T h ere are two ways by which a m an m a y lose his own soul. (1 ) He may lose his soul by living and dying without any religion at all. He may live and die like a beast, prayerless, godless, graceless, faith less. This is a sure way to hell. (2 ) He may lose his soul by taking up some useless kind of religion. He may live and die contenting himself with a false Christianity, and resting on a baseless hope. This probably is the most common way to hell that there is today. Let me tell you what I mean by useless kinds of religion. A religion is entirely useless in which Jesus Christ is not the princi pal object, and does not fill the prin cipal place. There are too many call ing themselves Christians who prac tically know nothing about Chnst. Their religion consists in a few vague notions and empty expressions. They trust they are no worse than many 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 than 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 of fice and work, His blood, His right eousness, His mediation, His priest hood, His intercession? None! Ask about a saving faith, ask them about being bom 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 you are a man or woman of this kind, I warn you plainly that such Christianity will never take you to Heaven. It may do very well in the eyes of man. It may pass muster very decently at the church meeting, in the place of business, or in the streets. But it will never comfort you. It will never satisfy your conscience. It will never save your soul. Neither will it meet the approval of Almighty God. I warn you plainly, that all notions and theories about God being merci ful apart from Christ, and except through Christ, are baseless delusions and empty fancies. Such theories are purely an idol of man’s invention. They are all of the earth. They never came down from Heaven. The God of Heaven has sealed and appointed Christ as the 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. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4: 12 ). Take notice and warning: A RE LIGION WITHOUT CHRIST AND HIS SUBSTITUTIONARY SACRI FICE ON THE CROSS OF CALVARY W ILL NEVER SAVE YOUR SOUL. Available in tract form from the American Tract Society— 513 W , 166th St., New York 32, N.Y.
KIDS OF R U M
by J. C. Ryle, D.D. FORMER BISHOP OF LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND
second—fish; third—fish.” That is the most imperative and the most inspiring task of the Christian. As somebody has told us—and telling us, comforted us—we cannot all be harpooners and go after leviathans of the deep as did Moses, as did Elijah, as did Luther, as did Knox, who smote potentates with the Word of God. And we cannot all be netters as were Peter, Paul, Finney, Spurgeon, Moody, Sunday—and others of like fire and effectiveness. But we can all be linesmen—as was Jesus in the quiet pools of Sychar, Bethesda, and elsewhere— and catch soli tary souls in personal evangelism. The thing to do is to get a good rock position—not in the rocking boat of philosophy—and get some Scriptural tackle and suitable bait and fish. Yes, fish—forgetting not the sinker of prayer, without which your line will float lightly—remembering that you cannot do effective fishing with a tangled line. God says, “He that winneth souls is wise.” Let us be wise.
1. Stay on good terms with the Master Fisherman — Jesus Christ. To do this, keep a clean heart. God cannot use a man not in personal fellowship with Him. God will use any vessel but a dirty one. “Cleanse thou me from secret faults” should be the constant prayer of everyone who attempts to win a soul. 2. Fish for men. No man catches fish shooting at quail. No man catches trout setting traps for bear. No man gets fish on his line gathering peaches in the orchard. The funda mental law for fishing for men is to fish. Remember that discussing bait, buying tackle, orating on nets, strolling along a stream, looking upon the sea, wishing for fish, hoping for fish, is not fishing. Only fishing is fishing. Augustine was asked to name the three most vital principles of Christianity. He said: “First — humility; second—humility; third—humility.” We can be safe in saying that three vital laws for fishing are: “First — fish;
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FEBRUARY, 1962
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