WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED?

"Who then can be saved?" — Mark x. 26.

The disciples asked that question of Jesus. Jesus had just told them how hard it was for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven, and the disciples seem to have held the same opinion as most men hold to-day, that a rich man can get anywhere. But Jesus said " No "; that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Then they asked the question: If that is so — if it is so hard for a rich man to be saved — what chance does anybody else stand?

"Who then can be saved? Jesus went on to tell them that though it was impossible with men for a rich man to be saved — and I think all experience carries this out, the rich man stands the poorest chance of salvation of anybody on earth; there are fewer rich people saved than people of any other class — Jesus told them that God, with whom all things are possible, could' save even a rich man; but nobody but God could.

We come, then, to the question itself: "Who then can be saved?" The Bible answers the question very fully and very plainly. The Bible tells us that there are some people who cannot be saved, and that there are some people who can be saved.

I. Who Cannot be Saved?

We will take up first those who cannot be saved.

1. In the first place, no man can be saved who will not give up his sin. We read in Isa. iv. 7, " Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." But if he will not forsake his ways and turn to God he cannot be saved. Every man and every woman has to choose between sin and salvation. You cannot have both. If you won't give up sin you must give up salvation. There are schemes of salvation in our day that propose to save a man while he continues in sin. These schemes of salvation are absurdities upon the very face. We read in Matt. i. 21, concerning our Saviour, "They shall call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." Not in them. You cannot save a man while he continues in sin. Sin is damnation; holiness is salvation. And you might just as well propose to cure a man who is ill while he continues in his disease as to save a sinner while he continues in his sin. A man is not cured till he is well, and a man is not saved till he quits sin.

The whole reason why some of you men here to-night are not saved is because you won't give up sin. Some of you won't give up your drunkenness; some of you won't give up your adultery; some of you won't give up your profanity; some of you won't give up your lying; some of you won't give up your bad temper; some won't give up one thing, and some won't give up another. Well, then, you must go into perdition. You cannot be saved if you won't give up sin, and if you persist in sinning you will be lost for ever.

A man in Chicago came to a friend of mine and said to him, "I want to be saved." My friend replied, " You do not want to be saved." " But," he said, " I do." My friend said, " You are not willing to give up your drinking." " No," he said, " I am not." He answered, " Well, then, you do not want to be saved. To be saved means to give up sin." Jesus Christ can save any man; but Jesus Christ won't, and Jesus Christ can't, save a man who won't give up his sin.

2. In the second place, no man can be saved who trusts in his own righteousness, and is not willing to admit that he is a lost sinner. That is the trouble with hundreds here to-night. You are proud of your own morality; you are not willing to get down to the dust, and say, " I am a poor, vile, worthless, miserable sinner," and you will never be saved, and never can be saved, while you trust in your own righteousness. Jesus tells us that two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, one of the most respectable, religious men in the community, a man that everybody looked up to; the other, a publican, a man whom everybody looked down upon. The Pharisee prayed this way. He talked about his own goodness. He looked up, and said, " I thank Thee, O God, that I am not as other men are, unjust, extortioners, adulterers," and then he looked contemptuously over to the poor publican, "or even as this publican. I fast twice every week " — pretty religious, wasn't he? — " I give a tenth of all I get." And Jesus said that this man went out of the temple down to his house an unforgiven, hopelessly lost sinner; but the publican, the outcast, the man that everybody looked down upon, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but felt he was a miserable, worthless sinner. He smote upon his breast, and said, " God be merciful to me a sinner! " And Jesus said that this man went down to his house justified. Anybody can be saved that will take the sinner's place and cry for mercy; nobody else can.

I have a very quaint friend over in America who is a Scotchman, and one day he was walking out through the country when a man came along in a carriage. He saw the old man walking, and invited him to get into the carriage, which he very promptly did, for "he saw an opportunity for doing good. The man who had invited him into the carriage was very curious to know who the old Scotchman was, so he asked him questions, and finally the old Scotchman said, " I will tell you who I am, and I will tell you what my business is. I have a very strange business. I am hunting for heirs." The other man said, " What? " " I am hunting for heirs — heirs to a great estate. I represent a very great estate, and I am hunting for heirs for it, and there are a good many round this neighbourhood." The other said, " Do you mind telling me their names? " " No," he said; " it is a very large family; their name begins with ' S.' " " Oh," said the man; " Smith, I suppose? " " No," the old man replied, " a much larger family than the Smith family." He says, "Larger than the Smith family! Who are they?" The old Scotchman said, " They are the sinner family. The estate I represent is the kingdom of God, the inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, and the heirs to it are the sinners who are willing to take the family name and own up that they are sinners, and look to God for pardon." Do you belong to that family? Do you belong to the sinner family? If you do you can be saved. If you are not willing to own that you do you cannot be saved. You are lost for ever.

3. In the third place, no man, no woman, can be saved who is not willing to accept salvation as a free gift. We are told in Eph. ii. 8, " For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God "; and in Rom. vi. 23, " The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Salvation is a free gift. Anybody can have it for nothing; nobody can have it any other way, and if you are not willing to take it as a free gift you cannot have it at all.

My wife was talking one day in America to a young man, a son of the richest man in all that neighbourhood. There seemed to be some difficulty about his accepting Christ. Finally my wife said to him, calling him by his name, " The trouble with you is you are not willing to accept salvation as a free gift." He said, "Mrs. Torrey, that is just it; I am not willing to accept salvation as a free gift. If I could earn it, if I could work for it, if I could deserve it! I am willing to earn it, but I am not willing to take it as a free gift."

Well, nobody can earn it, nobody can merit it, nobody can deserve it; nobody can get it, except for nothing, and unless you are willing to take it as a free gift you will never get it at all. The richest millionaire has to get it the same way as the pauper — as a free gift; and the richest man on earth that gets saved will have nothing more to boast of when he gets to heaven than the poorest pauper who is saved.

4. In the fourth place, nobody can be saved who will not accept Jesus Christ as his Saviour. We are told in Acts iv. 12, " There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Anybody can be saved in Christ; nobody can be saved in any other way. An infidel once said to a friend of mine, Mr. Henry Varley, " If I cannot be saved without accepting Christ I won't be saved." Well, then, he won't be saved. That is all there is to it, he won't be saved.

If you should ever go to Sydney, you will soon find that every citizen in the city is very proud of their harbour. You won't be in Sydney half-an-hour before somebody will ask you, " What do you think of our harbour? " They may well be proud of it. It is one of the finest, if not the finest harbour in the world, beautiful and capacious. But it has only one entrance. There is one high promontory of rock called the North Head, and another high promontory called the South Head, and the only channel, wide and deep, is between these two heads. A little way south of the South Head is another headland, called "Jacob's Ladder." One night, many years ago, a vessel called the Duncan Dunbar, with hundreds of people on board, came outside of Sydney harbour after dark. The captain saw the South Head, and thought it was the North Head; he saw " Jacob's Ladder," and thought it was the South Head. He steered and put on full speed, and steamed in between the two lights, and ran on to the rocks, and every one of the hundreds on board perished, except one man, who was thrown up into a cave on the face of the rock. Now, that captain was perfectly sincere — -there never was a more sincere man on earth — but he was mistaken, and he was lost. People say it does not make any difference what you believe if you are only sincere; but the more sincerely you believe error the worse you are off. There is just one channel into salvation, and that is Christ. Try to go any other way, no matter how sincere you are, and you will be wrecked and lost eternally.

II. Who Can be Saved?

So much for who cannot be saved. Now, who can be saved?

First of all, sinners can be saved, even the vilest. We read in 1 Tim. i. 15, " This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." He has already saved the chief of sinners, and He is able to do it again. In the city where I used to live, the city of Minneapolis, a young girl of thirteen was betrayed. Her father and mother cast her off, so much the more shame for them. Her brothers cast her off, and I doubt if they were any better than she was; but, you know, it is one thing for a girl to sin, and another thing for a man to sin. It is in the eyes of man, but it is not in the eyes of God. They cast this poor girl of only thirteen years of age off, and I think they were worse than she was — more devilish. Of course, she went down; she became the companion of thieves, robbers, forgers, murderers, of everything that was disreputable, a member of two of the worst gangs, at different times, in New York and Chicago. One night when she was away down in sin a friend of mine met her, and said to her, " If you are ever sick of this life, come to me, and I will help you out of it." A night came when she was thoroughly sick of it, and she went to this gentleman's house — a very wealthy man, who used all his money for God — there was one rich man saved, but he has given his money, pretty much all of it, away. She came to his house. His wife, who was in, tried to show her the way of life. After a while the gentleman came in, and he showed her the way of life, and she was saved. To-day that young woman occupies a high position of great responsibility and honour in America, and there is scarcely one in the society in which she is a very high officer — I doubt if there is one — who even knows her past life. God has covered it up, though she bears the same name as she did in that life. A few years ago I was in Northfield, and she came to me and said, " I hope, Mr. Torrey, that you won't think it necessary to tell the people here, you or Mrs. Torrey " — (we were about the only ones, if not the only ones, there that knew her past record; she had been in our house in the days of her trouble) — " I hope you won't think it necessary to tell the people here my story." I said, " Most assuredly we shall not," for why should you tell a saved woman's story, when it is underneath the Blood, any more than a saved man's story? It is no longer her story; it is blotted out. And that woman is to-day a highly honoured woman. Out of the deepest depth of sin Jesus Christ has not only saved her, but covered up her past.

2. In the second place, any man or woman who is too weak to resist sin in their own strength can be saved. It is not a question of your strength, but of Christ's strength. We read in Jude, verse 24, " Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." We read in 1 Pet. i. 5, " Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." Jesus Christ can keep the weakest man or woman just as well as the strongest. I have seen men start out in the Christian life who talk this way in testimony meetings: " Friends, you know me; I am a man of great decision of character. When I make up my mind to do anything, I always go through. I have started out in this Christian life, and I want you to understand that I am not going to backslide as so many do; I am going through." Whenever I hear a man talking that way, I know he is going to backslide inside of six weeks every time. Another man will stand up trembling, hesitant, and he will say, " You all know me; you know I have no will power left; I have tried to quit my sin, time and time again, and, as you know, I have failed every time. I have absolutely no confidence in myself; but God says in Isa. xli. 10, ' Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness/ and I am trusting in Him." When I hear a man talking that way, I know he is going to stand every time.

One day somebody came to me in Chicago, and said, " We have got to find a place for Mrs. S______." I said, "Why?" "Well," they said, " Nels got drunk last night, and tried to kill his wife with a shoe-knife, and it is not safe for her nor her child, so she has left her husband. We must do something to provide for her." I said, " You are quite right to provide for her; that is just what we ought to do."

Not long after Nels came round to me, and said, " Mr. Torrey, do you know where my wife is? " I said, " I do." He said, " Will you please tell me where she is? " I replied, " I will not. You tried to kill her; you are a brute; you do not deserve to have a wife, and I am not going to tell you where she is, to let you go and kill her." He said, " If you do not tell me I will commit suicide." "Very well," I said; " you will go to hell if you do." That kind of fellow never commits suicide. Well, he kept getting drunk. He could not help it, poor fellow. Every little while he would come round to me for five cents, or for ten cents, saying that he was going to get a job in a shoe factory. I always knew that the money was going for whisky. He got a good many five cent pieces from me, and a good many from my students, and the money always went for whisky. Years and years went on, and Nels was always saying that he was going to quit drinking. I knew he was not. He meant to. He would come round saying that he was hunting for work; but I knew he was looking for another drink. That went on for years. One day I said to God, " Heavenly Father, if you will give me Nels S______ , I will never despair of another man as long as I live." I do not know if it was the same week, but I am sure it was very soon afterwards, that Nels S______ got his feet upon the Rock, Christ Jesus, and never fell again. Years have passed; he is an honoured member of my church. When I was home this summer, among those who came to welcome me was Nels S______ , his wife, and child, a happy family in Jesus Christ.

Friends, the Christ who saved Nels S______ , the lying, habitual, hopeless drunkard, can save any man or woman in Bingley Hall to-night that will trust Him.

3. Once more, any man can be saved who thinks he has committed the unpardonable sin, but who is willing to come to Jesus Christ to-night. Jesus says in John vi. 37, " Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." I think I have never gone to any place in my life where somebody has not written to me, or come to me, and said, " I had committed the unpardonable sin," and almost every one, if not every one, up to date, has gone away rejoicing in Jesus Christ. I get letters every week, from all over England, from people who tell me that they have committed the unpardonable sin.

One time I received a letter, a very broken-hearted letter, from a father who was a Presbyterian minister. He wrote that he had a son who was in awful spiritual darkness. The son thought that he had committed the unpardonable sin, and he was plunged into absolute despair. Would I take him at the Bible Institute? I replied that though I had every sympathy with him in his sorrow, the Bible Institute was not for the purpose of helping cases like these, but to train men and women for Christian service.

The father continued to write, beseeching me to take his son, and got other friends to plead for him. Finally I consented to take the young man. He was sent to me under guard, lest he might do some rash thing by the way.

When he was brought to my office I showed him to a seat. As soon as the others had left the room he began the conversation by saying, " I am possessed of the devil." " I think quite likely you are," I replied, " but Christ is able to cast out devils." " You do not understand me," he said, " I mean that the devil has entered into me as he did into Judas Iscariot." " That may be," I answered, " but Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. Now He says in John vi. 37, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' If you will just come to Him, He will receive you and set you free from Satan's power." The conversation went on in this way for some time: he constantly asserting the absolute hopelessness of his case, and I on my part constantly asserting the power of Jesus Christ, and His promise, " Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out." After a while I sent the young man to his room. Days and weeks passed, and we had many conversations, always on the same line, and I always holding him to John vi. 37. One day I met him in the hall of the Institute, and made up my mind that the time had come to have the battle out. I told him to sit down, and I sat down beside him. " Do you believe the Bible? " I asked. " Yes," he replied, " I believe everything in it." " Do you believe John vi. 37?" I asked. "Yes, I believe everything in the Bible." " Do you believe that Jesus Christ told the truth when He said, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out?" "Yes, I do; I believe everything in the Bible."

" Well, then, will you come? "

" I have committed the unpardonable sin."

I replied, " Jesus does not say, ' Him that hath not committed the unpardonable sin that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' He says, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' "

" But I have sinned wilfully after I have received the knowledge of the truth."

" Jesus does not say, ' Him that has not sinned wilfully after he received the knowledge of the truth that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out.' He says, * Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' "

" But I have been once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have fallen away, and it is impossible to renew me again unto repentance."

" Jesus does not say, ' Him that has not tasted of the heavenly gift, and has not fallen away, if he cometh to Me I will in no wise cast him out.' He says, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out' "

" But I am possessed of the devil," he answered.

" Jesus does not say, ' Him that is not possessed of the devil that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' He says, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' "

" I mean that the devil is entered into me as he, did into Judas Iscariot."

" Jesus does not say, ' Him that the devil has not entered into, as he did into Judas Iscariot, that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' He says, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' "

" But my heart is hard as a millstone."

" Jesus does not say, ' If a man's heart is soft and tender, and he comes unto Me, I will in no wise cast him out.' He says, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast him out.' " " But I do not know that I have any desire to come."

"Jesus does not say, ' Him that hath a desire to come, and comes unto Me, I will in no wise cast out.' He says, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' "

" But I do not know that I can come in the right way."

" Jesus does not say, ' Him that cometh to Me in the right way I will in no wise cast him out.' He says, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' "

" Well, I don't know that I care to come."

" Jesus does not say, ' Him that careth to come to Me, and comes to Me, I will in no wise cast out.' He says, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' "

The man's excuses and subterfuges were exhausted. I looked him square in the face and said, " Now, will you come? Get down on your knees, and quit your nonsense." He knelt, and I knelt by his side. " Now," I said, " follow me in prayer."

"Lord Jesus," I said, and he repeated "Lord Jesus," " my heart is as hard as a millstone."

" My heart is as hard as a millstone," he repeated.

" I have no desire to come unto Thee."

" I have no desire to come unto Thee."

" But Thou hast said in Thy Word ":

" But Thou hast said in Thy Word ":

"Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."

"Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."

" Now the best I know how I come."

" Now the best I know how I come."

" Thou hast said, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' "

" Thou hast said, ' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.' "

" I believe this statement of Thine."

" I believe this statement of Thine."

" Therefore, though I don't feel it, I believe Thou hast received me."

" Therefore, though I don't feel it, I believe Thou hast received me."

When he had finished, I said, "Did you reallycome? " He replied, " I did."

" Has He received you? "

" I do not feel it," he replied.

" But what does He say?"

" Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out."

" Is this true? Does Jesus tell the truth, or does He lie?"

" He tells the truth."

" What, then, must He have done? "

" He must have received me."

" Now," I said, " go to your room: stand firmly upon this promise of Jesus Christ. The devil will give you an awful conflict, but just answer him every time with John vi. 37, and stand right there, believing what Jesus says in spite of your feelings, in spite of what the devil may say, in spite of everything."

He went to his room. The devil did give him an awful conflict, but he stood firmly on John vi. 37, and came out of his room triumphant and radiant.

Years have passed since then. Though the devil has tried again and again to plunge him into despair, he has stood firmly on John vi. 37, and he is to-day being used of God to do larger work for Christ than almost any man I know. He is the author of that hymn,

" Years I spent in vanity and pride,

     Caring not my Lord was crucified,

Knowing not it was for me He died

     On Calvary.

"Mercy there was great, and grace was free,

     Pardon there was multiplied to me,

There my burdened soul found liberty,

     At Calvary."

Lastly, any one can be saved that will come to Jesus. " The Spirit and the bride say ' Come.' And let him that heareth say ' Come.' And let him that is athirst ' Come.' And whosoever will, let him take the Water of Life freely." Come now, come.