Visiting a Christian friend one
day, I noticed that he did not look as bright as usual, and soon learned the
reason. "Do you know," he said, "I sometimes think I am
deceiving myself and that I am not a child of God at all. When I was saved
about ten years ago I felt such a load of sins taken off me, and then I was so
happy, but I have not at all the same feeling now, so perhaps after all I have
been self-deceived."

I saw at once that the fault
here was self-occupation, looking in instead of "looking off unto
Jesus." "I am not surprised," I said then to him, "at what
you say; it is the natural result of basing your acceptance with God on your
experience, and not on what He says in His Word, I have gone through the same
experience, and, therefore, I can feel for you. After I was saved, I had times
of great joy followed by corresponding feelings of depression, during which
times, of course, I was most miserable. But I came to enjoy perfect peace when
I began to rest calmly and quietly upon what God says in His Word about Christ,
and to give up taking into account my own feelings altogether. He ‘was
delivered for [my] offences, and was raised again for [my] justification’
(Romans 4:25). Therefore, I concluded, if Christ has indeed been delivered for
my offenses, there is no need for me to be delivered for them; God is too just
to demand payment over again for a debt already paid. If He has been raised
again for my justification, no one can ever lay anything to my charge, for His
resurrection has set me down righteous in the presence of God. By His death and
resurrection my sins were put away, and I am constituted righteous before God.
I stand before God righteous as He is righteous. I believe this, and,
therefore, however much my feelings may change,  I never doubt that I have
peace with God."

"Well," my friend
replied, "I see what you mean all right, and I am sure it is all right
with you, but how am I to know that He died for me?"

I quoted to him Romans 5:6,
where it says that "Christ died for the ungodly," and then verse 8,
that He died for ”sinners." I told him that Satan never yet could
persuade me that I was neither a "sinner" nor "ungodly,"
and, therefore, I always have the assurance of God’s Word that He died for me;
putting two and two together, if He died for me, I know that God is satisfied,
and, therefore, not a shadow of a doubt as to my acceptance ever crosses my
mind. I am able to "joy in God" by whom I have received this Wondrous
reconciliation.

"I
certainly shouldn’t doubt anymore," said my friend; "I can see that I
ought to enter more into what God has done for me, and what Christ is to me,
and not be occupied with myself."