Our next subject is that of Salvation arid Assurance. Now, with regard to Salvation, it cannot be too plainly enforced at the outset that it depends, not on anything that you or I could do, but upon a work which Jesus Christ, God's Son, has already done; a work by virtue of which God is enabled to permit the full outflow of His heart of love towards sinners, without abating one title of His holy hatred against sin; yea, the same righteousness which makes it impossible for Him to admit the sinner in his sins to Heaven, is the same righteousness which makes it impossible for Him to exclude from the glory the sinner whose sins have been washed away by the precious blood of Christ. Was it a righteous act to consign me as a sinner to the lake of fire on account of my own works? Most assuredly it was. Then it is, as assuredly a righteous act for God to set me as a saint in the glory on account of the work of His Son. Thus God's character and my salvation stand or fall together.
As to our second subject, Assurance, it depends upon our simple and childlike acceptance of what God says as to those who believe on Jesus. What manner of child is that which doubts its father's word? Let the doubter, therefore, remember that it is no true humility which prompts him to do this, but that rather his doubts dishonor God and disgrace himself. In this section we shall accordingly proceed to bring into prominence the WORKMAN, the WORK, and the WORD: for it is the Person of the Lord Jesus which gives value to the work; it is the Work of the Lord Jesus which makes us safe; and it is the Word of God which makes us sure of it. Let, therefore, these three facts be but realized, and the subsequent section on Doubts will be unneeded, for the reader will have stepped into the gracious liberty of God's children. May the Lord use these papers to that end!
1.—the Workman.
First, then, let us illustrate the fact that it is the perfect Workman who gives value to the work.
“I am glad you have come," said the sick man to the street-preacher; "and now sit down and I'll tell you why I sent for you. I once heard you preach, and I said to myself, 'That's the man I should like to speak to me if I were on my dying bed.' And here I am; not long, I fear, for this world; and I have sent to ask you what I must do to be saved.”
“Well, I am afraid I can't tell you what to do," replied the preacher.
“Not tell me what to do to be saved?" queried the invalid; "why, I thought you were a preacher?”
“And so I am," replied the latter, "but for all that I can't tell you what to do to be saved"; and the sick man sank back disappointed on his pillow, and there was silence in the room. But the silence was at length broken, for the preacher, who had been gazing about, suddenly remarked.
“That's a nice cabinet that you've got over yonder.”
“Well," said the other, "it's a pretty good one, I believe, though I shouldn't be the one to say so, for no one ever put a touch to it but myself.”
“And good work, too," said the preacher; "but I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll just bring my tools round one of these nights and put a few finishing touches to it.”
“It's kind enough of you to say so, but, indeed you mustn't," said the sick man; "and I'll tell you why. You see, when I'm gone, I want my family to have something to remember me by. Now, I've done every stroke to the cabinet myself, and that'll just be its value in their eyes. With them it will be the workman that gave value to the work, and it wouldn't be the same thing to them at all if a stranger put a finger on it.”
“I quite understand," said the preacher, and added, "Just now you asked me what you were to do to be saved, and I told you I didn't know, and I don't, for there's nothing that you can do that could ever save your soul. But the Lord Jesus Christ has done a work, and it's a perfect work, for when He was expiring He said, `It is finished,' so that there's nothing left for you to do. Now, the One who did that work was a perfect Workman, for He was none other than the Son of God, and it is His person that gives the value to the work. And just as, when you are gone, the value of the cabinet in your family's eyes will be the fact that you made it, so, what gives value in God's eyes to the work which Christ has wrought out, is that His Son has done it. You couldn't do the work, and I couldn't do the work, which would fit us for God's presence, for we are sinners, and so are imperfect workmen; Christ is a perfect Workman, and has done a perfect work—so perfect that God has been satisfied, and glorified by it, and by virtue of it He can offer a free pardon to you.”
Like showers upon a thirsty soil fell this message on the ears of the poor dying man, and thankfully he rested his soul's eternal salvation, not on aught that he could do, but upon what Christ had already done; and so, when the summons came, he passed down to the river which leads to the gates of the Celestial City, undismayed.
Now, my reader, how is it with you? Are you resting your salvation upon that solid rock, the work of Christ, or on the shifting sands of what you yourself are doing? Or, failing that, are you seeking, by ritualism, to put the finishing touch of a stranger's hand to the perfect work of God's Son? If so, beware! One touch of yours would mar the value of the work of Christ, and the very fact that you would add the touch is a flat denial of Christ's dying words. Are you prepared for this? Surely you will not dare to spoil Christ's Work, and deny His Word? Will you not rather, with one of old who asked, "What must I do to be saved?" rest your soul on the reply, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved"? (Acts 16:30, 3130And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 31And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:30‑31)).
Ritual, a God-appointed one, there has been, and it spoke of an unfinished work—of redemption as yet unaccomplished—and pointed on, by its types and shadows to Christ. But, when Christ came, He "finished the work," "obtained eternal redemption," perfected forever them that are sanctified," and has taken His seat at the right hand of God, in token that the work is done. The priests under God's ritual of old, could never sit, for their work was never done: "This man, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb. 10:1212But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (Hebrews 10:12)). The Savior seated in heaven is the proof to all that He has fully accomplished the work He came to do.
My reader, there is nothing left for you to do. Simply, therefore, as a sinner, accept of the Perfect Workman who has done the Perfect Work. "It is finished." "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
2.—the Work of Christ.
The Perfect Work.
"Yes, but that's just where I don't go with you," said the blacksmith. "You see, I hold that salvation isn't so easy for any of us as all that; it's quite true that the Lord has done His part, but we've got to do ours as well.”
“But what is our part?" replied the farmer. "All our part in God's way of salvation is committing the sins which Jesus has borne.’ He bare our sins in His own body on the tree' is what every believer can say, and if He bare them, we can't; so that our sins are put away, and we are saved; but with the putting away of our sins we had nothing to do. It was God Who did it, for 'He hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.' However, what I called in for this morning was to get you to make me an iron gate. See, here are the measurements; now, when do you think you'll get it ready by?”
“Well, you shall have it by Tuesday, if that will suit you." "That'll do first rate; so I'll call in on Tuesday with the spring-cart, and take it away.”
Accordingly, on the day appointed, the farmer drove up to fetch the gate; and there, sure enough, it stood, spick and span, against the smithy wall; and the smith, hearing the wheels, emerged from the smithy with a look of honest pride on his face, good workman as he was, and greeted the farmer with a "Well, sir, there's your gate, finished and ready to time; and a good gate, too, though I says it as shouldn't.”
“Ye-es," said the farmer, as he ran an apparently critical eye over the gate, "Ye-es; but do you happen to have a file handy?”
“File?" thought the black-smith. "What's he want with a file, I wonder?" However, he went and fetched the desired implement, which the farmer received without a word, and with which he proceeded to rasp vigorously at the gate. At first the blacksmith eyed this proceeding with a nonplussed air; but, his temper beginning to get the better of him as he saw his work disfigured, he shouted out at length, "Here, sir, the gate's all right, and doesn't want anything done to it, and you're just spoiling it, for you know nothing about gates; so if you don't like it, why, you leave it before you've done more damage, and I'll soon get a customer for it, I warrant.”
“Quite true," said the farmer, "I do know nothing about gates; and it's certain that I should make a mess of it if I went on. And it's just the same with salvation. You can't do anything to save yourself; the work necessary for that has been done, and done by the Lord Jesus Christ; and if you try to improve upon that work you'll only spoil it. The Lord Himself declared that 'It is finished,' and yet here are you, eighteen hundred years after, declaring that it is not finished, but that you must do your part. A fine part mine would have been in finishing your gate, wouldn't it? And what part can you take in finishing a work that the Son of God has accomplished? You'll only spoil it, if you try.”
Yes, but what thousands are making the blacksmith's fatal mistake! They are occupied with their own doings, instead of resting their souls upon the work Christ has done. They are putting Works before Salvation, instead of where God puts them —viz., after Salvation; they are making saviors of themselves, while God makes a Savior of His Son. My reader, if you are still deluded by this snare of Satan, ponder well the words, "Through this Man (i.e., the risen Jesus) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him all that believe are justified from all things ... Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you" (Acts 13:38-4138Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; 41Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you. (Acts 13:38‑41)). Salvation is "through this Man," not through you; it is God's work, not yours.
3.—the Word of God.
Assurance of Salvation.
The address in the Gospel Tent had ended, and the preacher, having pressed upon his hearers the solemn issues of eternity with Christ, or eternity in the lake of fire; of joy and blessing, or weeping and gnashing of teeth—gave out the hymn commencing—
“Oh, do not let the Word depart
Nor close thine eyes against the light;
Poor sinner harden not thine heart—
Thou would'st be saved: why not
to-night?”
and concluded with earnest prayer that God would keep the question, "Why not tonight?" ringing in the souls of those who, as yet unsaved, had heard the Gospel preached that day.
And now the Tent Services had closed; the tent itself had been taken down and stored away for the winter; months had passed; and the preacher had left the neighborhood, while the prayer he had put up to God had been forgotten by him who uttered it. But One had heard and not forgotten, as the sequel to our story will show: for, returning, after a considerable absence, to the neighborhood, the preacher happened to call in at a cottage and found the tenant in deep concern about her soul—a concern which, as she informed him, had commenced by her going to the Tent and hearing the words of the hymn, "Thou would'st be saved: why not tonight?" which ever since had been ringing in her ears; and she told him how she had knelt down night after night, and prayed to God that she might be saved, but, as it seemed, in vain.
Surely the plowing and the harrowing had been done: it only needed now to cast in the good seed of the Word for it to bring forth fruit unto life eternal. So the preacher took the old lady's Bible, and opening it at the fifth chapter of John and the 24th verse, read the words, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life.”
“Now," said he, "you believe you are a sinner and in need of a Savior."
"Indeed I do.”
“Then listen: 'He that heareth My Word.' Have you believed that?”
“Yes.”
“'And believeth on Him that sent Me,'
Do you believe that God sent Jesus to die for your sins?”
“Yes.”
“For yours, if there wasn't another sinner in the wide world beside yourself?"
"Yes, for mine.”
“`Hath everlasting life.' Do you believe that?'
“Well, sir, I do hope I shall get it."
"What, hope? Surely you are not going to alter God's Word, are you?”
“No, sir, I don't want to do that.”
“Then why do you say that `hath' spells 'hope'? Why, at the Board School they would put a child who read that way at the bottom of the class! Now listen: God says `hath everlasting life.' You have fulfilled the two first conditions; you have heard his Word, and believed on Him that sent Jesus, and God says— and mark, it is not what you say, or think, or feel, but what God, by the lips of His Son, says—`You have everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but are passed from death unto life.' Judgment for you is impossible: you have believed on Jesus, whom God has appointed to be the Judge (John 5:2222For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: (John 5:22)); and the very Judge Himself has born the judgment that was your due, so that you go righteously free. If God has exacted the penalty from Jesus for your sins at the Cross, do you think Jesus will exact the penalty from you for them when He sits upon the judgment-seat? Never! Everlasting life is yours: you will not come into judgment, but are passed from death unto life, not, (again let me say,) because you feel it, or think it, or realize it, but because God says it, and He cannot lie.”
And the old lady said, "Well, if God says it, I will believe it." And she did.
A few more weeks passed, and the preacher was speaking to a Christian in a neighboring town, who said, "Do you know old Mrs.—? Well, the other day she came in and asked me to write a letter for her as she is a poor scholar; and, when I had written the letter, I said, just as a sort of a random shot, 'Shall I tell your friend that you know that your sins are forgiven?’ ‘Yes,’ she replied, 'you can put that in, too.' Oh,' I said, 'and how long have you known that?'" And then she related to my informant her story, just as I have told it to you.
And, to you also, my reader, I would put the question, "Do you know that your sins are forgiven?" You may; for Scripture says, "Through this man (the risen Savior) is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins" (Acts 13:3838Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: (Acts 13:38)); "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Eph. 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)); "I write unto you, children, because your sins are forgiven you for His Name's sake" (1 John 2:1212I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. (1 John 2:12)); but it can only be by treading in the footsteps of Paul and John, the preacher and Mrs.—, and thousands more, who, convicted by God's Word, and realizing their lost condition before Him, have taken Jesus as their Savior, and have accepted God's testimony as to their eternal salvation as believers on His Son.