IN the street of a certain mining village a few Christians were telling out in a simple way the good news of a, present and eternal salvation through faith in a risen Christ. Among those who stood, or sat, at their doors listening, was an old woman, who must certainly have passed the allotted span of life. Although it was rather a cold night, she sat on the doorstep most of the time apparently listening eagerly. At the close of the meeting, we offered her a gospel book, asking her, as we did so, if she had got the matter settled yet, and if she could now say she was sure, for we had pressed the present assurance of salvation upon her on a former occasion.
This was her answer. “Aweel, ma laddie, if we dinna wirk oot oor ain salvation, there’s nae anther ‘ill de’t for us.”
Poor old body, she liked be listen to the gospel. She said she was glad to see us, and asked particularly when we would be back; but she had made the mistake that multitudes besides her have made, and which if persisted in must prove fatal, that she must do at least part of the work, and here she was, on the verge of eternity, trying, not to work out her own salvation, as she said, but to work for salvation. We are exhorted in Philippians 2:1212Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Philippians 2:12) to work out our own salvation, but it must be our own. We must, get it in before we can work it out. This poor dear woman, blinded by Satan, did not believe that any one could have salvation as a present possession. How sad.
Dear reader, are you working for salvation, or working from salvation? Everyone should work, but there is a great difference between going on with a hopeless task, and being in the conscious sense of God’s favor, seeking to work out in our lives, day by day, what God has wrought in. “Salvation is of the Lord,” and you must either take it as “the gift of God,” or else refuse it, and have the wages of sin, which is death. “All have sinned” (Rom. 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)), and all your working will never wipe out that debt.
No, dear reader, your works will only add to your condemnation, and such being the case, we would say to you in all affection:
Cast your deadly “doing” down―
Down at Jesus’ feet;
Stand “in Him,” in Him alone,
Gloriously “complete.”
He did all the work, blessed be His name, and all you can do is to take your place as a sinner before God, accept Christ as your Saviour, and rest upon His finished work.
A. C.