men should be saved. None are ex cluded from God’s love. Since God wishes all men to be saved, one might wonder why He doesn’t save everybody automatic ally. The fact remains that all do not want to be saved. I used to find this hard to believe until I began to do personal work. I had scores of people tell me that they weren’t in terested in God or His salvation. The Lord has only one way of saving men. That is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). There are those who would devise some scheme of their own. Romans 10:9 is God’s simple plan. If you would trust Christ fully with your own heart as your Lord, then God will save you. If you re fuse to do this, you are automatically rejecting salvation, choosing rather to go to hell. Paul’s prescription is still the only remedy, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). The story of the rich young ruler, who came to Jesus seeking eternal life but went away unsaved, is one of the best known in the Gospel rec ords. It has been well entitled, “The Great Refusal.” There are three dif ferent accounts: Matt. 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18. Matthew says he was a young man, Luke adds that he was a ruler and rich. Luke testifies more over that he had not lived long until he learned that riches can’t satisfy the human heart or purchase eternal life. The fellow came running to Jesus. In humility, he kneels before the Lord. He is honest to admit that he doesn’t have eternal life. He was deeply concerned. It takes more than wealth and influence to satisfy the soul. The tragedy is that he didn’t get saved. He would not accept the fact of Christ’s deity. He called Him “Good Master” (Mark 10:17). The Lord replied, “Why callest thou me good: there is none good but one, that is God?” The critics of the Bible are wrong to suppose that Jesus here denies His own sinless
ual condition, Jesus is able to save completely, from the deepest degra dation of sin to the uttermost. Christ became the author of eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9). His salvation is unending and perfect. He grants pardon from the penalty of all sins. The high priest, under the law, could no more save men than can the Ro man priest, or the Jewish rabbi or the Protestant clergy. Because of their own sinful nature, they cannot effect salvation for others. All men themselves, priests and all, need to be saved. Jesus Christ, the great High Priest, by His virtuous life, vicari ous death, present intercession, is able to save entirely forever. Christ is the only Saviour. There is salvation in none other. The Bible is pre-eminently a Book of salvation and Jesus Christ is the Saviour for whom it is written. Salvation is the one great need of man. The Scrip tures reveal how sinners may be saved. Every prophecy about the coming of Christ is seen to be a pre diction about the coming final salva tion. All men need to be saved because all men are lost. All Jews are lost and need to be saved (Matt. 10:6). All Gentiles are lost and need to be saved (Luke 19:10). All children are lost and need to be saved (Matt. 18:10). Sin has corrupted all man kind (Rom. 5:12). There is no per son in the human family who does not need to be saved. Because of the universal need for salvation, the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men (Titus 2:11). Like th e sun breaking through on a dark and cloudy day, the Divine favor and love of God has come to all men. It is not that all men will be. saved, but that grace alone makes it possible for all to be saved (I Tim. 2:3-4). The Lord is not will ing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9). Without distinction of race, color, culture, or condition, all 8
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker