THE KING ’S BUSINESS
550
deeply. But that was not all, nor even the decisive thing, he had been brought face to face with God, and he saw himself utterly lost, as every sane man sees him self when brought face .to face with eter nity and God. Second, how he asked it: In deep earnestness. W e see here none o f the trifling and shallowness so characteris tic o f many an inquiry room ; on the con trary, we see the jailer “trembling for fear,” and we see him falling down. Oh, that we might see more inquirers today trembling for fear, and that we might see them falling down on their knees, not to us, but to God. Nowadays we almost have to drag the inquirer to the front and then plead and argue with him to get him down on his knees. Third, note carefully from whom he asked the question: from men who knew the answer; from men who knew God’s W ord (v. 32) ; from men who were saved themselves. v. 31. "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ ( omit, Christ), and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Here we have the great answer to the great ques tion, but it is a very simple answer, it makes the way o f life as plain as day. All that one has to do to be saved is to “believe on the „ Lord Jesus” (the word Christ is not in the best Greek texts, apd therefore is properly omitted in the Revised Version. He upon whom we are to believe is indeed the Christ, but it is Jesus as Lord and Saviour that we must especially believe in Him in order, to be saved). What does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus? In finding an answer to this question note carefully Paul did not say to the Philippian jailer, believe about the Lord Jesus, but “ Believe on the Lord Jesus.” One may believe perfectly correctly about the Lord Jesus and be lost; no one can believe on the Lord Jesus and be lost. But what does it mean to believe on a per son? It means exactly the same in the Bible that -it does in ordinary every day life. T o say in ordinary life that we believe on a person means that we put confidence in him as that which he claims to be and offers himself to be. For example, if we
ings o f Paul and Silas, and about as soon as the door closed upon them he had fallen into a deep sleep. While no compassion could keep him awake, the earthquake awak ened him immediately. He was responsible for his prisoners and would be held to the strictest accountability. Seeing the doors all standing open he naturally supposed that the prisoners had escaped, and in his dismay attempted suicide. He was within just one step o f hell, but a little further on, within an hour, we shall see him rejoicing in Christ with all his heart. How many men and women there
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