Not far from my home a tragedy occurred recently—a young man instantly killed in the crash of a car.
He had been drinking, ignoring the fact that alcohol and gasoline must not be mixed. He was driving at an excessive speed, estimated by the highway patrol to have been nearly one hundred miles per hour—when the posted limit was forty-five. There was a warning sign, “Sharp Curve,” which he ignored, and beyond the curve another sign, “Narrow Bridge,” which, if he saw it at all, he saw too late. And he was driving at night!
There was a deafening crash against the heavy concrete abutment. Twisted metal and broken glass scattered in every direction around the blazing inferno. And in a ditch forty feet away lay the shattered body of a young man who had neglected to give heed to the law and the warning signals of danger ahead.
The Bible warns constantly that there is danger ahead for the unrepentant sinner, a danger so great that God has taken every precaution to enable man to avoid it. How solemn the words, “He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck will suddenly be broken beyond healing” (Prov. 29:1).
A key word of the Christian faith is “salvation.” Although it may not be popular in some circles today, the fact remains that, if the Scriptures are true, Christ came into the world to save sinners—to save them from the dangers ahead, and for his eternal home.
The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews begins by telling of the many ways in which God has spoken to us, first by the prophets and then by sending his own Son, “whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:2b–4a).
After showing how much higher Christ is than the angels, the writer continues: “Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression … received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?”
How shall God’s ministers escape if they fail to give warning of danger ahead and the promise of safety in Christ? And how shall we escape if we take no heed to the warning or the offer of salvation?
Many people think “Christianity” has to do with man’s efforts and achievements, and pay scant attention to the reason for the intervention of the Son of God in human history. The caricature of Christianity thus presented is described as the evangelical’s concept of “the good guys and the bad guys.” The distinction is not ours, however, but God’s. It is a distinction to be found from beginning to end in the Bible, one that is determined, not by what man can do for himself, but by what Christ has done for him.
The central theme of the Scriptures is man’s peril and God’s salvation. It is based on man’s sinful nature and God’s remedy for sin. Man crosses the stage of time into the realm of eternity, and his destiny is determined by what he does about Jesus Christ.
Little wonder that we are told to pay close attention, to beware lest we drift away from God’s message. Little wonder that we are asked bluntly, “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” And the direct implication is that for those who so neglect the saving mercy and grace of God in the person of his Son there is no escape!
It is high time that pulpits once more rang with the message of warning and hope, of judgment and mercy, of heaven and hell. In fact, how can the Gospel be honestly preached if not against the backdrop of God’s judgment on sin? Our Lord indicated the alternatives in the words “shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” He came to perform the rescue of the ages, and for those who neglect him there is no escape from the consequences.
In the Bible we are confronted with the facts of this world and the next. We are told about good and evil, God and Satan, heaven and hell. To ignore or explain away these clear teachings is infinitely more foolish than to drive furiously down a highway ignoring the law as well as the warnings put there for our own good.
There is no adequate explanation of the Cross unless we recognize the danger ahead. There is no meaning to the Gospel of salvation from sin if we are not aware of the reality of the alternative.
God’s warnings to Israel are valid for America today: “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, says the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says the Lord GOD; so turn and live” (Ezek. 18:30–32).
The nature of sin has not changed, nor has the holiness of God declined. He is still sovereign. Sin is still an offense to him, and its wages are still death. The holiness of God is still seen in the Cross, and the penalty for sin is eternal separation from him.
But oh, how the Gospel has been changed today! And what folly to bypass the revelation of God’s truth in favor of man’s lie! It is a new gospel that is being preached, one that ignores the matter of judgment. We should remember that the God of love and compassion is also the God of justice and judgment. While he is love, he is also a “consuming fire.” His love is demonstrated for all to see in the death of his son on the Cross, and in that act we catch a glimpse of the awful alternative—of the judgment that falls on those who reject his salvation. To fail to see love and judgment combined on Calvary is to fail to sense the nature of sin and its penalty.
“Salvation” means deliverance from the guilt and penalty of sin. To ignore or minimize the nature of sin and its consequences is far greater folly than to ignore the evidence of cancer and refuse treatment. Jesus tells us that those who reject him are “condemned already.” In his death and resurrection we are offered freedom from the condemnation resting on all sinners.
The Apostle Peter makes it plain that man is offered salvation in one way only: “There is salvation in no one else.” And Jesus affirms, “No man cometh to the Father, but by me.”
The uniqueness of Jesus Christ and his salvation, the inclusiveness of “whosoever,” and the simple condition placed on men—that they believe and accept—combine to magnify the folly of neglecting the salvation of our souls.
To many the question “Are you saved?” is corny and impertinent. But every time I have entered this or any other country, the immigration officials have checked to see if I had been vaccinated for smallpox and there was no feeling that they were being impertinent. Surely salvation from sin through the shed blood of the Son of God is the greatest gift God offers to mankind! God forbid that we should neglect it.
