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Salvation, A Gift From God

“As thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given Him” (John 17:2).

If we trust Jesus for salvation, we can take no credit ourselves. Eternal life is a gift from God. When the Lord stood before the tomb of Lazarus and called a corpse to life, what followed was no credit to the one who came forward wrapped in grave clothes. Jesus alone imparts life.

The fact that God chooses to save people is cause for much celebration, and He alone is to be praised. Dead people do not have the ability to choose life.

One problem is that we think of walking and talking people as being alive when in fact they are dead. Jesus spoke the following words to walking and talking people: “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40). They may have thought they were alive, but life was missing, as far as Jesus was concerned. Millions know down deep that something very important is missing in their existence. The apostle Paul described people prior to conversion as being “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). He went on to write, underscoring the truth of Jesus’ prayer, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Another aspect of the text which should fill us with praise to Jesus is the part about “all flesh.” Jesus, the Creator and Sustainer of all life, has been given authority over “all flesh.” He owns us. The Father gave Him “power” (authority) over all. He is the One who keeps us breathing and our hearts pumping.

It is one thing to give mental assent to these truths; it is something else to live them. May we praise God that salvation is a free gift and rejoice that Jesus owns and cares for all who have eternal life.

The Gospel

(Octavius Winslow, "Morning Thoughts")

The gospel is the master-work of Jehovah,
presenting the greatest display of His manifold
wisdom, and the most costly exhibition of the
riches of His grace. In constructing it He would
seem to have summoned to His aid all the
resources of His own infinity . . .
His fathomless wisdom,
His boundless love,
His illimitable grace,
His infinite power,
His spotless holiness,
all contributed their glory, and conspired
to present it to the universe as the most
consummate piece of Divine workmanship!

The revelations it makes,
the facts it records,
the doctrines it propounds,
the effects is produces,
proclaim it to be the "glorious
gospel of the blessed God."

We live encircled by shadows . . .
our friends are shadows,
our comforts are shadows,
our supports are shadows,
our pursuits are shadows, and
we ourselves are shadows passing away.

But in the precious gospel we have substance,
we have reality, we have that which remains
with us when all other things disappear, leaving
the soul desolate, the heart bleeding, and the
spirit bowed in sorrow to the dust.

But the gospel . . .
guides our perplexities,
mitigates our griefs,
sanctifies our sorrows,
heals our wounds,
dries our tears,
because it leads us to . . .
the love,
the tenderness,
the sympathy,
the grace of Jesus.

The gospel . . .
reveals Jesus,
speaks mainly of Jesus,
leads simply to Jesus,
and this makes it "glad tidings of great joy," to
a poor, lost, ruined, tried, and tempted sinner!

The very thought is appalling!

(J. C. Philpot, "Alienation and Reconciliation")

"Once you were alienated from God and were
His enemies, separated from Him by your
evil thoughts and actions." Colossians 1:21

All man's sins, comparatively speaking, are but
'motes in the sunbeam' compared with this giant
sin of enmity against God. A man may be given
up to fleshly indulgences; he may sin against his
fellow creature—may rob, plunder, oppress, even
kill his fellow man. But viewed in a spiritual light,
what are they compared with the dreadful, the
damnable sin of enmity against the great and
glorious Majesty of heaven?

This is a sin that lives beyond the grave!

Many sins, though not their consequences, die
with man's body, because they are bodily sins.

But this is a sin that goes into eternity with him,
and flares up like a mighty volcano from the very
depths of the bottomless pit! Yes, it is the very
sin of devils, which therefore binds guilty man
down with them in the same eternal chains, and
consigns him to the same place of torment!

O the unutterable enmity of the heart against
the living God! The very thought is appalling!

How utterly ruined, then, how wholly lost must
that man's state and case be, who lives and
dies as he comes into the world . . .
unchanged,
unrenewed,
unregenerated!

I will not dwell longer upon this gloomy subject,
on this sad exhibition of human wickedness and
misery, though it is needful we should know it for
ourselves, that we should have a taste of this bitter
cup in our own most painful experience, that we may
know the sweetness of the cup of salvation when
presented to our lips by free and sovereign grace.

Nothing but the mighty power of God Himself
can ever turn this enemy into a friend!

"Once you were alienated from God and were
His enemies, separated from Him by your
evil thoughts and actions, yet now He has
brought you back as His friends. He has done
this through His death on the cross in His own
human body. As a result, He has brought you
into the very presence of God, and you are holy
and blameless as you stand before Him without
a single fault." Colossians 1:21-22

THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION - Page 1
by Archibald Alexander

In comparison with salvation, all other subjects are trivial. To waste
time in the pursuit of wealth, or in the chase of sensual pleasure, while
our salvation is not secure, is more than folly—it is madness. What,
would you agree to dwell in the dark dungeon of despair forever and ever,
for the sake of living a few years upon earth in a sumptuous house? Would
you consent to endure the sting of the never-dying worm, and the torment
of unquenchable fire, to all eternity, for the sake of gratifying your
appetites and senses for a moment? No man would deliberately make such a
determination; yet such is the language which many speak by their
conduct. The world is pursued daily, at the risk of eternal damnation.

The resolution of attending to the concerns of the soul at a later time,
answers no other purpose than to lull the conscience asleep. Where have
we known a person, by virtue of these flattering resolutions, change his
conduct? The next day is like the one that preceded it. Every succeeding
year passes by, like those that went before. No convenient time for
repentance and reformation ever comes. Youth soon runs out in the giddy
circle of pleasure and amusement. Middle age is completely occupied with
cares and business; and old age, if it ever arrives, finds the heart
hardened, the habits fixed, and the conscience seared. Death overtakes
the unfortunate wretch. He dies as he lived, either goaded by guilt, or
benumbed with stupidity. He dies, and sinks to hell, where there are no
amusements to entertain, no business to engage, no error to becloud the
mind. To fall into the hands of the living God, as an avenging Judge, is
dreadful beyond conception! To be eternally miserable, overwhelms the
thoughts, and we turn away from it with instinctive horror!

Can you reconcile yourself to such sufferings? Can you dwell with
everlasting burnings? Only try the torment of fire for a moment, and you
will soon be convinced that the pains of hell are not to be supported
with patience; but they are worse. Remorse and despair are worse than
Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, heated seven times. No flames are equal to the
raging of unrepented sin; no strokes of any enemy like the taunts of
infernal spirits. If you had to endure this punishment only for a limited
time, the hope of deliverance might help you to bear up under the
dreadful weight of sorrow; but although many support themselves by such a
hope here on earth, the miserable in hell have no such alleviation. The
darkness which surrounds them is thick and horrible. No ray of light ever
penetrates it. No gleam of hope ever mitigates the raging anguish of the
lost soul.

Consider also, that although your sins may not be openly flagrant, yet,
as you have heard the gospel, and enjoyed many calls and warnings, and
also many strivings of the Spirit—these will exceedingly aggravate your
misery, and make your hell hotter than that of the miserable inhabitants
of Sodom and Gomorrah. The more comfortable you are in your worldly
circumstances, the more miserable will your condition be. To be cast out
from among affectionate friends, to keep company with monsters of
depravity! To be cast out from fine houses, pleasant gardens, fertile
farms, and downy beds, to be cast into a lake of fire! To be cast out
from well-furnished tables, and generous wines and cordials, to be
eternally famished with burning thirst, and no gratification ever
obtained—no, not so much as a drop of water to cool the tongue! This is
hell indeed!

Suppose you were doomed to suffer the torment which a sinner in hell must
eternally endure, for one hour in this world, would not the prospect of
this doleful hour mar all your pleasures? In the midst of mirth, would it
not make your heart sad; and would it not be ever present in your
thoughts? You would be unable to compose yourself to sleep, or to betake
yourself to your necessary business. You would consider yourself as an
unfortunate wretch, and would perhaps regret that you had ever been born.
Your friends would sympathize with you, and all around would look upon
you with pity.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION - Page 2
by Archibald Alexander

But if, from an hour, the term of your punishment should be enlarged to a
year, what would you do; how would you feel? Suppose you could endure the
pain of a fiery furnace for a year without dying or losing your
sensibility, and you knew that this was your certain doom—could you be at
ease; could you contain yourself? Would you not disregard all pursuits
and enjoyments which the world could propose; and would you not take up a
continual lamentation over your unhappy case? Would you not call upon all
to pity you, as the most miserable wretch that ever was born? And would
you consider the wealth of a prince, the honor of a conqueror, or the
pleasure of an epicure, any compensation for such dreadful sufferings?
Would you not despise all these things, and say, "The more I enjoy these
earthly delights, and the more I forget the misery which is coming upon
me, the more intolerable will be my anguish when it arrives?"

Should we be thus affected with an hour's or year's continuation of such
sufferings as must be endured in hell, and shall we be indifferent to
these same torments when their duration will be WITHOUT END? O God, what
kind of infatuated beings are we? Surely man, of all creatures, is the
most stupid in those things which relate to his salvation. ETERNAL
PUNISHMENT! ETERNAL FIRE! EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION! What awful sounds are
these! Who can fully understand their import?

I extend my views forward to the day of judgment; but this great
day, instead of bringing these sufferings to an end, is the date of their
beginning in all their terror. What shall be endured before, is nothing
to what comes after. The fire will then be kindled around both soul
and body, which will never cease to burn. The sufferings of
the soul in a separate state, will be like the anticipations of a
criminal who is conscious of guilt, while confined in a prison before the
day of trial. They shall then go away into everlasting punishment. Only
put yourself for a moment in the place of one of those who are commanded
by the omnipotent Judge to depart, under the vengeance of an everlasting
curse. The feeling mind recoils from such suppositions with such
repulsive violence, that it is almost impossible to induce men to fix
their thoughts steadily on such subjects. But try, for once, the
experiment. Overcome your natural reluctance, and imagine yourself to be
in the company that will be driven off, by the command of the Judge, from
the awful tribunal, into outer darkness, where there is weeping and
gnashing of teeth. May I venture to suggest a few reflections which would
probably arise in your mind in such a situation.

"Well, the scene is ended—I now know, I feel the misery of my situation!
Hope, my last comforter, is eternally fled. Despair has full possession;
all is lost, eternally lost! All that I now have is a miserable, accursed
existence! O that I could sink into nothing, and thus escape the wrath of
my avenging enemy! But I wish in vain; exist I must. Hell is my portion!
I already feel its overwhelming horrors! I am tortured with agonies, and
torn with pangs which no words can describe. All passions assist in
increasing my misery. I see others glorious and happy, but the sight
greatly enhances my woe. I feel my envy and malice raging against them,
and against their God and Savior; but my wrath is impotent; it recoils
upon myself, and inflicts new wounds on my tormented soul. Was this
the price at which I purchased the world and its pleasures? O wretch
and fool that I was! Ah, where can I go? Is there any secure or even
obscure retreat for me? No, no! I sink in flames. I go into everlasting
misery! I go to be companions of devils! I plunge into the dark abyss,
never to rise again! And my body, my old companion in sin, must be also
tormented. My body is everlasting—to bear its part in the unquenchable
fire!"

But we cannot describe the anguish and despair of a lost sinner. The mere
possibility of falling into such a state of indescribable anguish ought
to fill us with trembling; and so it would, were not our minds blinded by
the god of this world. Now reader, do you feel no concern about your
salvation; or have you some method of easing your mind under these
thoughts? I beseech you to consider well what the nature of that resource
is.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION - Page 3
by Archibald Alexander

The first thought which occurs, by way of relief to your mind, is,
perhaps, that these things cannot be so—that such torments will never
be inflicted by a good and merciful God. This ground appears to many
very plausible, and they rest upon it with the greater confidence,
because it has the appearance of honoring the character of God, at the
same time that it promises safety to themselves. But before you lean on
this prop, look well, I beseech you, to its foundation. Consider, that
before you can derive any rational comfort from this consideration, you
must be able to demonstrate that the tremendous denunciations of God's
word against sinners are false, or that he will forfeit his veracity, and
never execute his own threatenings. Wretched indeed is that
subterfuge—the safety of which depends on proving the God of truth a
liar! No, sinner, God will not deny himself for the sake of your ease! He
will not allow his word to fall to the ground to enable you to realize
your vain and impious hopes. "He will by no means clear the guilty.
Surely, O God, you will slay the wicked. The wicked shall be turned into
hell, and all the nations that forget God. Upon the wicked he shall rain
snares, fire and brimstone; this shall be the portion of their cup!"

If you have imbibed the pernicious heresy of those false teachers who
tell you that there is no future punishment for transgressors, even if
they should die in the commission of the most atrocious crimes; if you
believe these men who dare contradict the plain declarations of God's
word, your delusion will afford you only a temporary relief. It will be
like shutting your eyes when borne by an irresistible torrent towards a
frightful cataract. Your own conscience, if it has not lost all
sensibility, will intimate to you, too plainly to be misunderstood, that
there is punishment reserved for the wicked in the world to come. Lean
not, then, I beseech you, on this broken reed, which will not only fail
to support you, but will pierce you to the heart!

But it is more probable that you seek relief from the apprehension of the
wrath to come, in a vague hope of the mercy of God, of which so
much is said in Scripture. The mercy of God is indeed a sure refuge for
sinners, but it is never extended to the impenitent, who refuse to
forsake their evil ways. If you will repent and believe the gospel, then
will the Lord most graciously and freely forgive all your sins; but if
you depend on the mercy of God to save you from hell—without being
saved from sin—you trust in that which has no existence. God will
not show mercy to obstinate rebels. The whole tenor of his word assures
us of the certainty of this truth.

But perhaps you expect and intend to turn from your sinful ways
hereafter, and thus bring yourself within the influence of God's
pardoning mercy. Well, if you should become a true penitent, and humble
believer in Jesus, you will be saved. But before you cry 'peace' to
yourself from this expectation, I beg you to consider that your
continuance on earth is uncertain. What is your life? It is a vapor. We
have visible demonstration that death comes upon many very unexpectedly;
and although they had entertained the same hope of future repentance, we
have solemn reason to fear that it was never realized. They died as they
lived, and went to meet their Judge with the guilt of all their heinous
sins upon their heads. And very often men are taken suddenly away, and
have not a moment allowed for that last vain hope of the sinner—a
death-bed repentance. And in other cases, reason is bewildered, and the
feelings are stupefied; so that the person who lived carelessly has no
concern about eternal realities. And when it is otherwise, and alarm
seizes the guilty person, no help or comfort can be obtained, and he dies
in fearful horror and despair.

But if you should live for scores of years, you will never see the day
when there will be fewer obstructions to your turning to God as there are
now, and fewer inducements to cleave to the present world. Do you see men
commonly forsaking the courses to which they have long been habituated?
Or do you observe in the ungodly, that inclination to piety becomes
greater by increase of years? You may live to be old and gray-headed, and
yet remain unconverted, and go down to hell with a double curse on your
head! There is no greater nor more dangerous delusion among men, than the
procrastination of their conversion! While thousands lose their souls in
consequence of it, not one ever puts his resolution into practice, unless
some other influence than his own former purposes operates on him.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF SALVATION - Page 4
by Archibald Alexander

Reader, awake! Eternity is just before you! Heaven or hell will soon be
your everlasting abode! For heaven, you know you are not prepared. If you
were admitted to that holy place, the exercises and employments of the
inhabitants would be no way in accordance with the state of your heart.
You have no love for the service and worship of God here on earth—and
death will make no reformation in the sinner's heart. Then you must be
excluded from heaven by the necessity of the case, unless you acquire new
principles and a new taste. "Except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God." "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord."

What you intend to do, do quickly, for the time is short. While
you are halting between two opinions, the door of mercy may be shut
forever. Seize the present moment; break off your sins by repentance;
renounce all confidence in your own good deeds or righteousness, and
trust alone in the atoning sacrifice of Christ! "Whoever believes in him
shall not be ashamed." Cry mightily to him for mercy, and for the Holy
Spirit to sanctify you and aid you in every duty.

Search the Scriptures daily. Attend on the preaching of the word. Be one
among the company who surround the throne of grace in social prayer.
Avoid ensnaring company and dissipating amusements. Forsake all known
sin, and see that you perform those external duties which have hitherto
been neglected. If you have wronged or injured any, make restitution, or
make amends, as far as is in your power. Abandon all quarrels and strife
with your neighbors, and promote piety and good order in your own house,
by reading the Scriptures, and calling upon God.

But never think that external duties, or attendance on means and
ordinances, however exact, is an evidence that your soul is saved. Never
rest satisfied with your spiritual state, until you have evidence in a
heart-felt sense of the burden of your sins, that you have in truth fled
for refuge to the hope set before you in the gospel. The Lord Jesus
Christ, apprehended and received by faith, is the only safe sanctuary for
a soul pursued by the demands of a broken law!

O man, flee to this dear refuge, before the storm, which is black and
lowering, overtakes you. "Lay hold on eternal life!" "Now is the accepted
time; behold, now is the day of salvation." See, the door of
reconciliation is open. Jesus invites you to come to him for rest, and
promises that he will not cast you out; yes, complains that you will not
come unto him, that you may have life. Others are entering in at the
strait gate—why do you delay? Instead of losing by coming to Jesus, even
in this world, you will gain a hundred-fold. Godliness with contentment
is great gain!

THE CROSS

by Archibald Alexander

Whence came the tree from which the cross was made? What has become of
the particles of which it was composed? What hands were employed in
preparing this instrument of a cruel death? To such questions no answer
can be given--and none is needed. The cross was a common mode of
punishment among several nations, and among the Romans was reserved for
the punishment of slaves and the vilest malefactors. It was never made
use of by the Jews. If they had had the power of execution in their hands
when Christ suffered, the punishment for the offence alleged against him
would have been stoning. But by the ordering of divine Providence, our
Lord was put to death in that way which was accursed, according to the
Jewish law; for it was written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree."

The death of Christ on the cross may well be reckoned mysterious, for it
was at the same time a cursed and a blessed death. Christ was
"made a curse for us," that he might deliver us from the curse of the
law. And yet Christ's death on the cross is the most blessed event which
ever occurred in the world; for on the cross the price of our redemption
was paid. Christ "bore our sins in his own body on the tree." He died,
"the just for the unjust," to bring us unto God. This led Paul to say,
"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ."

The cross is a center in which many lines of truth meet. The cross is an
incomprehensible mystery. That God should be manifest in the flesh, is
the great "mystery of godliness." That the Prince of life should be
crucified, was an event which caused the angels to stoop from their
celestial thrones, that they might gaze in amazement upon it. The
prophets who predicted these events were perplexed at their own
prophecies, "They inquired into what time or what circumstances the
Spirit of Christ within them was indicating, when He testified in advance
to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow."

The truths which are exhibited in a clear and strong light by the
crucifixion of Christ, are such as these:

1. The infinite evil of sin, which in order to its pardon required such a
sacrifice.

2. The holiness and justice of God, which would not allow sin to pass
without full evidence of the divine disapprobation, and his inflexible
purpose to visit it with deserved punishment.

3. The wisdom of God, in contriving a method of salvation by which his
own glory would be promoted in the eternal salvation of hell-deserving
sinners. This wisdom is chiefly manifest in the incarnation of the Son of
God, by which the divine and human natures are united in one person.

4. But the most wonderful exhibition of the cross is the mercy of God,
the love of God to sinners—such love as never could have been conceived
of, had it not been manifest by the gift of his own Son! "God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."

YOU FOOL!

by Archibald Alexander

"You fool, this night your soul shall be required of you!" What
harsh language, some will be ready to say. But it is true; and the
occasion requires all earnestness. If you see your neighbor's house on
fire, while he is sound asleep in his bed, you do not hesitate to alarm
him with the most penetrating cry that you can utter. The reason in both
cases is of the same nature, but much stronger in the latter, because the
loss of the soul is infinitely greater than that of the body; the fires
of hell are much more to be dreaded than any material fire, which can
only destroy property, or at most, shorten life.

But why is this man called a fool? Surely he was not such in the world's
estimation. He evidently possessed the wisdom of this world. He knew how
to manage his farm successfully. If there was any defect in this respect,
it was in not building his barns large enough at first. Often
enterprising, industrious men run far before their own anticipations.
Wealth flows in upon them, so that they have more than heart could wish.
This man, no doubt, had labored hard, but now thinks of taking his rest,
and entering on the enjoyment of his rich possessions. He said to his
soul, "Take it easy, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!" No cloud appeared
in all his horizon to darken his prospects. His expectation was, not only
rest from labor, and ease from trouble; but actual enjoyment in feasting,
and unceasing mirth.

The course of this farmer and his success are the very objects at which
thousands are constantly aiming. They look no higher; they ask no more
than he possessed. How then was he a fool? Will not the epithet apply as
truly to most of the people in the world? If this present world were our
only state of existence, it would be hard to prove the folly of such a
course and such sentiments. Then men might with some show of reason say,
"Let us eat and drink--for tomorrow we die." If this were all of man, and
death the end of existence, the scene will so soon be over, and all joys
and sorrows so soon buried in eternal oblivion. If there were no
hereafter, of what account would it now be, whether the thousands of
millions who have inhabited this globe were sad or merry while they lived?

The utter folly of this worldling, and of thousands like him, consisted
in this--that being the creature of a supreme Being, he neglected to
serve him, and took no pains to secure his favor, or to arrest his wrath.
The folly of this he must have felt when God spoke to him and said, "This
night your soul shall be required of you!" Oh, what a sudden interruption
to his plans of future pleasure. What! Must he give up all his
possessions—his fields loaded with ripe harvests, the fruit of his
anxious toil? In a moment his fond dream of feasting and mirth is
terminated. God, his Maker, calls for him, and none can resist his
command. "And who knows the power of his anger?" His soul is required.
His account, whether prepared or unprepared, must be rendered. "Give an
account of your stewardship." Show in what manner you have improved the
talents committed to you. What good use have you made of the riches
conferred on you?

Poor, wretched man; what can he say for himself? What justification can
he offer for a life of disobedience and forgetfulness of God? Where now
can he turn? Where can he flee for refuge from his angry Judge? Alas,
there is no escape! His riches cannot profit him now. The whole world
could not redeem his soul from destruction; and while his heirs are
striving about his great wealth, his soul is writhing in unending
anguish! Careless reader, take heed lest this be your case! You are in
the same condemnation!

SALVATION
by John C. O'Hair

The most wonderful and most important matter that has ever been presented to the human race to consider and experience is “SALVATION.” Salvation has to do with the never ending eternity, as well as with man’s spiritual existence on earth. Like all other spiritual matters, the truth concerning eternal salvation is not primarily what man thinks and decides about it; but what God’s Bible says about it. Down through the generations the people on this earth have heard the message, which the Holy Spirit led the wise man of old to write, “There is a way that seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12). Another very wise man of God, more than one thousand years later, was led to write: “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God; neither can be.” (I Corinthians 2:14 and Romans 8:7)

Seeming right and being right are not the same. Neither is a man right in his thinking and decisions, because he is sincere. It is possible to be sincerely wrong, as the natural man generally is, concerning spiritual matters.

If there is anything clearly taught in the Bible, anything that should be self-evident to man, if his heart were not deceitful and if he were not deceived by Satan, it is the truth that man cannot save himself; that salvation is God’s work. There is an awful penalty that will be received by those who do not receive salvation. This is called “the wrath of God,” “perdition,” “the second death,” “the judgment of God,” “the damnation of hell.” There is another aspect or phase of salvation. After a person is saved in God’s way from the penalty of sin then God offers to that saved person salvation from the power and control of sin in this life.

There is no more wonderful, startling and glorious news that any person can hear, there is no one truth more vital and important that every individual should receive at full face value and believe with heart, mind and soul, than the truth found in God’s Bible, that salvation from the wrath of God, the damnation of hell, is not by what man does, or can do, for God, but what God does for man. Pause long enough to take this in; and to believe that when God forgives and redeems the believing sinner, it is according to the riches of His grace, which no human philosopher can begin to measure. (Ephesians 1:6 and 7). With this great truth, hear this great question, “how shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:1 to 3). Remember that the GOSPEL OF CHRIST is the power of God unto SALVATION to every one that believeth. (Romans 1:16).

“All things are of God, Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.” “When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son.” (II Corinthians 5:18 and Romans 5:10). One planteth and another watereth, “But God that giveth the increase.” (I Corinthians 3:7). “A man can receive nothing except it be given him from above.” (John 3:27). “According to God’s mercy, He saved us.” (Titus 3:5 to 8 ). “God, Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not ACCORDING TO OUR WORKS, but according to His own purpose and grace.” (II Timothy 1:9).

In II Thessalonians 2:13 and 14 we read one of the clearest and most definite statements of the way of salvation to be found in all of the Bible. Hear it: “God hath from the beginning chosen you to SALVATION through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” . . . ”Whereunto He called you by our gospel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” God, by the Holy Spirit, saves the individual who believes the truth of Christ and Calvary.

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain SALVATION by our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Thessalonians 5:9). “He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (John 3:36). “For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). In Hebrews 5:9 we read concerning Christ: “He became the Author of ETERNAL SALVATION unto all them that obey Him.” In Hebrews 9:12 we read that Christ, by His own blood, entered into heaven, “having obtained ETERNAL REDEMPTION for us.” SALVATION is ETERNAL LIFE, which cannot be earned by good works or religious endeavors. God surely desires and expects faithful, obedient service, spiritual worship and practical Christian living from all who have been redeemed by His infinite grace and by faith in the shed blood of His only begotten Son. But here is God’s order: “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES; it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS lest any man should boast. For we are His (GOD’S) WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus, UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8 to 10).

There is a great difference between SALVATION “not OF good works” and SALVATION by grace “UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians. 2:8 to 10).

There is a great difference between SALVATION “not OF good works” and rewards and crowns for good works. To those who have been saved, without good works, God’s Bible has this admonition: “Be careful to maintain good works.” (Titus 3:8 ).

Now, if you are willing to be saved with God’s Salvation, if you will let God save you in His way, God will accept you (grace you) in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and freely forgive every sin you have ever committed in all of your days of sin; and God will, by His grace, make you His child in Christ Jesus, and give you eternal life, the guarantee of everlasting glory. God will give you the Holy Spirit as an earnest. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (I Timothy 1:15). Will you let Him save you? He died on the cross, The Just for the unjust to bring us to God. (I Peter 3:18 ). Christ died for our sins, was buried and raised again. This is the good news by which believing sinners are saved. (I Corinthians 15:1 to 4). But Christ is alive forevermore. Because in God’s presence in heaven Christ appears, and ever lives to make intercession for all who are redeemed by His precious shed blood, He is able to save unto the uttermost (all the way to the end) all who come unto God through Him. (Hebrews 9:24; Philippians 1:6; John 13:1 and Hebrews 7:25).

So in your own personal salvation you must consider and answer aright the question of Pilate, “what then shall I do with Jesus Which is called Christ?” (Matthew 27:22).

(My Note: Pastor O'Hair takes great pains to explain that Salvation is NOT obtained by good works or anything else that a man can do. Christians do good works after they have been Saved out of hearts of love and appreciation for what JESUS CHRIST did for us on the CROSS. It is also important to note that good works do NOT maintain Salvation, rather GOD considers them for rewards other than Salvation if they are done solely out of hearts of love. Man can do absolutely NOTHING to earn or maintain Salvation.)

CHRIST CRUCIFIED - Page 1

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

There is no doctrine in Christianity so important as the doctrine of
Christ crucified. There is none which the devil tries so hard to destroy.
There is none which it is so needful for our own peace to understand.

By “Christ crucified,” I mean the doctrine that Christ suffered death on
the cross to make atonement for our sins,-that by His death He made a
full, perfect, and complete satisfaction to God for the ungodly,-and that
through the merits of that death all who believe in Him are forgiven all
their sins, however many and great, entirely, and for ever.

About this blessed doctrine let me say a few words.

The doctrine of Christ crucified is the grand peculiarity of the
Christian religion. Other religions have laws and moral precepts, forms
and ceremonies, rewards and punishments; but other religions cannot tell
us of a dying Saviour: they cannot show us the cross. This is the crown
and glory of the Gospel; this is that special comfort which belongs to it
alone. Miserable indeed is that religious teaching which calls itself
Christian, and yet contains nothing of the cross. A man who teaches in
this way might as well profess to explain the solar system, and yet tell
his hearers nothing about the sun.

The doctrine of Christ crucified is the strength of a minister. I for one
would not be without it for all the world. I should feel like a soldier
without arms, like an artist without his pencil, like a pilot without his
compass, like a labourer without his tools. Let others, if they will,
preach the law and morality; let others hold forth the terrors of hell,
and the joys of heaven; let others dwell on the sacraments and the
Church: give me the cross of Christ. This is the only lever which has
ever turned the world upside down hitherto, and made men forsake their
sins: and if this will not, nothing will. A man may begin preaching with
a perfect knowledge of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew; but he will do little or
no good among his hearers unless he knows something of the cross. Never
was there a minister who did much for the conversion of souls who did not
dwell much on Christ crucified. Luther, Rutherford, Whitfield, M’Cheyne,
were all most eminently preachers of the cross. This is the preaching
that the Holy Ghost delights to bless: He loves to honour those who
honour the cross.

The doctrine of Christ crucified is the secret of all missionary success.
Nothing but this has ever moved the hearts of the heathen. Just according
as this has been lifted up missions have prospered. This is the weapon
that has won victories over hearts of every kind, in every quarter of the
globe: Greenlanders, Africans, South Sea Islanders, Hindus, and Chinese,
all have alike felt its power. Just as that huge iron tube which crosses
the Menai Straits is more affected and bent by half an hour’s sunshine
than by all the dead weight that can be placed in it, so in like manner
the hearts of savages have melted before the cross, when every other
argument seemed to move them no more than stones. “Brethren,” said a
North American Indian after his conversion, “I have been a heathen. I
know how heathens think. Once a preacher came and began to explain to us
that there was a God; but we told him to return to the place from whence
he came. Another preacher came and told us not to lie, nor steal, nor
drink; but we did not heed him. At last another came into my hut one day,
and said, ‘I am come to you in the name of the Lord of heaven and earth.
He sends to let you know that He will make you happy, and deliver you
from misery. For this end He became a man, gave His life a ransom, and
shed His blood for sinners. I could not forget his words. I told them to
the other Indians, and an awakening begun among us. I say, therefore,
preach the sufferings and death of Christ, our Saviour, if you wish your
words to gain entrance among the heathen.” Never indeed did the devil
triumph so thoroughly as when he persuaded the Jesuit missionaries in
China to keep back the story of the cross!

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CHRIST CRUCIFIED - Page 2

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

The doctrine of Christ crucified is the foundation of a Church’s
prosperity. No Church will ever be honoured in which Christ crucified is
not continually lifted up. Nothing whatever can make up for the want of
the cross. Without it all things may be done decently and in order;
without it there may be splendid ceremonies, beautiful music, gorgeous
churches, learned ministers, crowded communion tables, huge collections
for the poor; but without the cross no good will be done. Dark hearts
will not be enlightened, proud hearts will not be humbled, mourning
hearts will not be comforted, fainting hearts will not be cheered.
Sermons about the catholic church and an apostolic ministry, sermons
about baptism and the Lord’s supper, sermons about unity and schism,
sermons about fasts and communion, sermons about fathers and saints,-such
sermons will never make up for the absence of sermons about the cross of
Christ. They may amuse some, they will feed none.

A gorgeous banqueting room, and splendid gold plate on the table, will
never make up to a hungry man for the want of food. Christ crucified is
God’s grand ordinance for doing good to men. Whenever a Church keeps back
Christ crucified, or puts anything whatever in that foremost place which
Christ crucified should always have, from that moment a Church ceases to
be useful. Without Christ crucified in her pulpits, a Church is little
better than a cumberer of the ground, a dead carcass, a well without
water, a barren fig-tree, a sleeping watchman, a silent trumpet, a dumb
witness, an ambassador without terms of peace, a messenger without
tidings, a lighthouse without fire, a stumbling-block to weak believers,
a comfort to infidels, a hot-bed for formalism, a joy to the devil, and
an offense to God.

The doctrine of Christ crucified is the grand centre of union among true
Christians. Our outward differences are many without doubt: one man is an
Episcopalian, another is a Presbyterian; one is an Independent, another a
Baptist; one is a Calvinist, another an Arminian; one is a Lutheran,
another a Plymouth Brother; one is a friend to Establishments, another a
friend to the Voluntary system; one is a friend to Liturgies, another a
friend to extempore prayer: but after all, what shall we hear about most
of these differences in heaven? Nothing, most probably: nothing at all.
Does a man really and sincerely glory in the cross of Christ? That is the
grand question. If he does, he is my brother: we are traveling in the
same road; we are journeying towards a home where Christ is all, and
everything outward in religion will be forgotten. But if he does not
glory in the cross of Christ, I cannot feel comfort about him. Union on
outward points only is union only for time: union about the cross is
union for eternity. Error on outward points is only a skin-deep disease:
error about the cross is disease at the heart. Union about outward points
is a mere man-made union: union about the cross of Christ can only be
produced by the Holy Ghost.

Reader, I know not what you think of all this. I feel as if the half of
what I desire to tell you about Christ crucified were left untold. But I
do hope that I have given you something to think about. Listen to me now
for a few moments, while I say something to apply the whole subject to
your conscience.

Are you living in any kind of sin? Are you following the course of this
world, and neglecting your soul? Hear! I beseech you, what I say to you
this day: “Behold the cross of Christ.” See there how Jesus loved you!
See there what Jesus suffered to prepare for you a way of salvation! Yes:
careless men and women, for you that blood was shed! for you those hands
and feet were pierced with nails! for you that body hung in agony on the
cross! You are they whom Jesus loved, and for whom He died! Surely that
love ought to melt you: surely the thought of the cross should draw you
to repentance. Oh, that it might be so this very day! Oh, that you would
come at once to that Saviour who died for you and is willing to save!
Come and cry to Him with the prayer of faith, and I know that He will
listen. Come and lay hold upon the cross, and I know that He will not
cast you out. Come and believe on Him who died on the cross, and this
very day you shall have eternal life.

Are you inquiring the way toward heaven? Are you seeking salvation, but
doubtful whether you can find it? Are you desiring to have an interest in
Christ, but doubting whether Christ will receive you? To you also I say
this day, “Behold the cross of Christ.” Here is encouragement if you
really want it. Draw near to the Lord Jesus with boldness, for nothing
need keep you back: His arms are open to receive you; His heart is full
of love towards you. He has made a way by which you may approach Him with
confidence. Think of the cross. Draw near, and fear not.

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CHRIST CRUCIFIED - Page 3

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

Are you an unlearned man? Are you desirous to get to heaven, and yet
perplexed and brought to a stand-still by difficulties in the Bible that
you cannot explain? To you also I say this day, “Behold the cross of
Christ.” Read there the Father’s love and the Son’s compassion. Surely
they are written in great plain letters, which none can well mistake.
What though you are now perplexed by the doctrine of election? What
though at present you cannot reconcile your own utter corruption and your
own responsibility? Look, I say, at the cross. Does not that cross tell
you that Jesus is a mighty, loving, ready Saviour? Does it not make one
thing plain,-and that is that if not saved it is all your own fault? Oh,
get hold of that truth, and hold it fast!

Are you a distressed believer? Is your heart pressed down with sickness,
tried with disappointments, overburdened with cares? To you also I say
this day, “Behold the cross of Christ.” Think whose hand it is that
chastens you: think whose hand is measuring to you the cup of bitterness
which you are now drinking. It is the hand of Him that was crucified: it
is the same hand that in love to your soul was nailed to the accursed
tree. Surely that thought should comfort and hearten you. Surely you
should say to yourself, “A crucified Saviour will never lay upon me
anything that is not good for me. There is a needs be. It must be well.”

Are you a dying believer? Have you gone to that bed from which something
within tells you you will never come down alive? Are you drawing near to
that solemn hour when soul and body must part for a season, and you must
launch into a world unknown? Oh, look steadily at the cross of Christ,
and you shall be kept in peace! Fix the eyes of your mind firmly on Jesus
crucified, and He shall deliver you from all your fears. Though you walk
through dark places, He will be with you: He will never leave you,-never
forsake you. Sit under the shadow of the cross to the very last, and its
fruits shall be sweet to your taste. There is but one thing needful on a
death-bed, and that is to feel one’s arms around the cross.

Reader, if you never heard of Christ crucified before this day, I can
wish you nothing better than that you may know Him by faith, and rest on
Him for salvation. If you do know Him may you know Him better every year
you live, till you see Him face to face.

(My Note: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NASB And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. - The Apostle Paul)

ABLE TO SAVE - Page 1

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

_________

"He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him,
seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them." ---HEBREWS
vii. 25.
___________

There is one subject in religion, about which you can never know too
much. That subject is Jesus Christ the Lord. This is the mighty subject
which the text that heads this page unfolds,--Jesus Christ, and Jesus
Christ's intercession.

I have heard of a book entitled "The Story without an End." I know no
story deserving that title so well as the everlasting Gospel: this is
indeed and in truth the story without an end. There is an infinite
"fulness" in Christ; there are in Him "unsearchable riches;" there is in
Him a "love which passeth knowledge;" He is an "unspeakable gift."
(Coloss. i. 19; Ephes. iii. 8; iii. 19; 2 Cor. ix. 15.) There is no end
to all the riches that are treasured up in Him,--in His person, in His
work, in His offices, in His words, in His deeds, in His life, in His
death, in His resurrection. I take but one branch of the great subject
this day. I am going to speak to you about the intercession and priestly
office of our Lord Jesus Christ. May God the holy Ghost bless the
consideration of this subject! May He, without whom ministers preach and
write in vain, apply the subject with power to your soul! If His blessing
goes with this tract, good will be done. If His blessing goes not with
it, the words that I write will fall to the ground.

There are three points which I purpose to consider, in opening the text
which heads this tract.

I--You have here a description of all true Christians: they are a people
who come to God by Christ.

II.--You have the work that Jesus Christ is ever carrying on on behalf of
true Christians: He ever lives to make intercession for them.

III.--You have the comfortable conclusion built by St. Paul upon Christ's
work of intercession. He says: "He is able to save to the uttermost them
that come unto God by Him, because He ever liveth to make intercession
for them."

I.--You have, first, a description of all true Christians. It is most
simple, most beautiful, and most true. Great is the contrast between the
description given by the Holy Ghost of a Christian and the description
which is given by man. With man it is often enough to say that such a one
"is a Churchman," or that such a one "belongs to this body of Christians
or to that." It is not so when the Holy Ghost draws the picture. The Holy
Ghost describes a Christian as a man "who comes unto God by Christ."

True Christians come unto God. They are not as many, who turn their backs
upon Him; who "go into a far country," like the prodigal son; "who go
out," like Cain, "from the presence of the Lord"; who are "alienated,
strangers and enemies in their mind by wicked works." (Coloss. i. 21.)
They are reconciled to God and friends of God. They are not as many, who
dislike everything that belongs to God,--His Word, His day, His
ordinances, His people, His house. They love all that belongs to their
Master. The very footprints of His steps are dear unto them. His name is
as ointment poured forth.--They are not as many, who are content with
coming to church, or with coming to chapel, or with coming to the Lord's
Table. They go further than that. They "come unto God," and in communion
with God they live.

But, more than this, true Christians come unto God in a certain peculiar
way. They come unto God by Christ; pleading no other plea, mentioning no
other name, trusting in no other righteousness, resting on no other
foundation than this,--that Jesus hath lived, Jesus hath died, Jesus hath
risen again for their souls.

"I the chief of sinners am,

But Jesus died for me."

This is the way by which the true Christian draws near to God.

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ABLE TO SAVE - Page 2

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

Reader, the way of which I have been speaking is an old way. It is well
nigh 6,000 years old. All that have ever been saved have drawn near to
God by this way. From Abel, the first saint that entered Paradise, down
to the last infant that died this morning, they have all come to God only
by Jesus Christ. "No man cometh unto the Father but by Christ." (John
xiv. 6.)

It is a good way. It is easy for the worldly-wise to sneer at and
ridicule it. But all the wit and wisdom of man has never devised a way
more perfect, more complete, and that will bear more thoroughly all fair
and reasonable investigation. It has been to the Jew a stumbling-block;
it has been to the Greek foolishness. But all who have known their
hearts, and understood what God demands, have found the way made by Jesus
Christ a good way, and a way that stands the fullest examination that can
be made as to its wisdom. Therein they find justice and mercy met
together, righteousness and peace kissing one another; God a holy God,
yet loving, kind, and merciful; man knowing himself a poor, weak sinner,
yet drawing near to God with boldness, having access with confidence,
looking up into His face without fear, seeing Him in Christ his Father
and his Friend.

Not least, it is a tried way. Thousands and tens of thousands have walked
in it, and not one of all that number has ever missed heaven. Apostles,
prophets, patriarchs, martyrs, early fathers, reformers, puritans, men of
God in every age, and of every people and tongue: holy men of our own
day,--men like Simeon, Bickersteth, Havelock,--have all walked in this
way. They have had their battles to fight, and their enemies to contend
with; they have had to carry the cross; they have found lions in their
path; they have had to walk through the valley of the shadow of death;
they have had to contend with Apollyon. They have had to cross at last
the cold dark river; but they have walked safely through to the other
side, and entered with joy into the celestial city. And now they are
waiting for you and me to walk in their steps, to follow them, and to
share in their glory.

Reader, this is the way I want you to walk in. I want you to come unto
God by Jesus Christ. Let there be no mistake as to the object which true
ministers of the Gospel have in view. We are not set apart merely to
perform a certain round of ordinances; to read prayers, to Christen those
that are Christened, to bury those that are buried, to marry those that
are ruined. We are set apart for the grand purpose of proclaiming the one
true living way, and inviting you to walk in it. We ought to labour day
and night, until we can persuade you, by God's blessing, to walk in that
way,--the tried way, the good way, the old way,--and to know the peace
which passeth all under standing, which in that way alone is to be found.

II. I pass on now to the second point which I purpose to consider. The
text which heads this tract speaks of the work which the Lord Jesus
Christ is ever doing on behalf of true Christians. I ask your special
attention to this point. It is one of deep importance to our peace, and
to the establishment of our souls in the Christian faith.

There is one great work which the Lord Jesus Christ has done and finished
completely. That work is the work of atonement, sacrifice, and
substitution. It is the work which He did when He suffered for sin, the
just for the unjust, that He might bring us unto God. He saw us ruined by
the fall, a world of poor, lost, ship-wrecked sinners. He saw and He
pitied us; and in compliance with the everlasting counsels of the Eternal
Trinity, He came down to the world, to suffer in our stead, and to save
us. He did not sit in heaven pitying us from a distance: He did not stand
upon the shore and see the wreck, and behold poor drowning sinners
struggling in vain to get to shore. He plunged into the waters Himself:
He came off to the wreck and took part with us in our weakness and
infirmity becoming a man to save our souls. As man, He bore our sins and
carried our transgressions; as man, He endured all that men can endure,
and went through everything in man's experience, sin only excepted; as
man He lived; as man He went to the cross; as man He died. As man He shed
His blood, in order that He might save us, poor shipwrecked sinners, and
establish a communication between earth and heaven! As man He became a
curse for us, in order that He might bridge the gulf, and make a way by
which you and I might draw near to God with boldness, and have access to
God without fear. In all this work of Christ, remember, there was
infinite merit, because He who did it was not only man, but God. Let that
never be forgotten. He who wrought out our redemption was perfect man;
but He never ceased for a moment to be perfect God.

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ABLE TO SAVE - Page 3

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

But there is another great work which the Lord Jesus Christ is yet doing.
That work is the work of intercession.--The first work He did once for
all: nothing can be added to it; nothing can be taken away from it. It
was a finished, perfect work, when Christ offered up the sacrifice upon
the cross: no other sacrifice need be offered beside the sacrifice once
made by the Lamb of God, when He had His own blood at Calvary. But the
second work He is ever carrying on at the right hand of God, where He
makes intercession for His people.--The first work He did on earth when
He died upon the cross: the second work He carries on in heaven, at the
right hand of God the Father.--The first work He did for all mankind, and
offer all benefit of it to all the world: the second work He carries on
and accomplishes solely and entirely on behalf of His own elect, His
people, His servants, and His children.

Reader, how does our Lord Jesus Christ carry on this work? How shall we
comprehend and grasp what is the meaning of Christ's intercession? We
must not pry rashly into things unseen. We must not "rush in where angels
fear to tread." Yet some idea we can obtain of the nature of that
continual intercession which Christ ever lives to make on behalf of His
believing people.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is doing for His people the work which the Jewish
high-priest of old did on behalf of the Israelites. He is acting as the
manager, the representative, the mediator in all things between His
people and God.--He is ever presenting on their bed of His own perfect
sacrifice, and His all sufficient merit, before God the Father.--He is
ever obtaining daily supplies of fresh mercy and of fresh grace for His
poor, weak servants, who need daily mercy for daily sins, and daily grace
for daily necessities.--He ever prays for them. As He prayed for Simon
Peter upon earth, so I believe He prays for His people now.--He presents
their names before God the Father. He carries their names upon His heart,
the place of love; and upon His shoulder, the place of power,--as the
high-priest carried the names of all the tribes of Israel, from the least
to the greatest, when he wore his robes of office. He presents their
prayers before God. They go up before God the Father mingled with
Christ's all-prevailing intercession, and so are so acceptable in God's
sight. He lives, in one word, to be the friend, the advocate, the priest,
the all-prevailing agent, of all who are His members here upon earth. As
their elder brother He acts for them; and all that their souls require
He, in the court of heaven, is ever carrying on.

Does any reader of this tract need a friend? In such a world as this, how
many hearts there are which ought to respond to that appeal! How many
there are who feel "I stand alone." How many have found one idol broken
after another, one staff failing after another, one fountain dried after
another, as they have traveled through the wilderness of this world. If
there is one who wants a friend, let that one behold at the right hand of
God an unfailing friend, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let that one repose his
aching head and weary heart upon the bosom of that unfailing friend,
Jesus Christ the Lord. There is one living at God's right hand of
matchless tenderness. There is one who never dies. There is one who never
fails, never disappoints, never forsakes, never changes His mind, never
breaks off friendship. That One, the Lord Jesus, I commend to all who
need a friend. No one in a world like this, a fallen world, a world which
we find more and more barren, it may be, every year we live,--no one ever
need be friendless while the Lord Jesus Christ lives to intercede at the
right hand of God.

Does any reader of this tract need a priest? There can be no true
religion without a priest, and no saving Christianity without a
confessional. But who is the true priest? Where is the true confessional?
There is only one true priest,--and that is Christ Jesus the Lord. There
is only one real confessional,--and that is the throne of grace where the
Lord Jesus waits to receive those who come to Him to unburden their
hearts in His presence. We can find no better priest than Christ. We need
no other priest. Why need we turn to any priest upon earth, while Jesus
is sealed, anointed, appointed, ordained, and commissioned by God the
Father, and has an ear ever ready to hear, and a heart ever ready to feel
for the poor sinful sons of men? The priesthood is His lawful
prerogative. He has deputed that office to none. Woe be to anyone upon
earth who dares to rob Christ of His prerogative! Woe be to the man who
takes upon himself the office which Christ holds in His own hands, and
has never transferred to any one born of Adam, upon the face of the globe!

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ABLE TO SAVE - Page 4

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

Reader, I charge you solemnly, never to lose sight of this mighty truth
of the Gospel,--the intercession and priestly office of our Lord and
Saviour Jesus Christ. I believe that a firm grasp of this truth is one
great safeguard against the errors of the Church of Rome. I believe that
losing sight of this great truth is one principal reason why so many have
fallen away from the faith in some quarters, have forsaken the creed of
their Protestant forefathers, and have gone back to the darkness of Rome.
Once firmly established upon this holy truth,--that we have a Priest, an
altar, and a Confessor; that we have a unfailing, never-dying,
ever-living intercession, who has deputed His office to none,--and we
shall see that we need turn aside nowhere else. We need not hew for
ourselves broken cisterns that can hold no water, when we have in the
Lord Jesus Christ a fountain of living water, ever flowing and free to
all. We need not seek any human priest upon earth, when we have a Divine
Priest living for us in heaven.

Reader, beware of regarding the Lord Jesus Christ only as one that is
dead. Here, I believe, many greatly err. They think much of His death,
and it is right that they should do so. But we ought not to stop short
there. We ought to remember that He not only died and went to the grave,
but that He rose again, and ascended up on high, leading captivity
captive. We ought to remember that He is now sitting on the right hand of
God, to do a work as real, as true, as important to our souls, as the
work which He did when He shed His blood. Christ lives, and is not dead.
He lives as truly as any one of ourselves. Christ sees us, hears us,
knows us, and is acting as a Priest in heaven on behalf of His believing
people. The thought of His life ought to have as great and important a
place in our souls as the thought of His death upon the cross.

III. I will now speak, in the third place, of the comfortable conclusions
that the Apostle builds upon the everlasting intercession of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We need much comfort and consolation in a world like this.
It is no easy matter for a man to carry the cross and reach heaven. There
are many enemies to be encountered and overcome. We have often to stand
alone. We have at the best times few with us and many against us. We need
cordials and strong consolation to sustain and cheer us, and to preserve
us from fainting on the way as we travel from Egypt into Canaan. The
Apostle appears deeply conscious of all this in the words he uses. He
says, "He is able to save to the uttermost,"--to save perfectly, to save
completely, to save technically,--"all that come unto God by Him, because
He ever liveth to make intercession for them."

Reader, I might say much on the glorious expression

which is before you. But I forbear. I will only point out a few of the
thoughts which ought to arise in our minds when we hear of Christ's
ability to save to the uttermost. I have not space to dwell on them at
length. I rather throw them out as suggestions to supply matter for
private meditation.

1. Think, for one thing, that Christ is able to save to the uttermost,
notwithstanding the old sins of any believer. Those old sins shall never
rise again, not stand up to condemn the child of God. For what says the
Scripture: "Christ has not entered into the holy place made with hands,
but into heaven itself; to appear in the presence of God for us." (Heb.
ix. 24.) Christ, to use a legal phrase, is ever making an appearance in
the court of heaven on behalf of them that believe in Him. There is not a
year, nor a month, nor a day, nor an hour, nor a minute, but there is One
living in the presence of God, to make an appearance there on behalf of
all the saints. Christ is ever appearing before God the Father on behalf
of the men and women that believe in Him. His blood and His sacrifice are
ever in God's sight. His work, His death, His intercession are always
sounding in God the Father's ears.

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by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

I remember reading a story in ancient history which may help to
illustrate the truth on which I am now dwelling. It is the story of one
who was put upon trial for a capital charge, at Athens, shortly after the
great battle of Marathon. In that famous battle the Athenians had
preserved, by their valour, liberty for their little state, against the
mighty hosts of the Persians; and among those who had distinguished
themselves greatly, the brother of the prisoner was one; and had been
sorely wounded in the fight. The man was put upon his trial. The evidence
against him was strong and unanswerable; there seemed no chance of the
prisoner escaping condemnation. Suddenly there came forward one who asked
to be heard on his behalf. And who was this? It was his own brother. When
he was asked what evidence he had to give, or what reason he had to show
why the prisoner at the bar ought not to be found guilty, he simply
lifted up his mutilated arms--nothing but stumps--the hands completely
cut off; the wounded stumps alone remaining. He was recognized as a man
who, at the battle of Marathon, had done prodigies of valour, and in the
service of the State had lost his hands. By those wounds he had helped to
win the victory which was then ringing in Athenian ears. Those wounds
were the only evidence he brought forward. Those wounds were the only
plea he advanced why his brother ought to be set free, and sentence ought
not to be passed upon him. And the story states that for the sake of
those wounds--for the sake of all his brother had suffered, the prisoner
was acquitted. The case was dismissed at once, and the prisoner obtained
his liberty. Reader, in like manner the wounds of the Lord Jesus Christ
are ever before God the Father. The nail-prints in His hands and
feet--the marks of the spear in His side--the thorn marks upon His
forehead--the marks of all that he suffered as a lamb slain, are ever
before God the Father in heaven. While Christ is in heaven, the
believer's sins will never rise in judgment against him. Think not with
fear upon those old sins of yours, my believing brother or sister. Christ
lives, and those old sins will not condemn you. We have an ever-living,
ever-interceding Priest. Christ is not dead, but alive.

2. Think again, that Christ is able to save to the uttermost,
notwithstanding all the present weakness of His believing people. How
great that weakness is, time would fail me to show. There are many of
God's children who know their hearts' bitterness, who bewail with strong
crying and tears their shortcomings, their unprofitableness, and the
scanty fruit they bring forth. But oh, my beloved reader, take comfort in
the words of St. John: "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father,-- "ever present with the Father,"-- "Jesus Christ the righteous:
and He is the propitiation for our sins." (1 John ii. 1.) Those
weaknesses may well humble thee. Those infirmities may well make thee
walk softly before thy God. But while the Lord Jesus Christ lives, those
infirmities need not make thee entirely despair. We have an ever-living,
ever-interceding Priest. Christ is not dead, but alive.

3. Think again, that Jesus Christ is able to save to the uttermost,
notwithstanding all the trials that believers have to go through. Hear
what the Apostle Paul says to Timothy: "I suffer: nevertheless I am not
ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is
able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." (2
Tim. i. 12.) So long as Jesus Christ lives, the believer in the Lord
Jesus Christ may be assured that no affliction shall be allowed to break
off the union between him and his risen Head. He may suffer greatly and
be sorely tried. But while Christ lives he shall never be forsaken.
Neither poverty, nor sickness, nor bereavements, nor separations, shall
ever separate Jesus and His believing people. We have an ever-living,
ever-interceding Priest. Christ is not dead, but alive.

4. Think again, that Christ is able to save to the uttermost,
notwithstanding all the persecutions that believers have to go through.
See what is said of St. Paul, when he met with much opposition at
Corinth. We are told that the Lord stood by him in the night, and said,
"Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace, for I am with thee,
and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this
city." (Acts xviii. 10.) Remember what He said to St. Paul at a former
time, when He met him on the way to Damascus: "Saul, Saul, why persecute
thou Me?" (Acts ix. 4.) Every injury done to the believer is an injury
done to the living Head in heaven. And every persecution showered down
upon the head of the poor child of God here is known, felt, and, I may
add with all reverence, resented, by our Great Elder Brother, who is ever
living to make intercession for us. Christ lives, and therefore
believers, though persecuted, shall not be destroyed. "In all these
things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." (Rom.
viii. 87.) We have an ever-living, ever-interceding Priest. Christ is not
dead, but alive.

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by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

5. Think again, that Christ is able to save to the uttermost,
notwithstanding all the temptations of the devil. Remember that famous
passage in the Gospel of St. Luke, where our Lord, speaking to St. Peter,
says, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may
sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not."
(Luke xxii.32.) Prayer like that is still carried on. Those words were
spoken as an emblem of what the Lord is ever doing on behalf of His
believing people. Satan, the prince of this world, is ever going about as
a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But Christ lives; and,
blessed be God, while Christ lives Satan shall not be able to overcome
the soul that believes on Him. We have an ever-living, ever-interceding
Priest. Christ is not dead, but alive.

6. Think again, that Christ is able to save to the uttermost,
notwithstanding the sting of death, and all that death brings with it.
When David remembered that, he said, "Though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod
and Thy staff they comfort me." (Ps. xxiii. 4) You and I may die, but
Christ still lives. The hour may come when friends can do us no more
good, when faithful servants can no longer minister to our wants, when
all that love, and kindness, and affliction can do to alleviate pain and
make the last journey pleasant, can no longer render any service to us.
But then the thought that Christ lives--Christ interceding, Christ caring
for us, Christ at the right hand of God for us,--ought to cheer us. The
sting of death will be taken away from the man that leans upon a dying
and also a living Saviour. Christ never dies. Through faith in that
living Saviour we shall have a complete victory. We have an ever-living,
ever-interceding Priest. Christ is not dead, but alive.

7. Think again, that Christ is able to save to the uttermost,
notwithstanding the terrors of the judgment day. Mark how St. Paul rests
upon that in the 8th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans,--in that
wonderful conclusion to that wonderful chapter,--a chapter unrivaled in
the Word of God for privilege, beginning with "no condemnation," and
concluding with "no separation!" Observe how he dwells upon Christ's
intercession in connection with the judgment of the last day. After
saying, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God
that justifieth," he goes on: "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ
that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." The thought of
Christ's intercession, no less than His dying and rising again, was one
ground of the Apostle Paul's confidence in looking forward to the great
day. His strong consolation was the recollection of a living Christ. That
consolation is for us as well as for St. Paul. We have an ever-living,
ever-interceding Priest. Christ is not dead, but alive.

8. Think, lastly, and above all, that Christ is able to save to the
uttermost throughout all eternity. "I am He," He says, "that liveth, and
was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore." (Rev. i. 18.) The root
of the believer never dies, and the branches, therefore, shall never die.
Christ being "raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no more
dominion over Him." (Rom. vi. 9.) He lives, that all who trust in Him may
receive honour and glory to all eternity; and because He lives, His
believing people shall never die. "Because I live," to use His own words,
"ye shall live also." (John xiv. 19.) We have an ever-living,
ever-interceding Priest. Christ is not dead, but alive.

Reader, would you know the security for the perseverance of God's own
people? Would you know why it is that Christ's sheep shall never perish,
and none shall ever pluck them out of His hand? It is a miraculous thing.
When you look at the believer's heart, listen to the believer's prayers,
mark the believer's confessions,--when you see how a just man may fall,
sometimes seven times,--when you see, with all this, the believer's
perseverance, it is a marvel indeed. To carry a candle upon a stormy
night, when winds and gusty blasts are blowing from every quarter,--to
carry it still burning, steadily burning, along the street,--this is a
wonderful achievement. To go over a stormy sea in a little boat,--to
mount billow after billow, and not see the waves breaking over the boat,
and overturning it,--this is well-nigh a miracle. To see a little child
tottering along the crowded street, a child some three or four years old
--to see it tottering on and making its way in safety, from one end of a
long street to the other,--this is a mighty marvel. But, after all, what
is this, but the life, and history, and experience of every true
Christian? Though he falls, he rises again; though he is cast down, he is
not destroyed. He goes on from one position to another, like the moon
upon a stormy night, plunging from one cloud into another, yet by-and-by
shining out again and walking in brightness. What is the secret of it
all? It is the continual intercession of a mighty Friend at the right
hand of God: a Friend that never slumbers and never sleeps: a Friend who
cares for the believer morning, noon, and night. The intercession of
Christ is the secret of the perseverance of the Christian.

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by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

Reader, you would do well to study the words of the Apostle in the 5th
chapter of Romans: "Much more then," he says, "being now justified by His
blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more,
being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Mark the connection:
"Being already justified by His death, we shall be saved,"--and saved by
what? "By his life:" by His ever living to make intercession for us. Wise
and beautiful is the comparison made by that master of allegory, John
Bunyan, in the "Pilgrim's Progress." He tells us how Christian was taken
into the Interpreter's house, and how the Interpreter showed him many
things wonderful and instructive. In one place he took him into a room
where there was a fire burning, and showed him one ever pouring water
upon that fire, and yet the water did not quench the fire. However much
water he poured on, still the fire went on burning steadily. Then said
the Interpreter, "Knowest thou what this means?" When Christian did not
know, he took him behind the fire, and showed him one pouring on oil out
of a vessel. This oil fed the fire, and made it burn more fiercely,
notwithstanding all the water that was poured upon it. Then the
Interpreter told him that this was a picture of Jesus Christ's
intercession. That fire was the fire of grace in the believer's heart. He
that poured on the water was the enemy of souls, the devil. But He that
poured on the oil, standing behind the fire, was the Lord Jesus Christ,
who by continual intercession and the supply of His Spirit, secretly and
unseen by man, kept alive His own work in the believer's heart, and did
not allow Satan and all his agents to get a victory over Him.

Would you know the secret of the believer's boldness in prayer? It is a
marvel how a man that feels his sins so deeply as the believer does, can
speak with the confidence the believer frequently does. How one that
acknowledges he is wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked, ruined,
undone; who often does what he ought not to do, and leaves undone what he
ought to do, and finds no health in him; how such a one as this can go
before God with confidence, pour out his heart before Him freely, ask
from Him what he requires day after day and not feel afraid,--this is
wonderful indeed. What is the secret of it? It is the intercession of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, whereby the true Christian knows his
prayers are made acceptable, and received in the court of heaven. What is
the believer's prayer in itself? A poor, weak thing, unfit to rise above
the ground. I know nothing it is more like than a banknote without the
signature in the corner. What is the value of that banknote without the
signature? Nothing at all. Once get a few words, a very few letters,
traced in ink upon the corner of that banknote, and that which was a
piece of waste paper a few moments before becomes worth, it maybe, many
hundred pounds, through the signature being attached to it. So it is with
the intercession of Christ. He signs, endorses, and presents the
believer's petitions, and through His all-prevailing intercession they
are heard on high, and bring down blessings upon the Christian soul.

Would you know the secret of daily comfort in all the toil, and business,
and distractions we have to go through? We all know that they who have to
do work in any secular calling, find the work oftentimes a sore burden to
their souls. Oftentimes in the morning they feel, "How can I get through
this day without a defiled conscience, without being sorely troubled and
tempted to forget my God?" How shall a man get through the day with
comfort, fill his office in the world, do his duty in the position to
which God has called him? Let him lay hold upon the intercession of Jesus
Christ. Let him grasp the great thought, that Christ not merely died for
him, but rose again, and still lives for him.

There is a story recorded of one who lived 200 hundred years ago; a man
well known in his day and generation--a man who left behind a character
as pure and unsullied as anyone who fell in the unhappy Commonwealth
wars: I allude to the great Lord Falkland. It is recorded of Lord
Falkland during the Commonwealth wars, when he was often engaged in
duties from morning to night time that a common prayer of his before
leaving his tent was something of this kind,-- "Lord, I am going this day
to do the duty whereunto I am called. I may sometimes forget Thee. I
cannot have my thoughts at all times as fully fixed upon Thee as I wish.
But, Lord, if I this day I forget Thee, do not Thou forget me." This is
the thought that every believer should lay hold upon who has much to do
in the business of this world. Rising from his bed in the morning, going
from his room every morning, leaving his house every morning, let him
bear in mind, "There is One living in heaven who intercedes for me, while
I am following my lawful calling. Although I may be absorbed in business,
and obliged to give up all the powers of my poor weak mind to it, still
there lives One who never forgets me." He may say, as Lord Falkland said,
"Lord, if I this day forget Thee, do not Thou forget me."

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by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

Last of all, would you know the secret of comfort in looking forward to
that heaven whereunto every believer desires to go? I believe there are
few children of God who do not sometimes feel anxious, troubled, and cast
down, when they think quietly about the eternal habitation towards which
they are traveling. The nature of it, the manner of it, the employments
of it, their own apparent unfitness and uniqueness for it, will sometimes
perplex their minds. These thoughts will sometimes come across the
believer's mind, especially in times of sickness, filling him with
heaviness, and making his heart sink. Now I know no remedy against these
thoughts to be compared to the recollection of the continual intercession
of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Christ is gone into heaven to be
the forerunner of a people who are to follow after Him. He is gone to
prepare a place for them, and the place whereto He goes is the place
whereto His people are to go by and by. When they go there they will find
all things made ready,--a place for every one, and a fitting and proper
place too, through the intercession of their Lord and Saviour. There
never will be a time when their company will not be liked in heaven There
never will be a time when their old sins,--the sins of their youth and
their backslidings, their wickedness before conversion, their profligacy,
it may be, before the grace of God came into their hearts,--there never
will be a day when all these sins shall come up against them, and make
them feel abashed and ashamed in heaven. Christ will be in the midst.
Christ will ever stand interceding. Where Christ is, there His people
will be. Where He lives, His perfect merit, His spotless righteousness,
His

intercession, will make them perfect in the sight of God the Father. They
will stand in heaven, seen in Christ, clothed in Christ, members of
Christ, part of Christ; and so will possess a firm and solid and eternal
title to the eternal joys which shall be hereafter.

I will now conclude this tract by a few words of application to all into
whose hands it may fall. My hearts desire and prayer to God is that the
words I have been writing may yet bear fruit in your soul. In order that
they may do so, I offer a few words of faithful and affectionate counsel.

1. I would offer counsel, first, to all who are anxious and troubled
respecting their soul's salvation, and yet know not what to do. Reader,
if you are such a person, I charge you and entreat you, I beseech you and
invite you, to come into the way of which I have been speaking in this
tract. I beseech you to come to God by the old and tried way,--the way of
faith in Jesus Christ. Draw near to God, pleading the name of Jesus.
Begin this very day to cry mightily unto God, in the name of
Jesus, on behalf of your soul. Say not you have anything to plead for
yourself. You have nothing to plead. Your life, your thoughts, your ways,
all alike condemn you. Say nothing about yourself but this,--that you are
a sinner, a great sinner, a guilty sinner, a condemned sinner; but
because you are a sinner, you turn to God. Come unto Him in the name of
Jesus, saying, you have heard that through Jesus a sinner may come near
Him. Tell Him that you are a sinner, a great sinner, and an unworthy one.
But tell Him that you come in the faith of His promises, in the
confidence of His own Bible invitation; and in the name of Jesus, and for
the sake of Jesus, and on account of Jesus, you ask to be received,
heard, pardoned, forgiven, and accepted. Tell Him that you wish to have
your name--even that name of yours, connected hitherto with worldliness,
thoughtlessness, carelessness, and sin added to the list of God's dear
children.

Will you say that you are afraid to come to God? Your fear is needless.
You shall not be cast out, if you will but come in the way of faith in
Christ. Our God is not "austere man." Our Father in heaven is full of
mercy, love, and grace. I yield to none in desire to exalt the love,
mercy, and tenderness of God the Father. I will not concede, for one
moment, that what is called an Evangelical ministry will not magnify the
mercy, love, and compassion of God the Father as much as any ministry on
earth. We know that God is holy. We know He is just. We believe that He
can be angry with them that go on still in sin. But we also believe that
to those who draw near to Him in Christ Jesus, He is most merciful, most
loving, and most tender, most compassionate. We tell you that the cross
of Jesus Christ was the result and consequence of that love. The cross
was not the cause and reason of God's mercy, but the result and
consequence of the everlasting love of God the Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Ghost, towards a poor, lost, and bankrupt world. Draw near
in faith, dear reader, by that living way, Christ Jesus, to the Father.
Think not for a moment--the unworthy thought shall never prove true--that
so drawing near to God the Father by Christ, God the Father will not
receive you. He will receive you gladly. As the father did to the
prodigal son when he ran to meet him,--fell on his neck and kissed
him,--so will God the Father do to that soul that draws near to Him in
the name of Christ.

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by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

2. In the next place, I would cheer those readers who have walked in the
way of God, and yet are afraid of falling. Why should you be afraid? What
should make you fear? What should make you suppose that you shall ever be
allowed to fall away, while Jesus Christ lives at the right hand of God
to make intercession for you? All the power of the Lord Jesus Christ is
pledged upon your behalf. He has undertaken to care for all the flock
that God the Father has committed into His hand. He will care for it. He
has cared for it. He went to the cross for it. He died for it. He is ever
at the right hand of God, and has not ceased to care for it. Every member
of that flock--the weakest, the feeblest member of that flock--is equally
dear to the Lord and Saviour, and none shall pluck the least of Christ's
sheep out of God's hand. Can you stop the tides of the sea, and make them
not rise at your command? Can you make the waters stay when the tide
begins to fall? Can you prevent the sun in heaven going down in the west,
or prevent the same sun from rising tomorrow morning in the east? You
cannot do it: the thing is impossible And all the power of devils, all
the power of the world, and all the enemies of the Christian, shall not
be able to pluck out of the hand of Jesus Christ one single soul who has
been brought by the Spirit's teaching to true union with Christ, and for
whom Jesus Christ intercedes. The days of Christ's weakness have passed
away. He was "crucified through weakness," and was weak on our account
when He went to the cross. The days of His weakness are over: the days of
His power have begun. Pilate shall no more condemn Him: He shall come to
condemn Pilate. All power is His in heaven and earth, and all that power
is engaged on behalf of His believing people.

3. Finally, let me gladden all believers who read this tract, by
reminding them that Christ is yet to come again. The Great High Priest is
yet to come forth from the holy of holies, to bless all the people who
have believed on Him. One part of His work He did when He died upon the
cross; another part of His work He is still doing,--interceding for us at
God's right hand. But the third part of the High Priest's office remains
yet to be done. He has yet to come forth from the holy of holies, as the
high priest did upon the day of atonement,-- to come forth from within
the veil to bless the people. That part of Christ's work is yet to come.
He is now gone into Heaven itself,--He is within the holy of holies: He
is gone behind the veil. But our Great High Priest--a greater one than
Aaron's--shall yet come forth one day. He shall come in power and great
glory. He shall come as He left the world, when He went up in the clouds
of heaven. He shall come to gather from the north and from the south,
from the east and from the west, all who have loved His name and
confessed Him before men,--all who have heard His voice and followed Him.
He shall gather them together into one happy company. There shall be no
more weakness, and no more sorrow,--no more parting, and no more
separation,--no more sickness, and no more death,--no more disputing, and
no more controversy,--no more fighting with the world, the flesh, and
devil,--and, best of all, no more sin. That day shall be a happy day
indeed, when the High Priest comes forth to do the third, last part of
His work--to bless His believing people.

"He that testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even
so, come, Lord Jesus." (Rev. xxii.20)

(My Note: I hope that you enjoy the old and very beautiful messages of J.C. Ryle as much as I do. Some of the sentence structures and word usage are done in older ways, but it's still easy enough to understand. The message is one of power and Salvation in no other way but JESUS CHRIST, Very GOD!)

This tract is a classic of Gospel Truth that readers of J. C. Ryle have
come to expect from all his writings. His tracts are “pure gold.” This
tract was first published by Drummond’s Tract Depot, Stirling, Scotland.

CHRIST IS ALL - Page 1

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

"Christ is all."-COLOSSIANS iii. 11.

THE words of the text which heads this page are few, short, and
soon spoken; but they contain great things. Like those golden sayings:
"To me to live is Christ,"-"I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me,"-they are singularly rich and suggestive. (Phil. i. 21; Gal. ii. 20.)

These three words are the essence and substance of Christianity. If our
hearts can really go along with them, it is well with our souls; if not,
we may be sure we have yet much to learn.

Christ is the mainspring both of doctrinal and practical
Christianity. A right knowledge of Christ is essential to a right
knowledge of sanctification as well as justification. He that follows
after holiness will make no progress unless he gives to Christ His
rightful place.

Let me try to set before my readers in what sense "Christ is all;"
and let me ask them, as they read, to judge themselves honestly, that
they may not make shipwreck in the judgment of the last day.

I. First of all let us understand that Christ is all, in all the counsels
of God concerning man.

(a) There was a time when this earth had no being. Solid as the mountains
look, boundless as the sea appears, high as the stars in heaven
look,-they once did not exist. And man, with all the high thoughts he now
has of himself, was a creature unknown.

And where was Christ then?

Even then Christ was "with God, was God, and was equal with God." (John
i. 1; Phil. ii. 6) Even then He was the beloved Son of the Father: "Thou
lovedst Me," He says, "before the foundation of the world."-"I had glory
with Thee before the world began."-"I was set up from everlasting, from
the beginning, or ever the earth was." (John xvii. 5, 24; Prov. viii.
23.) Even then He was the Saviour "for ordained before the foundation of
the world" (1 Peter i. 20), and believers were "chosen in Him." (Ephes.
i. 4.)

There came a time when this earth was created in its present order.
Sun, moon, and stars,-sea, land, and all their inhabitants, were called
into being, and made out of chaos and confusion. And, last of all, man
was formed out of the dust of the ground.

And where was Christ then?

Hear what the Scripture says: "All things were made by Him, and without
Him was not any thing made that was made." (John i. 3.) "By Him were all
things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth." (Colos. i.
16.) "And Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the
earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands." (Heb. i. 10.) "When
He prepared the heavens, I was there: when He set a compass upon the face
of the depth: when He established the clouds above: when He strengthened
the foundations of the deep: when He gave to the sea his decree, that the
waters should not pass His commandment: when He appointed the foundations
of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him." (Prov.
viii. 27-30.) Can we wonder that the Lord Jesus, in His preaching, should
continually draw lessons from the book of nature? When He spoke of the
sheep, the fish, the ravens, the corn, the lilies, the fig-tree, the
vine,-He spoke of things which He Himself had made.

(c) There came a day when sin entered the world.-Adam and Eve ate the
forbidden fruit, and fell. They lost that holy nature in which
they were first formed. They forfeited the friendship and favour of God,
and became guilty, corrupt, helpless, hopeless sinners. Sin came as a
barrier between themselves and their holy Father in heaven. Had He dealt
with them according to their deserts, there had been nothing before them
but death, hell, and everlasting ruin.

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by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

And where was Christ then?

In that very day He was revealed to our trembling parents, as the only
hope of salvation. The very day they fell, they were told that "the seed
of the woman should yet bruise the serpent's head,"-that a Saviour born
of a woman should overcome the devil, and win for sinful man an entrance
to eternal life. (Gen. iii. 15.) Christ was held up as the true light of
the world, in the very day of the fall; and never has any name been made
known from that day by which souls could be saved, excepting His. By Him
all saved souls have entered heaven, from Adam downward; and without Him
none have ever escaped hell.

(d) There came a time when the world seemed sunk and buried in ignorance
of God. After 4,000 years the nations of the earth appeared to have clean
forgotten the God that made them. Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Grecian,
and Roman empires, had done nothing but spread superstition and idolatry.
Poets, historians, philosophers, had proved that, with all their
intellectual powers, they had no right knowledge of God; and that man,
left to himself, was utterly corrupt. "The world, by wisdom, knew not
God." (1 Cor. i. 21.) Excepting a few despised Jews in a corner of the
earth, the whole world was dead in ignorance and sin.

And what did Christ do then?

He left the glory He had had from all eternity with the Father, and came
down into the world to provide a salvation. He took our nature upon Him,
and was born as a man. As a man He did the will of God perfectly, which
we all had left undone: as a man He suffered on the cross the wrath of
God which we ought to have suffered. He brought in everlasting
righteousness for us. He redeemed us from the curse of a broken law. He
opened a fountain for all sin and uncleanness. He died for our sins. He
rose again for our justification. He ascended to God's right hand, and
there sat down, waiting till His enemies should be made His footstool.
And there He sits now, offering salvation to all who will come to Him,
interceding for all who believe in Him, and managing by God's appointment
all that concerns the salvation of souls.

(e) There is a time coming when sin shall be cast out from this
world.-Wickedness shall not always flourish unpunished,-Satan shall not
always reign,-creation shall not always groan, being burdened. There
shall be a time of restitution of all things. There shall be a new heaven
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness, and the earth shall be
full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Rom.
viii. 22; Acts iii. 21; 2 Pet. iii. 13; Isai. xi. 9.)

And where shall Christ be then? And what shall He do?

Christ Himself shall be King. He shall return to this earth, and make all
things new. He shall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory, and the kingdoms of the world shall become His. The heathen shall
be given to Him for His inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth
for His possession. To Him every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall
confess that He is Lord. His dominion shall be an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be
destroyed. (Matt. xxiv. 30; Rev. xi. 15; Ps. ii. 8; Phil. ii. 10, 11;
Dan. vii. 14.)

(f) There is a day coming when all men shall be judged. The sea shall
give up the dead which are in it, and death and hell shall deliver up the
dead which are in them. All that sleep in the grave shall awake and come
forth, and all shall be judged according to their works. (Rev. xx. 13;
Dan. xii. 2.)

And where will Christ be then?

Christ Himself will be the Judge. "The Father hath committed all judgment
unto the Son."-"When the Son of man shall come in His glory, then shall
He sit upon the throne of His glory:-and before Him shall be gathered all
nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divideth the sheep from the goats."-"We must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ: that every one may receive the things done in
his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
(John v. 22. Matt. xxv. 32. 2 Cor. v. 10.)

Now if any reader of this paper thinks little of Christ, let him know
this day that he is very unlike God! You are of one mind, and God is of
another. You are of one judgment, and God is of another. You think it
enough to give Christ a little honour,-a little reverence,-a little
respect. But in all the eternal counsels of God the Father, in creation,
redemption, restitution, and judgment,-in all these, Christ is "all."

Surely we shall do well to consider these things. Surely it is not
written in vain, "He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father
which hath sent Him." (John v. 23.)

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by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

II. In the second place, let us understand that "Christ is all" in the
inspired books which make up the Bible.

In every part of both Testaments Christ is to be found,-dimly and
indistinctly at the beginning,-more clearly and plainly in the
middle,-fully and completely at the end,-but really and substantially
everywhere.

Christ's sacrifice and death for sinners, and Christ's kingdom and future
glory, are the light we must bring to bear on any book of Scripture we
read. Christ's cross and Christ's crown are the clue we must hold fast,
if we would find our way through Scripture difficulties. Christ is the
only key that will unlock many of the dark places of the Word.
Some people complain that they do not understand the Bible. And the
reason is very simple. They do not use the key. To them the Bible is like
the hieroglyphics in Egypt. It is a mystery, just because they do not use
the key.

It was Christ crucified who was set forth in every Old Testament
sacrifice. Every animal slain and offered on an altar, was a practical
confession that a Saviour was looked for who would die for sinners,-a
Saviour who should take away man's sin, by suffering, as his Substitute
and Sin-bearer, in his stead. (1 Peter iii. 18.) It is absurd to suppose
that an unmeaning slaughter of innocent beasts, without a distinct object
in view, could please the eternal God!

It was Christ to whom Abel looked when he offered a better sacrifice than
Cain. Not only was the heart of Abel better than that of his brother, but
he showed his knowledge of vicarious sacrifice and his faith in an
atonement. He offered the firstlings of his flock, with the blood
thereof, and in so doing declared his belief that without shedding of
blood there is no remission. (Heb. xi. 4.)

It was Christ of whom Enoch prophesied in the days of abounding
wickedness before the flood.-"Behold," he said, "the Lord cometh with ten
thousand of His saints, to execute judgment upon all." (Jude 15.)

It was Christ to whom Abraham looked when he dwelt in tents in the land
of promise. He believed that in his seed,-in one born of his family,-all
the nations of the earth should be blessed.. By faith he saw Christ's
day, and was glad. (John viii. 56.)

It was Christ of whom Jacob spoke to his sons, as he lay dying. He marked
out the tribe out of which He would be born, and foretold that "gathering
together" unto Him which is yet to be accomplished. "The sceptre shall
not depart from Judah, nor the law-giver from between his feet, until
Shiloh come, and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be." (Gen.
xlix. 10.)

It was Christ who was the substance of the ceremonial law which God gave
to Israel by the hand of Moses. The morning and evening sacrifice,-the
continual shedding of blood,-the altar,-the mercy seat,-the high
priest,-the passover,-the day of atonement,-the scape-goat:-all these
were so many pictures, types, and emblems of Christ and His work. God had
compassion upon the weakness of His people. He taught them "Christ" line
upon line, and, as we teach little children, by similitudes. It was in
this sense especially that "the law was a schoolmaster to lead" the Jews
"unto Christ." (Gal. iii. 24.)

It was Christ to whom God directed the attention of Israel by all the
daily miracles which were done before their eyes in the wilderness. The
pillar of cloud and fire which guided them,-the manna from heaven which
every morning fed them,-the water from the smitten rock which followed
them,-all and each were figures of Christ. The brazen serpent, on that
memorable occasion when the plague of fiery serpents was sent upon them,
was an emblem of Christ. (1 Cor. x. 4; John iii. 14.)

It was Christ of whom all the Judges were types. Joshua, and David, and
Gideon, and Jephthah, and Samson, and all the rest whom God raised up to
deliver Israel from captivity,-all were emblems of Christ. Weak and
unstable and faulty as some of them were, they were set for examples of
better things in the distant future. All were meant to remind the tribes
of that far higher Deliverer who was yet to come.

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by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

It was Christ of whom David the king was a type. Anointed and chosen when
few gave him honour,-despised and rejected by Saul and all the tribes of
Israel,-persecuted and obliged to flee for his life,-a man of sorrow all
his life, and yet at length a conqueror;-in all these things David
represented Christ.

It was Christ of whom all the prophets from Isaiah to Malachi spoke. They
saw through a glass darkly. They sometimes dwelt on His sufferings, and
some times on His glory that should follow. (1 Peter i. 11.) They did not
always mark out for us the distinction between Christ's first coming and
Christ's second coming. Like two candles in a straight line, one behind
the other, they sometimes saw both the advents at the same time, and
spoke of them in one breath. They were sometimes moved by the Holy Ghost
to write of the times of Christ crucified, and sometimes of Christ's
kingdom in the latter days. But Jesus dying or Jesus reigning, was the
thought you will ever find uppermost in their minds.

It is Christ, I need hardly say, of whom the whole New Testament is full.
The Gospels are "Christ" living, speaking, and moving among men. The Acts
are "Christ" preached, published, and proclaimed. The Epistles are
"Christ" written of, explained, and exalted. But all through, from first
to last, there is but one Name above every other, and that is Christ.

I charge every reader of this paper to ask himself frequently what the
Bible is to him. Is it a Bible in which you have found nothing more than
good moral precepts and sound advice? Or is it a Bible in which you have
found Christ? Is it a Bible in which "Christ is all" If not, I tell you
plainly, you have hitherto used your Bible to very little purpose. You
are like a man who studies the solar system, and leaves out in his
studies the sun, which is the centre of all. It is no wonder if
you find your Bible a dull book!

III. In the third place, let us understand that "Christ is all" in the
religion of all true Christians on earth.

In saying this, I wish to guard myself against being misunderstood. I
hold the absolute necessity of the election of God the Father, and the
sanctification of God the Spirit, in order to effect the salvation of
every one that is saved. I hold that there is a perfect harmony and
unison in the action of the three Persons of the Trinity, in bringing any
man to glory, and that all three co-operate and work a joint work in his
deliverance from sin and hell. Such as the Father is, such is the Son,
and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father is merciful, the Son is merciful,
the Holy Ghost is merciful. The same Three who said at the beginning,
"Let us create," said also, "Let us redeem and save." I hold that every
one who reaches heaven will ascribe all the glory of his salvation to
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three Persons in one God.

But, at the same time, I see clear proof in Scripture, that it is the
mind of the blessed Trinity that Christ should be prominently and
distinctly exalted, in the matter of saving souls. Christ is set forth as
the "Word," through whom God's love to sinners is made known. Christ's
incarnation and atoning death on the cross, are the great corner-stone on
which the whole plan of salvation rests. Christ is the way and door, by
which alone approaches to God are to be made. Christ is the root into
which all elect sinners must be grafted. Christ is the only meeting-place
between God and man, between heaven and earth, between the Holy Trinity
and the poor sinful child of Adam. It is Christ whom God the Father has
"sealed" and appointed to convey life to a dead. world. (John vi. 27.) It
is Christ to whom the Father has given a people to be brought to glory.
It is Christ of whom the Spirit testifies, and to whom He always leads a
soul for pardon and peace. In short, it has "pleased the Father that in
Christ all fulness should dwell." (Coloss. i. 19.) What the sun is in the
firmament of heaven, that Christ is in true Christianity.

I say these things by way of explanation. I want my readers clearly to
understand, that in saying "Christ is all," I do not mean to shut out the
work of the Father and of the Spirit. Now let me show what I do mean.

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by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

(a) Christ is all in a sinner's justification before God.

Through Him alone we can have peace with a Holy. God. By Him alone we can
have admission into the presence of the Most High, and stand there
without fear. "We have boldness and access with confidence by the faith
of Him." In Him alone can God be just, and justify the ungodly. (Ephes.
iii. 12; Rom. iii. 26.)

Wherewith can any mortal man come before God? What can we bring as a plea
for acquittal before that Glorious Being, in whose eyes the very heavens
are not clean?

Shall we say that we have done our duty to God? Shall we say that we have
done our duty to our neighbour? Shall we bring forward our prayers?-our
regularity?-our morality?-our amendments?-our church going? Shall we ask
to be accepted because of any of these?

Which of these things will stand the searching inspection of God's eye?
Which of them will actually justify us? Which of them will carry us clear
through judgment, and land us safe in glory?

None, none, none! Take any commandment of the ten, and let us examine
ourselves by it. We have broken it repeatedly. We cannot answer God one
of a thousand.-Take any of us, and look narrowly into our ways,-and we
are nothing but sinners. There is but one verdict: we are all guilty,-all
deserve hell,-all ought to die. Wherewith can we come before God?

We must come in the name of Jesus,-standing on no other ground,-pleading
no other plea than this, "Christ died on the cross for the ungodly, and I
trust in Him. Christ died for me, and I believe on Him."

The garment of our Elder Brother,-the righteousness of Christ,-this is
the only robe which can cover us, and enable us to stand in the light of
heaven without shame.

The name of Jesus is the only name by which we shall obtain an entrance
through the gate of eternal glory. If we come to that gate in our own
names, we are lost, we shall not be admitted, we shall knock in vain. If
we come in the name of Jesus, it is a passport and Shibboleth, and we
shall enter and live.

The mark of the blood of Christ is the only mark that can save us from
destruction. When the angels are separating the children of Adam in the
last day, if we are not found marked with that atoning blood, we had
better never have been born.

Oh, let us never forget that Christ must be "all" to that soul who would
be justified!-We must be content to go to heaven as beggars,-saved by
free grace, simply as believers in Jesus,-or we shall never be saved at
all.

Is there a thoughtless, worldly soul among the readers of this book? Is
there one who thinks to reach heaven by saying hastily at the last, "Lord
have mercy on me," without Christ? Friend, you are sowing misery for
yourself, and unless you alter, you will awake to endless woe.

Is there a proud, formal soul among the readers of this book? Is there
any one thinking to make him self fit for heaven, and good enough to pass
muster by his own doings?-Brother, you are building a Babel, and you will
never reach heaven in your present state.

But is there a labouring, heavy-laden one among the readers of this book?
Is there one who wants to be saved, and feels a vile sinner? I say to
such an one, "Come to Christ, and He shall save you. Come to Christ, and
cast the burden of your soul on Him. Fear not: only believe."

Do you fear wrath? Christ can deliver you from the wrath to come.-Do you
fear the curse of a broken law? Christ can redeem you from the curse of
the law.-Do you feel far away? Christ has suffered, to bring you nigh to
God.-Do you feel unclean? Christ's blood can cleanse all sin away!-Do you
feel imperfect? You shall be complete in Christ.-Do you feel as if you
were nothing? Christ shall be "all in all" to your soul.-Never did saint
reach heaven with any tale but this, "I was washed and made white in the
blood of the Lamb." (Rev. vii. 14.)

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Quote from: blackeyedpeas on January 31, 2006, 09:16:21 AM

Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9 AMP For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Please feel free to add another portion of Scripture that is the Bible Prescription for Salvation.

We all have a need of salvation, God provided a solution to that need, we can receive that solution by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, apply it or receive it by faith, as a free gift.

The Need

Ro 5:12 Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned:--

The Solution

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.

The Name

Ac 4:10 be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even in him doth this man stand here before you whole.

Ac 4:11 He is the stone which was set at nought of you the builders, which was made the head of the corner.

Ac 4:12 And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.

Apply - By Faith

Ro 10:9 because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved:

Ro 10:13 for, Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Free Gift

Eph 2:8 for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Eph 2:9 not of works, that no man should glory.

CHRIST IS ALL - Page 6

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

(b) But again, Christ is not only all in the justification of a true
Christian, but He is also all in his sanctification.

I would not have any one misunderstand me. I do not mean for a moment to
undervalue the work of the Spirit. But this I say, that no man is ever
holy till he comes to Christ and is united to Him. Till then his works
are dead works, and he has no holiness at all.-First you must be joined
to Christ, and then you shall be holy. "Without Him,-separate from
Him,-you can do nothing." (John xv. 5.)

And no man can grow in holiness except he abides in Christ. Christ is the
great root from which every believer must draw his strength to go
forward. The Spirit is His special gift, His purchased gift for His
people. A believer must not only "receive Christ Jesus the Lord," but
"walk in Him, and be rooted and built up in Him." (Col. ii. 6, 7.)

Would you be holy? Then Christ is the manna you must daily eat, like
Israel in the wilderness of old. Would you be holy? Then Christ must be
the rock from which you must daily drink the living water. Would you be
holy? Then you must be ever looking unto Jesus,-looking at His cross, and
learning fresh motives for a closer walk with God,-looking at His
example, and taking Him for your pattern. Looking at Him, you would
become like Him. Looking at Him, your face would shine without your
knowing it. Look less at yourself and more at Christ, and you will find
besetting sins dropping off and leaving you, and your eyes enlightened
more and more every day. (Heb. xii. 2; 2 Cor. iii. 18.)

The true secret of coming up out of the wilderness, is to come up
"leaning on the Beloved." (Cant. viii. 5.) The true way to be strong is
to realize our weakness, and to feel that Christ must be all. The true
way to grow in grace, is to make use of Christ as a fountain for every
minute's necessities. We ought to employ Him as the prophet's wife
employed the oil,-not only to pay our debts, but to live on also. We
should strive to be able to say, "The life that I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for
me." (2 Kings iv. 7; Gal. ii. 20.)

I pity those who try to be holy without Christ! Your labour is all in
vain. You are putting money in a bag with holes. You are pouring water
into a sieve. You are rolling a huge round stone uphill. You are building
up a wall with untempered mortar. Believe me, you are beginning at the
wrong end. You must come to Christ first, and He shall give you His
sanctifying Spirit. You must learn to say with Paul, "I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phil. iv. 13.)

(c) But again, Christ is not only all in the sanctification of a true
Christian, but all in his comfort in time present.

A saved soul has many sorrows. He has a body like other men,-weak and
frail. He has a heart like other men,-and often a more sensitive one too.
He has trials and losses to bear like others,-and often more. He has his
share of bereavements, deaths, disappointments, crosses. He has the world
to oppose,-a place in life to fill blamelessly,-unconverted relatives to
bear with patiently,-persecutions to endure,-and a death to die.

And who is sufficient for these things? What shall enable a believer to
bear all this? Nothing but "the consolation there is in Christ." (Phil.
ii. 1.)

Jesus is indeed the brother born for adversity. He is the friend that
sticketh closer than a brother, and He alone can comfort His people. He
can be touched with the feeling of their infirmities, for He suffered
Himself. (Heb. iv. 15.) He knows what sorrow is, for He was a man of
sorrows. He knows what an aching body is, for His body was racked with
pain. He cried, "All my bones are out of joint." (Ps. xxii. 14.) He knows
what poverty and weariness are, for He was often wearied and had not
where to lay His head. He knows what family unkindness is, for even His
brethren did not believe Him. He had no honour in His own house.

And Jesus knows exactly how to comfort His afflicted people. He knows how
to pour in oil and wine into the wounds of the spirit,-how to fill up
gaps in empty hearts,-how to speak a word in season to the weary,-how to
heal the broken heart,-how to make all our bed in sickness,-how to draw
nigh when we are faint, and say, "Fear not: I am thy salvation." (Lam.
iii. 57.)

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We talk of sympathy being pleasant. There is no sympathy like that of
Christ. In all our afflictions He is afflicted. He knows our sorrows. In
all our pain He is pained, and like the good Physician, He will not
measure out to us one drop of sorrow too much. David once said, "In the
multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul." (Ps.
xciv. 19.) Many a believer, I am sure, could say as much. "If the Lord
himself had not stood by me, the deep waters would have gone over my
soul" (Ps. cxxiv. 5.)

How a believer gets through all his troubles appears wonderful. How he is
carried through the fire and water he passes through seems past
comprehension. But the true account of it is just this,-that Christ is
not only justification and sanctification, but consolation also.

Oh, you who want unfailing comfort, I commend you to Christ! In Him alone
there is no failure. Rich men are disappointed in their treasures.
Learned men are disappointed in their books. Husbands are disappointed in
their wives. Wives are disappointed in their husbands. Parents are
disappointed in their children. Statesmen are disappointed when, after
many a struggle, they attain place and power. They find out, to their
cost, that it is more pain than pleasure,-that it is disappointment,
annoyance, incessant trouble, worry, vanity, and vexation of spirit. But
no man was ever disappointed in Christ.

(d) But as Christ is all in the comforts of a true Christian in time
present, so Christ is all in his hopes for time to come.

Few men and women, I suppose, are to be found who do not indulge in hopes
of some kind about their souls. But the hopes of the vast majority are
nothing but vain fancies. They are built on no solid foundation. No
living man but the real child of God,-the sincere, thorough-going
Christian,-can give a reasonable account of the hope that is in him. No
hope is reasonable which is not Scriptural.

A true Christian has a good hope when he looks forward: the worldly man
has none. A true Christian sees light in the distance: the worldly man
sees nothing but darkness. And what is the hope of a true Christian? It
is just this,-that Jesus Christ is coming again, coming without
sin,-coming with all His people,-coming to wipe away every tear,-coming
to raise His sleeping saints from the grave,-coming to gather together
all His family, that they may be for ever with Him.

Why is a believer patient? Because he looks for the coming of the Lord.
He can bear hard things without murmuring. He knows the time is short. He
waits quietly for the King.

Why is he moderate in all things? Because he expects his Lord soon to
return. His treasure is in heaven: his good things are yet to come. The
world is not his rest, but an inn; and an inn is not home. He knows that
He that shall come will soon come, and will not tarry. Christ is coming,
and that is enough.

This is indeed a "blessed hope!" (Titus ii. 13.) Now is the
school-time,-then the eternal holiday. Now is the tossing on the waves of
a troublesome world,-then the quiet harbour. Now is the scattering,-then
the gathering. Now is the time of sowing,-then the harvest. Now is the
working season,-then the wages. Now is the cross,-then the crown.

People talk of their "expectations" and hopes from this world. None have
such solid expectations as a saved soul. He can say, "My soul, wait thou
only upon God; my expectation is from Him." (Ps. lxii. 5.)

In all true saving religion Christ is all: all in justification,-all in
sanctification,-all in comfort,-all in hope. Blessed is that mother's
child that knows it, and far more blessed is he that feels it too. Oh,
that men would prove themselves, and see what they know of it for their
own souls!

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by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

IV. One thing more I will add, and then I have done. Let us understand
that Christ will be all in heaven.

I cannot dwell long on this point. I have not power, if I had space and
room. I can ill describe things unseen and a world unknown. But this I
know, that all men and women who reach heaven will find that even there
also "Christ is all."

Like the altar in Solomon's temple, Christ crucified will be the grand
object in heaven. That altar struck the eye of every one who entered the
temple gates. It was a great brazen altar, twenty cubits broad,-as broad
as the front of the temple itself. (2 Chron. iii. 4; iv. 1.) So in like
manner will Jesus fill the eyes of all who enter glory. In the midst of
the throne, and surrounded by adoring angels and saints, there will be
"the Lamb that was slain." And "the Lamb shall be the light" of the
place. (Rev. v 6; xxi. 23.)

The praise of the Lord Jesus will be the eternal song of all the
inhabitants of heaven. They will say with a loud voice, "Worthy is the
Lamb that was slain. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be to
Him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever." (Rev.
v. 12, 13.)

The service of the Lord Jesus will be one eternal occupation of all the
inhabitants of heaven. We shall "serve Him day and night in His temple."
(Rev. vii. 13.) Blessed is the thought that we shall at length attend on
Him without distraction, and work for Him without weariness.

The presence of Christ Himself shall be one ever lasting enjoyment of the
inhabitants of heaven. We shall "see His face," and hear His voice, and
speak with Him as friend with friend. (Rev. xxii. 4.) Sweet is the
thought that whosoever may be wanting at the marriage supper, the Master
Himself will be there. His presence will satisfy all our wants. (Ps.
xvii. 15.)

What a sweet and glorious home heaven will be to those who have loved the
Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity! Here we live by faith in Him, and find
peace, though we see Him not. There we shall see Him face to face, and
find He is altogether lovely. "Better" indeed will be the "sight of the
eyes than the wandering of the desire!" (Eccles. vi. 9.)

But alas, how little fit for heaven are many who talk of "going to
heaven" when they die, while they manifestly have no saving faith, and no
real acquaintance with Christ. You give Christ no honour here. You have
no communion with Him. You do not love Him. Alas! what could you do in
heaven? It would be no place for you. Its joys would be no joys for you.
Its happiness would be a happiness into which you could not enter. Its
employments would be a weariness and a burden to your heart. Oh, repent
and change before it be too late!

I trust I have now shown how deep are the foundations of that little
expression, "Christ is all."

I might easily add to the things I have said, if space permitted. The
subject is not exhausted, I have barely walked over the surface of it
There are mines of precious truth connected with it, which I have left
unopened.

I might show how Christ ought to be all in a visible Church. Splendid
religious buildings, numerous religious services, gorgeous ceremonies,
troops of ordained men, all, all are nothing in the sight of God, if the
Lord Jesus Himself in all His offices is not honoured, magnified, and
exalted. That Church is but a dead carcase, in which Christ is not "all."

I might show how Christ ought to be all in a ministry. The great work
which ordained men are intended to do, is to lift up Christ. We are to be
like the pole on which the brazen serpent was hung. We are useful so long
as we exalt the great object of faith, but useful no further. We are to
be ambassadors to carry tidings to a rebellious world about the King's
Son, and if we teach men to think more about us and our office than about
Him, we are not fit for our place. The Spirit will never honour that
minister who does not testify of Christ,-who does not make Christ "all."

I might show how language seems exhausted in the Bible, in describing
Christ's various offices. I might describe how figures seem endless,
which are employed in unfolding Christ's fulness. The High Priest, the
Mediator, the Redeemer, the Saviour, the Advocate, the Shepherd, the
Physician, the Bridegroom, the Head, the Bread of Life, the Light of the
World, the Way, the Door, the Vine, the Rock, the Fountain, the Sun of
Righteousness, the Forerunner, the Surety, the Captain, the Prince of
Life, the Amen, the Almighty, the Author and Finisher of Faith, the Lamb
of God, the King of Saints, the Wonderful, the Mighty God, the
Counsellor, the Bishop of Souls,-all these, and many more, are names
given to Christ in Scripture. Each is a fountain of instruction and
comfort for every one who is willing to drink of it. Each supplies matter
for useful meditation.

==========================See Page 9

CHRIST IS ALL - Page 9

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

But I trust I have said enough to throw light on the point I want to
impress on the minds of all who read this paper. I trust I have said
enough to show the immense importance of the practical conclusions with
which I now desire to finish the subject.

(1) Is Christ all? Then let us LEARN THE UTTER USELESSNESS OF A
CHRISTLESS RELIGION.

There are only too many baptized men and women who practically know
nothing at all about Christ. Their religion consists in a few vague
notions and empty expressions. "They trust they are no worse than others.
They keep to their church. They try to do their duty. They do nobody any
harm. They hope God will be merciful to them. They trust the Almighty
will pardon their sins, and take them to heaven when they die." This is
about the whole of their religion

But what do these people know practically about Christ? Nothing: nothing
at all! What experimental acquaintance have they with His offices and
work, His blood, His righteousness, His mediation, His priesthood, His
intercession? None: none at all! Ask them about a saving faith,-ask them
about being born again of the Spirit,-ask them about being sanctified in
Christ Jesus. What answer will you get? You are a barbarian to them. You
have asked them simple Bible questions. But they know no more about them
experimentally, than a Buddhist or a Turk. And yet this is the religion
of hundreds and thousands of people who are called Christians, all over
the world!

If any reader of this paper is a man of this kind, I warn him plainly
that such Christianity will never take him to heaven. It may do very well
in the eye of man. It may pass muster very decently at the
vestry-meeting, in the place of business, in the House of Commons, or in
the streets. But it will never comfort you. It will never Satisfy your
conscience. It will never save your soul.

I warn you plainly, that all notions and theories about God being
merciful without Christ, and excepting through Christ, are baseless
delusions and empty fancies. Such theories are as purely an idol of man's
invention as the idol of Juggernaut they are all of the earth, earthy.
They never came down from heaven. The God of heaven has sealed and
appointed Christ as the one only Saviour and way of life, and all who
would be saved must be content to be saved by Him, or they will never be
saved at all.

Let every reader take notice. I give you fair warning this day. A
religion without Christ will never save your soul.

(2) Let me say another thing. Is Christ all? Then LEARN THE ENORMOUS
FOLLY OF JOINING ANYTHING WITH CHRIST IN THE MATTER OF SALVATION.

There are multitudes of baptized men and women who profess to honour
Christ, but in reality do Him great dishonour. They give Christ a certain
place in their system of religion, but not the place which God intended
Him to fill. Christ alone is not "all in all" to their souls.-No! it is
either Christ and the Church,-or Christ and the sacraments,-or Christ and
His ordained ministers,-or Christ and their own repentance,-or Christ and
their own goodness,-or Christ and their own prayers,-or Christ and their
own sincerity and charity, on which they practically rest their souls.

If any reader of this paper is a Christian of this kind, I warn him also
plainly, that his religion is an offence to God. You are changing God's
plan of salvation into a plan of your own devising. You are in effect
deposing Christ from His throne, by giving the glory due to Him to
another.

I care not who it is that teaches such religion, and on whose word you
build. Whether he be Pope or Cardinal, Archbishop or Bishop, Dean or
Archdeacon, Presbyter or Deacon, Episcopalian or Presbyterian, Baptist or
Independent, Wesleyan or Plymouth Brother, whosoever adds anything to
Christ, teaches you wrong.

I care not what it is that you add to Christ. Whether it be the necessity
of joining the Church of Rome, or of being an Episcopalian, or of
becoming a Free Churchman, or of giving up the liturgy, or of being
dipped,-whatever you may practically add to Christ in the matter of
salvation, you do Christ an injury.

Take heed what you are doing. Beware of giving to Christ's servants the
honour due to none but Christ. Beware of giving the Lord's ordinances the
honour due unto the Lord. Beware of resting the burden of your soul on
anything but Christ, and Christ alone.

========================See Page 10

CHRIST IS ALL - Page 10

by J. C. Ryle (1816-1900)

(3) Let me say another thing. Is Christ all?

LET ALL WHO WANT TO BE SAVED, APPLY DIRECT TO CHRIST.

There are many who hear of Christ with the ear, and believe all they are
told about Him. They allow that there is no salvation excepting in
Christ. They acknowledge that Jesus alone can deliver them from hell, and
present them faultless before God. But they seem never to get beyond this
general acknowledgement. They never fairly lay hold on Christ for their
own souls. They stick fast in a state of wishing, and wanting, and
feeling, and intending' and never get any further. They see what we mean:
they know it is all true. They hope one day to get the full benefit of
it: but at present they get no benefit whatever. The world is their
"all." Politics are their "all." Pleasure is their "all." Business is
their "all." But Christ is not their all.

If any reader of this paper is a man of this kind, I warn him also
plainly, he is in a bad state of soul. You are as truly in the way to
hell in your present condition, as Judas Iscariot, or Ahab, or Cain.
Believe me, there must be actual faith in Christ, or else Christ died in
vain, so far as you are concerned. It is not looking at the bread that
feeds the hungry man, but the actual eating of it. It is not gazing on
the lifeboat that saves the shipwrecked sailor, but actual getting into
it. It is not knowing and believing that Christ is a Saviour that can
save your soul, unless there are actual transactions between you and
Christ. You must be able to say, "Christ is my Saviour, because I have
come to Him by faith, and taken Him for my own."-"Much of religion, said
Luther, turns on being able to use possessive pronouns. Take from me the
word 'my,' and you take from me God!"

Hear the advice I give you this day, and act upon it at once. Stand still
no longer, waiting for some imaginary frames and feelings which will
never come. Hesitate no longer, under the idea that you must first of all
obtain the Spirit, and then come to Christ. Arise and come to Christ just
as you are. He waits for you, and is as willing to save as He is mighty.
He is the appointed Physician for sin-sick souls. Deal with Him as you
would with your doctor about the cure of a disease of your body. Make a
direct application to Him, and tell Him all your wants. Take with you
words this day, and cry mightily to the Lord Jesus for pardon and peace,
as the thief did on the cross. Do as that man did: cry, "Lord, remember
me." (Luke xxiii. 42.) Tell Him you have heard that He receives sinners,
and that you are such. Tell Him, you want to be saved, and ask Him to
save you. Rest not till you have actually tasted for yourself that the
Lord is gracious. Do this, and you shall find, sooner or later, if you
are really in earnest, that "Christ is all."

(4) One more thing let me add. Is Christ all?

Then LET ALL HIS CONVERTED PEOPLE DEAL WITH HIM AS IF THEY REALLY
BELIEVED IT. LET THEM LEAN ON HIM AND TRUST HIM FAR MORE THAN THEY HAVE
EVER DONE YET.

Alas, there are many of the Lord's people who live far below their
privileges! There are many truly Christian souls who rob themselves of
their own peace and forsake their own mercies. There are many who
insensibly join their own faith, or the work of the Spirit in their own
hearts, to Christ, and so miss the fulness of Gospel peace. There are
many who make little progress in their pursuit of holiness, and shine
with a very dim light. And why is all this? Simply because in nineteen
cases out of twenty men do not make Christ all in all.

Now I call on every reader of this paper who is a believer, I beseech him
for his own sake, to make sure that Christ is really and thoroughly his
all in all. Beware of allowing yourself to mingle anything of your own
with Christ.

Have you faith? It is a priceless blessing. Happy indeed are they who are
willing and ready to trust Jesus. But take heed you do not make a Christ
of your faith. Rest not on your own faith, but on Christ.

Is the work of the Spirit in your soul? Thank God for it. It is a work
that shall never over thrown. But oh, beware, lest, unawares to yourself,
you make a Christ of the work of the Spirit! Rest not on the work of the
Spirit, but on Christ.

Have you any inward feelings of religion, and experience of grace? Thank
God for it. Thousands have no more religious feeling than a cat or log.
But oh, beware lest you make a Christ of your feelings and sensations!
They are poor, uncertain things, and sadly dependent on our bodies and
outward circumstances. Rest not a grain of weight on your feelings. Rest
only on Christ.

Learn, I entreat you, to look more and more at the great object of faith,
Jesus Christ, and to keep your mind dwelling on Him. So doing you would
find faith, and all the other graces grow, though the growth at the time
might be imperceptible to yourself. He that would prove a skilful archer,
must look not at the arrow, but at the mark.

Alas, I fear there is a great piece of pride and unbelief still sticking
in the hearts of many believers. Few seem to realize how much they need a
Saviour. Few seem to understand how thoroughly they are indebted to Him.
Few seem to comprehend how much they need Him every day. Few seem to feel
how simply and like a child they ought to hang their souls on Him. Few
seem to be aware how full of love He is to His poor, weak people, and how
ready to help them! And few therefore seem to know the peace, and joy,
and strength, and power to live a godly life, which is to be had in
Christ.

Change your plan, reader, if your conscience tells you you are guilty:
change your plan, and learn to trust Christ more. Physicians love to see
patients coming to consult them: it is their office to receive the
sickly, and if possible to effect cures. The advocate loves to be
employed: it is his calling. The husband loves his wife to trust him and
lean upon him: it is his delight to cherish her, and promote her comfort.
And Christ loves His people to lean on Him, to rest in Him, to call on
Him, to abide in Him.

Let us all learn and strive to do so more and more. Let us live on
Christ. Let us live in Christ. Let us live with Christ. Let us live to
Christ. So doing we shall prove that we fully realize that "Christ is
all." So doing, we shall feel great peace, and attain more of that
"holiness without which no man shall see the Lord." (Heb. xii. 14.)
____________________

My Note will be simple:

Thanks be unto GOD for HIS unspeakable GIFT!, JESUS CHRIST, our Lord and Saviour forever!

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Theology => Bible Prescription Shop => Topic started by: nChrist on January 31, 2006, 09:16:21 AM