A young man of high caste, a Hindu, stood for a few moments on a street in Calcutta. He was listening to a gospel preacher. This preacher had seen little fruit from his years of labor in India; but there had been blessing which came to light many years later.
The young Hindu heard the servant of God as he made plain the question of sin. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23). He walked away with the knowledge of personal sin on his conscience, and he could not shake it off. However, he received not nor heeded God's way of salvation.
This young man was prosperous in business, and for a time his convictions seemed to sleep; but when adversity came, again the sense of sin bore heavily on his conscience. He sought relief by entering upon a religious life. For several years he wandered over India, and prayed at many shrines; but he found no rest nor peace.
At length he joined a society of persons dissatisfied with Hinduism. They were a sort of modernistic group who did not receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Their belief was: "Do what is just and right, and all will be well.”
While this sounded good, it brought him no peace. To use his own words: "The remembrance of past sins kept rushing into my mind. Something seemed to say: 'Without an atonement for past sins you will perish.'”
This modernistic society rejected the teaching of atonement. Hinduism acknowledges the need of some sort of expiation. Our friend returned to his old religion and again wandered from holy spot to holy spot seeking peace. At Benares with its two thousand shrines he fairly gave way to despair, exclaiming: "What more can I do other than that I have done? Yet there is no peace!”
He returned to Calcutta to visit a sick nephew. His nephew had been converted to Christianity. He had a Bible, portions of which he read to his troubled uncle and besought him to go hear the preaching of a missionary. There again he heard of God's way of salvation, and this time he received it. With joy he exclaimed: "This is what I have been longing to hear for many years.”
He obtained a Bengali Bible and devoted himself to its study for two months. From the Word itself he learned that "the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. 6:2323For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23).
Though he well knew that if he became a Christian he would also become an outcast among his own people, he gladly became a humble follower of the lowly Nazarene. With the peace of God in his heart he could now say with Paul: "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." Phil. 3:88Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, (Philippians 3:8).