Man never invented the Gospel. It is completely opposite to anything the human mind would have ever devised.

1. YOUR SINS AREN’T AS APT TO KEEP YOU FROM CHRIST, AS YOUR SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.

It takes people a long time to learn that Christ did not die for good people, but for sinners. Only lost people can be saved. The fact that we are sinners does not cut us off from Christ’s benefits, but rather makes us eligible for them. He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

The worst thing about a man is his self-righteousness because it hides from him the need of Christ. The Pharisees trusted in their own imagined goodness. As a result they were left outside the Kingdom, while the harlots and publicans crowded in.

Self-righteous people cannot be saved. Salvation is only for confessed sinners.

2. YOU DON’T HAVE TO CLEAN UP YOUR LIFE BEFORE COMING TO JESUS.

In fact, you can’t do it anyway. If you could, you would be your own saviour. But the more you try to reform the worse you get. The Gospel does not tell you to turn over a new leaf before you receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. It tells you to come to Him in all your sins, misery and wretchedness, just as you are, He will do the saving. To tell a dying thief to clean up his life is no gospel. Christ must save and He alone.

3. YOU CAN’T BUY OR DESERVE SALVATION.

God gives eternal life as a free gift to those who receive His Son by faith. You cannot earn or merit a gift. It is strictly a matter of grace on the part of the giver.

If you could somehow purchase or deserve salvation, then there would be two Saviours – Jesus and you. This is impossible. You would be able to boast in heaven. This too is impossible. You would be adding to the finished work of Christ. This also is impossible. “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.” Romans 4:4,5.

4. THERE ARE NO DEGREES OF FITNESS FOR HEAVEN.

This will come as a shock to many religious people. But it is absolutely true. There are no degrees of fitness for Heaven. No believer is more fit for heaven than any other believer. Some may live more godly lives than others, but that does not affect their eligibility for Heaven.

No more illuminating or impressive example of this can be found than in the life of the Apostle Paul. Over and over, he finds it necessary to maintain the paradox, in order to preserve the fullness and the reality of the Gospel which he was presenting. To those who had thought the essence of true religion to be man’s effort can end only in inducing a more profound consciousness of his sinfulness and essential unrighteousness.

To those who strive to make themselves acceptable before God through good works and deeds, and believe that therein lies the essence of true religion, Paul maintains that the simple act of faith in Christ is the only route by which any justification before God can be had.

To those who take it for granted that man must first reform and purify himself before he can become worthy of God and reap the benefits of the religious life, Paul points to the astounding fact of God’s outreaching love to the most miserable sinner. “But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

“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. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:8-10.

You see a person is in Christ, or he is not in Christ. If he is in Christ, he is as fit for heaven as God can make him. God accepts us in His beloved Son. Christians stand before God in all the acceptability of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is impossible to improve on His standing.

Some Christians will enjoy heaven more than others, but none will be more fit to be there.

5. IT IS NOT A MATTER OF THE AMOUNT OF FAITH YOU HAVE THAT COUNTS.

In any given air flight, there are all degrees of faith aboard the plane. Some passengers worry every mile of the way. Others put back their seat and go to sleep. When they get to their destination it is no thanks to the amount of their faith. They had enough faith to get on board the plane. Then it became trustworthiness of the plane and the pilot.

So it is not a matter of how much faith you have, but whether your faith is in the worthy and only capable Saviour. It is impossible to trust in Him at all…without being saved.

6. YOU DON’T KNOW YOU ARE SAVED BY YOUR FEELINGS.

Too many people have the idea that when you are saved, you experience all kinds of warm, inward mysterious, emotional feelings, and that this is the way you know you are saved. This is misleading.

Dr. C.I. Scofield was right when he said “Justification takes place in the mind of God, and not the nervous system of the believer.”

The second the person trusts Christ, he is saved. He knows it, because the Bible says so, not because his feelings tell him.

Dr. Ironside used to say “I don’t know I am saved because I feel happy, but I feel happy because I know I am saved.” That puts things in proper order.

Ponder these six salvation surprises, then ask yourself this question:

“Have I ever acknowledged myself to be a guilty, lost sinner deserving of eternal Hell….forever?” by Wm. MacDonald

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (JOHN CHAPTER 3 VERSE 16)

My journey to Christ began during one of the most difficult periods in my life.  On November 15, 2022, my fiancé and spouse of nearly 16 years unexpectedly passed away.  Feelings of anger, sadness, frustration, and depression overwhelmed me.  

Many kind people reached out with their condolences, including the folks at the O’Leary Gospel Hall.  Several members signed a card and included some Bible verses, along with financial assistance.  My sister-in-law suggested I could attend a gospel meeting to show my appreciation for their kindness.  

The Gospel Hall atmosphere was inviting, without the air of ceremony.  The meetings were simple with two speakers who spoke directly from the Bible regarding Jesus, God, and Salvation.  Not the sort of church experience I remembered as a child.  At first, I attended because I felt obligated to repay their kindness, however, I began noticing people enjoying their faith, especially my brother and sister-in-law.  My continued depression and confusion with life’s circumstances caused me to continue attending the meetings, hoping to discover what gave them joy.

The members were patient to answer my questions, and while the key points of the gospel messages seemed clear, how they were relevant to me wasn’t as clear.  It felt like I was standing outside a door, wanting to enter, but not knowing how.

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat. Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13 & 14

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. John 10:9 

On the morning of March 10, 2023, I sat in a car outside the hospital where my fiancé’s tragic journey began. To help distract myself I picked out a podcast from a Gospel feed recommended to me.  The podcast featured a Scottish preacher who shared his life story, the importance of the Word of God, and salvation.  As I listened to him, the Spirit of God nudged me as he read Joel 2:32 which says –

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered. 

Hitting pause, I began speaking aloud to myself and to God, admitting I was a sinner, that I needed help.  From the depths of my sorrowing heart, I called out that I believed Christ suffered and died for me at Calvary’s cross, and by His sacrifice my sins were forgiven.  It seemed as if a weight was lifted from me!  I later understood that God had saved me that moment and given me His free gift – eternal life!

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Romans 6:23

That will always be a memorable morning!  I know I’m saved from sin by God’s grace and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.  My journey began in the depths of sorrow but I’m now enjoying real joy.

It was a clear night in the summer of 1995 when American Airlines Flt.#965 from Miami, FL was setting up for the final approach to the Cali Columbia Airport. It was so routine, that the crew had been discussing seniority in the company rather than paying close heed to the position of their new Boeing, equipped with the latest navigational equipment.

Captain Nick Tafuri called across the yard to his neighbor Monique, when leaving his home in Miami that night “see ya tomorrow night”… but there was no “tomorrow night”for the captain… it was “this night”Luke 12:20.

“Where are we?”

These were the final three words of First Officer Don Williams on the ill-fated flight three minutes before it would plow into the side of a Columbian mountain five miles from the airport, taking 157 souls with it. They came so close to avoiding that tragedy. The First Officer immediately pulled up on the aircraft, but those big turbofans take time to spool up. Their desperate bid for altitude was too late. A reporter so rightly assessed the tragedy in the words…

“The most important question came too late.”

Some people would like to think that no one knows for sure where they are going, or where they will be when they take that final flight into Eternity. The Bible is given to clearly inform us of our position and condition, and to confirm where we will be forever.

“Where are you my friend?”

As you look at the Two Roads and the Two Destinies on the other side of this pamphlet… which road are you on: the broad road going down to Hell, or the narrow road going upward to Heaven?

There are those who try to convince us that we are going nowhere, and humanity does not have a destination, that we are just in a cycle. If man has no destiny, he has no duty, no obligation and no responsibility. He has no guidelines or goals. Who is to say what is right or what is wrong? Who is to say a partner can’t break and ruin a marriage? Who is to say people can’t live together before they are married? It is your value system against mine!

No absolutes, no principles, no ethics, no standards! Life then is reduced to weekends, paychecks, and quick thrills. If man has no future, really he is not worth much! However, we know better from the Word of God.

The Lord Jesus said

Matt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

14: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

A man asked a good question in John 14:5 “How can we know the way?” to which Jesus replied verse 6: “I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh unto the father but by me!”

Had God given 1001 ways to Heaven, the sinner would still want one more because of the nature of his evil heart! The dominant desire of human beings is to go their own way.

Proverbs 4:19 says The way of the wicked is darkness.

Man has received wrong directions. The devil told him in the garden of Eden that he did not have to listen to God. What did he think would be best? Since taking those wrong directions, man gropes amid ignorance and error.

Again the Lord Jesus said that he was the door to the narrow way that leads to life. John 10:9 When a person trusts Christ as their Savior and His work for them at the Cross, taking God’s Word for it…they are declared by God as “saved” Romans 10:9.

All are born on the broad road, taking us downward. We are born sinners. Romans 5:12, Romans 3:22-23.

When a person is born again (John 3:3) he is not only saved, but God declares him “his child”. John 1:12-13.

Why not take a minute to look at the chart, and ask yourself the most important question before it is too late.

Saved… can I be sure?

Can I sing with Fanny Crosby in her hymn, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine; O what a foretaste of glory divine!”

Many souls have been held hostage to their doubts and fears without the assurance of salvation. It would hardly be salvation, if I wasn’t sure of it… because among many things salvation means that I have been saved from these fears. “But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid” (Matthew 14:27). “The torment and the fire mine eyes shall never see; I was a guilty sinner but Jesus died for me.”

The question will be asked, where can I find assurance? The answer is, where you find salvation. In His Word! It is His Word, yes God’s precious Word, that stands forever true! In the same book where we learned of our guilt and sin, we find His grace and salvation.

If you find yourself in this condition, please open the Bible at Mark 5:25, and read the passage. Let me state at this moment, how important it is for you to go to the scriptures yourself.

This dear soul in Mark 5 found herself with an awful affliction of the blood. Allow me to apply that as being where we all have been afflicted, in the blood. Sin and death both run in the blood line! “Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, ..so death passed upon all men” (Romans 5:12). “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Just as life is in the blood, so is death!

She had exhausted every resource or professed remedy available to her, all to no avail. All were simply physicians diagnosing an incurable illness. Why should she put it off so long… why would she not seek the Great Physician sooner? She wasn’t out of Determination… not yet… this thing is not going to beat me… even if it takes all I have – and it did! She wasn’t out of Doctors… not yet… there was still another doctor that someone would tell her about. She wasn’t out of Dollars… not yet… as long as she could open her purse and there was something there, she would be off to another physician. All she could do was aggravate her condition. Verse 26 says she ‘suffered many things’. Sin and suffering go together.

Finally she would find herself without strength, physically and financially and every other way! “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). ‘When she had spent all’ … yes, sin will make you a beggar. Like the blind man: sad enough to be blind, but worse yet to have to beg! Thank God for that moment when she would meet the One who “hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh”. (1 Peter 3:18). He suffered… why would she need to suffer? Tell me sinner, if Christ suffered for sins… need you suffer?

But now she makes her move toward Christ. How important, whether a Zacchaeus, who was to make that move down from the tree (Luke 19:5), or a blind man, or Nicodemus, all must move toward Christ. We make our move to Christ by coming to His Word, where He is to be found, where eternal life and eternal security are to be found: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).

“When she had heard of Jesus, she came in the press behind, and touched his garment. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague” (Mark 5:27-29). Why would the Saviour be so insistent on hearing from the one who touched Him, in spite of the objections of the disciples, who questioned His intentions? She felt the change; why not just let her make her way back into the crowd? After all, He knew who touched Him! “But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth” (Mark 5:33). Have you ever done that? Got down before God and just told Him the truth of what His Word says about you ? Would she not readily admit all her empty visits to the powerless physicians of earth? We do not know the contents of the conversation, but we do know that to tell Him all the truth was an admission of guilt and sin. We remember that the woman at the well in John 4 could say, “Come see a man that told me all things I ever did; is not this the Christ?” He had mentioned one sin! What did this woman in Mark 5 have now that she did not have before… His Word for it! It is true she felt better, but now she had the assurance that the dreaded plague would never return.

If she didn’t have His Word, all she would have was her own good feeling from the experience. Would it be blessed assurance to wake daily wondering if this would be the day the plague was coming back? Every time she wasn’t feeling good, she would be convinced, the plague is back! Can you imagine the torture of the poor soul?

How kind of the Saviour! Listen to His words: “And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague” (verse 34). Yes, it was not the plague, but thy plague. It was such a part of her! What did she have now, that she didn’t have before? Thank God, the dear soul in such affectionate and endearing language had His Word for it! She had His Word she was whole; never would the day dawn with the dread of the return of that awful plague. She was whole, and she had peace. Peace, how sweet it is! The Saviour could say, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world givith, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Oh, what Assurance!

Someone has told of how he first tried to swim. He had assumed that to swim he had to struggle constantly to keep himself from sinking. He would go down to the ocean side when as few people as possible were there to see him, trying to swim. One day there was a professional swimmer lying on the beach watching him. At last when he could bear it no longer he came over and asked, “What are you trying to do?” On being told that the other man was trying to swim he said, “Man, you are beating to death the very thing that wants to save you, the water. Stretch out on it and let it hold you up!” And when the man lay flat on the water without moving his hands or feet, to his amazement and delight… it held him up! “Why didn’t someone tell me that 35 years ago” cried the man! Dear soul, stretch yourself out on the scriptures; they will not and cannot fail you: “the scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35b). The water, like the Word of God will hold you. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13). This is Assurance!

Either we take His Word for it, that it is true… or He takes our word for it, that it is not true, and we needlessly suffer the consequences. “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:37).

We conclude that we must satisfy ourselves with His Word. To accept less is to deny His Word and His work, and to want more is to call God a liar: “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son” (1 John 5:10). “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36).

Anxious souls generally begin at the wrong end. They begin with themselves, instead of beginning with God. It is their doings, their feelings, their satisfaction-themselves, in some way or another; and often it is a very long time before they learn to turn from themselves to look at God’s side; yet they never can find peace of conscience and joy of heart until they do. We are continually meeting such cases.

We ask them, “Are you saved?”
They reply, “I hope so.”
“But are you not sure about it?”
“Well, not exactly; I only wish I were. I am asking for it, and praying for it; but I can’t say I’m sure. I don’t seem to get satisfied.”

Oh, the numbers there are in this condition-praying, seeking and trying to get satisfied! It is all of self! They are putting the cart before the horse, and are surprised because they can’t get it to go. Of course not! The Gospel begins with God, not with us. Look at that well-worn but unexhausted 16th verse of the 3rd chapter of John as an example: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It begins with God. God loved-God gave. We believe-and we have everlasting life.

Start then with God! See how His claims have been met-how He has been glorified-how He has been satisfied; then you may well be satisfied when you have learned that He is.

I remember, sometime ago, meeting a young sailor in this very condition. He had been in that state for about three years. He had been seeking, and praying, and trying to feel satisfied. And what do you think delivered him at last, and made him perfectly happy? Just one simple fact which he had overlooked the whole of those three years.

Do you ask what it is?
It is the fact that God is satisfied. Now just think of it; turn it over and over in your mind, read it slowly, and let your poor, weary heart take it in.

GOD IS SATISFIED !

“Oh,” said the sailor, as his face brightened, “I never thought of that before – God is satisfied.”

“Yes,” I said, “He was the party offended by your sins. You were the offender. Jesus came to satisfy God’s holy and righteous claims by dying for our sins, and He did that work perfectly. And God has proved His satisfaction in the person and work of Christ by raising Him from the dead. He has taken Him out of the grave, and thereby proved He is satisfied. And it was all for you! Surely, if God is satisfied with the work of His Son, you may be also!

“I see quite clearly where you are making your mistake,” I continued. “You are trying to be better and feel different, trying to work yourself up to a certain state of happiness, and then feel satisfied with your own joy; and because you are always falling and never arriving at the standard you have set up, you are dissatisfied.

“Now just suppose a man buys goods at a shop to the amount of five dollars, and then he gets into difficulties and is unable to pay. He cannot pay the debt himself, and he is not aware that anyone has paid it for him; and so you find him going about saying, ‘Oh, if I could only get satisfied!’ You would say to him at once, ‘My friend, you never can be satisfied until you have paid your debt, or someone has paid it for you. The storekeeper must have payment and be quite satisfied first.’

But now supposing a kind-hearted friend goes to the storekeeper and pays the-bill, and obtains the receipt and sends it to the man; he would not sit down and look at the receipt and say, ‘If only I could feel satisfied.’ Of course not! He would know the five dollars was paid, for the storekeeper had given his receipt; and thus the proof of the storekeeper’s satisfaction would give him satisfaction.

“Thus it is in the Gospel. The Saviour who stood in our place, was ‘delivered for our offences’ (He had none), and was raised again for our justification’ (Rom. 4:25). So the risen Christ is God’s receipt for me. He is satisfied, and so am I. Now, why should you not be this very moment, and give Him the thanks and praise?”

“It was sweet to see the effects of this truth on the sailor as his heart drank it in. He was filled with “joy and peace in believing” (Rom. 15:13), seeing that “God is satisfied.” And looking at me with a face beaming with joy, he said, “I see it all – God is satisfied. I can go home and thank Him for that.”

Now, dear anxious reader, you have read thus far; will you lay down this tract and say, “I wish I could get satisfied?”

Never, never, never will you be satisfied until you have believed that God has found infinite satisfaction in the work of Christ on the cross for you. “He bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (I Peter 2:24).

He cried out on the cross, “IT IS FINISHED!” and died (John 19:30). But, thank God He is risen again, and exalted to “the right hand of God” (Acts 2:32, 33). Yes! “This man after He had offered one sacrifice for … sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12), from whence God sent the Holy Ghost to give this witness to all believers. “Their sins and iniquities will I remember NO MORE” (verse 17).

Matchless Saviour! Thy work is done. Once was sufficient for God, and once is sufficient for me. I can meet God now with joy, for Thou hast answered every question and settled every claim, and introduced me to that blessed God who rejoices over me with joy, who rests in His love and joys over me with singing (Zeph. 3:17). Yes! The way in which He receives the poor, dissatisfied, repentant, returning prodigal, covering him with kisses, clothing and feasting him – tells out the satisfied heart of a satisfied God.

Dear, anxious soul, try no longer to do anything; wait no longer to feel anything; but rest where God rests – in Christ, who has so glorified Him at the cross that He can send a message of love to you, and say,

“God is satisfied.” Now are you?

You can read and search the Bible, but in vain will you ever find a verse that tells you ‘how to get saved‘… rather the Bible tells you how you can ‘be saved’ Acts 16:32 Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine Heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. – Romans 10:9-10.