, their feelings, their experience; but where is Christ in all these? The religion of thousands begins, continues, and ends with themselves. Like the Pharisees and the elder son in the Gospel of Luke, it is I, I, I, I, I, I, from beginning to end, ―morning, noon, and night. Now Christianity is just the displacing of I by Christ. As long as you are occupied with self, you will assuredly lack peace and liberty of soul; but the moment you look to Christ, and away from self, peace with God is yours, and you are saved. Therefore we would preach Christ unto you, the Son of the living God, the only Saviour; for, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)). E. H. C.