SALVATION IN CHRIST by F. H. Tripp

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 22, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 28.

SALVATION IN CHRIST.

By F. H. Tripp

“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else.”

No great thing is required, nothing that necessitates great talent or superior advantages, nothing that is reserved for the rich and denied the poor; but rich or poor, high or low, the requirement is the same—look! How good and merciful is our God, who has made salvation thus easy! And how extensive the invitation—“All the ends of the earth”! His power to save is unlimited, reaching to earth’s utmost boundary.

When the children of Israel prayed to be saved from the deadly serpents in the wilderness, by the Lord’s direction a brazen serpent was lifted high above the camp, and the bitten ones were directed to look upon it and be saved. They had murmured against the Lord and sinned. We, too, are bitten of serpents in the world’s wilderness of sin. We have sinned, as did Israel of old; but there is a way of escape for us, as there was for them. We have no brazen serpent to look upon, but the words of God to us are, “Look unto me, and be ye saved.” We also have the voice of Jesus saying, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life;” and also, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

Dear reader, are you looking to the lifted Saviour for salvation? If not, I pray you look to-day unto him who died that you might live. But, you may ask, How am I to do it? How am I to look upon a Saviour that I can not

see? This may be a real difficulty to some, and yet it need not be, in view of his statement that he will draw all men unto himself. Again he says, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” It is also written, “And they shall all be taught of God.” And again, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth. . . . Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given him of my Father.”

First, then, we are to submit ourselves to be drawn unto him; for he was lifted up upon the cross that we might be. The means by which we are drawn is the Spirit of God. Have we never felt that Spirit whispering to our hearts, saying, “My son, my daughter, your manner of life is not pleasing to me”? Has he not at times shown us some things in our hearts that were not right, and made us to feel that we were not just what we should be? Has there not been a feeling of unrest, or a consciousness of something whispering within us, saying if we should be called suddenly away from this world, that we are not quite ready to go? Is there not something in our lives that we would like to have a little different before we are called away from this world? If any or all of these thoughts have come into our hearts at times, it has been God’s Holy Spirit striving to teach us the way to the uplifted Saviour and draw us to Christ.

Have we all hearkened and obeyed this Spirit, this still, small voice that we know has at times spoken to our inmost souls, saying, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else”? And the uplifted Saviour himself says, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

Who is there that does not want rest?—Rest to take the place of weariness; faith to take the place of doubt; assurance to take the place of danger; certainty to take the place of suspense! Look unto Christ, then, and he will lead you. For “good and upright is the Lord; therefore will he teach sinners in the way.” “For thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.” Why will we not all hearken to his commandments, and receive that peace that is like a river? Did you ever notice how calmly and peacefully the waters of a river flow onward toward the sea? Just so the peace of God in the hearts of men, makes their lives to run on smoothly and peacefully, toward, and out into, the great ocean of eternity.

“And thy righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Like as the waves of the sea follow on, one after another, so if we will hearken to his commandments, the Lord will make our right actions, and right ways, and right and good deeds, to follow on one after another, continually and successively, like the waves of the sea.

F. H. TRIPP.

New Bedford, Mass.