MANY an anxious believing soul is troubled about evidences— evidences of its being saved. Well now, the question of evidences is one of great importance. And until it is settled there can be no abiding peace. There are thousands who believe, but who have not peace, they do not know that for them the matter is settled. Something like the following conversation took place between a servant of Christ and one troubled on the subject:—
“Well, Miss W—, are the difficulties you spoke of having last night all settled?”
“No; they are not.”
“What do you think is in the way of your enjoying peace with God?”
“I really don't know, I am a mystery to myself.”
“Perhaps you are confounding the work that is wrought in you with the work that was wrought for you on the cross 1800 years ago. The work that saves the soul was finished by Christ then, and in believing— simply believing—all the value of that work is applied to you, and you are saved. You are accepted in the beloved.”
Her mother who sat by said, " How is it that with some it is more difficult to realize that they are saved than with others, some seem to lay hold of it so easily?”
“Mrs. W—the mistake is in that word that you have just used. I mean the word realize.
The Word of God does not say, He that believeth and realizes is saved,' but He that believeth '— simply believeth. If we turn to John 19 we shall read these words After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar; and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it on hyssop, and put it to his mouth. When Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished; and he bowed his head and gave up the Ghost... And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true; and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe ' (vv. 28-35). You see Jesus accomplished salvation.
He said, It is finished,' and John bears record that ye might believe. In John 20:3131But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. (John 20:31) we have, These are, written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that, believing, ye might have life through his name.' Notice, and that, believing, ye might have life through his name.' There is nothing about realizing here.”
“But we must realize, we must have some evidence that we are saved.”
“Now, dear Miss W—, I see where you are.
I do not say that realizing is wrong, or that a believer will not realize; but you are confounding the proper evidence of divine life in you, with the evidence of your sins being pardoned, and your soul saved. Now the evidence of my possessing divine life, is love to God and the desire to walk in holiness, and as we have seen, the believer possesses divine life. He that believeth on me hath eternal life.' But the evidence that my sins have been atoned for, and put away, and that God has nothing against me is quite another thing, and to be looked for in another quarter altogether.'
“What then is the evidence that all my sins are eternally gone, and that God has nothing against me?”
“Now listen. When Jesus died, all our sins were future yet it is written, ‘He bare our sins in his own body on the tree;' and again, “the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all;' and again, Christ hath once suffered for sins, the just, for the unjust, that be might bring us to God.' Now, how many of our sins, and how many of our iniquities were laid on Jesus when He died for us? Was it only a few, a part, or the whole?”
“Why the whole, of course.”
“Well, then, if our sins were laid on Him then—all our sins—they were judged then.
The penalty of sin is death. Jesus paid the penalty—He died. He died as our substitute, and as our representative suffered for our sins that were laid upon Him. All was finished— He died. But where is the evidence that my sins are gone? Listen! ' When he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; ' again, but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of God.'”
“You see if I owed a heavy debt, and was thrown into prison because I could not pay it, and A. became my surety, what would be the evidence to me that my surety had paid the debt I owed?”
“Why, his being out of prison.”
“Just so; our sins were laid on Jesus. He was our surety; He became responsible for us; and His being out of prison, raised from the dead, and set down at, God's right hand, is the evidence that our sins are gone, and that there is nothing against us.”
“I see it.”
“And in believing?"
“We are saved.”
He was delivered for our offenses.' There you see Jesus became our surety, was put in prison so to speak, and paid the penalty. Now observe: And was raised again for our justification.' Then you see, He comes out of prison, is raised from the dead, the blessed evidence that all is righteously settled, and there is nothing against us. But notice what follows: Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.' You see the one that believes is justified, and has peace with God. It is in believing we have life through His name.”
“When I was in N—, I visited Mrs.— who, like you, was troubled on this point:
Now, I said, Mrs.— when your husband has got through his week's toil, and comes home and reclines on the sofa, what is the evidence to you that your husband has got through his week's work?”
“Why, that he is lying there on the sofa.”
“Just so; Jesus having purged our sins, and finished the work of redemption—has sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. His being there is the evidence to us that all is finished, and that He is there without our sins, He has left them all behind, having atoned for them.
“You see I feel that I am a sinner, I feel that I am lost because I am guilty, but I do not feel that Christ died for me, or that He bore my sins, I know it. God's Word tells me so.
Believing it, I am saved.
"Now, Miss W—, can you thank God that you are saved?”
“I ought to.”
“Yes, you ought to, but that will not do.
Can you thank Him that He has saved you?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Thank God!” E. A.