Human nature is utter depravity and absolute insanity, because it thinks it can help JESUS out when it comes to taking away sins. Human nature wants to depend upon itself in some way or other for its own salvation; it imagines or conceives that eternal life can come from itself, or can be obtained by something it can do. Souls are not saved by self-inflicted miseries or penances. Human nature thinks that a little religion will fix things up with God. But every man by nature is exceeding sinful, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually. Why? Because within you, you have an evil nature which God cannot look upon except with wrath and indignation. The excellence of human nature is altogether vanity; everything that is evil lurks within your heart. Your nature is evil, only evil, and evil continually. The world's message about the wonderful dignity of human nature is foolish talk.
Just one verse from the Law condemns every sinner: Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie to one another (Leviticus 19:11). Have you ever stolen from your employer via time card fraud; Have you ever dealt falsely, misled and cheated someone; Have you ever lied to another Soul? For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is GUILTY of all (James 2:10). For by the Law is the knowledge of Sin. Leviticus 19:11 is sharper than any two-edged sword, and it will cut you wide open.
The Gospel is too hard for self-righteous human nature, because the Gospel is so easy to understand. The worst thing about human nature is that, though it cannot lift a finger to save itself, it thinks it can do its best and make it past the judgment to come in some other way besides JESUS. Human nature is so proud of itself that it would, if it could, be its own savior. For some odd reason, self-righteous human nature is constantly looking into itself for salvation. Only the sharp two-edged sword of the law can slay self-reliance, lead you to lie in the dust at the feet of the crucified and risen Savior, and call out to Him for mercy. The natural goodness of human nature is very dangerous and damning. The resolve of human nature is always this: We will not have this Man Christ Jesus to reign over us. The righteousness of Christ cramps your style, condemns your self-righteousness, and offends your devilish ego.
Human nature tries to make its own way to heaven, but winds up in hell. The soul who is trusting in the precious blood of Jesus only is entirely and eternally safe. JESUS loved your soul and bled to death for your sins. Turn, repent, and rest on JESUS' finished atonement. Human nature says, "How dare you think I'm not good enough to get to heaven?"
As a little child, humbly and prayerfully read the Holy Scriptures, trusting only the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth, which is Jesus Christ Himself (John 14:6). JESUS didn't come into the world to help sinners save themselves; this is man's religion, not the Gospel of Christ. The Lamb of God didn't bleed to death on the cross to help self-reliant sinners who intend to work their own way to heaven. Jesus didn't come to help those who want to be their own saviors. May the Holy Spirit keep pricking your conscience until you look with both eyes to what JESUS has done, confide only in the great atoning sacrifice of Christ heartily and thoroughly upon the cross, and trust solely in His redeeming, precious blood.
If there is anything to be done for a sinner's soul, JESUS must do it all—He is the author and finisher of precious faith. JESUS will not let you have a share of the finished work of salvation. The sinner's first business must be to take the finished atonement of JESUS CHRIST, give up all his own doings, and let the One who came down from heaven do the saving which He came to do all by Himself. It is not yours to interfere, but to simply let JESUS do His own work within your heart and soul. Christ didn't suffer the wrath of God on the cross to half-save sinners, intending when He had completed His part that He would leave the sinner to himself to do the rest. Eternal life never comes from a sinner, and life eternal never dies out. JESUS doesn't begin the saving work and leave the rest for you to finish. Christ Jesus is the real Savior who came to save real sinners; sham sinners don't need a real Savior. They that be whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick. Jesus came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Grievous, guilty transgressors need the real, merciful Savior, real blood, and a real atonement to take away real sins. Jesus suffered ALL that was due to your sins on the cross. Your despicable sins can only be remitted, blotted out, and forgiven by God for JESUS' sake, not because of anything you've done.
The atheist is like the ostrich: he sticks his head in the sand of Darwinism and thinks his sins against God are not real, or that he will not have to give an account of himself to God at the last day. Be wise: begin by trusting Christ Himself to be your personal Savior from your sins. Trust in God's tender mercy through the precious blood of the Lamb of God, God's dear Son. Have nothing else to rely upon but the fact that Jesus Christ Himself saves the sinful soul completely.
Remember now, even a lascivious glance of the eye is a sin in God's sight. You are what you really are when you're all alone, and no one is watching your thoughts and deeds, but God. Lascivious men always have a bad opinion of the morality of those around them, and hypocrites always think other people are hypocrites—why? Because they can see the reflection of their own faces. Any man who trusts so much as a single hair's breadth of his own righteousness is a lost, dead soul. The man who trusts to the least atom of human merit is doomed and must be lost. Trusting partly in your works and partly in the Savior is a damnable faith. If you have any goodness of your own, throw it overboard and let it sink into hell where it belongs. Never say to God you are good in any way, or your dead soul will receive no divine, eternal help from above.
Stop deceiving yourself with your own righteousness: it is JESUS you must rely on completely, not yourself at all. There is nothing you have, or can have; there is absolutely nothing you can do, or will do, that God will ever accept. Your soul must be saved by JESUS CHRIST alone. Leave off being anything: be wise, be NOTHING, and let Christ Himself be Everything. GOD'S BLOOD is the only effectual remedy for your deadly sin problem. Stage IV cancer is a small thing compared to your deadly sins, which have metastasized all through your heart, mind, thoughts, intents, words, and deeds. Your evil inward sin nature fuels all of your filthy thoughts and vile secret deeds. The plowing of the wicked is sin; whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Unless you've been born again of the Spirit of God, your soul is spiritually dead because of your sins, and up to this very day, you've never come into contact with God spiritually. This world and its nonsense have left you deluded, duped, and doomed.
Be wise, and trust your immortal soul to the Son of God's keeping. Your wisest course is to think much of JESUS, really look to Him now, and from your heart believe that JESUS died as your substitute, sincerely trusting only in GOD'S BLOOD that was shed by the Lamb of God. Simply trust to the crucified Creator's precious blood. If you are a troubled sinner, away with your self-righteousness, and look to JESUS for eternal peace, for all of your soul's eternal safety depends solely upon HIM.
The Son of God Himself lived, bled out His sinless life, died for the guilty, was buried, rose again the third day, ascended up to heaven, and sits at the right hand of God still today to plead for sinners. There is only one way for a filthy soul to get completely clean in God's sight, and that is through simple, childlike faith in the precious blood of the crucified Creator. Put all your dependence and confidence in JESUS' bloody sufferings and His righteous merits this very moment. This is of vital importance: genuine conversion, the real new birth, and regeneration inwardly from the Spirit of God. Never look at yourself; look to the wounds of Jesus and find all your salvation in HIM. Cease looking at your own doings, and look only to God Incarnate, Christ crucified for sinners. The substitute for sinners was nailed, bled, and died on the cross for your sins and soul. Escape to the cross while you may. Only Christ is worthy of being trusted with your immortal soul. The religion of DO is always slavery to some man-made system or human proxy; you will never actually get salvation, and you'll wind up perishing in your doings by looking to yourself.
As a lost, undone, bankrupt sinner, cast away all reliance upon your works, and look simply to the atoning sacrifice of JESUS for all your soul needs here in time and eternity. Have done with the whole rotten mess of religion. Your doings are all deadly quicksand that will swallow you up if you rest upon them at all. Jesus said, "Without ME ye can do nothing." Childlike trust in Christ's precious blood regenerates and changes the heart, and washes clean the sinful soul. Saved means to be rescued from perishing and eternal destruction, to be kept safe and sound forever, and to be restored to life and health. Saving faith is a trusting, reliant, depending trust upon the atonement of the Lamb of God.
Honor God the Father now by trusting His Son with your soul. Your own righteousness is a very damning and abominable thing that will surely damn you as much as your greatest blasphemy will do. The best thing to do with your own righteousness is to bury it and run away from it. Treat your self-righteousness as a deadly virus. JESUS is the perfect, precious substitute; He has finished the atonement for human sins, and the penalty and ransom are completely paid with GOD'S BLOOD once for all.
Salvation is not in yourself; it is the gift of God from above through JESUS CHRIST. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, rely upon HIM, and trust Him to save your soul. Trust to JESUS as completely as a drowning man trusts to the life-ring, the life-vest, and the life-guard. Your only hope of being saved from sin is trusting to someone outside of yourself. You are powerless to save your own soul, for all power is given to Christ by God; therefore, you must rely on JESUS completely to do the job. Rest wholly upon the Christ of God, and upon what HE has already done for you upon the cross. Trust JESUS here and now, and you shall be saved here and now. To believe is to trust, to confide, to rely upon, and to depend on: depend upon Christ, trust only HIM, and no soul ever relied upon JESUS and found Him to fail.
