Janet had a "drinking problem." Her neighbors knew it; her husband knew it. Janet herself knew it, but she just could not overcome it.
One night as she wandered in the streets, disgusted with herself and miserably unhappy, she overheard a preacher speaking on John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16): For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
He was talking of the word "whosoever," and was just telling the listeners that this word meant all, no matter how bad they were or how low they had fallen. He said that even if one were a slave to sinful habits, the word was still true. Even for the very chief of sinners, God's love in this verse was for them.
Janet listened in amazement. Could a holy God love her? The Holy Spirit opened her eyes and heart, and she saw that "whosoever" meant even her. Janet accepted the Savior of sinners and received God's forgiveness that night. Rushing home to her sober, sensible husband, she exclaimed, "John, I am saved! John, I am saved!"
"What do you mean, Janet?" he asked.
"I mean, John, God loves me and I'm saved. His 'whosoever' means me!"
"No, no, Janet," he replied. "You can't be saved as easily as that, for it says in the Good Book that you must work out your own salvation."
"Yes, John, that's true, but you must get it first. I have got it, and I want you to get it as well as me."
Janet's talking was useless. John's mind was set that nobody could be saved as easy as Janet had said—by just taking God at His word. What could Janet do? She began to live as a Christian before her husband, putting in a word now and then to see if he would respond. The answer was still the same: "You can't be saved as easily as that. You must work out your own salvation."
Weeks passed. Everybody saw that Janet was a changed woman. John, seeing the change in his wife, began to wish that he had the same peace and joy, but he would not give in.
One dark night John went out to get some water from the well. Missing his footing, he fell into the well. Immediately he shouted, "O God, save me! O God, save me!"
Hearing his cries, Janet and a friend rushed to the rescue. They lowered a rope down to John in the well. Eagerly he grabbed hold of it and shouted, "Pull me up, Janet!"
Janet called down: "Have you got a firm hold of it, John?"
"Yes, Janet; please pull me up!"
They began to pull. When John's feet were out of the water, suddenly Janet let him fall back into the water. Coming up gasping and sputtering, he cried, "Janet, what are you doing? Do you want me to drown?"
"No, John, but I want to save you in your own way. I'll pull you up part way and then you must get the rest of the way out by yourself. I want you to work out your own salvation before I save you."
"I've been wrong, Janet. I can see now that I must be saved all at once. Pull me up, please."
Immediately Janet, with the aid of the neighbor, pulled John up. From that hour John, too, was a changed man.
John had realized for a long time that he was a sinner, but he had refused to yield to the Savior. His fall into the well made him cry to God and he gave up his stubbornness. Janet's prayers were answered, though in a very unexpected way.