Will It Pay to Be a Christian?
By W. C. Mathewson
INSPIRATION instructs us to avoid "foolish questions;" but there are questions in no sense foolish, among which is, Will it pay to be a Christian? In contemplating any worldly business enterprise, it is a wise question to ask, Will it pay? The question under consideration pertains also to life in this world. Instead of hastily answering, It does not pay, let us submit the question to others who have invested time and money, patiently waiting for results. Job replies, "Tho He slay me, yet will I trust in Him" (chapter 13:15), virtually saying the Christian's advantages are more valuable than life itself. The psalmist sings, "I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness." Ps. 84:10. The advantages of being only in the door of the house of God, are greater than the luxury of owning a habitation. Solomon, the wisest of the earthly wise, said of the wisdom of Christian service, "She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her." Prov. 3:15. Testimony might be multiplied should we question the pilgrims along the way. Let us propound the question to the greatest Teacher the world ever had, the One who is the Source of all knowledge and truth. He replies, "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matt. 16:26. Paul responds, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out." Rom. 11:33. Peter also says, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, . . . might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:7. Eternal things are more than temporal. The great Teacher declares, "A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." Luke 12:15. Observation and experience teach all who are willing to be taught that perfect health, physical strength, mental power, and peace of mind and soul, are indispensable factors of real enjoyment, without which a life spent in wealth, ease, and luxury can not be a success. How few in this life are happy, using the term in its accommodated sense; and in its perfect sense none are truly happy. The happiness of those who live in sinless realms can bear but little resemblance to the inhabitants of a fallen world. O the vast eternity! No guilty conscience! Nothing to disturb our peace of mind or health of body. Joy unutterable immortalized! Can we appreciate these eternal realities? Can we fully comprehend the joyful fact that they are ours? — No; but we can know and feel, and confidently reply, It pays to be a Christian.