I love reading Charles Spurgeon. He was an English preacher and author. I took it upon myself to revise one of his tracts to updated language. Read and respond.

It is by God’s grace alone that sinners are rescued for instant death. God’s justice, like an ax ready to chop down a barren tree, is stopped by Jesus’ interceding, saying “Spare the sinner for a little while.” Many sinners have admitted after converting to God that it was only His mercy that allowed them to go on living. In his book Grace Abounding, John Bunyan tells about three “escapes” from death before he was a believer. He says these were the result of God’s patience and mercy. Sometimes, these “escapes” are the very things that convict us about how we have offended God, and give us a sense of love for God. Shouldn’t it be that way? We should recognize God’s patience as part of God’s saving love for us. That what Saint Peter says in his second epistle, “Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation.” (2 Pet. 3:15)

Here’s a story to illustrate: During a battle, and officer was shot in the stomach. But the bullet struck him right on a pocket, and struck a silver coin. He pulled the coin and bullet from his pocket, and on the coin was written in Latin, DEI GRATIA, which means By the Grace of God. He was amazed. He immediately remembered a letter a Christian woman had given him before he left for war. He read the letter, and was immediately convicted of God’s grace and became a believer. God blessed him through saving his life, then through the reading of the letter. And he was saved.

Let me ask you this as direct as I can: Are you still not saved? Do you remember any of your “escapes”? If so, the time has come to adore and admire God’s free grace. It’s time for pray that you may be led to repentance! Remember DEI GRATIA, and never forget that it is by God’s grace alone that we are saved. Grace always means that the one who gets it hasn’t done anything to deserve it. In fact, grace starts where all our supposed good works stop. That’s incredible news – but only once we accept that before God we are completely unworthy of salvation, without enough good works to be acceptable, without any goodness compared to the goodness of God. God is offering forgiveness for all our crimes. He is saving us because He loves us and chooses to save us. It’s his love, it’s His choice. Grace means it’s free. John Wickliffe, the first guy to translate the Bible into English, used to pray “Lord, save me freely.” Save us with your grace. Nothing we can do will earn us salvation. It can’t be bought or deserved. So Father gives it to us for free, and doesn’t charge us with any wrongdoing.

Grace comes to us through faith in Jesus. Whoever believes in Him is no longer condemned. Listen, you are a sinner, I am too. But God can give us His grace to look to Jesus, and start to truly live. Don’t wait. Now. Now. Now is the time.