No Use Trying
I have met many people who think they are earning their salvation by the way they live, the things they do, and the money they give. They are confident that when this life ends, they will step into heaven. Nothing could be more erroneous. Listen to this statement taken from Ecclesiastes 1:15. That which is crooked cannot be made straight. That's a very simple and practical statement, yet, it contains a world of spiritual truth. That which is crooked cannot be made straight. Every person born into this world is born in sin. He is a sinner by nature. David said, in Psalm 51:5, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Irrespective of what a person does or does not do, he remains a sinner. The best and the worst people in the world are still sinners. God declares, in Romans 6:23, The wages of sin is death. A person may go to church, give away great sums of money to help the needy and the poor, seek to live a good life; but he's still a sinner. Attempts at self-reformation, as far as perfection is concerned, are useless. The Bible says that which is crooked cannot be made straight.
A friend of mine was talking with a young man who thought he would reach heaven because he had never been in jail. There are thousands of people who have never been in jail, yet they will not be in heaven. Morality may keep a person out of jail, but it will never put him into heaven. Listen to Titus 3:5, taken from the word of God, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to God's mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.
We are not saved by the things we do. Rather, salvation is through the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit or, literally, the renewing which is effected by the Holy Spirit. Now what does this mean? Simply that salvation is of God and not of us. That which is crooked cannot be made straight; but God can give a new nature which is straight.
You and I possess an old nature. It is the Adamic nature which is a sinful nature. No one ever had to teach us how to steal or lie. This was natural for all of us. When we trust in Jesus Christ, we are cleansed from sin by the blood of Jesus. God imparts a new nature, a divine nature so that we need not be mastered by the old crooked nature of sin. We become the possessors of a holy nature—the nature of Almighty God. And yet, in spite of God's grace in making this provision, there are thousands upon thousands of people who completely ignore the message of grace and try to earn their own salvation.
It is Christ who saves, not us. Who His own self bear our sins in His own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were healed (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus Christ, the Son of God, bore our sins, and through Him we are saved. There is nothing here about what we do; our morality, our faithful service in the church, and so on. No, it's what Christ did. If anyone enters heaven, it will be because of the grace of Almighty God, not because of what he or she has done. How foolish to think we are good enough to put ourselves in heaven! Pay close attention to this wise piece of poetry:
Not what these hands have done,
Can save this guilty soul;
Not what this toiling flesh has born,
Can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do,
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers or sighs or tears,
Can ease my awful load.
Thy love to me, O God,
Not mine, O Lord, to thee;
Can rid me of this dark unrest,
And set my spirit free.
No other work, save Thine,
No lesser blood will do;
No strength, save that which is Divine,
Can bear me safely through.
I praise the God of grace,
I trust His love and might.
He calls me His,
I call Him mine,
My God, my joy, my light.
Thy work alone, my Savior,
Can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.
Look at Romans 4:4,5: Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. You see, the person who works with the view of earning his own salvation expects to be paid, as any workman naturally expects wages. But salvation is not this way—salvation is of grace. The person who works for salvation excludes grace, eliminating the mercy of God. The person who works not, but believes on Christ who alone has the power to forgive sin, God says his or her faith is counted for righteousness. In other words, God will accept this kind of faith and the guilty sinner will be declared no longer guilty. Again I say, it's all of grace.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says it so clearly: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. If you and I were to earn heaven because of our works, we could stand before God and say, "Well, here I am, Lord. It wasn't easy, but I did it. I lived a perfect life." Do you think God would be impressed? Not at all. Salvation is the gift of God. You don't work for a gift. You receive a gift with thanks. This is the only way anybody can be saved. Salvation is obtained not by what we do for Christ, but by what Christ did for us. Salvation is received through believing on Jesus Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us. It is not received through praying, working, or anything else. It's of grace and, therefore, excludes even the thought of merit.
I have been working for God over 60 years, but I want to tell you something. I am not saved because I am working for God; I am working for God because I am saved. I am so grateful for the fact that He took me in—the crooked stick that I was—and gave me a new nature. Many years ago, I realized that that which is crooked cannot be made straight. Out of love and appreciation for all God has done for me, I am trying to do a little bit for Him. I get joy out of doing it, as you do if you're really saved.
Now, if you're not saved, I urge you right now, whoever you are, wherever you are, to ask Jesus Christ to become your Savior and Lord. Will you do it? J. Allen Blair
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation (Romans 10:10).
From the desk of Elva Blair:
My husband went to be with the Lord eight months ago. To say the least I miss him greatly. We have known each other since we were 13 years of age and married at 25 years of age. We had 69 years of a very happy marriage. The hurt in my heart goes very deep.
I have found two ways of coping with his home going. First, I enrolled in a water coloring class. I had never painted before in my life. I have discovered, when I paint, I am absorbed in my painting and think of nothing else. It is wonderful therapy.
I have also written poems about the life of my dear husband. He was a wonderful husband and father of three great daughters. They each have a fine Christian husband. Their husbands are like the sons we never had. They take such good care of me and I thank the Lord for each of them.
People speak of losing someone. When we lose something, we don't know where it is. So, he is not lost, but is spending eternity with his Lord and Savior, whom he loved and served since he was 21 years of age. I miss him, but have the blessed assurance that I shall see him again. I know where he is, spending time at his Savior's feet, and greeting those who have been saved through his Gospel preaching, radio ministry, books, tracts, and pamphlets. And, I look forward to seeing him again.
From Knoxville, TN:
"Thank you for the newsletter, sent faithfully to my home each month. I'm grateful for the content. After reading the feature article by Dr. Blair and some of the other information, I seek to utilize this pamphlet in the weekly jail ministry my wife and I lead. I have often downloaded past newsletters to gain additional messages by Dr. Blair to provide to inmates. I appreciate his clear and concise teaching of God's Word.
In my opinion, the most unique feature of Dr. Blair's ministry is his weaving of the Gospel message into each broadcast and the written material, too. I have yet to see another person so intent on proclaiming the Good News of saving faith in Jesus Christ."