THE PERSON OF CHRIST AND ELECTING LOVE

“How am I to cross that mountain?” says an anxious soul, pointing to the doctrine of electing love. “How am I to find myself among the number of the elect?” “And,” says another, “if you cannot assure me that the blood of Christ was intended as much for me as for Peter or Paul, or Mary Magdalene or Mary of Bethany, how can I rest on it?” Another, yet more bold, comes forward and declares that “if Christ did not die alike for all men, and bear all sinners alike on His heart when He died, then there is no truth sufficient for a sinner seeking salvation to rest upon.”

Now to all those travellers, who would willingly (if they could) find out that there is no such mountain as electing love, because they fancy that it is an insuperable one, we say at once, the Person of the Lord Jesus stands in front of that glorious mountain whose top touches heaven; and you have to do with His Person ere you set a foot on that mountain.

Our warrant for believing in Christ is simply this, that He cries to the children of men, “To you, O men, I call.” And He bids them all come in the first place to Himself. Come and see this Person (Prov. VIII. 2). “If any man thirst, let him come to Me and drink” (John VII. 37). “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden” (Matt. XI. 28) — ye that are toiling up that mountain with a load on your souls that almost crushes you at every step.

All your difficulties about election are thus set aside for the time — set aside until you have found Christ Himself, “Who will show you plainly of the Father” in due time. All your difficulties about election are in this manner transferred to Christ Himself, who it is (and not we) that must reconcile the universal call with His special love to his elect. Well, be content to leave the difficulty with Jesus; and meanwhile deal with a personal Saviour, not with words, and doctrines and propositions. Say, if you will, “Perhaps I am not elected, and if so, it will be in vain for me to expect a place among His redeemed.” Say this, if you will, but only go and see. Go to the Person of the Christ, and throw thyself at His feet.

Now, you do throw yourself at Christ’s feet, when, letting alone for the time all these thoughts of elecion and the inquiry whether you are or are not in the Book of Life, you allow your soul to think of Christ Himself. Will Christ Himself refuse a coming sinner? He cannot; for it is written, “Him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out” (John VI. 37). He will not say that He has not a price sufficient to pay for you. He will not say that the foundation is not broad enough for you to build on. He will not say that He has not love sufficient to lead Him to have compassion on you. You may not be able to make out from some of Christ’s words whether or not there be room for you; but try Christ’s heart — appeal to Him as one “who receiveth sinners,” and tell Him that such a sinner are you.

Never forget the Syrophoenician mother’s dealing with the Lord. It is a case recorded as if on very purpose for such a state of soul as yours. This woman came, full of desire and hope, but was told, “I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Was not this confronting her at once with the darkest shadow of the highest height of the mountain of Election? It seemed to say, “There is no place for you.” It did not leave her an opening (as there is in your case) to say, “Possibly I am in the number,” it seemed to deny that she was thought of at all. If ever there was a trying case it was here. But how did this woman act? She did not try to prove, as some do in our day, that there was not, and could not be, such a thing as special electing love, but she left that difficulty to be solved by the Lord Himself, and threw herself upon the Person of Jesus. She renewed her appeal to Himself, “Lord, help me.” “Truth, Lord, but the dogs (and such am I) under the table eat of the crumbs.” She probed His heart; she believed that there were depths of mercies there; and she found she was right! She has left us a proof that, when a sinner repairs to the Person of the living Saviour, that sinner is at once met by Him; and the gracious colloquy begins, “Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord” (Isa. I. 18); and it will end with nothing less than absolution, “Though your sins have been as scarlet, they shall be as wool.” Believest thou this? In believing this, thy soul shall find acceptance with God, and in the same hour, thy God will let thee know that He had thee in His heart from eternity.

It is thus that an anxious soul’s stumbling on the difficulty of election may become a real advantage. It guides the soul away from a thing to a person. His first question now is not, What does Christ think of me? But, What am I to think of Christ? The traveller is confronted by the frowning mountain-height, and this leads him at once to discover, ere he climbs even one height, the Person to whose dwelling he imagined he must come by long and laborious efforts. Boldly encounter the question, “Am I one of God’s elect? Am I one given to Christ by the Father from all eternity?” It will lead you directly to the Person of Jesus, as the only mode of reaching a true and sure solution. It will send you not to the Book of Life, but to the Lamb who writes it; and in asking about Him, you find that He has singular love to sinners, and that “He is able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him” (Heb. VII. 25).

— Extracted from “The Gospel pointing to the Person of Christ,” by the Rev. Andrew A. Bonar, D.D.

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