The Altar Of Sacrifice Series

Charles Stanley wrote about one of his more memorable seminary professors who had a practical way of illustrating to his students the concept of grace. At the end of his evangelism course he would distribute the exam with the caution to read it all the way through before beginning to answer it. This caution was written on the exam as well. As we read the test, it became unquestionably clear to each of us that we had not studied nearly enough. The further we read, the worse it became. About halfway through, audible groans could be heard through out the lecture hall. On the last page, however, was a note that read, "You have a choice. You can either complete the exam as given or sign your name at the bottom and in so doing receive an A for this assignment."

Wow? We sat there stunned. "Was he serious? Just sign it and get an A?" Slowly, the point dawned on us, and one by one we turned in our tests and silently filed out of the room. When I talked with the professor about it afterward, he shared some of the reactions he had received through the years. Some students began to take the exam without reading it all the way through, and they would sweat it out for the entire two hours of class time before reaching the last page.

Others read the first two pages, became angry, turned the test in blank, and stormed out of the room without signing it. They never realized what was available, and as a result, they lost out totally. One fellow, however, read the entire test, including the note at the end, but decided to take the exam anyway. He did not want any gifts; he wanted to earn his grade. And he did. He made a C+, but he could easily have had an A.

This story illustrates many people’s reaction to God’s solution to sin. Some people look at God’s standard--moral and ethical perfection--and throw their hands up in surrender. Why even try? they tell themselves. I could never live up to all that stuff. Others are like the student who read the test through and was aware of the professor’s offer but took the test anyway. Unwilling to simply receive God’s gift of forgiveness, they set about to rack up enough points with God to earn it. But God’s grace truly is like the professor’s offer. It may seem unbelievable, but if we accept it, then, like the stunned students who accepted the professor’s offer, we, too, will discover that, Yes, God’s grace truly is free. All we have to do is accept it.

5. Of GOD

The gift that is offered to us comes from God. In order to stand before a sinless God, we must be perfect. To say “I am better than so-and-so” is not the issue. If God were to say, “all you have to do to get to heaven is jump so high that you can touch the moon”, would a person that can jump 3 feet high really be any better off than someone who can jump 4 feet high. No. We have all fallen infinitely short of God’s standard.

F. B. Meyer called on a poor woman who made her living by taking in washing. When he arrived, she was hanging some clothes on a line. He commended her on how clean and white they looked. Thanking him for the compliment, she invited him in for tea. Time slipped by as they talked about the Lord. Meanwhile, the sky had clouded over and a light coating of snow covered the ground. As Meyer opened the door to leave, he said without thinking, "my, your washing doesn’t look quite as clean now!" "No," replied the woman. “The washing is as clean as it can be, but who can compete with God’s white?"