Ustad Dr Ali Sina Bin Muhamad Ali
2008-03-16 11:16:43 UTC
How shall a man be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous? It
is only through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God, with
holiness; but how are we to come to Christ? Many are asking the same
question as did the multitude on the Day of Pentecost, when, convicted of
sin, they cried out, "What shall we do?" The first word of Peter's answer
was, "Repent." Acts 2:37, 38. At another time, shortly after, he said,
"Repent, . . . and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." Acts
3:19.
Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not
renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in
heart, there will be no real change in the life.
There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance.
Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation
because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon
themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense. They lament the
suffering rather than the sin. Such was the grief of Esau when he saw that
the birthright was lost to him forever. Balaam, terrified by the angel
standing in his pathway with drawn sword, acknowledged his guilt lest he
should lose his life; but there was no genuine repentance for sin, no
conversion of purpose, no abhorrence of evil. Judas Iscariot, after
betraying his
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Lord, exclaimed, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood."
Matthew 27:4.
The confession was forced from his guilty soul by an awful sense of
condemnation and a fearful looking for of judgment. The consequences that
were to result to him filled him with terror, but there was no deep,
heartbreaking grief in his soul, that he had betrayed the spotless Son of
God and denied the Holy One of Israel. Pharaoh, when suffering under the
judgments of God, acknowledged his sin in order to escape further
punishment, but returned to his defiance of Heaven as soon as the plagues
were stayed. These all lamented the results of sin, but did not sorrow for
the sin itself.
But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the
conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the
depth and sacredness of God's holy law, the foundation of His government in
heaven and on earth. The "Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into
the world," illumines the secret chambers of the soul, and the hidden things
of darkness are made manifest. John 1:9. Conviction takes hold upon the mind
and heart. The sinner has a sense of the righteousness of Jehovah and feels
the terror of appearing, in his own guilt and uncleanness, before the
Searcher of hearts. He sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy
of purity; he longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with
Heaven.
The prayer of David after his fall, illustrates the nature of true sorrow
for sin. His repentance was sincere and deep. There was no effort to
palliate
25
his guilt; no desire to escape the judgment threatened, inspired his prayer.
David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his
soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for
purity of heart. He longed for the joy of holiness--to be restored to
harmony and communion with God. This was the language of his soul:
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord
imputeth not iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no guile."
Psalm 32:1, 2.
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to
Thy loving-kindness:
According unto the multitude of Thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions. . . .
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my
sin is ever before me. . . .
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . .
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
And uphold me with Thy free spirit. . . .
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou
God of my salvation:
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy
righteousness." Psalm 51:1-14.
A repentance such as this, is beyond the reach of our own power to
accomplish; it is obtained only from Christ, who ascended up on high and has
given gifts unto men.
26
Just here is a point on which many may err, and hence they fail of receiving
the help that Christ desires to give them. They think that they cannot come
to Christ unless they first repent, and that repentance prepares for the
forgiveness of their sins. It is true that repentance does precede the
forgiveness of sins; for it is only the broken and contrite heart that will
feel the need of a Saviour. But must the sinner wait till he has repented
before he can come to Jesus? Is repentance to be made an obstacle between
the sinner and the Saviour?
The Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he can heed the
invitation of Christ, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. It is the virtue that goes forth
from Christ, that leads to genuine repentance. Peter made the matter clear
in his statement to the Israelites when he said, "Him hath God exalted with
His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to
Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Acts 5:31. We can no more repent without
the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned
without Christ. { 26.2}
Christ is the source of every right impulse. He is the only one that can
implant in the heart enmity against sin. Every desire for truth and purity,
every conviction of our own sinfulness, is an evidence that His Spirit is
moving upon our hearts.
Jesus has said, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
Me." John 12:32. Christ must be revealed to the sinner as the Saviour dying
for the sins of the world; and as we behold the Lamb of
27
God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to
our minds and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for
sinners, Christ manifested a love that is incomprehensible; and as the
sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart, impresses the mind, and
inspires contrition in the soul.
It is true that men sometimes become ashamed of their sinful ways, and give
up some of their evil habits, before they are conscious that they are being
drawn to Christ. But whenever they make an effort to reform, from a sincere
desire to do right, it is the power of Christ that is drawing them. An
influence of which they are unconscious works upon the soul, and the
conscience is quickened, and the outward life is amended. And as Christ
draws them to look upon His cross, to behold Him whom their sins have
pierced, the commandment comes home to the conscience. The wickedness of
their life, the deep-seated sin of the soul, is revealed to them. They begin
to comprehend something of the righteousness of Christ, and exclaim, "What
is sin, that it should require such a sacrifice for the redemption of its
victim? Was all this love, all this suffering, all this humiliation,
demanded, that we might not perish, but have everlasting life?"
The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he
does not resist he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of
salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins,
which have caused the sufferings of God's dear Son.
28
The same divine mind that is working upon the things of nature is speaking
to the hearts of men and creating an inexpressible craving for something
they have not. The things of the world cannot satisfy their longing. The
Spirit of God is pleading with them to seek for those things that alone can
give peace and rest--the grace of Christ, the joy of holiness. Through
influences seen and unseen, our Saviour is constantly at work to attract the
minds of men from the unsatisfying pleasures of sin to the infinite
blessings that may be theirs in Him. To all these souls, who are vainly
seeking to drink from the broken cisterns of this world, the divine message
is addressed, "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17.
You who in heart long for something better than this world can give,
recognize this longing as the voice of God to your soul. Ask Him to give you
repentance, to reveal Christ to you in His infinite love, in His perfect
purity. In the Saviour's life the principles of God's law--love to God and
man--were perfectly exemplified. Benevolence, unselfish love, was the life
of His soul. It is as we behold Him, as the light from our Saviour falls
upon us, that we see the sinfulness of our own hearts.
We may have flattered ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our life has been
upright, that our moral character is correct, and think that we need not
humble the heart before God, like the common sinner: but when the light from
Christ shines into our souls, we shall see how impure we are; we shall
discern the selfishness of motive, the enmity against God, that
29
has defiled every act of life. Then we shall know that our own righteousness
is indeed as filthy rags, and that the blood of Christ alone can cleanse us
from the defilement of sin, and renew our hearts in His own likeness.
One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrating
the soul, makes every spot of defilement painfully distinct, and lays bare
the deformity and defects of the human character. It makes apparent the
unhallowed desires, the infidelity of the heart, the impurity of the lips.
The sinner's acts of disloyalty in making void the law of God, are exposed
to his sight, and his spirit is stricken and afflicted under the searching
influence of the Spirit of God. He loathes himself as he views the pure,
spotless character of Christ.
When the prophet Daniel beheld the glory surrounding the heavenly messenger
that was sent unto him, he was overwhelmed with a sense of his own weakness
and imperfection. Describing the effect of the wonderful scene, he says,
"There remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into
corruption, and I retained no strength." Daniel 10:8. The soul thus touched
will hate its selfishness, abhor its self-love, and will seek, through
Christ's righteousness, for the purity of heart that is in harmony with the
law of God and the character of Christ.
Paul says that as "touching the righteousness which is in the law"--as far
as outward acts were concerned --he was "blameless" (Philippians 3:6); but
when the spiritual character of the law was discerned, he saw himself a
sinner. Judged by the letter of the law as
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men apply it to the outward life, he had abstained from sin; but when he
looked into the depths of its holy precepts, and saw himself as God saw him,
he bowed in humiliation and confessed his guilt. He says, "I was alive
without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I
died." Romans 7:9. When he saw the spiritual nature of the law, sin appeared
in its true hideousness, and his self-esteem was gone.
God does not regard all sins as of equal magnitude; there are degrees of
guilt in His estimation, as well as in that of man; but however trifling
this or that wrong act may seem in the eyes of men, no sin is small in the
sight of God. Man's judgment is partial, imperfect; but God estimates all
things as they really are. The drunkard is despised and is told that his sin
will exclude him from heaven; while pride, selfishness, and covetousness too
often go unrebuked. But these are sins that are especially offensive to God;
for they are contrary to the benevolence of His character, to that unselfish
love which is the very atmosphere of the uncalled universe. He who falls
into some of the grosser sins may feel a sense of his shame and poverty and
his need of the grace of Christ; but pride feels no need, and so it closes
the heart against Christ and the infinite blessings He came to give.
The poor publican who prayed, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13),
regarded himself as a very wicked man, and others looked upon him in the
same light; but he felt his need, and with his burden of
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guilt and shame he came before God, asking for His mercy. His heart was open
for the Spirit of God to do its gracious work and set him free from the
power of sin. The Pharisee's boastful, self-righteous prayer showed that his
heart was closed against the influence of the Holy Spirit. Because of his
distance from God, he had no sense of his own defilement, in contrast with
the perfection of the divine holiness. He felt no need, and he received
nothing.
If you see your sinfulness, do not wait to make yourself better. How many
there are who think they are not good enough to come to Christ. Do you
expect to become better through your own efforts? "Can the Ethiopian change
his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are
accustomed to do evil." Jeremiah 13:23. There is help for us only in God. We
must not wait for stronger persuasions, for better opportunities, or for
holier tempers. We can do nothing of ourselves. We must come to Christ just
as we are.
But let none deceive themselves with the thought that God, in His great love
and mercy, will yet save even the rejecters of His grace. The exceeding
sinfulness of sin can be estimated only in the light of the cross. When men
urge that God is too good to cast off the sinner, let them look to Calvary.
It was because there was no other way in which man could be saved, because
without this sacrifice it was impossible for the human race to escape from
the defiling power of sin, and be restored to communion with holy
beings,--impossible for them again to become partakers
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of spiritual life,--it was because of this that Christ took upon Himself the
guilt of the disobedient and suffered in the sinner's stead. The love and
suffering and death of the Son of God all testify to the terrible enormity
of sin and declare that there is no escape from its power, no hope of the
higher life, but through the submission of the soul to Christ.
The impenitent sometimes excuse themselves by saying of professed
Christians, "I am as good as they are. They are no more self-denying, sober,
or circumspect in their conduct than I am. They love pleasure and
self-indulgence as well as I do." Thus they make the faults of others an
excuse for their own neglect of duty. But the sins and defects of others do
not excuse anyone, for the Lord has not given us an erring human pattern.
The spotless Son of God has been given as our example, and those who
complain of the wrong course of professed Christians are the ones who should
show better lives and nobler examples. If they have so high a conception of
what a Christian should be, is not their own sin so much the greater? They
know what is right, and yet refuse to do it.
Beware of procrastination. Do not put off the work of forsaking your sins
and seeking purity of heart through Jesus. Here is where thousands upon
thousands have erred to their eternal loss. I will not here dwell upon the
shortness and uncertainty of life; but there is a terrible danger--a danger
not sufficiently understood--in delaying to yield to the pleading voice of
God's Holy Spirit, in choosing to live in sin; for such this delay really
is. Sin, however
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small it may be esteemed, can be indulged in only at the peril of infinite
loss. What we do not overcome, will overcome us and work out our
destruction.
Adam and Eve persuaded themselves that in so small a matter as eating of the
forbidden fruit there could not result such terrible consequences as God had
declared. But this small matter was the transgression of God's immutable and
holy law, and it separated man from God and opened the floodgates of death
and untold woe upon our world. Age after age there has gone up from our
earth a continual cry of mourning, and the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth together in pain as a consequence of man's disobedience. Heaven
itself has felt the effects of his rebellion against God. Calvary stands as
a memorial of the amazing sacrifice required to atone for the transgression
of the divine law. Let us not regard sin as a trivial thing.
Every act of transgression, every neglect or rejection of the grace of
Christ, is reacting upon yourself; it is hardening the heart, depraving the
will, benumbing the understanding, and not only making you less inclined to
yield, but less capable of yielding, to the tender pleading of God's Holy
Spirit. { 33.2}
Many are quieting a troubled conscience with the thought that they can
change a course of evil when they choose; that they can trifle with the
invitations of mercy, and yet be again and again impressed. They think that
after doing despite to the Spirit of grace, after casting their influence on
the side of Satan, in a moment of terrible extremity they can change their
course. But this is not so easily done. The experience,
34
the education, of a lifetime, has so thoroughly molded the character that
few then desire to receive the image of Jesus.
Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire, persistently
cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. Every
sinful indulgence strengthens the soul's aversion to God. The man who
manifests an infidel hardihood, or a stolid indifference to divine truth, is
but reaping the harvest of that which he has himself sown. In all the Bible
there is not a more fearful warning against trifling with evil than the
words of the wise man that the sinner "shall be holden with the cords of his
sins." Proverbs 5:22.
Christ is ready to set us free from sin, but He does not force the will; and
if by persistent transgression the will itself is wholly bent on evil, and
we do not desire to be set free, if we will not accept His grace, what more
can He do? We have destroyed ourselves by our determined rejection of His
love. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation." "Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." 2
Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:7, 8.
"Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the
heart"--the human heart, with its conflicting emotions of joy and sorrow;
the wandering, wayward heart, which is the abode of so much impurity and
deceit. 1 Samuel 16:7. He knows its motives, its very intents and purposes.
Go to Him with your soul all stained as it is. Like the psalmist, throw its
chambers open to the all-seeing eye, exclaiming, "Search me, O God, and know
my heart: try me, and know
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my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting." Psalm 139: 23, 24.
Many accept an intellectual religion, a form of godliness, when the heart is
not cleansed. Let it be your prayer, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and
renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. Deal truly with your own soul.
Be as earnest, as persistent, as you would be if your mortal life were at
stake. This is a matter to be settled between God and your own soul, settled
for eternity. A supposed hope, and nothing more, will prove your ruin.
Study God's word prayerfully. That word presents before you, in the law of
God and the life of Christ, the great principles of holiness, without which
"no man shall see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14. It convinces of sin; it plainly
reveals the way of salvation. Give heed to it as the voice of God speaking
to your soul.
As you see the enormity of sin, as you see yourself as you really are, do
not give up to despair. It was sinners that Christ came to save. We have not
to reconcile God to us, but--O wondrous love!--God in Christ is "reconciling
the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. He is wooing by His tender love
the hearts of His erring children. No earthly parent could be as patient
with the faults and mistakes of his children, as is God with those He seeks
to save. No one could plead more tenderly with the transgressor. No human
lips ever poured out more tender entreaties to the wanderer than does He.
All His promises, His warnings, are but the breathing of unutterable love.
When Satan comes to tell you that you are a
36
great sinner, look up to your Redeemer and talk of His merits. That which
will help you is to look to His light. Acknowledge your sin, but tell the
enemy that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" and that you
may be saved by His matchless love. 1 Timothy 1:15. Jesus asked Simon a
question in regard to two debtors. One owed his lord a small sum, and the
other owed him a very large sum; but he forgave them both, and Christ asked
Simon which debtor would love his lord most. Simon answered, "He to whom he
forgave most." Luke 7:43. We have been great sinners, but Christ died that
we might be forgiven. The merits of His sacrifice are sufficient to present
to the Father in our behalf. Those to whom He has forgiven most will love
Him most, and will stand nearest to His throne to praise Him for His great
love and infinite sacrifice. It is when we most fully comprehend the love of
God that we best realize the sinfulness of sin. When we see the length of
the chain that was let down for us, when we understand something of the
infinite sacrifice that Christ has made in our behalf, the heart is melted
with tenderness and contrition.
is only through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God, with
holiness; but how are we to come to Christ? Many are asking the same
question as did the multitude on the Day of Pentecost, when, convicted of
sin, they cried out, "What shall we do?" The first word of Peter's answer
was, "Repent." Acts 2:37, 38. At another time, shortly after, he said,
"Repent, . . . and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out." Acts
3:19.
Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not
renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in
heart, there will be no real change in the life.
There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance.
Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation
because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon
themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense. They lament the
suffering rather than the sin. Such was the grief of Esau when he saw that
the birthright was lost to him forever. Balaam, terrified by the angel
standing in his pathway with drawn sword, acknowledged his guilt lest he
should lose his life; but there was no genuine repentance for sin, no
conversion of purpose, no abhorrence of evil. Judas Iscariot, after
betraying his
24
Lord, exclaimed, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood."
Matthew 27:4.
The confession was forced from his guilty soul by an awful sense of
condemnation and a fearful looking for of judgment. The consequences that
were to result to him filled him with terror, but there was no deep,
heartbreaking grief in his soul, that he had betrayed the spotless Son of
God and denied the Holy One of Israel. Pharaoh, when suffering under the
judgments of God, acknowledged his sin in order to escape further
punishment, but returned to his defiance of Heaven as soon as the plagues
were stayed. These all lamented the results of sin, but did not sorrow for
the sin itself.
But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the
conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the
depth and sacredness of God's holy law, the foundation of His government in
heaven and on earth. The "Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into
the world," illumines the secret chambers of the soul, and the hidden things
of darkness are made manifest. John 1:9. Conviction takes hold upon the mind
and heart. The sinner has a sense of the righteousness of Jehovah and feels
the terror of appearing, in his own guilt and uncleanness, before the
Searcher of hearts. He sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy
of purity; he longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with
Heaven.
The prayer of David after his fall, illustrates the nature of true sorrow
for sin. His repentance was sincere and deep. There was no effort to
palliate
25
his guilt; no desire to escape the judgment threatened, inspired his prayer.
David saw the enormity of his transgression; he saw the defilement of his
soul; he loathed his sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for
purity of heart. He longed for the joy of holiness--to be restored to
harmony and communion with God. This was the language of his soul:
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord
imputeth not iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no guile."
Psalm 32:1, 2.
"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to
Thy loving-kindness:
According unto the multitude of Thy tender
mercies blot out my transgressions. . . .
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my
sin is ever before me. . . .
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. . . .
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
And renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence;
And take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
And uphold me with Thy free spirit. . . .
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou
God of my salvation:
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy
righteousness." Psalm 51:1-14.
A repentance such as this, is beyond the reach of our own power to
accomplish; it is obtained only from Christ, who ascended up on high and has
given gifts unto men.
26
Just here is a point on which many may err, and hence they fail of receiving
the help that Christ desires to give them. They think that they cannot come
to Christ unless they first repent, and that repentance prepares for the
forgiveness of their sins. It is true that repentance does precede the
forgiveness of sins; for it is only the broken and contrite heart that will
feel the need of a Saviour. But must the sinner wait till he has repented
before he can come to Jesus? Is repentance to be made an obstacle between
the sinner and the Saviour?
The Bible does not teach that the sinner must repent before he can heed the
invitation of Christ, "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden,
and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28. It is the virtue that goes forth
from Christ, that leads to genuine repentance. Peter made the matter clear
in his statement to the Israelites when he said, "Him hath God exalted with
His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to
Israel, and forgiveness of sins." Acts 5:31. We can no more repent without
the Spirit of Christ to awaken the conscience than we can be pardoned
without Christ. { 26.2}
Christ is the source of every right impulse. He is the only one that can
implant in the heart enmity against sin. Every desire for truth and purity,
every conviction of our own sinfulness, is an evidence that His Spirit is
moving upon our hearts.
Jesus has said, "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
Me." John 12:32. Christ must be revealed to the sinner as the Saviour dying
for the sins of the world; and as we behold the Lamb of
27
God upon the cross of Calvary, the mystery of redemption begins to unfold to
our minds and the goodness of God leads us to repentance. In dying for
sinners, Christ manifested a love that is incomprehensible; and as the
sinner beholds this love, it softens the heart, impresses the mind, and
inspires contrition in the soul.
It is true that men sometimes become ashamed of their sinful ways, and give
up some of their evil habits, before they are conscious that they are being
drawn to Christ. But whenever they make an effort to reform, from a sincere
desire to do right, it is the power of Christ that is drawing them. An
influence of which they are unconscious works upon the soul, and the
conscience is quickened, and the outward life is amended. And as Christ
draws them to look upon His cross, to behold Him whom their sins have
pierced, the commandment comes home to the conscience. The wickedness of
their life, the deep-seated sin of the soul, is revealed to them. They begin
to comprehend something of the righteousness of Christ, and exclaim, "What
is sin, that it should require such a sacrifice for the redemption of its
victim? Was all this love, all this suffering, all this humiliation,
demanded, that we might not perish, but have everlasting life?"
The sinner may resist this love, may refuse to be drawn to Christ; but if he
does not resist he will be drawn to Jesus; a knowledge of the plan of
salvation will lead him to the foot of the cross in repentance for his sins,
which have caused the sufferings of God's dear Son.
28
The same divine mind that is working upon the things of nature is speaking
to the hearts of men and creating an inexpressible craving for something
they have not. The things of the world cannot satisfy their longing. The
Spirit of God is pleading with them to seek for those things that alone can
give peace and rest--the grace of Christ, the joy of holiness. Through
influences seen and unseen, our Saviour is constantly at work to attract the
minds of men from the unsatisfying pleasures of sin to the infinite
blessings that may be theirs in Him. To all these souls, who are vainly
seeking to drink from the broken cisterns of this world, the divine message
is addressed, "Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him
take the water of life freely." Revelation 22:17.
You who in heart long for something better than this world can give,
recognize this longing as the voice of God to your soul. Ask Him to give you
repentance, to reveal Christ to you in His infinite love, in His perfect
purity. In the Saviour's life the principles of God's law--love to God and
man--were perfectly exemplified. Benevolence, unselfish love, was the life
of His soul. It is as we behold Him, as the light from our Saviour falls
upon us, that we see the sinfulness of our own hearts.
We may have flattered ourselves, as did Nicodemus, that our life has been
upright, that our moral character is correct, and think that we need not
humble the heart before God, like the common sinner: but when the light from
Christ shines into our souls, we shall see how impure we are; we shall
discern the selfishness of motive, the enmity against God, that
29
has defiled every act of life. Then we shall know that our own righteousness
is indeed as filthy rags, and that the blood of Christ alone can cleanse us
from the defilement of sin, and renew our hearts in His own likeness.
One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrating
the soul, makes every spot of defilement painfully distinct, and lays bare
the deformity and defects of the human character. It makes apparent the
unhallowed desires, the infidelity of the heart, the impurity of the lips.
The sinner's acts of disloyalty in making void the law of God, are exposed
to his sight, and his spirit is stricken and afflicted under the searching
influence of the Spirit of God. He loathes himself as he views the pure,
spotless character of Christ.
When the prophet Daniel beheld the glory surrounding the heavenly messenger
that was sent unto him, he was overwhelmed with a sense of his own weakness
and imperfection. Describing the effect of the wonderful scene, he says,
"There remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into
corruption, and I retained no strength." Daniel 10:8. The soul thus touched
will hate its selfishness, abhor its self-love, and will seek, through
Christ's righteousness, for the purity of heart that is in harmony with the
law of God and the character of Christ.
Paul says that as "touching the righteousness which is in the law"--as far
as outward acts were concerned --he was "blameless" (Philippians 3:6); but
when the spiritual character of the law was discerned, he saw himself a
sinner. Judged by the letter of the law as
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men apply it to the outward life, he had abstained from sin; but when he
looked into the depths of its holy precepts, and saw himself as God saw him,
he bowed in humiliation and confessed his guilt. He says, "I was alive
without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I
died." Romans 7:9. When he saw the spiritual nature of the law, sin appeared
in its true hideousness, and his self-esteem was gone.
God does not regard all sins as of equal magnitude; there are degrees of
guilt in His estimation, as well as in that of man; but however trifling
this or that wrong act may seem in the eyes of men, no sin is small in the
sight of God. Man's judgment is partial, imperfect; but God estimates all
things as they really are. The drunkard is despised and is told that his sin
will exclude him from heaven; while pride, selfishness, and covetousness too
often go unrebuked. But these are sins that are especially offensive to God;
for they are contrary to the benevolence of His character, to that unselfish
love which is the very atmosphere of the uncalled universe. He who falls
into some of the grosser sins may feel a sense of his shame and poverty and
his need of the grace of Christ; but pride feels no need, and so it closes
the heart against Christ and the infinite blessings He came to give.
The poor publican who prayed, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13),
regarded himself as a very wicked man, and others looked upon him in the
same light; but he felt his need, and with his burden of
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guilt and shame he came before God, asking for His mercy. His heart was open
for the Spirit of God to do its gracious work and set him free from the
power of sin. The Pharisee's boastful, self-righteous prayer showed that his
heart was closed against the influence of the Holy Spirit. Because of his
distance from God, he had no sense of his own defilement, in contrast with
the perfection of the divine holiness. He felt no need, and he received
nothing.
If you see your sinfulness, do not wait to make yourself better. How many
there are who think they are not good enough to come to Christ. Do you
expect to become better through your own efforts? "Can the Ethiopian change
his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are
accustomed to do evil." Jeremiah 13:23. There is help for us only in God. We
must not wait for stronger persuasions, for better opportunities, or for
holier tempers. We can do nothing of ourselves. We must come to Christ just
as we are.
But let none deceive themselves with the thought that God, in His great love
and mercy, will yet save even the rejecters of His grace. The exceeding
sinfulness of sin can be estimated only in the light of the cross. When men
urge that God is too good to cast off the sinner, let them look to Calvary.
It was because there was no other way in which man could be saved, because
without this sacrifice it was impossible for the human race to escape from
the defiling power of sin, and be restored to communion with holy
beings,--impossible for them again to become partakers
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of spiritual life,--it was because of this that Christ took upon Himself the
guilt of the disobedient and suffered in the sinner's stead. The love and
suffering and death of the Son of God all testify to the terrible enormity
of sin and declare that there is no escape from its power, no hope of the
higher life, but through the submission of the soul to Christ.
The impenitent sometimes excuse themselves by saying of professed
Christians, "I am as good as they are. They are no more self-denying, sober,
or circumspect in their conduct than I am. They love pleasure and
self-indulgence as well as I do." Thus they make the faults of others an
excuse for their own neglect of duty. But the sins and defects of others do
not excuse anyone, for the Lord has not given us an erring human pattern.
The spotless Son of God has been given as our example, and those who
complain of the wrong course of professed Christians are the ones who should
show better lives and nobler examples. If they have so high a conception of
what a Christian should be, is not their own sin so much the greater? They
know what is right, and yet refuse to do it.
Beware of procrastination. Do not put off the work of forsaking your sins
and seeking purity of heart through Jesus. Here is where thousands upon
thousands have erred to their eternal loss. I will not here dwell upon the
shortness and uncertainty of life; but there is a terrible danger--a danger
not sufficiently understood--in delaying to yield to the pleading voice of
God's Holy Spirit, in choosing to live in sin; for such this delay really
is. Sin, however
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small it may be esteemed, can be indulged in only at the peril of infinite
loss. What we do not overcome, will overcome us and work out our
destruction.
Adam and Eve persuaded themselves that in so small a matter as eating of the
forbidden fruit there could not result such terrible consequences as God had
declared. But this small matter was the transgression of God's immutable and
holy law, and it separated man from God and opened the floodgates of death
and untold woe upon our world. Age after age there has gone up from our
earth a continual cry of mourning, and the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth together in pain as a consequence of man's disobedience. Heaven
itself has felt the effects of his rebellion against God. Calvary stands as
a memorial of the amazing sacrifice required to atone for the transgression
of the divine law. Let us not regard sin as a trivial thing.
Every act of transgression, every neglect or rejection of the grace of
Christ, is reacting upon yourself; it is hardening the heart, depraving the
will, benumbing the understanding, and not only making you less inclined to
yield, but less capable of yielding, to the tender pleading of God's Holy
Spirit. { 33.2}
Many are quieting a troubled conscience with the thought that they can
change a course of evil when they choose; that they can trifle with the
invitations of mercy, and yet be again and again impressed. They think that
after doing despite to the Spirit of grace, after casting their influence on
the side of Satan, in a moment of terrible extremity they can change their
course. But this is not so easily done. The experience,
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the education, of a lifetime, has so thoroughly molded the character that
few then desire to receive the image of Jesus.
Even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire, persistently
cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. Every
sinful indulgence strengthens the soul's aversion to God. The man who
manifests an infidel hardihood, or a stolid indifference to divine truth, is
but reaping the harvest of that which he has himself sown. In all the Bible
there is not a more fearful warning against trifling with evil than the
words of the wise man that the sinner "shall be holden with the cords of his
sins." Proverbs 5:22.
Christ is ready to set us free from sin, but He does not force the will; and
if by persistent transgression the will itself is wholly bent on evil, and
we do not desire to be set free, if we will not accept His grace, what more
can He do? We have destroyed ourselves by our determined rejection of His
love. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation." "Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts." 2
Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:7, 8.
"Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the
heart"--the human heart, with its conflicting emotions of joy and sorrow;
the wandering, wayward heart, which is the abode of so much impurity and
deceit. 1 Samuel 16:7. He knows its motives, its very intents and purposes.
Go to Him with your soul all stained as it is. Like the psalmist, throw its
chambers open to the all-seeing eye, exclaiming, "Search me, O God, and know
my heart: try me, and know
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my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting." Psalm 139: 23, 24.
Many accept an intellectual religion, a form of godliness, when the heart is
not cleansed. Let it be your prayer, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and
renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10. Deal truly with your own soul.
Be as earnest, as persistent, as you would be if your mortal life were at
stake. This is a matter to be settled between God and your own soul, settled
for eternity. A supposed hope, and nothing more, will prove your ruin.
Study God's word prayerfully. That word presents before you, in the law of
God and the life of Christ, the great principles of holiness, without which
"no man shall see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14. It convinces of sin; it plainly
reveals the way of salvation. Give heed to it as the voice of God speaking
to your soul.
As you see the enormity of sin, as you see yourself as you really are, do
not give up to despair. It was sinners that Christ came to save. We have not
to reconcile God to us, but--O wondrous love!--God in Christ is "reconciling
the world unto Himself." 2 Corinthians 5:19. He is wooing by His tender love
the hearts of His erring children. No earthly parent could be as patient
with the faults and mistakes of his children, as is God with those He seeks
to save. No one could plead more tenderly with the transgressor. No human
lips ever poured out more tender entreaties to the wanderer than does He.
All His promises, His warnings, are but the breathing of unutterable love.
When Satan comes to tell you that you are a
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great sinner, look up to your Redeemer and talk of His merits. That which
will help you is to look to His light. Acknowledge your sin, but tell the
enemy that "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" and that you
may be saved by His matchless love. 1 Timothy 1:15. Jesus asked Simon a
question in regard to two debtors. One owed his lord a small sum, and the
other owed him a very large sum; but he forgave them both, and Christ asked
Simon which debtor would love his lord most. Simon answered, "He to whom he
forgave most." Luke 7:43. We have been great sinners, but Christ died that
we might be forgiven. The merits of His sacrifice are sufficient to present
to the Father in our behalf. Those to whom He has forgiven most will love
Him most, and will stand nearest to His throne to praise Him for His great
love and infinite sacrifice. It is when we most fully comprehend the love of
God that we best realize the sinfulness of sin. When we see the length of
the chain that was let down for us, when we understand something of the
infinite sacrifice that Christ has made in our behalf, the heart is melted
with tenderness and contrition.