Confession of Christ Indispensable
During a series of evangelistic services in Ireland, I spoke to a young man who was deeply convicted of sin. I showed him from the Bible God’s word for him, and he accepted it with the same faith he had exercised in believing the word against him. The effect was similar in both cases: feeling followed, and was the result of believing the news. On his knees he thanked God; then he pressed my hand and thanked me for “helping” him, and went on his way rejoicing. Three nights after, to my surprise and disappointment, I found him sitting in the inquiry meeting looking the picture of misery. “What’s wrong?” I said.
“I was too precipitate the other night; there is no change in me.”
“No, sir; that is not the reason. You have not confessed Christ.” He almost jumped up with amazement. “How do you know? Who told you?” “Nobody told me, nor needed to tell me. When a man goes away trusting one night, and comes back doubting the next, it is an infallible sign that he has not confessed Christ.” He then said, “You are quite right; I live alone with my mother, who is a Christian. I thought as I walked home that I would tell her, but my heart failed. I then said to myself, ‘I’ll tell her tomorrow morning’; but next day it seemed more difficult, instead of less, and it occurred to me that she would say, ‘Why did you not tell me last night?’ Then the thought arose, ‘If you had found a hundred dollar bill, you would have told her fast enough; yet here you have found Christ and eternal life, and you utter not a sound; why, it is all a delusion!’ and I said to myself, ‘I’m not saved at all: if I had been, I could not have helped confessing.’”
I said, “Yes, my friend; instead of the devil tempting you, you tempted the devil. You opened your heart to him, and of course he came in and began his old game of making you distrust God’s word.”
We then went on our knees again. He confessed his sin, gave his heart anew to his Savior, rested on God’s written word as to the result, and went away to tell his mother. Next night I found him in the inquiry room, trying to point a soul to Christ. I touched him in passing, and said: “How is it with you now?” He looked up with a bright smile, and said: “I told my mother!”
“I was too precipitate the other night; there is no change in me.”
“No, sir; that is not the reason. You have not confessed Christ.” He almost jumped up with amazement. “How do you know? Who told you?” “Nobody told me, nor needed to tell me. When a man goes away trusting one night, and comes back doubting the next, it is an infallible sign that he has not confessed Christ.” He then said, “You are quite right; I live alone with my mother, who is a Christian. I thought as I walked home that I would tell her, but my heart failed. I then said to myself, ‘I’ll tell her tomorrow morning’; but next day it seemed more difficult, instead of less, and it occurred to me that she would say, ‘Why did you not tell me last night?’ Then the thought arose, ‘If you had found a hundred dollar bill, you would have told her fast enough; yet here you have found Christ and eternal life, and you utter not a sound; why, it is all a delusion!’ and I said to myself, ‘I’m not saved at all: if I had been, I could not have helped confessing.’”
I said, “Yes, my friend; instead of the devil tempting you, you tempted the devil. You opened your heart to him, and of course he came in and began his old game of making you distrust God’s word.”
We then went on our knees again. He confessed his sin, gave his heart anew to his Savior, rested on God’s written word as to the result, and went away to tell his mother. Next night I found him in the inquiry room, trying to point a soul to Christ. I touched him in passing, and said: “How is it with you now?” He looked up with a bright smile, and said: “I told my mother!”