"We should mark, ... how expressly the Lord Jesus shuts out all ways of salvation but Himself....
It avails nothing that a man is clever, learned, highly gifted, amiable, charitable, kind-hearted, and zealous about some sort of religion. All this will not save his soul if he does not draw near to God by Christ's atonement, and make use of God's own Son as his Mediator and Saviour. God is so holy that all men are guilty and debtors in His sight. Sin is so sinful that no mortal man can make satisfaction for it. There must be a mediator, a ransom-payer, a redeemer, between ourselves and God, or else we can never be saved. There is only one door, one bridge, one ladder, between earh and heaven,--the crucified Son of God. Whosoever will enter in by that door will be saved; but to him who refuses to use that door the Bible holds out no hope at all. Without shedding of blood there is no remission.
Let us beware, if we love life, of supposing that mere earnestness will take a man to heaven, though he know nothing of Christ. The idea is a deadly and ruinous error. Sincerity will never wipe away our sins. It is not true that every man will be saved by his own religion, no matter what he believes, so long as he is diligent and sincere. We must not pretend to be wiser than God. Chist has said, and Christ will stand to it, "No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." -JC Ryle(May 10, 1816 - June 10, 1900)
Some excellent words from the late Bishop of Liverpool. I agree whole heartedly with this proven pastor of the Lord.
But next post I want to expound a bit on the teaching of "Inclusivism", which is spreading through the Church in our day. And the extremes, and not so extremes of this teaching.
Here's another quote from JC Ryle to encourage us:
""He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father."--Let us take comfort in the simple truth, that Christ is very God of very God; equal with the Father in all things, and One with Him. He who loved us, and shed His blood for us on the cross, and bids us trust Him for pardon, is no mere man like ourselves. He is "God over all, blessed for ever," and able to save to the uttermost the chief of sinners. Though our sins be as scarlet, He can make them white as snow. He that casts his soul on Christ has an Almighty Friend,--a Friend who is One with the Father, and very God."
"What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."
10 comments:
I believe that Jesus's substitutionary atonement was the only way... even in the Old Testament times. In this age, we fix our eyes on what Christ has done, but their hope was to cling to the promise that was yet to be fulfilled, and they had to receive God's gift by faith... without knowing the details which are available to us. How can anybody possibly do that, except by the Father's election and the Holy Spirit's open heart surgery?
Craver, great words bro!
What made you think of the word surgery?
I'm glad to see you seem to be doing better.
Very encouraging.
Nice to have you stop by Brandon.
It's always good to encourage one another, never flatter, but simply encourage and edify in the truth of Christ's promises for His elect.
He promises to never leave us. He promises to care for us. He promises to bear fruit through us, which is where the purging takes place, and that can be painful at times, but how can we ever complain when we see Christ our Savior's suffering and death.
And our Lord promises us eternal life with Him, and the inheritance of a righteous universe, and earth.
I absolutely LOVE the first quote by Ryle! I'm certainly an exclusivist, but so was Jesus.
Many people think it seems unfair, and yet what would be even much more unfair would be for the Son of God to suffer as He did and yet people come to God some other way other than through Him. That would be unfair indeed.
Thanks for including this EXCELLENT post Don!!
Litl-Luther, I find your first comment to be typical of the Reformed. Based on my own observations, Calvinists seem to by marked by a zeal for the Glory of the Creator, rather than mushy feelings for His creation.
I like the quote too, but I might clarify the quote by saying that it was not so much that Jesus actively closed off other viable options, but that he provided one true way where there was no other way. Jesus never actually cancelled any other effective means of salvation, because there were none to begin with. I'm sure I'm "preaching to the choir," though.
"Jesus never actually cancelled any other effective means of salvation, because there were none to begin with."
That's Genesis 3:15. And Revelation 13:8, & 1 Peter 1:19-20.
Peter wrote: "But with the precious blood of Christ as a Lamb without blemish and without spot:
Who truly was foreordained before the foundation of the world, and was manifest in these last times for you."
There is no other name under heaven that humans can be saved by.
And why would the Lord God bother to die for sinners, especially me? Because He set His love upon us. But, why in the world would God love me? I should be like Esau, whom He hated.
I deserve to be sent out of the presence of the Holy One. And yet, He is going to welcome me!
All I can say is, "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me."
That's good Triston. But I want to discuss more how God saved people all down through His story, or history.
My next post is one from James White and John Sanders debating 'Inclusivism'.
I'm sure I'm "preaching to the choir," though. -Craver
Amen! Honestly, I believe your point can be easily proven from Scripture. For instance:
"Jesus said to him, "Put your sword in its place....do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?” (Matt. 26:52-54)
This clearly shows that if Jesus had called upon the Father, He would have rescued Jesus from being crucified. Think of this text in light of the following one from Jesus from the same passage:
"My Father, if it is possible, take this cup from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." (v.39)
Jesus had just declared if He asked the Father, the Father would rescue him, and yet when He asked the Father to do just that, he put the qualifier "if it is possible". If it is possible for people to be saved in any other way than through my death then don't let me die.
I believe the Father would have answered Jesus (just as Jesus assured us He would do if he asked Him) *if* there had been any other way. Since there was no other way for people to be saved, the Father let Jesus die.
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