There is no salvation in any outward religious ceremony. Eating a wafer, or taking a sip of wine, or dipping in a baptismal pool is of no benefit to your poor lost soul. Do not rest in water baptism, church going, or prayers. Your salvation lies entirely outside of yourself, that is, in Christ Jesus alone. Flee to Jesus for Mercy. Salvation is not about what you achieve, but on whom you believe. *Acts 16:31* Seek the Lord Himself, not to just know doctrine, or to learn the Scriptures. Seek the LORD, there is a living Person named Jesus Christ - Seek Him. The key-note of the Gospel came from the lips of Jesus - Come. *Matthew 11:28*
Seek not to your minister, prayer book, or even your Bible, but seek the living Savior. Come to Christ by faith, don't miss the mark - His Precious Blood. You must personally come to a personal Savior, by putting your trust completely in Him. Trust in His five bleeding wounds, the bloody sweat, the thorny crown, the deadly Cross. Trust in the Lamb of God at once. This alone is the way of salvation. With deep resolve seek the Savior. Act with speed concerning your soul's needs. There is but a step between you and Hell, unless God's mercy intervenes and Christ's Blood interposes. If your health fails, your soul will be lost. Put everything else aside, seek the LORD with heart and soul. You must belong to Christ, see that you have Him. Give me Christ, or else I die.
You will have the Savior when your whole heart and soul are after Him. Born to die the first time, born to eternal life the second time. Born once, die twice; Born twice, die once. Born in the fallen depraved nature the first time, born in the divine nature of Christ the second time. You need that better birthday. Ye must be born again. *John 3:7* If you die in your natural sinful state, you will perish. The time to seek the Savior is right now. You don't have to get better first. You will never come to Christ at all, if you wait to be better, for when you feel better, then you will not come. There's no time like the present to forsake your sins and self-righteousness, and come to the Lamb of God.
Starving soul, come to the Bread of Life. Thirsting soul, take the water of life freely. Believe and live. Faith in Christ's Precious Blood brings God to you, and you to God - this is called Reconciliation. You can never better yourself. Have done with that foolishness, confess yourself a helpless sinner, born in iniquity, conceived in sin, depraved in heart, reprobate in mind, needing the free Mercy of the living Savior. Make Jesus your sole reliance. Cry out to Him. You cannot escape your sins except by the Blood of the Lamb. Atheists, despisers of God, drunkards, unchaste, dishonest, blasphemers, swearers need the Savior. Carnal man lives to gain wealth, fame, and popularity. Stop lingering, loitering, and longing after the world. Cease from clinging to vanities, ease, carnal pleasure, love of money and self.
Jesus' free forgiveness is purchased by His own agony, stripes, wounds, bloody death. The carnal mind doesn't think of Jesus, He is nothing to the natural man. The carnal mind despises Christ's blood with willful blindness. The natural man plainly rejects the Savior who died for sinners. In His very presence he continues his rejection, and bars his heart against Christ. He will not yield or trust Him. Many men go through the forms of religion, but real personal holiness is not on their mind. The unconverted man hates real holiness, he is disinclined to anything that is pure and holy. His nature is set against the law of God, he cannot obey it. He especially despises the Savior, he thinks little of the world to come, or of God's book and people.
Jesus Christ died in the place of sinners. You deserve to be punished eternally for your sins against God's law and love. There is no pardon for sin except through the blood of an atoning Sacrifice. Jesus Christ, God in human flesh, the Christ of God, is the one sinless Sacrifice for human sin forever. Every sinner who trusts to the Blood and love of Christ is a saved soul. God can be just, and yet forgive the guilty. He can forgive without violating His divine justice. He can put away your sins and pardon your iniquities, because a sinless Substitute laid down His life. The Great Sufferer bore our sins in His own body. Whosoever believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with all your heart, and you are a saved soul on the spot.
You must surely die, it is inevitable. Come to Christ with helpless dependence on Him. It must simply be His grace, plus your nothingness. You must be absolutely, completely, totally relying on Jesus. This means humility. Self-respect must be put away. Come now and unburden yourself at the Cross. Leave your man-made, man-centered religion. You cannot earn the righteousness of Christ. You cannot merit the grace of God, that is unscriptural and impossible. We are given the grace of God, through the merit of Jesus Christ alone. Grace is the undeserved favor of God. *Ephesians 1:7*
Your past life, your secret sin, your natural corruption, your inherited vices and evil habits have grown stronger and stronger in you, so long practiced and loved. Your past guilt and enormous load of sin must be transferred to Christ. Put your trust entirely upon Christ Crucified. He who trusts in Jesus is eternally secure. Look to His atoning Sacrifice on Calvary's bloody tree. Look only to His Atoning Blood, and your soul shall live right now.
