A man came to me one day in Chicago, and said, “I want to talk with you.” Mr. Moody was away, so I took him into Mr. Moody’s room, and asked, “What do you want to talk with me about?” He said, “I am a Scotchman. When I was seven years old over in Scotland, I started to read my Bible through. Before I had read long, I came to a place where it said that if a man should keep the law of God a hundred years, and then break it, he was under the curse of a broken law. Is that right?” “Well,” I said, “the Bible does not put it in just those words, but it amounts to that. It says, ‘Cursed is every man that continueth not in all the things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them.’” “Well,” he said, “that is what I found, and I knew I had already broken the law of God, though I was only seven years old, and I was under the curse of a broken law. I was plunged into the deepest distress. Though I was only a child of seven, I wept over my sins often by day and often by night. I was in distress of soul for a whole year, but I kept on reading my Bible, and at last I got over to the New Testament, and read John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16), ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ I saw that Jesus died for my sins, and my burden all rolled away, and I was perfectly happy. Was I converted?” “Well,” I said, “that sounds like an evangelical conversion.”
“Wait a moment,” he said, “and listen to the rest of my story. I grew up to manhood; I moved to America; I came over here to Chicago; I went to work in the stockyards, and live down there. You know it is a hard place. I have got to drinking, and every little while I go off on a drunk. Now, what I want to know is this, is there any way I can get victory over drink and over all sin?” “You have come just to the right place to get an answer to your question,” I replied, “I can tell you the way. You have only believed half the Gospel, and therefore you’ve got only half a salvation. Listen to the whole Gospel.” I opened my Bible to 1 Corinthians 15:1-41Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:1‑4) and I read, “‘This is the Gospel that I have preached unto you... that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.’ That is the first half of the Gospel but it is only half. Listen as I read on and you will see the other half, ‘And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.’ Do you believe that half of the Gospel also? You have already believed in Christ crucified and found pardon and peace, but the rest of the Gospel is that Christ rose again. Do you believe that?” “Oh, yes,” he said, “I believe everything in the Bible.” I said, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ rose again?” He said, “I do.” “Do you believe He has all power in heaven and on earth as He said He had?” He said, “I do.” “Well, if He has all power in heaven and on earth, He has power to set you free from the power of sin. Do you believe that?” “Yes, I do.” “Will you trust Him to do it now? You have believed half the Gospel, you have got half a salvation. You have believed in a crucified Christ and got pardon; now will you believe in a risen Christ and get victory? Will you trust Him now as the risen Saviour to set you free from the drink and other sin?” He said, “I will.” “Let us kneel down and tell God so.” We knelt down. I prayed and he prayed. After he had prayed he looked up and said, “Lord Jesus, I have believed half the Gospel that Thou didst die in my place and I have found pardon and peace through believing it. I now believe the other half of the Gospel that you rose again and have all power in heaven and on earth and have power to set me free from drink and sin and I trust you to do it. Set me free now.”
When he had finished, I said, “Do you really trust Him to do it?” He said, “I do.” We got up. I gave him a few words of advice and we separated. In a few weeks I received a letter from him, a very short letter, but very much to the point. He said, “I am so glad I came to see you. It works.” Thank God it does work. A crucified Christ brings pardon; a risen Christ brings deliverance from the power of sin the moment you believe.