Today it is
true almost everywhere, that we are far more concerned about the results of the
gospel than we are about the purity of it! We are more concerned in the
blessing of man than we are about the glory of Christ! Is not that true? Is it
not true that the first great question asked everywhere today is, what are the
'results? What is the fruitage? How many people have been saved in your church
last year? I am not saying that the question has no importance, but I do say
that, if that is the first question that is asked, it only shows what a low
level we are living on! The first question we ought to ask is, How scripturally
is the gospel being preached in your church? Is the preacher magnifiying
Christ? Is the preacher emphasizing the absolute sufficiency of his finished
work? Does the preacher make it plain that God does not ask the sinner to do
anything, that Christ has done all for him?
Ah, my friends,
when the preachers today are tested by that, there are mighty few of them that
will survive the test. How many are there today who tell the poor sinner that
he has got to give his heart to God! Well, you say, isn't that right? Isn't
that true? Must not the sinner give his heart to the Lord if he is going to be
saved? Oh, the tragedy that such a question has to be asked! We talk about
progress and advancing; why, we need indoctrinating in the ABC of the gospel!
No, my friends, no sinner was ever saved by giving his heart to God. We are not
saved by our giving, we are saved by God's giving. Well, but doesn't it say in
Scripture, 'Son, give me thine heart'? Yes, it does, but that is not addressed
to an unconverted sinner, that is addressed to a son! After God has saved you
by grace alone, then your first duty is to dedicate yourself to his service, to
give your heart to him, to be used by him as he wills and where he wills and
when he wills, and to realize that you are no more your own but the purchased
property of another. .....
Arthur W. Pink
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