The religious professor

Back to Next Part Man's religion & God's religion 2

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You may take away almost anything from a man but his religion! 

To pronounce his faith a delusion—his hope a falsehood—and to sift his profession until nothing is left but presumption or hypocrisy—to withstand his false confidence, and declare it to be worse than the faith of devils—to analyse his religion, beginning, middle, and end, as thoroughly and unreservedly as a chemist analyses a case of suspected poisoning—and declare the whole rotten, root and branch—can this be done without giving deadly offence?

To faithfully discriminate between taking the 'mere lamp of profession' in the hand—and the vital necessity of possessing the 'oil of God's grace in the heart' if ever we are to enter heaven—will make one especially obnoxious to the professing religious world.

The religious professor receives doctrines because he sees them in the Bible. The true believer not only sees them in the Book—but he feels them in his heart—put there by the Holy Spirit. He comes to the cross because he is guilty and there is nowhere else to go.

Thus the religionist and the believer (however they may resemble one another) have an eternal distinction which the hand of God has drawn between the living and the dead.