AN old man in a remote village in one of the eastern counties lay dying. He had plied his trade as baker in the same place for years. But though hardworking and respectable, he was, it is to be feared, a thoroughly, unconverted sinner. He had been accustomed to ward off the keen edge of God’s Word, and to delay the acceptance of the precious glad tidings by the oft-repeated statement, that no one could know on this side of death whether he was saved or not.
Oh, how the enemy of souls hates the doctrine of assurance of salvation! And into the heart of many a poor self-righteous sinner he soothingly whispers, “You are as well off for eternity as other people. Nobody can really know they are saved; so just go on as you are, and hope for the best. You will stand as good a chance as others in the end; as good, or even better, than many who say that they are really saved now, and make such a loud profession about it; for they are wickedly presumptuous, and you are not.”
It is to be feared that the devil’s lie in this respect found but too warm a welcome in the heart of this poor baker; and having lived long years without salvation himself, and in making light of its precious possession in others, he was evidently determined to brave it out to the end.
His grown-up children were standing in sorrow round his bed. Would their father even then, late as it was in life’s little day, give any satisfactory testimony as to his faith in the precious blood of Christ? Alas! no. He referred to the future, it is true, but only to say, “I shall soon know the grand secret now.”
Grand secret? What a mistake! Salvation is no grand secret for the believer in Jesus. Nor is damnation a secret for the unbeliever. In neither case is it a matter of idle speculation. GOD HAS SPOKEN. The whole truth is out. The word of the Lord has gone forth, and “this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you” (1 Peter 1:24, 2524For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (1 Peter 1:24‑25)).
When Nebuchadnezzar set up his golden image, and the “herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp... and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace,” was it any grand secret that those who refused to bow were doomed to present judgment? No. Everyone in the nation knew that in order to be saved from the fiery furnace they must “bow” when the king’s trumpeters sounded forth the authorized signal to do so.
This had been plainly declared by the king’s herald. Nor did it matter who that herald might be. Whose was the decree? was the all-important question.
So with the heralds of the gospel.
When the Lord Jesus sent forth His messengers, saying, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15,1615And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:15‑16)), the consequences of believing or rejecting that gospel were not left an open question.
And when the gospel was carried to the Thessalonians it mattered not to them who brought it; it was of vital importance who sent it. So we read that they “received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God.”
Again, take Paul’s preaching at Antioch. “To you,” he said, “is the word of this salvation sent”; and added, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: and by Him all that believe are justified from all things.” And again, to the unbelievers, “Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish” (Acts 13:26, 38, 39, 4126Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. (Acts 13:26)
38Be 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)
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 13:41)).
Now, if the herald of the impious king could say, “To you it is commanded, bow or be destroyed,” God’s herald announces, “To you is the word of this salvation sent”; “believe, and be justified”; or “despise and perish.”
As God is true, dear reader, there was then, and there is now, no uncertainty, no guesswork, no waiting for the “grand secret.” All was and is plainly told out.
No doubt there was once a grand secret in the heart of God in connection with man―secret thoughts of blessing to be held out to the guiltiest through the precious blood of His own Son. But it is no secret now. The only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father has been here and expressed perfectly “all that in that bosom lies.” The perfect Sacrifice for sin has been offered and accepted; and the Holy Ghost has come down from heaven to tell us, not only what God thinks of that precious shed blood, but what He thinks of those who have faith in it. What an affront, then, to God the Father, Son, and Spirit, to wrap up the whole of the gracious testimony in the mist of uncertainty, and still persist in calling it all a “grand secret”! If God has spoken, faith needs no more. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,” is plain enough. And not less plain, “He that believeth not shall be damned.” To cross the line which separates time from an endless eternity will not add a jot to the truth of God’s holy Word.
One word more. If God had been saving men on the ground of their worthiness, and we had no standard whereby to measure our merits, salvation would be an uncertainty, and this until the last temptation had been overcome, the last step in this world had been taken. But it is not so. It is all of grace; i.e. without one merit on our side. It must be so; for all have sinned. The blood which cleanses the soul from one sin cleanses it from all. To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. This, we say, is no grand secret, but the most glorious, the most gracious proclamation that could possibly reach the ear of a dying sinner. May its well-assured blessings be yours, dear reader.
If God has been good enough to send such a message, do you be wise enough to believe it.