Robin Hardy Online
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The verdict rendered here is not the verdict of a friend who is blind to any defect we may have; but it is the verdict of a bitter foe, who eagerly sought some flaw in him.
I. There Was No Flaw in His Life
1. It must have cost this witness a good deal to make such a confession. He was not the only enemy that sought in vain for a fault. Judas, Herod, Plate, Pilate's wife, the thief, the centurion—All sought in vain for an occasion to find fault.
2. After twenty critical centuries have passed He still stands the man without fault. He has withstood the storms of hate, of baseless criticism, of slander, of falsehood, but no scornful finger has pointed to a single fault.
3. He stands the only unfallen member of Adam's race. All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God, save Christ alone.
4. Critics have objected to some of His teachings, they have repudiated some of His claims, they have laughed at some of His ideals and goals; but no man has been able to find fault in Moral life.
II. There Is No Flaw in His Gospel
1. It is based upon God's love, and not upon man's merit. This reaches down to the deepest depths of human depravity and makes possible the salvation of the lowest man.
2. It requires repentance for sin. Unless this accompanies salvation, forgiveness would be worthless, the mind and heart and affections must be radically changed when men are saved.
3. It offers eternal life. The soul is eternal, anything short of eternal life would fail to benefit the soul. God works in the circle of eternity, not in the limited realm of time. His works are eternal.
4. It produces a change in the morals of men while they live in the flesh. Such a change is strong evidence of the work of God.
III. There Will Be No Flaw in His Judgments
1. There shall fall no judgment on the irresponsible. Infants, idiots, and such as have never been capable of rational deeds.
2. There shall be no judgments on His children, Christ is judged in their stead. They have taken refuge under His protection. There will be judgment on those who reject Him. They were offered mercy and would not have it. They were offered pardon and they refused it. They were offered heaven, but they scorned it. They have chosen to pass from under His protection; He loved them, but they would not have His love.
from Sermons in the Making by W.W. Melton; posted July 28, 2007
