Topic : Gospel, inaccurate statements
Train Wreck
Some years ago a fearful railroad wreck took a dreadful toll of life and limb in an eastern state. A train, loaded with young people returning from school, was stalled on a suburban track because of what is known as a “hot-box.” The limited was soon due, but a flagman was sent back to warn the engineer in order to avert a rear-end collision. Thinking all was well, the crowd laughed and chatted while the train-hands worked on in fancied security. Suddenly the whistle of the limited was heard and on came the heavy train and crashed into the local, with horrible effect.
The engineer of the limited saved his own life by jumping, and some days afterwards was hailed into court to account for his part in the calamity. And now a curious discrepancy in testimony occurred. He was asked, “Did you not see the flagman warning you to stop? ”He replied, “I saw him, but he waved a yellow flag, and I took it for granted all was well, and so went on, through slowing down.”.The flagman was called, “What flag did you wave? “A red flag, but he went by me like a shot.”.“Are you sure it was red?”.“Absolutely. ”Both insisted on the correctness of their testimony, and it was demonstrated that neither was color-blind. Finally the man was asked to produce the flag itself as evidence. After some delay he was able to do so, and then the mystery was explained. It had been red, but it had been exposed to the weather so long that all the red was bleached out, and it was but a dirty yellow!Oh, the lives eternally wrecked by the yellow gospels of the day—the bloodless theories of unregenerate men that send their hearers to their doom instead of stopping them on their downward road!
Confusing Statements
Observe this random sampling of expressions of the Gospel taken from tracts, sermons, books, and radio and TV messages. I list them without documentation since the point is not who said these but what was said, and to illustrate how varied and confusing these statements are. If we gave even half of them to an unsaved person, which and what would he be expected to believe'
1. Repent, believe, confess your sin to God, and confess Him before men and you will be saved.
2. The clearest statement of the Gospel in the N. T. is found in Luke 9:23: “If any man wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
3. Perhaps the most comprehensive invitation to salvation in the epistles comes in James 4:7-10: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
4. May the Lord reveal to the sinners that the only way for them to be saved from their sins is to repent with a godly sorrow in their hearts to the Lord.
5. Utter the prayer of the prodigal son—ask Jesus to be your Lord and Master.
6. Come forward and follow Christ in baptism.
7. Place your hand in the nail-scarred hands of Jesus
8. Find Christ by praying through to Him.
9. Believe in Him, trust Him, accept Him, commit your life to Him.
10. We have the warning of Christ that He will not receive us into His kingdom until we are ready to give up all, until we are ready to turn from all sin in our lives.
11. God offers eternal life freely to sinners who will surrender to Him in humble, repentant faith.
12. Do we literally have to give away everything we own to become Christians? No, but we do have to be willing to forsake all.
13. Matthew 7:13-14 is pure Gospel: “Enter by the narrow gate...”
14. No one can receive Christ as his Savior while he rejects Him as his Lord.
15. Give your heart to Christ.
