Try Him With a Text

 •  3 min. read  •  grade level: 6
 
“WHAT'S wrong with you now? I thought you were all right," said a young fellow, himself rejoicing in the Savior, to another, who a few nights previously had trusted the Lord Jesus, but was assailed by doubts and fears. "What's wrong with you now?”
“Man, I'm not right yet," replied the other,
"for Satan is always tempting me.”
“And what do you do then?" inquired his friend.
“I try," said he "to sing a hymn.”
“And does that not send him away?”
“No, I am as bad as ever.”
“Well," said the other, "when he tempts you again try him with a text. He cannot stand that.”
What splendid advice! How many of us have found out that Satan cannot stand a text. For instance, how simple and dogmatic is the statement, which is addressed to every believer on the Lord Jesus, "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." (Eph. 2:8, 9.)
Equally plain and simple, inexpressibly precious and absolutely reliable are the words that fell from the lips of the Lord Jesus Himself: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24.)
But every word of Scripture is just as reliable as the words that fell from the lips of the Savior Himself, for the simple reason that “ALL SCRIPTURE is given by inspiration of God." It all comes from His heart of love.
So equally reliable are the plain words in John 5:13, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye HAVE eternal life.”
No wonder that the Scriptures are the special object of Satan's malignity. By open infidelity of the Charles Bradlaugh and Colonel Ingersoll type, or by veiled infidelity of the Higher Criticism type, Satan has labored night and day to undermine the Scriptures. The vigor and perseverance of the attack, lasting now for many centuries, proclaim, against the wishes of the attackers, the colossal magnitude of their task. It is a hopeless task. Great is the truth, and it will prevail. "We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth." (2 Cor. 13:8)
Men, alas! may be ruined by believing the devil's lie but truth remains, as much beyond the fury and reach of men as the sun in the heavens.
To sing a hymn to overcome Satan is about as sensible as the boy whistling in the churchyard at midnight to keep his spirits up, save in the measure that we know the hymn is founded on the truth of Scripture. But better still, try him with a text of Scripture! "Try him with a text." Why, that is testing him by God Himself! Be gone all doubts and fears as to our salvation, if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As believers we have the Word of God to pillow our faith upon. God help us to cleave to His Word. A. J. P.