Danger Signal

A man with a disease so far advanced that he has no strength or no power to throw off the effects of its spreading.  A helpless infant, newly born, deserted by its mother, unwashed, unclothed, unfed, forlorn, abandoned, hopeless.  These are two biblical illustrations of sin and the sinner.  Charles Spurgeon beautifully and powerfully explains the wonder of the gospel in his sermon, "For Whom Did Christ Die?" Read it in its entirety if you like; but for this post, here are a few nuggets from it.

For the most part, the people I know would do everything in their power to find a cure for their disease or take care of a helpless, abandoned baby.  But the sinner, suffering from the moral calamity of their sin "has no desire to throw it off.  He could not save himself if he would and would not if he could."  And "the worst feature in this plight --> you love the evil which is destroying you."  While in this condition, "Jesus interposes!" "When we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly."  (Romans 5:6)  "Ungodly: the Greek word is so expressive that it must take in your case, however wrongly you acted."

"If men were wise, they would ponder this night and day.  Jesus knew when He died that if the world was left to itself, it would grow worse and worse; that by its very wisdom, it would darken its own eyes and develop into a deeper damnation.  If you are unconverted, you are in grave danger, imminent peril, solemn danger.  The cross needs to be a danger signal for you.  Believe in Christ and you shall be saved from that ungodliness.  Jesus has not come to save men in their sins but from their sins and this is the best news for those who are diseased with sin."

"Mercy has my heart subdued, a bleeding Savior I have viewed and now I hate my sin."  "Christ died for the ungodly."   "Accept this truth and you are saved!  Not merely pardoned, not just that you will enter heaven, but you will have a new heart, you will be saved from a love of sin, saved from drunkenness, saved from blasphemy, saved from dishonesty.  Trust in the mercy of God through the death of Christ and a new era of your life's history will commence at once.  Do not reject this.  It is your life."  Let the cross be the warning that saves your life.