As we think back over the year gone by, many of us are impressed by the remarkable growth—both physical and mental—exhibited by our little children or grandchildren in just one year’s time. But this, in turn, reminds us afresh that we older ones, too, are growing. Or at least we ought to be! It comes to our mind that we are often exhorted in the New Testament to grow, and that these exhortations are given not merely to babes in Christ but to all believers. Consequently, each of us is led to examine himself and to address the searching question to himself:“How much have I grown, spiritually, this past year?”

             If we desired to witness an example of rapid physical growth, we would be advised to observe a well-nourished baby during the first few months of its life. And is it not likewise true that in order to manifest steady spiritual growth, we must become, in certain respects, like an infant? The apostle Peter exhorts, “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby” (1 Pet. 2:12). This in no way contradicts the verses in 1 Corinthians and Hebrews that speak of our need to leave the milk and to go on to the solid food. The emphasis here is on our craving for the Word of God and on our state of soul while feeding upon that “milk of the Word.”

             If we are to grow by the milk of the Word, we must come, in the consciousness of our own weakness, littleness, and ignorance, to receive food from the Word of God.

             It is not the acquiring of a mere intellectual knowledge of the Word that will provide spiritual growth, but rather it is the laying hold of that grand Object presented in the Word, the One who is known as “The Word” and who is the full expression of that Word. “Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” we are told (2 Pet. 3:18). How we need, each one of us, to learn the riches of His grace manifested in such varied and wondrous ways to His saints (see Ephesians 1). How we need to be found ever “increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10); entering more fully into the glories, perfections, ways, and purposes of the Father and the Son; and having our affections drawn out and centered in Christ.

             Is there any end to such growth? The apostle Paul gives us the answer:“Till we all come … unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). Which of us has attained it?

                May there be a deep desire and prayerful longing in our hearts for the manifestation of steady spiritual growth, both for ourselves and for each of our brothers and sisters in Christ—until that blessed day comes when we shall be with Him and like Him and conformed to His image (1 John 3:2; Rom. 8:29).

“Encouraging one another … as you see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25, JND).

             One often hears persons speak of the apostasy of the end, of the day of small things, etc., in such a way that it leads one to ask, “Is the approaching end a time for such Elijah-like discouragement?” (1 Ki. 19:10).

             Elijah’s words and attitude were wrong; it is significant that his otherwise noble and honored testimony was in consequence superseded by that of Elisha. In reading William Kelly’s smaller book on Revelation, I was struck with his remarks on the bride’s sweet answer to the Lord’s twice repeated declaration, “Behold, I come quickly [or speedily or without delay]” (Rev. 22:7,12). With beautiful suitability she first says, simply:“Come.” Again, in response to “Surely I come quickly,” it is simply, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (22:20).

             Why do not the Spirit and the bride say, “Come quickly”? How sweet it is to have real fellowship with the heart of God and the patience of Christ—that long-suffering patience which, while waiting for His bride and kingdom when His enemies shall be made His footstool, is coupled with yearning love for perishing men. “The longsuffering of our Lord is salvation” (2 Pet. 3:15). Selfishly occupied with our blessing, we often grow impatient, while the “Lord is not slack concerning His promise … but is longsuffering, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (3:9).

             It is nearly 2,000 years since He said, “Behold, I come quickly.” But in God’s reckoning of love, if need be, “a thousand years is as one day” (3:8). His long delay is due to His longsuffering love—love that still yearns and holds open the door of grace, for love finds judgment its “strange work.” Love is still blessing while it still finds souls to bless.

             Our Lord may come at any moment. How that quickens the pulse and gladdens and sanctifies the heart! With responding, longing love, the bride says with the Spirit—“COME.” But the Holy Spirit came to gather others also to our Lord Jesus, and to wait for Him. So in the same breath, as it were, she speaks again, “Let him who hears say ‘Come.’” There is no narrow selfishness there! She wants the chorus to swell in the welcome of her Lord. Oh, for more hearts to say “Come” to Him. So to such hearts as may be concerned in the great destinies that lie before the souls of men she repeats that precious word “Come.” If they can not say “Come” to Him, she will plead “Come” to them; whoever thirsts, whoever will, let him “come,” and “take of the water of life freely.”

             It is the message that was brought from heaven to earth by that gracious One whose lips made sweet that word “Come.” And the Spirit of Him who said “Come unto Me” is in the bride, and the message is now to us a precious trust. The Lord’s coming, then, should make us faithful stewards of the gospel.

             There are indeed other good reasons for the Church being left down here in the world, but it is certain that the day of grace has been lengthened, so to speak, for one great purpose:the salvation of souls through the gospel; and it continues for the same reason (2 Pet. 3:8,9).

             Therefore the work of salvation will go on until the end, whether through us or through others. Shall we be so occupied with evil prophesied of, and now around us on every side, that we begin to forget the grace of God to ruined man? “Wherefore lift up the hands that hang down!”

             “You have a little strength,” says “He who has the key of David,” and “Behold, I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it” (Rev. 3:7,8). That open door surely is a door of opportunity and testimony including the gospel. The precious opening up of God’s word is not for ourselves only to enjoy, but involves a responsibility to communicate to others—saved and unsaved.

             If the Spirit is hindered now from working in larger ways, still He is working. And there is much to encourage in various fields, both at home and abroad, in spite of human failure and much of the flesh in it. We can thank God, for example, for the wonderful working of His grace in places like Korea and China. Can we not be thankful for the opening up of the Spanish-speaking countries to the gospel, and for the share that some of our friends have in it? Prayerful study of the mission fields would doubtless give us much cheer.

             But have we prayerfully and earnestly striven, unitedly, or separately, for the gospel in our own communities? Perhaps in the failure to find large results, we have overlooked the possibilities of quiet, persistent individual work that may even be large in the aggregate. One of the prime conditions in having blessing in service is in faith expecting it in the Lord’s way, which is usually starting small and growing. Are we reaching out to fields nearby like the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 1:8)? Are we doing what we can to support those who can go further than we and who are giving their whole time and energy to the gospel?

             May we be warned, while intelligent as to the “last days,” not to let our hands hang down as if there was nothing more to be done. The “last days” were already present with the apostles, inasmuch as failure had already come in the Church; but God’s blessings in grace have continued to be poured out ever since, and through many dark periods.

                The Hebrew Christians could already “see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25). They not only knew of it, they could “see” it from the signs then present. That was just the occasion to “exhort,” or rather, “encourage one another.” As we see the day approaching, let us, too, encourage one another.

             (From Help and Food, Vol. 32.)

“Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence:a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him” (Psa. 50:3).

             “Behold, it is written before me:I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom” (Isa. 65:6).

             “Our God shall come”. Precious thought and hope for the believer. Although this coming is in reference to the Lord’s coming to set up His kingdom on the earth, it is still an event to be eagerly anticipated by the believer. What a wonderful day it will be when the Lord judges the nations and, having eradicated all that is dishonoring to His name, begins his thousand year reign on the earth. It will, however, be a sad day, to be sure. Many will be judged. In order to maintain His own holy standards, the Lord MUST judge.

             What a sobering thought it is that the Lord will judge and not keep silence. While it may seem that the Lord is relatively silent now, the day is coming in which He will not keep silence any longer. He will judge. He will judge without mercy. He will judge without grace. His judgment will be harsh, but fair. How can any stand before Him and dispute with Him when He speaks from His throne? His own righteousness will be evidenced by His piercing judgments. How it saddens the Lord to judge. Isaiah refers to judgment as being God’s “strange work” (28:21). God is love and He desires, yes demands, that all men everywhere repent (Acts 17:30). Without repentance, there is nothing left but for God to judge … and to judge completely. We find the Lord saying, “Say unto them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live:turn, turn from your evil ways; for why will you die?” (Ezek. 33:11). There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. There is no joy in executing judgment on the wicked. There is not the slightest notion that God delights in punishing the sinner. However, judgment must come and the day is approaching when the Lord no longer will keep His silence.

             When the Lord Jesus first came to the earth, He kept His silence in relation to judging. “He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear His voice in the streets” (Matt. 12:19). There is a time for silence (Eccl. 3:7), but that time is soon over. It will be time for the Lord’s silence to end. He refuses to be silent any longer. Sin must be dealt with in harshness and without prejudice.

             Thankfully, the believer will never experience the judging hand of God. Being in Christ, we are free from condemnation. Never will the harsh hand of God be raised against us. We are His, precious thought! However, we are surrounded by precious souls who are in danger of facing the Lord in His wrath against sin … where He will not keep silence. He will speak in complete and fiery condemnation against the rejecters of His grace. Brethren, if the day is coming in which the Lord will not keep silence, then it must be that the day is here in which we must not keep silence. “I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night:you who make mention of the LORD, keep not silence” (Isa. 62:6). Shout it, fellow believer. Proclaim the name of the Lord from the rooftops, in the streets, in the factories and businesses. Speak His name in the schoolyards, in the malls, in the highways and byways. We have been silent for too long. There is a time to keep silence, but that time is not now … not when it concerns the proclamation of the gospel of salvation. “How shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). What a grand privilege and responsibility we have.

             Without a doubt, we live in a day of apathy. People care very little about one another. People do not want to be bothered with the problems of their neighbors. This is indicative of the Laodicean age in which we live. “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would you were cold or hot” (Rev. 3:15). This is a true characteristic not only in the professing Church, but in the real Church as well. How important is it to you that your friend is saved? How concerned are you that your neighbor is destined for hell? How much will you go out of your way to tell a lost, precious soul that salvation is a free gift from God through faith in Christ Jesus? Will you risk being ridiculed or rejected to tell someone that God loves them? Consider Paul’s earnest, soul-wrenching longing for the salvation of Israel, “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Rom. 9:3). Can you believe that? Paul said, in effect, that he would give up his salvation for the salvation of Israel. Sometimes, I won’t even give up one of my free afternoons for the opportunity to tell someone of God’s saving grace, and that is to my own shame.

                There is an old saying that says, “Silence is golden.” I was once told by a dear, older brother that sometimes silence is not golden, it is just plain yellow. May the Lord give us the resolve to commit ourselves to doing the work of an evangelist. May our battle cry be, “I will not keep silent.” May the Lord give us such a burden for the lost that we cannot ignore it. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?” (Rom. 10:14).

These parables are our Lord’s answer to the murmuring of the Pharisees—“This Man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). They are His divinely perfect way of vindicating the love and grace of God. So far from denying the charge, the Lord displays the truth and blessedness of that with which they charge Him. To do this He uses not one but three parables, each giving different aspects of the same love and grace, and all blending together to reveal the heart of God. And in this we have displayed the whole Trinity.

 

The Lost Sheep (15:1-7)

             Fittingly, the Lord begins with Himself, the Son. He had come into the world for this very purpose—to save sinners. The sheep belongs to Him (as all things are His), but has gone astray, beyond all hope of recovery by its own efforts. In fact it does nothing toward that recovery; both the shepherd in the parable and the true Shepherd do it all—leave all to accomplish this purpose. It includes Christ’s coming in flesh, His perfect life showing His absolute sinlessness, and above all His atoning death—the finished work of divine love, in making possible its saving the lost.

             “But none of the ransomed ever

                 knew

How deep were the waters crossed;

Nor how dark was the night that

                 the Lord passed through,

             Ere He found the sheep that was

                 lost.”                                                                                                                                                          (E.C. Clephane)

             As the work of saving was His, so the power to keep and bring home is His. The joy in it all and over the lost one found is His also. Indeed the joy throughout these parables is looked at as chiefly on God’s part. The reflection of that is in the saved soul. 

The Lost Piece of Money (15:8-10)

             Here in the woman seeking to find the lost coin it is not difficult to think of the present work of the Holy Spirit in the people of God, seeking diligently by the light of the Word, and the zeal of love, to reach those hidden in the dust of the world—behind their business, cares, pleasures—whatever hides them. Those who believe in the truth of their sin and of Christ as Saviour are “found.” The Spirit’s work is accomplished in working “repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18). Again there is joy in the presence of the angels of God. 

The Lost Son (15:11-24)

             In the first two parables the lost is seen largely or entirely passive. But in the last is seen the working of grace in the person, leading to a sense of misery, a turning to God, and coming with confession, to Him from the place of distance and of shame. And yet, may we not say, this is but the background upon which to display the love of the Father. It is the Father who is waiting, who sees the poor wanderer at a great distance—for who has ever “repented enough” or come all the way alone? With divine haste, the Father anticipates all, and with the kiss of pardon welcomes the lost to the best in His house—robe, ring, sandals, and feast. All are the gift of the Father whose joy He only, with the Son and Spirit, knows in its divine eternal fullness.

             To God the Father be the praise now and ever, by the Spirit through Jesus Christ our Lord.

                (From Help and Food, Vol. 38.)

             Have you ever been burdened to go and give out tracts, or to speak to your neighbor about the Lord, or to engage in some other type of gospel work? Or have you ever been asked by a fellow Christian to join him in such activities? No doubt, all of our readers, if truly saved, have experienced this—hopefully many times in their lives since new birth. But doesn’t it often happen that before you have an opportunity to act upon such a thought or burden that you start thinking of all sorts of excuses why you should not engage in such activity? And more often than not, perhaps, the burden passes away without the deed being accomplished.

             What are some of the excuses we think of for not doing gospel work?

             1. I might be rebuffed or mocked by someone.

             2. I might meet someone from the office while I am giving out tracts, and that person might tell others at the office what I was doing, and what will they think of me then?

             3. I might be challenged with a question that I cannot answer.

             4. If it is the Lord’s purpose for certain persons to be saved, He can accomplish this purpose without my help.

             5. If Mr. X, with whom I lost my temper last month, sees me giving out tracts, he will think I am a hypocrite!

             6. I have a headache.

             7. I have too much else to do (the children’s swing set needs another coat of paint, I haven’t read last night’s newspaper or this week’s Newsweek yet, the bathroom faucet has been dripping for the past two months and something should be done about it).

             8. I have too much else to do (I should take the children on an outing today).

             9. I have too much else to do (I should be studying for next week’s Bible study; I should be writing that article I promised for Words of Truth).

             We could go on and on thinking of excuses why we should not do the work that is so pleasing to the Lord-sowing the seed of the gospel. Whenever one has a thought or desire to do work for the Lord, particularly when that work is aimed at wresting lost souls out of Satan’s kingdom, we can be certain that Satan and his helpers are going to be making every attempt to prevent thought or desire from resulting in action.

             It might be useful to consider some of the excuses just listed so that we can be prepared to respond to them in the right way.

             One of the greatest hindrances to gospel work is pride. This often takes the form of fear that our reputation or popularity among our neighbors or colleagues may be adversely affected if we are “caught” doing gospel work or witnessing for Christ. About the only way to deal with this is to confess to God our pride, to recognize it as sin and as something abhorrent to God. “Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord” (Prov. 16:5; see also 8:13). We must remember that we belong to the One who “made Himself of no reputation” (Phil. 2:7).

             What about the problem of being rebuffed or mocked by someone? Consider the words of the Lord Jesus in John 15:19,20:“The world hates you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.” Far from being a problem, should it not rather be counted a privilege to suffer for Him who suffered so much for us? “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him” (2 Tim. 2:12). “Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29).

             Concerning excuse number three, what will people think of me if I cannot defend my faith or answer all of their questions or objections? Won’t that be worse than not talking to them at all? The response to this is that most persons have great respect for the person who is willing to admit that he does not have all the answers. If you find you are not immediately able to answer a certain question, ask the other person if he would be willing to meet with you on another occasion to discuss the matter further after you have had an opportunity to think about it and to search the Scriptures to find the answer. Among other things, this will also reveal whether the other person is sincere in his questioning or is just trifling with you and with God.

             As to excuse number four, it is most certainly true that the Lord can save persons without my help. But consider the following illustration:My son comes to me one day and says, in a very frustrated tone of voice, “Daddy, will you help me with my model airplane? I can’t get the wings to stick to the fuselage.” I look up at him over my newspaper and reply, “Son, if God wants the wings to stick to the fuselage, He will find a way for it to be done.” Whereupon he says, “Okay, Dad. Say, I have an idea. I’ll ask Mr. Matthews next door. He is good at fixing things.” Do you get the point? The airplane gets put together, but Daddy loses out on the blessing of helping his son, and misses a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the relationship with his son. In like manner do we lose out on the blessing of working with and for the Lord in the matter of winning souls to Himself.

             If you are afraid of being called a hypocrite because of your ungodly behavior in the past toward another, the solution is simple—simple in theory, that is, but oh, so difficult to carry out in practice. If I have sinned against my neighbor or offended him in any way, it is my obligation to go to him and confess my sin and ask his forgiveness (Jas. 5:16). And it does not matter if he was wrong too—even if his part of the wrong was 95 percent and mine only five percent. It is still my obligation to confess my sin to him and seek his forgiveness. “If you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave there your gift before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23,24).

            If the excuse is “I am not feeling well,” try to imagine what your response would be if a friend called and asked you to play tennis with him or go to a concert with him. Often this excuse

is offered as a substitute to excuses number one and two, for it is easier on the conscience than those other two.

          Perhaps the most common excuses for not working for the Lord are those of “no time” or “too much else to do.” Now, God has no intention for us to neglect our responsibilities in the home or at work; that is, it is never valid to shirk our earthly responsibilities by saying we have to spend our time serving the Lord. But the Lord does expect to be placed first in our lives, and if we set aside time to devote to Him (whether for studying the Bible, praying, or working for Him), He will honor us by helping us to be more efficient in our other duties and responsibilities. We will find that we are spending less time cleaning up messes, correcting mistakes, taking the car to be fixed, and the like, if we have given Christ the time due to Him each day.

          With regard to excuse number eight, it is important to maintain a proper balance between the time devoted to the family and time devoted to the Lord. Neither should be stressed to the neglect of the other. (Thus, this particular excuse may indeed be valid at times, that is, the Lord may prefer that the time be spent with the family—cementing those relationships—rather than away ministering to others.) Often the two can be effectively combined. For instance, the home can be an effective sphere for evangelism by having our children’s friends over to spend the night and presenting the gospel to them as they join in the family devotions, as well as our joining with the children in their games. Often, if one is not particularly gifted in evangelism, a person might use the excuse that he is too busy exercising his gift (be it teaching, pastoring, helping, or whatever) to engage in evangelistic work. But it is clear from Scripture that God intends for all of His children, whatever their gift might be, to cultivate a longing desire for the salvation of souls, to be “fishers of men.” “Do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim. 4:5).

          May the Lord encourage each of us in the work of the gospel. May we value the love of Christ and of the Father toward us, and the sacrificial work accomplished for us at Calvary. May we have a compassion for the lost, hell-bound souls around us on every hand. There is no want of opportunity to give out the gospel, to speak a word for our dear Saviour. May we gird up our loins and be ready for each opportunity as it arises. And may we be cognizant of Satan’s devices to hinder us from capitalizing on these opportunities, and not yield to the excuses he plants in our minds. “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16).

             When I was in Melbourne, Australia as a minister, I kept hearing stories about a woman, a cripple, but I never believed them. I did not think the stories could be true. I went one day to offer comfort to her, but before I had been in the room ten minutes it was I who was receiving instruction, broken down, and dissolved in a flood of emotion. When she was 18 she was seized with a dread malady, and the doctor said that to save her life he must take off the foot. Both feet went. They followed the disease up the body, took off her legs to the knees, still followed it up, and cut as far as the trunk. Then it broke out in her hands. The first arm went to the shoulder, and the second to the shoulder, and when I saw that woman, Miss Higgins, all that remained of her was a trunk, nothing more than a trunk. For 15 years she had been there. The walls of her room were covered with Scripture texts, all of them radiating, speaking of joy, peace, and power.

             One day while lying in bed she asked the Lord what she could do, a dismembered woman without a joint in her body. Then an inspiration came to her, and she got a friend who was a carpenter to come. He fitted a pad to her shoulder and then a fountain pen, and she began to write letters with it. Remember, when you write, you write with your arm. As there was no joint, she wrote with the whole of her body. There may be clever calligraphists in this place, but I will undertake to say there is no woman who could write a letter one-half so beautiful from the point of view of calligraphy as that woman wrote in my presence. She had received 1,500 to 1,600 letters from people who had been brought to Christ through the letters she had written in that way from that room.

             I said to her:“How do you do it?” She smiled and replied, “Well, you know Jesus said, “He who believes on Me … out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). I believed in Him and that is all.”

                If one in such an absolutely helpless condition as this Christian woman could by the help of God accomplish such amazing results in winning souls, who of us after this need despair? Who is there so crippled in body or circumstances that cannot in some way be made a blessing to others? God seems to glory in doing the impossible. He still takes “the weak things … to confound the things that are mighty” (1 Cor. 1:27). Nothing is too hard for Him. Give Him a chance.

             “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one who believes” (Rom. 10:2-4).

             I have been a most self-righteous man. For years I groaned, expecting to find peace by regulating my life according to the Scriptures. They proved to be “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). I sought carefully for the commandments of the New Testament, but the more I sought, the more I got into difficulty. I read, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15), and “Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment” (Matt. 12:36), and others of the same character, and they terrified me. I read also, “Sell whatever you have, and give to the poor” (Mark 10:21), and then I wished, “Oh that I were only rich, that I might sacrifice all!” Then I found baptism and the Lord’s supper; but after doing all, and living an irreproachable church life, I got no peace. The “rejoice evermore” (1 Thess. 5:16) I read was only a mockery to me. When I was baptized, I expected some mysterious change, but there was none; I wept at the Lord’s table, but there was no peace; I prayed in secret and in public, often so earnestly that others thought me mighty in prayer, but yet there was no peace. “O Lord!” I cried in my agony, “Speak to me and tell me what to do; I will run and do it even at the peril of my life.” But there was no answer. I now visited the sick and spent much time in prayer. I preached too—yes, dear reader, I preached—I pretended to be a bearer of glad tidings, while my own heart writhed in agony. What did I preach? What others had preached to me—“Do your best; be a valiant soldier of Jesus Christ, and then He will save you.” But still I found no peace! In spite of all this supposed duty fulfilled, there was no peace!

             One day I called on a sick man, and quickly introduced the subject of religion, as that was my object in calling. “Ah, sir,” he said, “they used to tell me to do my best, and I tried and tried, until I found that there was no best to be reached. When I examined myself, I found that I was still the same poor sinner. Then I watched my instructors to see if I could detect in them what I found in myself, and they failed so visibly to live up to what they taught and professed that I set them all down as hypocrites, and turned infidel. But here, read this.” He passed to me a Testament opened at Romans 3. I had often read it before, but now the declaration, “There is none righteous, no, not one” (3:10) was strangely solemn to me. I read on:“There is no difference; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus … whom God hath set forth a propitiation through faith in His blood … that He might be just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus” (3:22-26). As I read, the Holy Spirit opened my blinded heart, and I saw it all. Then and there, in that log cabin, I got what Cornelius got as Peter spoke the wonderful message, “To Him [Jesus] give all the prophets witness, that through His name whoever believes in Him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43).

             I was then two miles from home, and my path lay mostly through fields of corn and tall grass; but all I remember of it that evening is finding myself several times on my knees on the ground, praising God for His love. What shall I do when I get to heaven?

             I now had God’s answer to all my difficulties in His precious Word, and there it was all the time, but I was blind to it. Is it not wonderful we should be so intelligent about so many things and yet so stupid about matters so important and so simply and clearly stated in the Word of God?

             My heart now turned toward all men, especially to those already dear to me by the ties of nature. It was no more praying and preaching and visiting to perform some worthy thing, it was fishing after souls of men. A friend who was preparing to go into Christian ministry was most of all on my heart. I knew he was just where I was before. I wrote to him and told him that I had been blind but now I saw. I told him of that Man who is called Jesus, of the work that He finished on the cross, and of the wonderful results of apprehending it by faith. He replied that he was “in great distress sometimes, and he did not know whom to believe. One said this, another said that, and all seemed earnest. It was very puzzling.” One day he wrote, “All you tell me is true. I have compared it with the Word. One thing only I cannot understand. You say, ‘It is useless to try to better that which cannot be bettered,’ and add, ‘That which is born of the flesh is flesh’ (John 3:6). Surely you do not mean to say we must not strive to improve ourselves.”

             I prayed to the Lord that He would guide me in my answer, and thought of the joy of being made the instrument in bringing that dear one to Jesus. I then replied, “Yes, that is just what I meant to say. I meant that it is useless, and even folly, to strive to better what cannot be bettered. ‘You must be born again.’ Your only hope is in what another, even Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has done for us. This is humiliating, but there is no other way. ‘He who believes on Him is not condemned; but he who believes not is condemned already!’ (John 3:18). This is the testimony of the whole Scripture.”

             A few days later I received his answer:“Give glory to God, my beloved brother. I see! I see! It is Jesus, and Jesus alone. He is now my all. Since yesterday, it seems I understand more than half the Word, which before was all darkness. I received your letter yesterday morning and, as usual, I read it over and over. I read the passages you mentioned, and they were there:I could deny nothing; but I was miserable. I went to my task heartlessly. Toward evening, a gleam of hope reached me. I fell on my knees and prayed, and while there, the whole redemption that is through Christ Jesus was opened up to me. I desired to see and feel it with such force that my heart might leap high for joy, but I got only a deep, solemn, strange peace within. My wonder is, that in view of such a salvation I can remain so calm. I almost tremble lest I should lose such a precious rest.”

             Lose such a precious rest! No, never! It cannot be lost, for it rests on a foundation that cannot be moved. It produces feelings—blessed feelings—but feelings are no part of it. What God did for us over 1800 years ago when He “laid on [Jesus] the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:6) is what true peace rests upon, and that never can be undone, nor can it ever lose its value. Blessed is the soul who rests there!

                “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief … He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows:yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:3-6).

             A circumstance that aptly illustrates the great truth of Christianity happened not long ago in a small village on the west coast of Scotland. The sewerage of the place needed improvement and cleansing; in the progress of the work, one of the principal wells in the town, from which pure water had been supplied to families in the vicinity, became polluted by contact with the sewer. As soon as the cause of the disaster was discovered, remedial measures were established in the hope of restoring the now foul spring to its original purity. Every effort that skill and ingenuity could suggest was taken into consideration, but to no purpose. It was thought possible to clean and wash out the old well as far as it could be seen, but this was abandoned as useless. It was next suggested that if the old building of the well, stones, sand, etc., were removed, and a new well built instead thereof, the desired object would be attained. Many conflicting opinions prevailed as to the possibility of success of this plan. At last it was resolved to call in a man whose occupation had been that of a constructor of wells, and whose experience justified the expectation that his counsel would lead to a proper decision. Nor did he disappoint this hope; for when called and questioned, his reply was unequivocally, “It is not possible to procure pure and sweet water from a spring polluted as this by sewage, either by cleansing it out as far as you can see or by removing the old building and constructing a new one. You must build a new well with new stones, new sand, and in an entirely new place.”

             I happened to walk into the shop where these facts were being told, and when I heard them it struck me what a picture of Christianity that is! It also struck me how little known or understood Christianity is! And now, do you not see, dear reader, how true all this is, that man, in his natural state, is the polluted well—defiled in his spring, his nature corrupt? What is to be done? God’s heart is overflowing in its love for guilty man, while man’s heart is overflowing with hatred to, or indifference toward the blessed God. What is to be done? God must set that filthy well—man—aside. There is nothing else for it. The spring is polluted at its source, man is irreparable.

             So God sends His own blessed Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into this world, the scene of the dishonor done to Himself, as well as the witness of man’s ruin and degradation, and here where man had utterly failed to glorify God, He, that blessed One, that beautiful and perfect Man, perfectly glorified God:“I have glorified Thee on the earth” (John 17:4), and thus exhibited what a dependent and subject man ought to be. And not only this, but as He walked this world, He manifested God His Father:“He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). What a wonderful thought:“The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 1:18). This is the One who came into this poor world that was at a distance from God, to tell out the secrets of that bosom towards poor man on it. Inasmuch as judgment is resting on man by reason of sin, and that he is, moreover, walking the world in a forfeited life, God’s Son bore the judgment, gave up His own life for man’s that was forfeited, and at the same time presented His own personal excellency to God. Man’s history is now closed; the old well is declared, as to its standing and state, to be irremediable; but this is not all, for He who in grace thus gave Himself, “was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father” (Rom. 6:4) and becomes now in Himself, thus risen, the new standing for the new well. Therefore is it written, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God” (2 Cor. 5:17,18).

             Dear reader, what wonderful words these last five are, “all things are of God”; the position is of God, the building on it of God, the builder, God. Even, as in the case of the well, the old position, mortar, stones, and sand were all set aside as good for nothing, so in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, the believer once a sinner, as a child of Adam, was entirely judged and put away out of God’s sight:not only his sins but that which did them, his nature. In the Lord Jesus Christ risen from the dead, the new era or second volume of our history is opened, and on the title page of this volume is inscribed—“ All things are of God.”

             May the Lord the Spirit open hearts to see the great salvation of God, how He has settled the question of the old well with its corrupt spring, and what a magnificent well He has opened in His Son risen from the dead, the second Man, the last Adam, the completer of the old creation, and Head of the new.

             During a recent visit to the town of Buxton, Derbyshire, I was asked by a Christian lady to visit a woman in whose spiritual welfare she was interested. One afternoon I called at the house, and in the course of conversation was amazed at her deplorable ignorance. On my enquiring if she was prepared for eternity, she replied that she did not know. Asked if she was a sinner, her response was, “Oh, yes; we are all sinners.”

             “God’s Word tells us that ‘The wages of sin is death’ (Rom. 6:23). Have you earned these wages?” “I don’t know,” she responded.

             “Have you been ‘born again’?” (John 3:3). “I have not.”

             “Have you been ‘converted’?” (Matt. 18:3). “No.”

             “Are you a hell-deserving sinner?” “No; I am not so bad as that.”

             “If, then, you are not a hell-deserving sinner, are you a heaven-deserving one?” “Yes; I believe I am.”

             “What! Do you mean to say that you deserve to go to heaven?” “I do.”

             “Why do you think so?” “Because I never did any harm in my life.”

             This woman is a representative of thousands of decent, respectable persons all over the land. They seem to be utterly unconcerned about their guilt and danger. Ask them if they expect to get to heaven, and they unhesitatingly declare that they “hope” or “expect” to reach it “at last.” Enquire the ground of their confidence, and they tell you that they “never did any harm,” and have tried to “do their duty.” They admit in a general way that they are “sinners,” but they don’t believe that they are hell-deserving sinners. Ask them how long it is since they were “born again,” “converted,” or “saved,” and they reply that they have not got “that length” yet.

             Is the reader “heaven-deserving” or “hell-deserving?” Surely you don’t believe that you have always been what you should have been, and always done what you should have done.

                “I know that I am a sinner.” Then, according to your admission, you deserve to be punished. All unsaved, unconverted sinners are lost and guilty, helpless and hell-deserving, for God’s Word declares that “The soul who sins, it shall die” (Ezek. 18:20). What, then, is to become of you? Can you pay the debt that you owe to God? Will future well-doing blot out the past? Surely not. Thank God, there is deliverance for you at this very moment. Christ died for “sinners” (Rom. 5:8), for the “ungodly” (5:6), for you (1 Tim. 2:6). On account of His “finished” work God’s claims have been fully met, and by simply believing on Him who did it all and paid it all, you may now pass from death unto life, from darkness into light (Rom. 10:9). Settle the important question now—“Are you heaven-deserving or hell-deserving; are you bound for heaven or Hell—WHICH?”

             First it may be well to observe what repentance is not. Repentance is neither penitence (simple sorrow for sin), nor penance (the effort in some way to atone for wrong done), nor reformation (an attempt to replace bad habits with good ones).

             Repentance is a complete reversal of one’s inward attitude. To repent is to change one’s attitude toward self, toward sin, toward God, toward Christ. John the Baptist came preaching to publicans and sinners, hopelessly vile and depraved, “Repent [or change your attitude], for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). To the haughty scribes and legalistic Pharisees came the same command, “Change your attitude,” and thus they would be ready to receive Him who came in grace to save. To sinners everywhere the Saviour cried, “Except you [change your attitude], you shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3,5).

             True repentance implies that the pleasure lover sees and confesses the folly of his empty life; the self-indulgent learns to hate the passions that express the corruption of his nature; the self-righteous sees himself a condemned sinner in the eyes of a holy God; the man who has been hiding from God seeks to find a hiding place in Him; the Christ-rejecter realizes and owns his need of a Redeemer, and so believes unto life and salvation.

             To own frankly that I am lost and guilty is the prelude to life and peace. It is not a question of a certain depth of grief and sorrow, but simply the recognition and acknowledgment of need that lead one to turn to Christ for refuge. None can perish who put their trust in Him. His grace superabounds above all our sin, and His expiatory work on the cross is so infinitely precious to God that it fully meets all our uncleanness and guilt.

             (From Except Ye Repent.)

             The apostles of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ were specially charged to preach “repentance and remission of sins” (Luke 24:47). Some of us are apt to overlook the first part of this commission in our eagerness to get to the second. This is a most serious mistake. It is our truest wisdom to keep close to the actual terms in which our blessed Lord delivered His charge to His earliest heralds. Do we give sufficient prominence to the first part of the commission? Do we preach repentance?

             Our Lord preached repentance (Mark 1:14,15) and He commanded His apostles to preach it; they did so consistently (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30,31; 20:21; 26:20). With the example of our Lord and His apostles before us, may we not ask whether we preach repentance as we ought? No doubt it is very important to preach the gospel of the grace of God in all its fullness, clearness, and power. But if we do not preach repentance, we will seriously damage our testimony and the souls of our hearers. What would we say if we saw a farmer scattering seed on a hard road? We would pronounce him out of his mind. The plow must do its work. The ground must be broken up before the seed is sown; and we may rest assured that, as in the kingdom of nature, so in the kingdom of grace, the plowing must precede the sowing. The ground must be duly prepared for the seed or the operation will prove altogether defective. Let the gospel be preached as God has given it to us in His Word.

             What is this repentance which occupies such a prominent place in the preaching of our Lord and His apostles? We are not aware of any formal definition of the subject furnished by the Holy Spirit. However, the more we study the Word in reference to this great question, the more deeply we feel convinced that true repentance involves the solemn judgment of ourselves, our condition, and our ways in the presence of God; further, this judgment is not a transient feeling but an abiding condition, not an exercise to be gone through as a sort of title to the remission of sins, but the deep and settled habit of the soul, giving seriousness, tenderness, and profound humility which should characterize our entire lives.

             We greatly deplore the light, superficial style of much of our modern preaching. It sometimes seems as if the sinner were led to suppose that he is conferring a great honor upon God in accepting salvation at His hands. This type of preaching produces levity, self-indulgence, worldliness, and foolishness. Sin is not felt to be the dreadful thing it is in the sight of God. Self is not judged. The world is not given up. The gospel that is preached is what may be called “salvation made easy” to the flesh. People are offered a salvation which leaves self and the world unjudged and those who profess to be saved by this gospel often exhibit a great lack of seriousness in their Christian lives.

             [Editor’s note:Perhaps this reminds us of some modern evangelism which says, in effect, “Accept Christ and enjoy good fellowship”; “accept Christ and play better football”; or “accept Christ and solve all your problems.”]

             Man must take his true place before God, and that is the place of self-judgment, contrition of heart, real sorrow for sin, and true confession. It is here the gospel meets him. The fullness of God ever waits on an empty vessel, and a truly repentant soul is the empty vessel into which all the fullness and grace of God can flow in saving power. The Holy Spirit will make the sinner feel and own his real condition. It is He alone who can do so; but He uses preaching to this end. By preaching, He brings the Word of God to bear upon the conscience. The Word is His hammer wherewith He “breaks the rock in pieces” (Jer. 23:29); it is His plowshare wherewith He breaks up the “fallow ground” (Jer. 4:3; Hos. 10:12; Matt. 13:23). He makes the furrow and then casts in the incorruptible seed to germinate and bear fruit to the glory of God.

             Let us be careful that we do not draw from these remarks that there is anything meritorious in the sinner’s repentance. This would be to miss the point completely. Repentance is not a good work whereby the sinner merits the favor of God. True repentance is the discovery and hearty confession of our utter ruin and guilt. It is the finding out that my whole life has been a lie, and I myself am a liar. This is serious work. There is no flippancy or levity when a soul is brought to this. A repentant soul in the presence of God is a solemn reality.

             May we more solemnly, earnestly, and constantly call upon men to “repent and turn to God” (Acts 26:20). Let us preach “repentance” as well as “remission of sins.”

             (From “The Great Commission” in Miscellaneous Writings, Vol. 4.)