Holding Him to the
Scriptures
By R. A. Torrey
(as told by Faris Daniel
Whitesell)
One
time I received a letter, a very heartbroken letter, from a father who was a
Presbyterian minister. He wrote that he had a son who was in awful spiritual darkness.
The son thought that he had committed the unpardonable sin, and he was plunged
into absolute despair. Would I take him in at the Bible Institute? I replied
that though I had every sympathy with him in his sorrow, the Bible Institute
was not for the purpose of helping cases like these, but to train men and women
for Christian service. The father continued to write, beseeching me to take his
son, and got other friends to plead for him. Finally, I consented to take the
young man. He was sent to me under guard, lest he might do some rash thing by
the way.
When
he was brought to my office, I showed him a seat. As soon as the others had
left the room, he began the conversation by saying, “I am possessed of the
devil.”
“I
think quite likely you are,” I replied, “but Christ is able to cast out
devils.”
“You
do not understand me,” he said, “I mean that the devil has entered into me as
he did into Judas Iscariot.”
“That
may be,” I answered, “but Christ came to destroy the works of the devil. Now He
says in John 6:37. ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’ If you
will come to Him, He will receive you and set you free from Satan’s power.”
The
conversation went on in this way for some time: he constantly asserting the
absolute hopelessness of his case, and I on my part constantly asserting the
power of Jesus Christ and His promise, “‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no
wise cast out.’” After a while I sent the young man to his room. Days and weeks
passed, and we had many conversations, always on the same line, and I always
holding him to John 6:37.
One
day I met him in the hall of the Institute, and made up my mind that the time
had come to have the battle out. I told him to sit down, and I sat down beside
him.
“Do
you believe the Bible?” I asked.
“Yes,”
he replied, “I believe everything in it.”
“Do
you believe John 6:37?” I asked.
“Yes,
I believe everything in the Bible.”
“Do
you believe that Jesus Christ told the truth when He said, ‘Him that cometh to
Me I will in no wise cast out’?”
“Yes,
I do; I believe everything in the Bible.”
“Well,
then, will you come?”
“I
have committed the unpardonable sin.”
“I
replied, “Jesus does not say, ‘Him that hath not committed the unpardonable sin
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’ He says, ‘Him that cometh to Me
I will in on wise cast out.’”
“But
I have sinned willfully after I have received the knowledge of the truth.”
“Jesus
does not say, ‘Him that has not sinned willfully after he received the
knowledge of the truth that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast our.’ He says,
‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’”
“But
I have been once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have
fallen away, and it is impossible to renew me again unto repentance.”
“Jesus
does not say, ‘Him that has not tasted of the heavenly gift, and has not fallen
away, if he cometh to me I will in no wise cast him out.’ He says, ‘Him that
cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’”
“But
I am possessed of the devil,” he answered.
“Jesus
does not say, ‘Him that is not possessed of the devil that cometh to Me I will
in no wise cast out.’ He says, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast
out.’”
“I
mean that the devil is entered into me as he did into Judas Iscariot.”
“Jesus
does not say, ‘Him that the devil has not entered into, as he did into Judas
Iscariot, that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’ He says, ‘Him that
cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’”
“But
my heart is hard as a millstone.”
“Jesus
does not say, ‘If a man’s heart is soft and tender, and he come to Me, I will
in no wise cast him out.’ He says, ‘Him that cometh to Me, I will in no wise
cast out.’”
“But
I do not know that I have any desire to come.”
“Jesus
does not say, ‘Him that hath a desire to come, and comes unto Me, I will in no
wise cast out. He says, `Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’”
”But
I do not know that I can come in the right way.”
“Jesus
does not say, ‘Him that cometh to Me in the right way, I will in no wise cast
him out.’ He says, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’”
“Well,
I don’t know that I care to come.”
“Jesus
does not say, ‘Him that careth to come to Me, and comes to Me, I will in no
wise cast out.’ He says, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’”
The
man’s excuses and subterfuges were exhausted. I looked him square in the face
and said, “Now, will you come? Get down on your knees, and quit your nonsense.”
He
knelt and I knelt by his side.
“Now,”
I said, “Follow me in prayer.”
“Lord
Jesus,” I said, and he repeated, “Lord Jesus.”
“My
heart is as hard as a millstone.”
“My
heart is as hard as a millstone,” he repeated.
“I
have no desire to come unto thee.”
“I
have no desire to come unto thee.”
“But
thou hast said in thy Word.”
“But
thou hast said in thy Word.”
“‘Him
that cometh to Me I will no wise cast out.’”
“‘Him
that cometh to Me I will no wise cast out.’”
“Now
the best I know how I come.”
“Now
the best I know how I come.”
“Thou
hast said, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’”
“Thou
hast said, ‘Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’”
“I
believe this statement of Thine.”
“I
believe this statement of Thine.”
“Therefore,
though I don’t feel it, I believe thou hast received me.”
“Therefore,
though I don’t feel it, I believe thou hast received me.”
When
he had finished, I said, “Did you really come?”
He
replied, “I did.”
“Has
He received you?”
“I
do not feel it,” he replied.
“But
what does He say?”
“‘Him
that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.’”
“Is
this true? Does Jesus tell the truth, or does He lie?”
“He
tells the truth.”
“What
then must He have done?”
“He
must have received me.”
“Now,”
I said, “go to your room: stand firmly upon this promise of Jesus Christ. The
devil will give you an awful conflict, but just answer him every time with John
6:37, and stand right there, believing what Jesus says in spite of your
feelings, in spite of what the devil may say, in spite of everything.”
He went to his
room. The devil did give him an awful conflict, but he stood firmly on John
6:37, and came out of his room triumphant and radiant. Years have passed since
then. Though the devil has tried again and again to plunge him into despair, he
has stood firmly on John 6:37, and he is today being used of God to do larger
work for Christ than almost any man I know.