Spurgeon.. again.

I happened to read both of these right after witnessing some baptisms this morning. Both pertaining to faith and atonement, they struck me due particularly to my own baptism taking place soon.

“I do not think anyone ever knows the preciousness of the blood of Christ till he has had a full sight and sense of his sin, his uncleanliness, and his ill-desert. Is there any such thing as really and truly coming to the cross of Christ until you first of all have seen what your sin really deserves? A little light into that dark cellar; sir; a little light into that hole within the soul; a little light cast into that infernal den of your humanity, and you would soon discern what sin is, and, seeing it, you would discover that there was no hope of being washed from it, except by a sacrifice far greater than you could ever render. Then the atonement of Christ would become fair and lustrous in your eyes, and you would rejoice with joy unspeakable in that boundless love which led the savior to give himself a ransom, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. May the Lord teach us, thundering at us, if need be, what sin means. May he teach it to us so that the lesson shall be burned into our souls, and we shall never forget it."

“Is there a grander verse in the whole Bible, is there anything in the compass of scripture, that ever glorified God more than that notable expression of David when he had been sinning with Bathsheba and made himself as foul and as filthy as the very swine of Hell? And yet he cries, “Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” Ah! “wash me,” that is the cry, “wash me, the most scarlet and the blackest of hell-deserving sinners, do thou but wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Believe in the omnipotent power of the atonement. Still believe thou, and hold fast to Christ. Cling to his skirts, and if he even seem to frown upon thee, hold to him… Do not believe that which thou thinkest thou dost hear him say, for he cannot say otherwise than this, that whosoever believeth in him is not condemned; and he that believeth in him, though he were dead yet shall he live. Out of thy very death believe him; from thy hell of sin believe him. Wherever thou mayst be, still believe him. Never doubt him, for the just shall live by faith.”

- C.H. Spurgeon

How often does growing up in the church dampen our view of atonement? I obviously understand the Sunday school answer: atonement is sweet to me. Wait, Does it actually change how I live? How often I do not view atonement for the lustrous sweet work of Christ that it is but also feel the atonement could never be enough. I am reminded that I'm "the blackest of hell-deserving sinners", yet atonement was more than enough. He tells me, " Yes, absolutely you deserve Hell! Never ever cheapen the work of Christ by thinking any sin is too much for him."

Thank you sir.