NOTHING shows the total depravity of man, and the alienation of his heart, more than the fearful charge that he often hurls at God, making Him responsible for the ruin and misery of man. Nothing could be further from the truth; and the very mention of it causes the renewed soul to shudder, in the realization that it proceeds from the heart of him who is “the father of lies,” and was a “murderer from the beginning,” though it be expressed by human lips.
“God is light” and “God is love;” and neither holiness nor love could possibly be the author of the fallen, sinful, ruined condition of man.
God made man upright, with the crown of innocence upon his brow; he was endowed with every creature perfection, like Satan, of whom it is said, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezek. 28:1515Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. (Ezekiel 28:15)). But with only one prohibition, one simple test to his obedience to God, to his allegiance to his Creator, he broke down, ruined and destroyed himself. Sad and awful fall!
God said of Israel at a later day, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself” (Hosea 13:99O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. (Hosea 13:9)); so was it with man from the beginning. He is a self-destroyed creature, and the responsibility of the act rests with himself and not with God.
Satan having led man into a course of sin, which is lawlessness, now seeks to blind him still further, by insinuating that God is the author of his fall and consequent misery; and man, already seduced from God, readily accepts the fearful calumny. Ignoring his position as a responsible being, he throws the blame upon God, at whose hands he has received nothing but goodness.
Be it so; nevertheless God is and will be God, and He has sworn by Himself that every knee shall bow to Him, and every tongue confess to God. Everyone must give account of himself to God. “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil” (Eccles. 12:1414For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)). O fearful hour, when the rebel sinner shall find himself face to face with God, whom he has charged with being the author of his ruin and misery, but who will place it where it belongs, even with man himself, and as a righteous God judge him according to his works! (Rev. 20:11-1511And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11‑15).)
Man has destroyed himself, and there is no hope in what he is, or in what he can do. If left to himself his doom is inevitable and eternal. But blessed be His name there is help in God. “O Israel, thou ha.st destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help.” Ah, yes; accepting the truth of the matter, that we have morally destroyed ourselves, and ruined ourselves beyond all human remedy, how blessed to turn to God, the God we have sinned against, whom we have despised and traduced, and find that help, yea, salvation itself, is from Him. Turning thus we learn the true nature of God, that He is love, and that when we had destroyed ourselves, and even blackening His holy character, and adding sin to sin, and iniquity to iniquity, “He so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For 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 our hatred He returned love; and in answer to our calumnies, He sent His only begotten Son to die for us, that we might live through Him.
God’s salvation is great, because it is the production of infinite love, wrought out by an infinite sacrifice, and meant for great and self-destroyed sinners. The death and resurrection of Christ are the true and only basis of the sinner’s salvation. “Christ hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:1818For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (1 Peter 3:18)). “He was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:11Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Romans 5:1)).
God saves now all who believe on His Son. “Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth” (Isa. 45:2222Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:22)). “He that believeth on me HATH everlasting life” (John 6:4747Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. (John 6:47)). He pardons the repentant believing sinner, He justifies him from all things (Acts 13:38, 3938Be 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. (Acts 13:38‑39)), and puts him in a place of present and eternal acceptance in His beloved Son (Eph. 1:6, 76To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:6‑7)). “There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:11There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)).
Blessed salvation! Who could save thus but God only? To Him be eternal homage and ceaseless praise!
Reader, are you saved?
E. A.