AS I was traveling by train between two of our large cities, a gentleman in clerical attire stepped up and took a seat beside me in the coach.
“What Bible school are you traveling for?” he asked of me. He had evidently noticed my giving out a few tracts, was interested to know my religious position.
“I am not traveling for any Bible house or school, sir, but only seeking to give out the truth of the gospel of the grace of God. It is a wonderful thing to know the salvation of God in Christ, isn’t it?”
“Yes, there’s great need in this country of religious work. So few people believe anything. But it takes a long course of careful study to come to understand the Bible. Theology is a hard study just as Philosophy, or Metaphysics.”
“Well, friend,” I replied, “I believe that the best school on earth for the study of God’s Word is for the soul to get alone with God and the Word, and with the Holy Spirit as his teacher, to learn of the things of God.”
I determined with the help of the Lord to put the gospel of the grace of God before him while the opportunity was mine.
“It is a blessed thing to know that we are saved by the grace of God and that not of ourselves, isn’t it?” I asked, hoping thus to bring before him the fact of God’s free grace in saving lost sinners.
“Yes, but we have to do the works bore we can get that salvation,” he said. “Doesn’t James say that salvation is of works?”
“I understand James to say that faith is not faith at all if it is not accompanied with good works, but that the good works, follow because of the faith in Christ; not the works in order to get salvation.”
Then I proceeded as best I could to put before this man the free gift of God, but he seemed to be thoroughly taken up with the thought of the necessity of his own good works to get him to heaven. Before we had proceeded very far with our conversation, he had reached his salvation, and as he got up to leave me, these were the words he uttered, “So you think that good works are not necessary to salvation? Well, I wish they were not, and I’d have a gay old time in the world.”
Here reader, was a man, gowned as a professional servant of God, who was doing what he called “good works” in order to get to heaven.
Are you working for Jesus, and if so, why are you doing this? is it to earn your way to heaven, or is it because you want to pour out some of the treasure of your appreciation of His blessed love to you, by being found as His faithful servant? If the former, your works are as reeking filthy rags to Him. If the latter, He will reward you for it at the judgment seat of Christ.
ML-08/11/1935