THERE are two ways by which a man may lose his own soul. What are they?
He may lose his soul by living and dying without any religion at all.
He may live and die like a beast, prayerless, godless, graceless,
faithless. This is a sure way to hell. Mind that you do not walk in it.
He may lose his soul by taking up some kind of religion. He may live and die contenting himself with a false Christianity, and resting on a baseless hope. This is the commonest way to hell there is.
What do I mean by useless kinds of religion? I will tell you.
The first thing I wish to say is this. A religion is entirely useless
in which Jesus Christ is not the principal object, and does not fill the
principal place.
There are only too many baptized men and
women who practically know nothing about Christ. Their religion consists
in a few vague notions and empty expressions. "They trust they are no
worse than others; they keep to their Church; they try to do their duty;
they do nobody any harm; they hope God will be merciful to them! they
trust the Almighty will pardon their sins, and take them to heaven when
they die." This is about the whole of their religion.
But what
do these people know practically about Christ? Nothing: nothing at all!
What experiential acquaintance have they with His offices and work, His
blood, His righteousness, His mediation, His priesthood, His
intercession? None: none at all! Ask them about a saving faith - ask
them about being born again of the Spirit - ask them about being
sanctified in Christ Jesus. What answer will you get? You are a
barbarian to them. You have asked them simple Bible questions; but they
know no more about them experientially than a Buddhist or a Muslim.
And yet this is the religion of hundreds of thousands of people who are called Christians, all over the world.
If you are a man of this kind, I warn you plainly that such
Christianity will never take you to heaven. It may do very well in the
eyes of men; it may pass muster very decently at the church
vestry-meeting, in the place of business, in the House of Commons, or in
the streets: but it will never comfort you; it will never satisfy your
conscience; it will never save your soul.
I warn you plainly,
that all notions and theories about God being merciful without Christ,
and excepting through Christ, are baseless delusions and empty fancies.
Such theories are as purely an idol of man's invention as the idol of
the Hindu Juggernaut. They are all of the earth, earthy: they never came
down from heaven. The God of heaven has sealed and appointed Christ as
the one and only Saviour and way of life, and all who would be saved
must be content to be saved by Him, or they will never be saved at all.
I give you fair warning. A religion without Christ will never save your soul.
But I have another thing yet to say. A religion is entirely useless in
which you join anything with Christ in the matter of saving your soul.
You must not only depend on Christ for salvation, but you must depend on
Christ only and Christ alone.
There are multitudes of baptized
men and women who profess to honour Christ, but in reality do Him great
dishonour. They give Christ a certain place in their system of
religion, but not the place which God intended Him to fill. Christ alone
is not "all in all" to their souls. No: it is either Christ and the
Church; or Christ and the Sacraments; or Christ and His ordained
ministers; or Christ and their own goodness; or Christ and their own
prayers; or Christ and their own sincerity and charity, on which they
practically rest their souls.
If you are a Christian of this
kind I warn you also plainly that your religion is an offence to God.
You are changing God's plan of salvation into a plan of your own
devising. You are, in effect, deposing Christ from His throne, by giving
the glory due to Him to another.
I care not who it is that
teaches you your religion and on whose word you build. Whether he be
Pope or Cardinal, Archbishop or Bishop, Dean or Archdeacon, Presbyter or
Deacon, Episcopalian or Presbyterian, Baptist or Independent, Methodist
or Plymouth Brother - whosoever adds anything to Christ, teaches you
wrong.
I care not what it is that you add to Christ. Whether it
be the necessity of joining the Church of Rome, or of being an
Episcopalian, or of becoming a Free Churchman, or of giving up the
liturgy, or of being baptized by immersion, whatever you may practically
add to Christ in the matter of salvation, you do Christ an injury.
Take heed what you are doing. Beware of giving to Christ's servants the
honour due to none but Christ. Beware of giving the Lord's ordinances
the honour due unto the Lord. Beware of resting the burden of your soul
on anything but Christ, and Christ alone. Beware of having a religion
which is of no use, and cannot save.
It is an awful thing to
have no religion at all. To have an immortal soul committed to your
charge, and neglect it, this is dreadful.
But it's no less an awful thing to be content with a religion than can do you no good.
Do not let this be your case. - J. C. Ryle
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