The veil is rent, Satan’s power is broken, the sting is taken from death, and the victory from the grave—moreover He who in His love has accomplished all this in His death, is risen and in glory.
Now this makes the gospel of Christ so precious for every soul. Do you, my reader, believe there is a man at the right hand of God, because He died for our sins?
Will you come to Him now? There is an open way. Jesus never said “Come” until He Himself came first. When He came, and was here in the midst of sin and sorrow, His blessed voice said “Come,” and further—“him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.” Now that He is in glory, having finished all the work, He says, “Let him that is athirst come.”
I think I hear you speak somewhat like this—“Well, I trust I have come and cast myself on Christ alone, I believe He is the only Savior, I believe nothing else can avail for me but His death; but yet somehow I am not at rest, and am often full of doubts and anxieties.”
Now hearken to me for a moment. I was in conversation not long since with one who expressed herself much as you have done; after a little, I said to her, “What are your doubts about? Have you any doubts about the fact of the cross and death of the Lord Jesus Christ?”
She replied—“None.”
You are quite sure that all the work that Jesus came to do was finished on the cross?
She replied—“Yes, quite sure.”
Do you believe that the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses from all sin?
She replied—“Yes, I do believe it, but I am not sure if the root of the matter is in me.”
Is that your trouble? Let me assure you as to that. Thank God, the root of the matter is in Christ; if it were in you, you would not need Him.
“But,” she replied, “I have other doubts. I am not sure whether I have the right kind of faith.”
Have you faith at all, I said; that is the point. And I sought to illustrate it in the following way—
“Suppose a very startling piece of news were brought to you by some person, how would you feel with regard to it?”
She replied—“If the person were a competent and reliable witness, I should of course believe it.”
Just so. And you would not think of your belief in the matter at all; the only question you would have, would be as to the reliability of the witness—if it were a truthful witness that cannot lie, all questions would be at an end.
Now, my reader, so it is with respect to the certainty of salvation: the unerring, unfailing testimony of God’s own word ends all doubt and uncertainty for whosoever believes. Scripture declares that Christ died for our sins, was raised from the dead, ascended into heaven, and is in the glory of God; and scripture also declares that by Him all who believe are justified from all things. How blessed to rest on the
WORK OF CHRIST and the
WORD OF GOD.