The Grace of Christ, or,
Sinners Saved by Unmerited Kindness
William S. Plumer, 1853
"We believe it is through the grace of our
Lord Jesus that we are saved." Acts 15:11
SIN IS A GREAT EVIL
Tell me what you think of sin, and I will tell you what
you think of God, of Christ, of the Spirit, of the divine law, of the
blessed Gospel, and of all necessary truth. He, who looks upon sin merely as
a fiction, as a misfortune, or as a trifle, sees no necessity either for
deep repentance or a great atonement. He, who sees no sin in himself, will
feel no need of a Savior. He, who is conscious of no evil at work in his
heart, will desire no change of nature. He, who regards sin as a slight
affair, will think a few tears, or an outward reformation ample
satisfaction. The truth is, no man ever thought himself a greater sinner
before God, than he really was. Nor was any man ever more distressed at his
sins, than he had just cause to be. He, who never felt it to be "an evil and
a bitter thing to depart from God," is to this hour an enemy of his Maker, a
rebel against his rightful and righteous Sovereign. When God speaks of the
evil of sin it is in such language as this: "Be astonished, O you heavens,
at this, and be horribly afraid; be you very desolate, says the Lord. For my
people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me the fountain of
living waters, and hewed out cisterns, broken cisterns, which can hold no
water." Jer. 2:12, 13.
God is a God of truth, and would never speak thus about
anything that was not atrocious and enormous in its very nature. Yet it
should be observed that he mentions only such sins as are chargeable to all
men, even the most moral and decent. In this estimate of the evil of sin,
the righteous do well agree with God. The most piteous and bitter cries,
which ever ascended from earth to heaven, were uttered under the sting of
sin, or were for deliverance from its power. In doctrine there can be no
worse tendency than that which diminishes men's abhorrence of iniquity. Nor
is there a darker sign in religious experience than the slightness of the
impressions some have concerning the heinous nature of all sin. Sin is worse
than poverty, sickness, reproach. Sin is worse than all sufferings. The
reason is because it is "exceeding sinful." The worst thing that can be said
of any thought, word, or deed is that it is wicked. It may be foolish, but
if it is sinful, that is infinitely worse. It may be vulgar, and as such
should be avoided; but if it is sinful, it should be avoided, were it ever
so polite. An act may offend man, and yet be very praiseworthy; but if it
displeases God, nothing can excuse its commission.
Some have proposed curious and unprofitable questions
respecting the infinitude of the evil of sin. An answer to them would
probably give rise to a host of others like them, and so there would be no
end of folly. Besides, men do not propose or discuss idle questions, when
they are anxious to know how they may be saved from sin. Then they cry: "Men
and brethren, what must we do? Is there mercy, is there help, is there hope
for such perishing sinners as we are? if so, where can we find salvation?"
Questions which are merely curious and not practical in religion--are
unworthy of study and consideration. Yet it may be proper to say that
anything is to us infinite, the dimensions of which we cannot gauge, the
greatness of which we cannot understand. In this sense sin is an infinite
evil. We cannot set bounds to it. We cannot say, Thus far it comes and no
further. "Sin, when it is finished, brings forth death." And who but God can
tell all that is included in that fearful word, death?
Moreover, sin is committed against an infinite God. The
ill-desert of any evil deed is to be determined in part by the dignity of
the person, against whom it is directed. To strike a brother is wrong; to
strike a parent is worse. To strike a fellow-soldier is punishable with
chains; to strike a commanding officer is punishable with death. On this
principle the Bible reasons: "If any man sins against another, the judge
shall judge him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who shall entreat for
him?" 1 Sam. 2:25. God is our Maker, Father, Governor, and Judge. He is
glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders. He is the best of
all friends, the greatest of all beings, the most bountiful of all
benefactors. By ties stronger than death and more lasting than the sun, we
are bound to love, fear, honor and obey him. To sin against him is so
impudent, ungrateful and wicked, that no created mind can ever adequately
estimate its atrocity; and so it is an infinite evil. If sin had its own
way, it would dethrone the Almighty. All rebellion tends to the utter
subversion of the government against which it is committed; and all sin is
rebellion against the government of God.
If men saw their sins aright, they would more highly
prize divine mercy; and if they had more worthy conceptions of God's grace,
they would have more abasing views of themselves.
We may learn much of the evil nature of sin by the names
which the Bible gives to it, and to those who practice it. It is called
disobedience, transgression, iniquity, foolishness, madness, rebellion,
evil, evil fruit, uncleanness, filthiness, pollution, perverseness,
frowardness, stubbornness, revolt, an abomination, an accursed thing. In
like manner deeds of wickedness are called evil works, works of darkness,
dead works, works of the flesh, works of the devil. And wicked men are
called sinners, unjust, unholy, unrighteous, filthy, evil men, evil doers,
seducers, despisers, children of darkness, children of the devil, children
of hell, corrupters, idolaters, enemies of God, enemies of all
righteousness, adversaries of God and man, liars, deceivers.
From low, meager apprehensions of the divine nature and
law, flow a slight estimate of the evil of sin, spiritual pride,
self-conceit, and a disesteem of the most precious righteousness of Jesus
Christ. He, who can go to Gethsemane and Calvary, and come away with slight
views of the evil nature of sin--must be blind indeed! There God speaks in
accents not to be misunderstood but by the willful. Yet such is the
perverseness of men that they often refuse to learn even at the cross of
Christ. Beveridge says: "Man's understanding is so darkened that he can see
nothing of God in God, nothing of holiness in holiness, nothing of good in
good, nothing of evil in evil, nor anything of sinfulness in sin. Nay, it is
so darkened that he fancies himself to see good in evil, and evil in good,
happiness in sin, and misery in holiness."
We all naturally belong to the generation of "the blind
people who have eyes, and the deaf who have ears." In coincidence with these
general views Brooks says: "No sin can be little, because there is no little
God to sin against." Bunyan near death said: "No sin against God can be
little; because it is against the great God of heaven and earth; but if the
sinner can find out a little God, it may be easy to find out little sins."
John Owen says: "He who has slight thoughts of sin, never had great thoughts
of God." Luther said: "From the error of not knowing or understanding what
sin is, there necessarily arises another error, that people cannot know or
understand what grace is." The Westminster Assembly says: "Every sin, even
the least, being against the sovereignty, goodness, and holiness of God, and
against his righteous law--deserves his wrath and curse, both in this life,
and that which is to come; and cannot be expiated but by the blood of
Christ." Paul says: "The wages of sin is death." Chrysostom says: "There is
in human affairs nothing that is truly dreadful, but sin. In all things
else, in poverty, in sickness, in disgrace, and in death, (which is held to
be the greatest of all evils) there is nothing that is really dreadful. With
the wise man they are all empty names. But to offend God, to do what he
disapproves, this is real evil."
Truly every wise man will say that he has cause to
cry--"Show me my sin, and my lost condition. Show me your love, and your
mercy. Show me the extent, the holiness, the spirituality of your
commandments. Reveal your Son in me. Let him be the cure of sin, both of its
horrible pollution and its horrible guilt."