TODAY is the day of salvation. The day of judgment is at hand. It is an immense mercy when the Spirit of God wakes a man up in the day of salvation, before the day of judgment comes. But at the same time it is a terrible, awakening.
Hitherto in complete darkness, when awakened his eyes are opened to the holiness of God, and to his awful state as a sinner before Him and until God in mercy intervenes and speaks peace to him, despair fills his soul. And well it might, for to have to do with a holy God about my sin is a deeply solemn reality. The case seems hopeless, and, apart from His grace and love, it is utterly so.
Sins by the hundred come crowding in upon the conscience, sins in thought, sins in word, sins in deed, sins of omission, and sins of commission.
Sin itself, the awful root-principle of evil in man, dominates the whole moral being, and the heart and mind become deeply afflicted. The holy law of God, with its awful curse for non-fulfillment, thunders at his guilty conscience. Satan heaps up accusation upon accusation of every kind of ill. Every outlet of escape seems barred. Behind him is the world lying in the wicked one, filled with lust and vanity, pride and wickedness, violence and corruption. Around him is a crowd of sin-stricken sinners like himself. Before him is death―dread death, with its awful sting― beyond it all the darkness of the grave, and with the resurrection, the fearful judgment of the great white throne, and the awful and eternal doom of the lake of fire! (Rev. 20:1515And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15).) Well may the awakened sinner, in view of all these dread realities, cry with one of cold, “Woe is me, for I air undone!”
But GOD IS LOVE. Had we nothing better to tell you than of the claims of the holiness of God against you as a lost sinner; we would not even dip our pen in ink to address these lines to you. You would find it out soon enough. But, praised be His blessed Name, He has provided, in wondrous love, a present way, of escape from all we have detailed, and there is unbounded and eternal blessing for everyone who through His great goodness is brought to true repentance before Him. There was no way of escape, but He has made one by the gift and death and resurrection of His Son. “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son.” Every question that helps to fill the awakened soul with despair was met and completely answered in His finished work. In those three awful hours on the cross, when God. hid His face from His beloved Son, the holy and unblemished Lamb of His own providing, He emptied once for all the bitter cup; He was made sin, suffered for sins, bore the judgment; exhausted the fire. He died, His precious blood was shed, He made complete atonement for the soul. He rose from the dead, robbing death of its sting, the grave of its victory, and utterly vanquished Satan forever. Every question―sins, sin, death, Satan, judgment, the lake of fire―was met and answered then and there. The glory of God was vindicated, the holiness of God maintained, the judgment of God met, the claims of God satisfied. The Man who did it all was Jesus God’s Son. And God raised Him from the dead, and gave Him glory, that our faith and hope might be in God (1 Peter 1:2121Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Peter 1:21)).
Now, poor, humbled, conscience-stricken sinner, why should not your unhappy case be settled today? “Oh, I am such a sinner, it seems impossible,” you reply. “I’m far, far too bad.”
Not a bit of it, dear soul. No one is too bad for Christ. You may well say so, so long as you look at yourself. A sinner you are, that is clear, and an utterly good-for-nothing, hell-deserving one, as all are. You believe it? “Indeed I do,” you reply. Well, that is the first of the only two steps you need to take to be happy now and forever. To own from the depth of your soul before God you deserve His holy judgment is true repentance. Step number two is to believe God. He has provided a Saviour. Jesus, in the glory of God, who met every question at Calvary, is that Saviour. All you want or need you will find in Him. God raised and exalted that Man, and gave up all expectation of merit from you long ago. Believe on Him. The moment you do, it is your privilege on the one hand to say, He bore my sins, He has been made sin for me, He endured my judgment, He exhausted the fire for me, He removed the sting of death for me, He spoiled the grave for me, He conquered Satan for me. And on the other hand, He is accepted of God for me—I am righteous, holy, accepted, and graced in Him. He is my Saviour, my Lord, my Advocate, my Priest, my Hope, my ALL.
All is as clear as a sunbeam in Scripture. Man is a sinner., an utter and irretrievable wreck. There neither is nor can be any betterment of any kind in any way whatever before God. He has given us all up once and forever as an utterly, irretrievably, hopelessly ruined race, only fit for death, judgment, and the lake of fire. But He has given His only begotten Son, Jesus. He glorified Him. And God raised and exalted Him to the highest glory as a present and everlasting Saviour for “every one that believeth.” It is not a question of you and your doings, but of Christ and His perfect finished work. “There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved” but by Him (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)). Then let self go, now and forever, and believe on Him. To Him give all the prophets witness, that “whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:4343To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43)).
Pardon and peace are yours as the blessed result.
And now, till He comes and fetches us away to that bright world where He Himself is gone, your one aim should be to follow, serve, and glorify Him. “What think ye of Christ?” No one is too bad for Him. E. H. C.