“WELL, John, you are getting old and feeble now, and very soon someone else will occupy your place here: do you ever think where you will spend eternity? You know you cannot live here forever. Death will steal a march upon you and overcome you some day; and what then?"
"Sometimes I think about these things, but not very often. You know we must just do the best we can, and leave the rest with the Almighty.”
"Well, John, you have gone to church for a great number of years now, and taken the sacrament too. No matter what the weather has been—wet or dry, cold or hot, you have been regular in your attendance, unless prevented by something very special. And you have heard a great number of sermons, and repeated the creed, and joined in the responses, and all the rest of it. Numbers of times you have said, I believe in the forgiveness of sins.' Now tell me, what do you think you have to do to get your precious soul saved?”
“Oh, I don't know exactly.”
“Now just give me your own thoughts about it.”
“Well, I suppose we must do the best we cans”
“But what do you mean by 'the best we can?'”
“Oh, go to church, and say my prayers, and pay everybody their due, and ask God to forgive me, and try not to commit any more sins.”
“Very good, John, that is the general and common thought-the creed of thousands. But let us look at it for a moment or two.
“Supposing I bought a sheep of you for which I had to pay 6os., and then I ran away and did not pay; of course, I should be a thief and liable to be punished by the law of the land. Then after a while I return and say to you, John, I want to buy another sheep of you, but I will pay ready money for it this time,' how would that suit you?”
“Not at all.”
“Why not?”
“Because I want 6os., for the first, and I'm sure I would not let you have another if you did not pay for the first.”
“But suppose I say, ‘I am very sorry, John, for robbing you of your money and will not do it again'; will that do?”
“No! you ought to be sorry, but that does not pay for the sheep.”
“Then suppose I get down on my knees and not only give expression to my sorrow, but beg and beseech you to forgive me, and I promise to be better for the future, will that do?”
“No, certainly not! I might forgive you, but unless the 6os. is paid it would not be just.”
“Then supposing I had a friend who came and said, 'John, here is 6os. for the sheep and interest for your money. I have taken my friend into partnership with myself, so he has plenty of money now, therefore if he wants to buy any more sheep, you know he has plenty to pay with, so you need not be afraid;' would that do?”
“Oh, yes, that would do very well; indeed, I should be satisfied with that.”
“Well, now, let us apply this to the question of your soul, seeing you understand about the sheep so clearly.
“The wages of sin is death.’ And 'the soul that sinneth it shall die.’ Now you have committed the sins, and you must have the wages, which is death. God is a just God, therefore nothing will meet your case but death. Do you see this now?
“Then going to church is not death. Saying prayers is not death. Paying everybody their due is not death. Asking God to forgive you is not death. Endeavoring to refrain from future sins is not death; and the wages of sin is death.'
“Ah, John, you are on dangerous ground. With all your respectability and religion you see you are just a guilty sinner, and if you die as you are you will drop into hell. Besides, suppose you do not commit any more sins from now till the moment of your death, even that will not do, because there is the back debt still standing, like the 6os. for the sheep. Nothing will do but death.
“You see, the common creed is a bad one after all—rank bad. It deceives people. It lulls them to sleep in the devil's cradle of self-complacent Phariseeism. In other words, it makes them think if they do this, that they are better than those who do not do it, whereas, you see, it is not a question of doing anything at all; it is a question of death. And thus Satan deceives all these religious people, who, like you, John, are working for salvation. I really tremble for you, and would not stand in your place for ten thousand worlds. I only hope that you see your danger and are prepared to accept God's way of deliverance from it.
“The wages of sin is death.' Now what has taken place? Ah, here is where you will find peace. 'God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
“Now instead of the word world, and the word whosoever, let us put your name in, and you will see how nicely it will fit you. 'God so loved John—, that he gave his only begotten Son, that if John—believes in him, he shall not perish, but have everlasting life.'
“You see there is nothing there about church, and prayers, and all that kind of thing; nothing at all. It is all about God's love to you; and God's gift to you. And all you have to do is to believe in Christ and have everlasting life.
“'The wages of sin is death.' Christ has died, the Just for the unjust to bring us to God.’ 'The blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanseth us from all sin.’ As a just God He demands death. As a God of love He provides the Saviour, and Jesus the Saviour has passed through death. Now do you not see, John, that if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Saviour, then His death is put down as yours, and His blood cleanseth you from all your sins. God looks at you as though you had done it all yourself, whereas it is Jesus who has done it all for you. Then you have His word which says you have everlasting life.’ And, 'By grace ye are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works.’ And, 'He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.’ So that you are associated with Christ in resurrection, standing in the unclouded favor of God.
Thank God, Jesus has received the wages and the believer goes free.”
Reader! if John's thoughts and way of salvation are yours, may you learn your mistake before it is too late, and be persuaded at once to accept God's way of salvation through simple faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ. W. E.