We come now to the question of how to deal with
individual cases. We begin with those who realize
their need of a Savior, and really desire to be
saved. We begin with these because they are the
easiest class to deal with.
I. SHOW THEM JESUS AS A SIN-BEARER.
The first thing to show one who realizes his need
of a Savior is that Jesus has borne his sins in
His own body on the cross. A good verse for this
purpose is Isaiah 53:6:
"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath
laid on him the iniquity of us all."
Get the inquirer to read the verse himself, then
say to him, "The first half of this verse shows
you your need of salvation, the second half shows
you the provision that God has made for your
salvation. Read again the first half of the verse.
Is this true of you? Have you gone astray like a
sheep? Have you turned to your own way?" "Yes."
"Then what are you?" Get the inquirer to say, "I
am lost." "We will now look at the provision God
has made for your salvation; read the last half of
the verse. Who is the one in this verse upon whom
our iniquity has been laid?" "Christ." "What then
has God done with your sin?" "Laid it on Christ."
"Is it then on you any longer?" Go over it again
and again until he sees that his sin is not on
him, but that it is on Christ, and has been
settled forever. I often use a simple illustration
in making the meaning of the verse plain. I let my
right hand represent the inquirer, my left hand
{33} represent Christ, and my Bible represent the
inquirer's sin. I first lay the Bible on my right
hand and say, "Now where is your sin?" The
inquirer replies of course, "On me." I then repeat
the last half of the verse, "the Lord hath LAID ON
HIM the iniquity of us all," and transfer the
Bible from my right hand to my left, and ask,
"Where is your sin now?" The inquirer replies, "On
Him, of course." I then ask, "Is it on you any
longer?" and he says, "No, on Christ." Very many
people have been led out into light and joy by
this simple illustration.
I sometimes put it in this way, in using this
verse, "There are two things which a man needs to
know, and one thing he needs to do in order to be
saved. What he needs to know is, first, that he is
a lost sinner, and this verse tells him that, and
second, that Christ is an all-sufficient Savior,
and this verse tells him that. What he needs to do
is to accept this all-sufficient Savior whom God
has provided. Now will you accept Him right here
and now?"
Another excellent verse to show Jesus as a
sin-bearer, is Galatians 3:13:
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the
law, BEING MADE A CURSE FOR US: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."
The inquirer should be given the verse to read for
himself. When he has read it, you may question him
something like this: "What does this verse tell us
that Christ has redeemed us from?" "Whom has He
redeemed?" "How has He redeemed us from the curse
of the law?" "Do you believe that Christ has
redeemed you from the curse of the law by being
made a curse in your place?" "Will you read it
then in the singular instead of in the plural?"
Make it clear what you mean, until the inquirer
reads the verse in this way: "Christ has redeemed
me from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for me; for it is written, cursed is every one
that hangeth on a tree."
Another good verse for this purpose is
2_Corinthians 5:21:
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him."
Have him read the verse, and then ask questions
somewhat as follows: "Who is it that hath been
made sin for us?" "For whom has Christ been made
sin?" "For what purpose is it that Christ has been
made sin for us?" "Can you put this verse in the
singular and {35} read it this way: 'For he hath
made him to be sin for me, who knew no sin; that I
might be made the righteousness of God in him'?"
Sometimes it will be well to use all three of
these passages, but as a rule the first is
sufficient; so far as my own experience goes, it
is more effective than either of the other
passages -- in fact, I deal with very few men with
whom I do not use Isaiah 53:6 sooner or later.
II. SHOW THEM JESUS AS A RISEN SAVIOR, ABLE TO
SAVE TO THE UTTERMOST.
It is not enough to show them Jesus as a
sin-bearer, for through believing in Jesus as a
sin-bearer one merely gets pardon from sin, but
there is something else that the sinner needs,
that is deliverance from sin's power. In order to
get this, they need to see Jesus as a risen
Savior, able to save to the uttermost. By
believing in Christ crucified, we get pardon, but
by believing in Christ risen, we get deliverance
from sin's power. One of the best verses to use
for this purpose is Hebrews 7:25:
"Wherefore he is able also to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he
ever liveth to make intercession for them."
When the inquirer has read the passage, ask him
who it is that is able to save, and to what extent
He is able to save. Explain to the inquirer what
"to the uttermost" means. Many read this passage
as though it taught that Jesus was able to save
from the uttermost. This is true, but it is not
the truth of this text, it is save TO the
uttermost. Then ask the inquirer why it is that
Jesus is able to save to the uttermost. Dwell upon
this thought, that JESUS EVER LIVETH, that He is
not only a Savior who once died and made atonement
for sin, but that He is a Savior who lives today,
and is able to keep from sin's power. Then ask the
inquirer if he is willing to trust Jesus as a
living Savior, one to whom he can look day by day
for victory over sin.
Another good verse to use for this purpose is Jude
24:
"Now unto him that is ABLE TO KEEP YOU FROM
FALLING, and to present you faultless before the
presence of his glory with exceeding joy."
When the inquirer has read the verse, ask him what
this verse says Jesus is able to do, emphasize "to
keep you from falling." Explain why it is that
Jesus is able to keep from falling; because He is
a {36} risen, living Savior today, and get the
inquirer to see plainly that he is to look to the
risen Christ to keep him from falling.
Matthew 28:18 is a good verse to use to bring out
the extent of Christ's power:
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
A young convert needs to realize that he is to
stand, not in his own strength, but in the
strength of Christ, and it is a great help for him
to see that the one in whom he is to trust has all
power in heaven and in earth.
One can also use to advantage 1_Peter 1:5:
"Who are kept by the power of God through faith
unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last
time."
and 1_Corinthians 15:1-4. The latter passage
brings out clearly the thought that the doctrine
that Christ died for our sins, as blessed as it
is, is not the whole Gospel, but only half of it;
that the rest of the Gospel is that He was buried
and that He rose again. Always get an inquirer to
believe not only in Christ crucified, but in
Christ risen as well. A man once came to me in
deep distress of soul. He was a perfect stranger
to me, but told me that he had come quite a
distance to tell me his story. He said, "When I
was a boy seven years of age, I started to read
the Bible through. I had not gotten through
Deuteronomy before I found that if one kept the
whole law of God for one hundred years, and then
broke it at one point, he was under the curse of a
broken law. Was that right?" "Yes," I replied,
"that is substantially the teaching of the law."
He then continued, that he was in deep distress of
soul for about a year, but as a boy of eight, he
read John 3:16 and saw how Jesus Christ had died
in his place, and borne the curse of the broken
law for him, and he added, "My burden rolled away,
and I had great joy. Was I converted?" I replied
that that sounded very much like an evangelical
conversion. "Well," he said, "let me tell you the
rest of my story. Years passed by; I came to
Chicago to live; I worked in the stockyards and
lived in the stockyards region among many godless
men; I fell into drink and I cannot break away;
every little while this sin gets the mastery of
me, and what I have come to ask you is, is there
any way in which I can get the victory over sin?"
I {37} replied, "There is. I am glad you have
come to me; let me show you the way." I opened my
Bible to 1_Corinthians 15:1-4, and had him read:
"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel
which I preached unto you, which also ye have
received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye
are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached
unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I
delivered unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS
according to the Scriptures; and that he was
buried, AND THAT HE ROSE AGAIN the third day
according to the Scriptures."
Then I said to him, "What is the Gospel that Paul
preached?" He answered, "That Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, was buried, and
rose again." "That is right," I said. Then I
said, "Now you have believed the first part of
this Gospel, that Christ died for your sins."
"Yes." "Through believing that you have found
peace." "Yes." "Well," I continued, "this is only
half the Gospel. If you will really believe the
other half from your heart, you will get victory
over your sin. Do you believe that Jesus rose
again?" "Yes, I believe everything in the Bible."
"Do you believe that Jesus is today in the place
of power at the right hand of God?" "I do." "Do
you believe that He has all power in heaven and on
earth?" "I do." "Do you believe that this risen
Christ with all power in heaven and on earth has
power to set you free from the power of your sin?"
"Yes," he said slowly, "I do." "Will you ask Him
to do it, and trust Him to do it right now?" "I
will." We knelt in prayer. I prayed and then he
followed. He asked the risen Christ to set him
free from the power of sin. I asked him if he
