By the Editor
The Sin against the Soldier and the Saviour
A SOLDIER said to a Christian the other day, “THEY TELL US IF WE DIE IN BATTLE WE SHALL BE SURE TO GO TO HEAVEN.” Thus advantage has been taken of the undoubted bravery and self-sacrifice of our soldiers to minimize the work of the Redeemer. The sacrifice of these human lives is set forth as being sufficient to merit heaven without the atoning work of Christ. What an awful departure from the truth of God is this! To show how this heresy is spreading, we hear of a preacher telling his audience that “in the presence of the dead soldier we are standing on holy ground,” that to die in such a war as this is “a passport to heaven,” that death in such a cause “is but a modern re-enacting of the sacrifice of Christ Himself.”
Soldiers of the Empire
You know there is no salvation apart from Christ. He is the ONLY way to heaven, and the Door. He says, “No man cometh unto the Father but by ME.” If what this preacher says is true, there is no need for any Chaplain, or Minister of God, to go and work among you; there is no need of any of these splendid gospel efforts that are being made for you at home or abroad. This preacher tells you that death in battle is “a passport to heaven,” and “a modern re-enacting of the sacrifice of Christ Himself”!
What an awful thing to send you into battle with this sin against Christ ringing in your ears! The Mahommedan leaders have said to their soldiers, “The gates of Paradise are under the shade of swords; he who dies fighting for the faith will assuredly gain admission there.” And men today in Christian England would send you forth to fight telling you that your death will be an expiation for all your sins, and a modern re-enacting of the sacrifice of Christ!
You will not be deceived. Brave and gallant as you are, you know you cannot save yourselves. You need a Saviour. You feel it in the trenches, and in the hour of battle; you feel it when you read that your mother is praying for you at home, and when you kneel in prayer face to face with death. Thousands are praying for you. We love you too well to seek to give you comfort by a lie against your Redeemer. We know He is near you wherever you are. He is saying, “Come unto Me... and I will give you rest.”
We shall never forget what you have done for us, and you must never forget what Christ has done for you.
He is the only Saviour, and faith in His finished work is the only “passport to heaven.” There can be no “modern re-enacting of the sacrifice of Christ,” for He appeared once in the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He alone, who knew no sin, could bear the sins of others. The work of man’s redemption was done twenty centuries ago when Jesus said, “It is finished,” on the cross.
Texts in Proof of This
“Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
“Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
We can pray for you, and we do daily.
The following incident shows how God can preserve and bless those who trust in Him. This wonderful event took place in a house in Belgium. There was a battle raging in the town, many houses were burning, and the inhabitants were fleeing for their lives. I will call it
The Oasis of God
“Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst.”
There had been a sharp engagement, and the British troops holding a village had been hurriedly forced by great masses of the enemy to retire. In the confusion three Scottish privates and a corporal were cut off in the streets, so they backed into the first open door they came to. The occupants had fled, and they made their way up a long staircase, intending to find the roof and watch events from there. But it ended in an empty loft, where there was only a skylight beyond their reach. “Better lie low for a while,” suggested the corporal as they stood listening to the terrible sounds outside. The Germans were evidently burning, looting and killing. Now and again they heard screams and the discharge of rifles; sometimes an explosion would shake the building; while the smell of burning wood penetrated to their retreat. This went on for hours. The soldiers knew they would be discovered sooner or later, and expected no mercy.
Suddenly the corporal said: “Lads, it’s time for church parade; let’s hae a wee bit service here; it may be oor last.” The soldiers looked a little astonished, but they piled their rifles in a corner, and came and stood at attention. The corporal took out a small Testament from his breast pocket and turned over the pages. “Canna we sing something first? Try ye’re hand at the twenty-third Psalm. Quiet noo — very quiet.”
“Yea, though I walk in death’s dark vale,
Yet will I fear none ill;
For Thou art with me; and Thy rod
And staff me comfort still.”
There wasn’t much melody about the tune, but the words came from the heart.
“In all Times of our Tribulation—”
Then the corporal began: — “Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but, rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
As he read there were loud shouts below; doors banged, and glass was smashed. But he went on: — “He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it.” He ended, and his grave face took on a wry smile. “I’m no’ a gude hand at this job,” he said, “but we maun finish it off. Let us pray.”
The corporal stood, with the book in his hand, and the others knelt and bowed their heads. A little haltingly, but, very simply, he committed their way to God and asked for strength to meet their coming fate like men. While he prayed a heavy hand thrust open I shall be glad to print any requests for prayer that may be sent me. This is the time for prayer; never was it more needed. Send the door and they heard an exultant exclamation and then a gasp of surprise. Not a man moved, and the corporal went calmly on.
After a pause he began, with great reverence, to repeat the Lord’s Prayer. That a German officer or private was standing there they realized; they did not see, but they felt, what was taking place. They heard the click of his heels, and they knew that he also was standing at attention. For a moment the suspense lasted, and then came the soft closing of the door and his footsteps dying away. The tumult in the house gradually ceased, and soon afterwards the storm of war retreated like the ebb of the tide. At dusk the four men ventured forth, and by making a wide detour worked round the flank of the enemy and reached the British outposts in safety.
From the United Free Church Record.
“In peace let me resign my breath,
And Thy salvation see;
My sins deserved eternal death,
But Jesus died for me.”
For Absent Friends
We all have them, dear ones in the trenches, husbands, brothers, sons, fighting for us on those terrible battlefields. We must surround them with a defense of believing prayer. Day by day, and hour by hour, we must pray that the Angel of His Presence will stand by them and protect them. In many a lonely home the hymn-prayer will rise to heaven: —
“Holy Father! In Thy mercy
Hear our anxious prayer;
Keep our loved ones, now far absent,
‘Neath Thy care.”
to Editor of “Message from God,” The Firs, Denmark Road, Exeter.
Requests for Prayer
A father and mother earnestly desire prayer for their son at the Front, that he may be preserved to them, and be a faithful witness for Christ to his men.
A mother who has four sons in the Army desires prayer for three of them, who do not yet know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.
Prayer is desired by a sister for an only brother who has joined the Army, that he may be saved.
Our Need these Earnest Days
I feel overwhelmed with a sense of the need all around. Through the kind help of friends I have been able this month to send forty large parcels of Gospels, “Messages,” etc., to the soldiers and the sailors, besides giving away thousands in Exeter. When you read the extracts from some letters I have received you will see how great the need is.
Extract from a letter sent from the Front to a Christian in England: —
“It is a great pleasure to know that God is always near to protect and keep those who are His. It is wonderful to see how near He allows some of our men to get to death and then snatches them back.....
“I have no fear of what lies in front of me, and shall be always smiling and looking up to Him, who alone worketh great marvels.”
Question
How long has Christ been calling you to come to him?