God's Plan with Men Part 7

"Conviction of sin is just the sinner seeing himself as he is and as G.o.d has all along seen him."--_H. Bonar, in "G.o.d's Way of Peace."_

"The object of the Holy Spirit's work in convincing of sin is to alter the sinner's opinion of himself and so to reduce his estimate of his own character, that he shall think of himself as G.o.d does, and so cease to suppose it possible that he can be justified by any excellence of his own. Having altered the sinner's good opinion of himself, the Spirit then alters his evil opinion of G.o.d, so as to make him see that the G.o.d with whom he has to deal is really the G.o.d of all grace."--_Bonar._

"It is impossible, therefore, in the nature of things, for a sinful being to appreciate G.o.d's mercy unless he first feels His justice as manifest in the holy law."--_Walker, in "Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation."_

"Man cannot repent and turn from sin till he is convicted of sin in himself."--_Walker, in "Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation."_

"The more we feel the want of a benefactor, temporal or spiritual, and the more we feel our inability to rescue ourselves from existing difficulties and impending dangers, the more grateful love will the heart feel for the being who, moved by, and in despite of, personal sacrifices, interposes to a.s.sist and save us."--_Walker, in "Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation."_

"As a feeling of want was necessary in order that the soul might love the being that supplied that want, and as Jesus came to bestow spiritual mercies upon mankind, _how could men be brought to feel the want of a spiritual Benefactor and Saviour?_"... "According to the const.i.tution which G.o.d has given the soul, it must feel the want of the spiritual mercies before it can feel love for the giver of those mercies. And just in proportion as the soul feels its lost, guilty, and dangerous condition, in the same proportion will it exercise love to the being who grants spiritual favor and salvation. How then could the spiritual want be produced in the souls of men in order that they might love the spiritual benefactor?"... "The only possible way by which man could be made to hope for and appreciate spiritual mercies and to love a spiritual deliverer would be to produce a conviction in the soul itself of its evil condition, its danger as a spiritual being, and its inability, unaided, to satisfy the requirements of a _spiritual law_, or to escape its just and spiritual penalty.

If man could be made to perceive that he was guilty and needy; that his soul was under the condemnation of the holy law of the holy G.o.d, he would then, necessarily, feel the need of a deliverance from sin and its consequences; and in this way only, could the soul of man be led to appreciate spiritual mercies, or love a spiritual benefactor."--_Walker, in "Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation."_

VIII

THE MEANING OF "BELIEVE ON" OR "BELIEVE IN" CHRIST

"G.o.d so loved the world he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life."--John 3:16 (R. V.).

"This is the work of G.o.d, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."--John 6:27.

"He that believeth on me shall never thirst."--John 6:35.

"To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth on him shall receive remission of sins."--Acts 10:43.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved."--Acts 16:31.

"John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him that should come after him, that is, on Jesus."--Acts 19:4.

"To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the unG.o.dly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness."--Rom. 4:5.

"Whosoever liveth and believeth in [into] me shall never die.

Believest thou this?"--John 11:26.

"We have believed in [into] Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law."--Gal. 2:16 (R. V.).

"I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed unto him against that day."--2 Tim. 1:12 (R. V.).

If language can be made plain, if it can be used to express a fact clearly, then G.o.d's word teaches clearly, unmistakably, that the one who believes on Christ is going to Heaven. One may think it to be too good to be true, when he reads what G.o.d's word says along this line; he may be honestly tempted to suspect that there must be many hidden, suppressed conditions, which, if expressed, would make the meaning different; or from religious prejudice, he may warp the meaning or bring in other conditions;--but G.o.d's word is plain.

"G.o.d so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life."--John 3:16.

It does not say, whosoever believeth on him and unites with the right church, or is baptized the right way, or lives the right kind of a life; it simply says, "whosoever believeth on him"; and then the promise is plain and absolute, "should not perish."

Jesus said, "he that believeth on me shall never thirst."--John 6:35.

He did not say, he that believeth on me and unites with the right church, or is baptized the right way, or lives the right kind of a life; he said plainly, simply, "he that believeth on me," and then added "shall never thirst."

Peter to the household of Cornelius said, "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth on him shall receive remission of sins."--Acts 10:43. He did not say, whosoever believeth on him and unites with the right church, or is baptized the right way, or lives the right kind of a life; but simply, "whosoever believeth on him," and then adds the plain promise, "shall receive remission of sins."

When the jailor came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" they answered, simply, plainly, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved."--Acts 16:31. They did not say, believe on the Lord Jesus and unite with the right church, or be baptized the right way, or live the right kind of a life; they said simply, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved."

When Paul wrote to the Romans, "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the unG.o.dly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness,"--Rom. 4:5, he did not say, believeth on him that justifieth the unG.o.dly and unites with the right church, or is baptized the right way, or lives the right kind of a life; but simply, "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the unG.o.dly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness."

Jesus to the grief-stricken sister of Lazarus said, "Whosoever liveth and believeth in [into] me shall never die."--John 11:26. He did not say, whosoever liveth and believeth in me and unites with the right church, or is baptized the right way, or lives the right kind of life; but simply and plainly, "whosoever liveth and believeth in me," and then He adds His plain promise, "shall never die."

When Paul said to the Galatians, "we have believed in [into] Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ,"--Gal.

2:16, he did not say, we have believed in Jesus Christ and united with the right church and been baptized the right way, that we might be justified by faith of Christ and not by the works of the law. Instead of this, he puts it in simple, plain language.

In all of these cases, these conditions could have been expressed just as easily by the Saviour and Peter and Paul as they are expressed by religious teachers to-day. Why did not the Saviour and Peter and Paul express these conditions? There can be but one answer,--because they are not conditions of salvation. How could the Saviour and Peter and Paul have left out these conditions if they are conditions of salvation?

But the question arises, if being baptized the right way and living the right kind of a life are not conditions of salvation, why do these things? Not from fear of h.e.l.l; G.o.d desires no service from that motive. Let the Saviour tell why. When He inst.i.tuted the Lord's supper, He said, "This is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for many, for the remission of sins,"--Matt. 26:28; and then before leaving the upper room He said to His disciples: "if ye love me, keep my commandments."--John 14:15. Why love Him? Love Him because He shed His blood for the remission of their sins. Let Paul tell us why serve Him: "The love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge that if one died for all, then all died; and he died for all, that they who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again."--2 Cor. 5:14, 15.

Now comes the all-important question, what do these parallel expressions, "believe on Christ" or "believe in [into] Christ" mean?

Many, when they see how simple and plain is the teaching, say, "Why, almost every one believes on Christ." No; they believe _about_ Christ, but not _on_ Christ. A wealthy man deposits a large sum of money in the bank and promises to pay the debts of all the poor people who will trust him to pay their debts. They all may believe him, may believe about him; but only those who believe on him, depend on him, rely on him to pay their debts, will have their debts paid. So Christ died for all our sins (1 Cor. 15:3); He gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity (t.i.tus 2:14); but only those who _believe on_ Him, _depend on_ Him, _rely on_ Him to save them, will ever be saved. The man who is depending on Christ and his baptism or Christ and his church, or Christ and his good life to save him, will be lost; for he is not believing on, depending on, relying on, Christ to save him; but only partly on Christ and partly on something else; and _there is no promise in G.o.d's word that those who partly believe on Christ shall be saved_. The very fact that a man depends partly on Christ and partly on something else to save him, shows that he has never believed that the Saviour "gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity" (t.i.tus 2:13, 14); the Saviour he is depending on is not the Saviour G.o.d's word reveals; and hence he has no Saviour at all.

Notice Paul's instruction to the Romans concerning believing on Christ: "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the unG.o.dly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness."--Rom. 4:5.

Consider the simple but vital teaching of this pa.s.sage: He justifieth the unG.o.dly. How? "Whom G.o.d hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood ... to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be _just_ and the _justifier_ of him that believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:25, 26); "being now justified by his blood."--Rom. 5:9. And He justifies us from all sin, "Our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from _all_ iniquity" (t.i.tus 2:13, 14); redeems us from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13), redeems us from under the law (Rom. 6:14), and this makes us G.o.d's children (Gal. 4:4-7).

Consider further: He justifies _the unG.o.dly_. If He justifies the unG.o.dly then all efforts to become G.o.dly _in order to be saved_, are worse than wasted and are in rebellion against _G.o.d's plan for men_.

"When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the _unG.o.dly_."--Rom. 5:6. "G.o.d commendeth his own love toward us, in that _while we were yet sinners_, Christ died for us."--Rom. 5:8. "_When we were enemies_ we were reconciled to G.o.d by the death of his Son."--Rom. 5:10. Why? Because Christ justifies the unG.o.dly. The Saviour did not say to Nicodemus, "Whosoever becomes G.o.dly should not perish," but "Whosoever believeth on him." Why? Because He justifies _the unG.o.dly_. Paul and Silas did not say to the jailor, a hardened sinner, "Become G.o.dly and thou shalt be saved"; but "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved." Why? Because He justifies _the unG.o.dly_. On what condition does He justify the unG.o.dly? "To him that _worketh_ not, but _believeth_ on him." Here is the work of the soul to be saved; Paul says to cease working at the task, and believe on, depend on, Him--He justifies the unG.o.dly. G.o.d gave men ten commandments to keep. G.o.d's word says, "The man that doeth them shall live by them."--Gal. 3:12. But all men have failed to keep them; "all have sinned and come short of the glory of G.o.d."--Rom. 3:23. To ill.u.s.trate: A father gives a little boy ten rows of corn to work out and says to him, "Willie, if you will work out the ten rows of corn to-day, I will pay you five dollars; but it will take steady work all day." About nine o'clock some boys persuade Willie to play, and he plays with them for two hours. Now he cannot get the task done, and so is sure to lose the five dollars. His grown brother comes to him and says, "Willie, I saw the trouble you were getting into, and had a talk with father. Father says that the work must be done or you will lose the five dollars. But father agreed to let me do the work for you. Now if you will quit working at the task and trust me, depend on me, I will see that the work is done, and that you get the five dollars."

The little brother quits working at the task, and gets out of the field. He believes on, depends on, trusts, his big brother. If, now, there is any failure, it will be the big brother's failure, and not the little brother's. So, "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the unG.o.dly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness." If, then, the sinner will quit working at the task of his salvation and believe on, depend on Christ, trust the whole work of salvation to Him, He will "justify the unG.o.dly" from "all iniquity"

(t.i.tus 2:14). If, then, there should be any failure of being saved, it would be Christ's failure, for He said, "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out."--John 6:37. Why, then, should the one who has thus trusted Christ ever be baptized, or live a faithful, G.o.dly life? Go back to the ill.u.s.tration: As the little brother quits working at the task in the field and believes on, depends on, trusts, the big brother to have the task done, a man meets him and says, "Willie, your brother was good to you. But to do your work for you, that you might not lose the five dollars, he left his field, and it needs work badly. If I were in your place, from love to my big brother, I would go and work in his field for him." The little brother says, "I will do it, sir." He goes over into his big brother's field and works harder than ever, not from fear of losing the five dollars, but from love to his big brother. So the Saviour, after we have believed on Him, trusted Him to save, justify us, says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."--John 14:15. "Go work to-day in _my_ vineyard,"--Matt.

21:28; not "in _your own_." All the work that the redeemed, the saved, man does is not in his own field, to get the task done, that he may be saved; but in the big brother's field, from love to the big brother for having relieved him of the entire responsibility for the task.

To follow up the ill.u.s.tration: The big brother sees the little brother working in the big brother's field and he goes to him and says, "Willie, I appreciate this, for you are doing it from love to me. If you were doing it from fear lest I might not keep my promise, it would hurt me; for that would show that you did not trust me. But you cannot work for me for nothing. I will pay you fifty cents for every hour you work in my field. Now, work hard and have a large reward for your labor." So the Saviour says, "Whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."--Matt.

10:42. And he says, "Lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven."--Matt. 6:20. "He shall reward every man according to his works."--Matt. 16:27. The reward of fifty cents for every hour's work does not destroy the motive of love that moves the little brother; it only increases the motive of love.

But do not redeemed people, G.o.d's children, sometimes become backsliders? Yes. Go back to the ill.u.s.tration of the little brother and his task. As he is working from love to his big brother, in the big brother's field, the bad boys follow him and tempt him, and prevail on him to leave the big brother's field and to mistreat the big brother. The father sees it all; goes and takes the little brother out into the forest and reproves him for his wrong to his big brother, and then chastises him and sends him back to the big brother's field.

So, when G.o.d's redeemed, saved children backslide, do wrong wilfully, He chastises them. "My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."--Heb. 12:5, 6. "Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him. His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless, my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail."--Ps. 89:27-33.

Reader, which field are you working in? Are you working in your own field? trying to accomplish a task, now that you have sinned, you can never accomplish?--Meet _all_ of G.o.d's just laws and requirements, and develop a character that will ent.i.tle you to a home in Heaven? Heed the message, "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the unG.o.dly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness."

Believe on Him, depend on Him, to justify you from all iniquity (t.i.tus 2:14). The moment you do, your eternal destiny is settled, "Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is pa.s.sed from death unto life."--John 5:24. Then, from love to the big brother, go into his field and work till the day is done.

In telling of his own salvation, Paul again makes plain what "believe on the Lord Jesus" means: "I know him whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that day." Notice this declaration as to the apostle's salvation: "I know him." A man must "know him" or he cannot "believe on" Christ. He can _risk_ Him without knowing Him, but he cannot _believe on_ Him, cannot _trust_ Him for salvation. It does not mean, know Him in every respect, as to how His divine and human nature could be united; as to how He could have had eternal existence; as to how His resurrected body could appear and disappear, etc., but to know Him in His character as Saviour. In trusting money to a bank one does not need to know how much German or French or English blood there is in the bank officials. In trusting one's case to a physician, one does not need to know the different nationalities from which he is descended, but he needs to know him in his character as physician. So men must know Jesus in His character as Saviour, or they cannot believe on, trust Him to save them. They must, then, know Him as the Messiah, the promised Saviour, the complete sin-bearer, or they cannot believe on Him. But after one knows the bank, he must commit his money to the bank, else the bank is not responsible for it. After one knows the physician, he must commit his case to the physician, else the physician is not responsible. And so Paul says, "I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I _have committed unto him against that day_." No one, then, is redeemed, is saved, who has not committed his salvation to Christ against that day. Let the reader get clearly the meaning of "commit." No one has committed money to the bank who yet holds to the money; no one has committed a package to the express company who yet holds to the package; no one has committed a letter to the post-office for delivery who yet holds to the letter. So no one has committed his salvation to Christ, no one is redeemed, is saved, who yet holds to the work of his salvation. He must _commit_ it to Christ.

Further, no one has _committed_ his money to the bank who has not left the entire responsibility for the money's safety to the bank, leaving no further responsibility whatever upon himself for the safety of the money. No one has _committed_ a package to the express company, who has not left the whole responsibility for the delivery of the package entirely to the company, leaving no responsibility whatever upon himself for its safe delivery. No one has _committed_ a letter to the post-office who has not left the entire responsibility for its safe delivery to the government, leaving no responsibility whatever upon himself for its safe delivery. Even so, no one has _committed_ his salvation to Christ, no one is redeemed, is saved, who has not left the entire responsibility of his salvation to Christ, leaving no responsibility whatever for his salvation upon himself.

But one may have committed his money to the bank and yet not really have trusted the bank, but only _risked_ the bank; one may have committed a package to the express company and yet not really have trusted the express company, but only _risked_ it; one may have committed a letter to the post-office and yet not really have trusted the post-office, but only _risked_ it. So, one may have committed his salvation to Christ, and yet be unredeemed, unsaved, because he only _risked_ Christ and did not _trust_ Him. Hence Paul says, "I know him whom I have _believed_," _trusted, taken at His word_.

One other fact needs to be considered as to what believing on Christ means in Paul's case. He says, "I am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him _against that day_." It is not a committal of one's salvation to Christ a moment at a time, nor till one can see how he will afterwards feel; nor till one can see whether he is going to be able to live a Christian life. It is to commit one's salvation to Christ "_against that day_." And the moment one does what Paul did, commits his salvation to Christ against that day, G.o.d's word says he is saved, redeemed: "Verily, verily I say unto you, He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is pa.s.sed from death unto life."--John 5:24.

_FOR FURTHER STUDY_:--When Paul says, "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth _the unG.o.dly_, his faith is counted for righteousness,"--Rom. 4:5, he is in line with the teaching of the Saviour when He said, "The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of G.o.d before you,"--Matt. 21:31; and if the teaching of the Saviour and Paul on this point is true, then there is not left one square inch of ground on which the teachers of "salvation by character" may stand. They are not in agreement with the Saviour and Paul on this point, but there is one with whom they are here in strict agreement; "I hope for happiness beyond this life"; "I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy"; "The only true religion is deism, by which I then meant and now mean the belief of one G.o.d, and an imitation of his moral character, or the practice of what are called moral virtues; and that _it was upon this only_ (so far as religion is concerned) _that I rested my hopes of happiness hereafter_. So say I now, and so help me G.o.d." These are exact quotations from "The Age of Reason," by Thomas Paine. And those who preach "salvation by character" thus line up with Paine against the Saviour and Paul. They fail to see that there can be no proper character without proper motive, and that there can, in the sight of G.o.d, be no proper motive till one is redeemed, saved, and thus placed where the motive will be love, the purest motive possible to human beings. And they fail to see that _G.o.d's plan with men_ is to save irrespective of character, and then to develop in the redeemed man the real character for all eternity.

G.o.d has not two ways of salvation; He has not two ways of believing on Christ. What is essential to one man's salvation is essential to the salvation of every man. What is "believing on Christ" for one man, is believing on Christ for every man. When Paul says "I know him whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed to him against that day,"--2 Tim. 1:12 (R. V.), he has given the pattern of saving faith. "I know him." Man _must_ know Him in His real character as Saviour or he cannot commit to Him against that day the matter of his eternal destiny, cannot believe on Him.

What are the essential things, then, that must be included in "I know him" in His character as Saviour, in order that one can believe on Him, be saved by Him, be a real Christian? First, one must know Him as the promised Messiah, in order to really believe on Him, to be really a Christian. The high priest asked, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am."--Mark 14:61, 62. The woman at the well said, "I know that Messiah cometh, who is called Christ: When he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee, am he."--John 4:25, 26. As Ballard, in "The Miracles of Unbelief," has clearly pointed out, either (1) He was the Messiah; or (2) He was the illegitimate son of a fallen woman and the vilest deceiver the world has ever known, or (3) He was the illegitimate son of a fallen woman, and a poor, simple-minded ignoramus, who claimed to be the Messiah and honestly thought He was, but was simply ignorant and deluded. Men in their intellectual pride or religious prejudice may sneer and try to avoid this issue, but every honest thinking man will see and confess that only these three conclusions are possible, that one of the three is inevitable: and every honest man will take one of the three positions. Voltaire said "curse the wretch." He is to be commended as compared with the man who tries to avoid the issue.