B. Good morning,—I want to ask you a question; you know I like to puzzle you people a bit, who think yourselves so wise on doctrine.
A. Well, let us hear it; you generally favor me with a few when we meet. I know your mind is ill at ease, so that I can understand all about the questions.
B. Now, I know you will be giving me the old story, about not being done with myself, bat I want a direct answer to my question. Well, then, I got up this morning at six o’clock, say, and after the usual morning duties, left at eight for business. But now, observe, up to that hour eight o’clock, suppose I had confessed all my sins to God, and been forgiven, but at nine o’clock, I drop down dead; what about the sins I committed between eight and nine?
A. Well, if your forgiveness depended on your confession of sin, and asking forgiveness, and you had not done either, of course you would have died in your sins. But if, on the other hand, your forgiveness depends on the efficacy of the blood of Christ, they would have been all forgiven, whether you confessed them or not; on the ground, mark, of God acting in grace towards you, through the atonement of His beloved Son. God forgives the believer, not because he confesses his sins, but because Christ put them away on the cross.
B. That is a point I cannot see. It is certainly a comforting one for those who believe it. I know it is your doctrine. I believe we can only be forgiven through faith in the blood of Christ, but we must apply to it—confess our sins, and ask forgiveness. “Whoso confesseth and forsaketh shall find mercy.”
A. Just so. Confession, I fully admit, has an important place in the word of God. “If we confess our sins,” the apostle says, “he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).) Whenever we truly confess our sins, God graciously forgives them. It is His own appointed way for the relief of the conscience. But suppose you commit a sin, and remain ignorant of it all the days of your life, what then? you can neither confess it, nor ask forgiveness. How are you to be forgiven in such a case?
B. That is exactly what I want to know. But I want it explained from scripture. Of course, we are to pray for the forgiveness of sins, known and unknown. But I freely confess that my mind is not at rest. I am not satisfied. I cannot feel as you do, that I am perfectly safe, and as sure of heaven as if 1 were there. Indeed, I very much question if any man on earth can really know that. My belief is that no one can be perfectly certain, while he is here. And I think I am right too. We are so constantly sinning, are we not?
A. Yes, indeed we are, and the consequences of sin unforgiven, must be awful and eternal. But what does the word say on this important point? “If any man sin,” not, observe, if any man sees his sin, and is sorry for it, and confesses it; but simply, “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:11My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1).) The full, immediate, and perfect forgiveness of every believer, is founded on the finished work of Christ for us. His advocacy is founded on His righteousness and His propitiation. He may, by the Spirit through the word, lead us into deep exercise of soul about sin, but the forgiveness is complete on another ground.
But now, will you excuse me referring to “the old story, about not being done with self?” How much of Christ, think you, is there in all your theories and reasonings. What of His precious blood? You seem to reckon up things without Him. I know you don’t mean it. But does it not simply come to this, “what would have become of me, this morning, at nine o’clock, had I not done so and so between eight and nine?” As if the whole weight of your salvation depended on your own opportunity and ability to deal with sin. Now, what is this? Look fairly at it. Is it not putting self in the place of the precious blood of Christ? To me, it is, because the scriptures so plainly teach “that without the shedding of blood is no remission.” God alone is competent to deal with the question of sin, and this He did once for all, on behalf of the believer, in the cross of Christ. By the shedding of His blood, it was eternally settled. It can never again be raised Blessed, blessed truth!
B. Excuse me, I believe that as firmly as you do. It is only the blood of Christ that can wash away our sins. But how am I to know, how can I be sure, that all my sins are pardoned?
A. Only through believing: there is no other way. “Whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10:4343To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43).) If you are really resting on the sacrifice of Christ, and trusting to that alone for pardon, you may be quite sure of the full and everlasting forgiveness of all your sins. For the value of that sacrifice is infinite. And being so, it extends to every moment of your life, and to every point in your condition. Were its efficacy only to reach to eight o’clock, and you to live till nine, it would be insufficient for your need. In short, it would be imperfect. Only see where we land, when we get off the lines of divine truth. But what does that word say to every believer in Jesus? “We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.” (Eph. 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7).) This is a full statement of the case, and whenever you have got to the end of yourself, as an utterly lost sinner, and have no refuge but in the grace of God, flowing through the sacrifice of Christ, you will be at perfect rest, and ready to go at any hour of the day.
B. Now don’t you speak too strongly. I want an explanation. There is no good in putting one down with strong expressions. I want to see it. They may appear plain enough to you, but they are not so to others. I feel quite sure that nine tenths,—nineteen twentieths of your hearers do not understand the meaning of that word “grace,” which you are so constantly speaking about. Take any congregation you please, in London, and you will find very few who understand the meaning of such words. I know it. And you use them, as if all understood them as well as yourself. I believe a great deal of preaching goes over peopled heads. Whenever you are going to preach a sermon about grace, you tell me, and I will come seven miles to hear it.
A. Thank you. But come when you will, I trust you shall hear me preaching grace—the boundless grace of God to ruined sinners. I know of nothing else that meets the sinner’s condition.
But, tell me, why is it that so few gospel hearers understand what grace is? The word itself occurs very frequently in the scriptures. And to a lost sinner it is the most important word in the Bible. It is the source and spring of every mercy that we receive from God. As the Apostle Paul says, “by the grace of God I am what I am.” (1 Cor. 15:1010But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10).) But for that precious grace he would have continued to be “the chief of sinners,” and gone as straight, and as fast, to hell as ever he could go. And but for the same grace, so would every child of Adam, without exception. “There is none that seeketh after God.” (Rom. 3:1111There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (Romans 3:11).) The believer is saved by grace, —he stands in grace, and throughout eternity he will shine in grace, the pure unmingled grace of God.
But now, why is it, think you, that grace is really so little understood? Just because, so few know their need and helplessness. Whenever we have learned the meaning of these two words NEED and HELPLESSNESS, we will soon find out the meaning of the word GRACE. The “woman of Canaan,” when led to take her true place, as a Gentile dog, at the foot of the master’s table, learned it there in the school of Christ. But it was under a deep, deep sense of her pressing need, and utter helplessness. (Matt. 15.) This is the only place, my dear friend, truly to learn the meaning, and appreciate the value of divine grace. We must be at the lowest step in the ladder, where grace flows, before we can understand the meaning of that precious text, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Rom. 5:2020Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (Romans 5:20).)
B. Well, yes, it is very plain, I can see what you mean; I understand it. You need not say any more on that point. But you must remember that everyone has not the same faith. She had great faith.
A. True, she had, but on what was it founded? What had she to look to? Only grace. The grace that dwells in the heart of Jesus. All the promises were to the children of Israel. He was the Minister of the circumcision. And she was one of the outcast race of Canaan, on whom the curse of God rested. She had no right, no title to Christ as the Jewish Messiah. And she was brought to feel this in the bitterness of her soul, that the grace of God might shine out in all its divine sovereignty, freeness, and fullness. But she trusted His heart of love. She counted on the grace that dwelt there, notwithstanding His seeming harshness. She knew that He had only to speak the word and her every need would be met. But she knew also, that she had no light to that word, no claim upon Him. This was crushing-awfully crushing to proud human nature. And then, to hear from those lips of grace, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” must have greatly increased the anguish of her soul. Still, she clings to Him in the energy of a faith which counts only on Himself, notwithstanding His covenant engagements with Israel. “Lord, help me,” was the earnest believing cry of her heart. “It is not meet,” He answered, “to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs.” “Truth, Lord,” was her instant reply, “yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the Master’s table.” Wondrous faith! but, now she is in her true place, and grace flows out. The struggle is over. The victory is won. She is satisfied with what grace gives. It was to this point He was leading her, and He waited till she got there. And now, that heart of perfect love, which was only waiting for the opportunity, flows forth, in streams of living grace. “Then Jesus answered and said unto her, Ο woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” The full resources of His love are thrown open to her. This is a true picture of the sinner’s place and condition, and of the grace, that immediately and perfectly meets both.
Now, my dear friend, whenever you are brought by faith to this point, all will be victory and peace. Your anxieties and struggles will be over. The moment we take this place, we are met and blessed by God, according to the love and grace of His own heart. He acts from Himself, on the ground of the perfect, and eternally efficacious sacrifice of Christ. We are pardoned, justified, and accepted in the Beloved. We have eternal life in Him. And, now, the clock may chime either eight or nine, or any hour in the twelve, but neither measured time, nor unmeasured eternity can ever break the bond that binds our hearts to the blessed Jesus. “We are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ.” “There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” (John 5:2020For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. (John 5:20). 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).) But I must be off, I have stood more than an hour with you. Good bye. The Lord be with you.
B. Well, good bye, God bless you. I will think on what you have been saying. I am coming some evening too.
A. Pray, think of the sinner’s place, the lowest step in the ladder.
Oh! what has Jesus done for me?
He pitied me—my Saviour.
My sins were great; His love was free;
He died for me—my Saviour.
Exalted by His Father’s side,
He pleads for me—my Saviour.
A heavenly Mansion He’ll provide
For all who love my Saviour.
Jesus, Lord Jesus,—
Thy name is sweet, my Saviour,
When shall I see Thee face to face,
My wondrous, blessed Saviour?