A gospel preacher went down into a coal mine during the noon hour to tell the miners of that wondrous grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ. He told them the sweet story of God's love to lost sinners, of man's ruined state and God's remedy for sin, and of a full and free salvation offered to all who will receive it. When the time came for the men to resume work, the preacher returned to the shaft to ascend to the outer world again. Walking along with the foreman, he asked him what he thought of God's way of salvation. The man replied: "Oh, it is too easy, too cheap! I cannot believe in such a religion as that.”
Without immediately answering this remark, the preacher asked:
"How do you get out of this place?"
"Simply by getting into the cage," was the reply.
"And does it take long to get to the top?”
"Oh, no; only a few seconds.”
"Well, that certainly is very easy and simple. But do you need to help to raise yourself?" said the preacher.
"Of course not!" replied the miner. "As I have said, you have nothing to do but get into the cage, and it will take you to the top.”
"But what about the people who sunk the shaft and perfected all this arrangement? Was there much labor, care, thought and expense about it?”
"Indeed, yes; that was a laborious and expensive work. The shaft is eighteen hundred feet deep, and it was sunk at great cost to the owner. It is our only way out of the mine, and without it we should never be able to reach the surface.”
"Just so. And when God's Word tells you that whosoever believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life, you at once say, 'Too easy! Too cheap! You forget that God's work to bring you and others out of the pit of destruction and death was accomplished at an infinite cost, the price being the death of His Son whose precious blood was shed on Calvary.”
Men talk about the "help of Christ" in their salvation―that if they do their part, Christ will do His.
They forget that the Lord Jesus Christ by Himself purged our sins, and that their part is but to accept what He has done.
"When He {Christ} had by Himself purged our sins," He "sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Heb. 1:3.
Nothing either great or small―
Nothing, sinner, no;
Jesus did it, did it all,
Long, long ago.
When He, from His lofty throne
Stooped to do and die,
Everything was fully done;
Hearken to His cry!
Till to Jesus' work you cling
By a simple faith,
"Doing" is a deadly thing―
"Doing" ends in death.
Cast your deadly "doing" down,
Down at Jesus' feet;
Stand in Him, in Him alone,
Gloriously complete.
"It is finished!" yes, indeed,
Finished every jot;
Sinner, this is all you need;
Tell me, is it not?
You and I deserved to die eternally on account of our sins, but Christ died for us. The punishment that we merited He took. "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities"; and now the Lord declares, "By Him all that believe are justified." Acts 13:39.
"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." John 3:36.