This little bit from John Flavel stunned me.
This Puritan pastor takes the plight of one who thinks,
“I am too bad for Christ” and turns it around.
Here is what Flavel wrote:
“I pity many poor souls upon this account, who stand off from Christ, dare not believe because they want such and such qualifications to fit them for Christ. ‘O’ saith one, ‘could I find so much brokenness of heart for sin, so much reformation and power over corruptions, then I could come to Christ’; the meaning of which is this, ‘If I could bring a price in my hand to purchase him, then I should be encouraged to go unto him’. Here now lies horrible pride covered over with a veil of great humility.”
Isn’t that striking?
Pride keeps the sinner from Christ.
The seemingly deflated sinner is actually too puffed up with pride for salvation.
The one who thinks he is too low is, in fact, too proud.
The one who uses his badness as a reason to stay away from Christ is, in fact, worse than he thinks he is!
Yet that very badness is not a barrier God cannot stride through in Christ.
He came to save sinners.
Humble yourself beneath the mighty hand of God.
He is mighty to save.