1 Timothy 1:15
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...
Romans 5:8
God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
C.H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, September 25
My hope is alive not because I am not a sinner but because I am a sinner for whom Christ died. My trust lives not because I am holy but because, being unholy, He is my righteousness. My faith rests not on what I am or will be, or on what I feel or know, but on who Christ is, on what He has done, and on what He is still doing for me.
C.H. Spurgeon, “The Faithful Saying”, a sermon May 26, 1878 on 1 Timothy 1:15
https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/the-faithful-saying/#flipbook/
All systems of theology, except that which is founded upon free grace, in some way or other take off the edge of guilt. If they try to compromise the business, and make salvation to be partly a matter of human effort and human merit, and partly a work of divine grace, they are sure in the process to conceal the exceeding iniquity of sin. Man is made out to be a poor, weak creature, victimised by a law too rigid for his frailty. It is represented that he has a right to mercy, and a great uproar is made if we deny him any such right; and much anger is felt if we declare that mercy is the sovereign prerogative of God, and may be exercised at his own absolute discretion. Rebellion against divine election is often founded on the idea that the sinner has a sort of right to be saved, and this is to deny the full desert of sin. You will find that he who sets forth free grace as the sole fountain and source of human salvation, and declares that sin is pardoned and put away freely by the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, is most plain and severe in denouncing sin with all his might, and most tender in sorrowing over his own personal iniquities. I shall preach grace to the chief of sinners at this time without reserve, and without guarding my words in any respect whatever; I shall fling the big net of the gospel light into the sea, let it go where it may; but do not, therefore, conclude that we think little of sin.
Christ did not come into the world to save anybody but sinners, and he viewed those sinners as sinners and nothing more: he did not view them as repenting sinners, nor as believing sinners, nor as humble sinners, nor as sanctified sinners, nor anything else but sinners, and under that character he contemplated their salvation. It is clear that sinners only are the objects of salvation, for none but sinners need saving, and if there had been no sinners there would certainly have been no saving and no Saviour.
(Luke 5:32 - “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”)
No man believes in Christ until that faith is given to him from above, and Christ came not to save sinners who make themselves believe, but to save sinners by giving them faith.
“A Great Gospel For Great Sinners”, a sermon May 3, 1885 on 1 Timothy 1:15-17
https://www.spurgeongems.org/sermon/chs1837.pdf
Jesus saves those who have most grievously erred, that He may display them as specimens of what His grace can do… the very wickedness of man He uses as a foil [literary tool to accentuate or draw attention to the qualities of another] to set forth the brightness of the glory of His grace.
“Jesus Came to Save Sinners: An Earnest Conversation with Those Who Long for Salvation and Eternal Life”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiZTZpt5a5Q
See the Lord Jesus as your strength and your song, for He has become your salvation. According to the Scriptures, it is a revealed fact that at the right time Christ died for the ungodly when they were still without strength. You may have heard these words hundreds of times, and yet you’ve never perceived their meaning.
Jesus didn’t die for our righteousness but died for our sins. He didn’t come to save us because we were worth saving, but because we were utterly worthless, ruined, and undone. He didn’t come to earth because of anything we’ve done to merit His love, but solely for reasons which He fetched from the depths of His own divine love (Romans 5:8). In His time He died for those whom He describes, not as godly, but as ungodly.
“Jesus Came to Save Sinners – The Whole Gospel in a Single Verse”, March 19, 1893
https://ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons39/sermons39.xii.html
But when Jesus Christ invites sinners, He does it after this fashion, ‘Come, sinners.’ And with sinners He mixed, even with publicans and harlots! With sinners He sat at meat. With sinners He lived. With sinners He died! He made His grave with the wicked. He entered Paradise with a thief! And today, those who sing the new song in Heaven confess that they were sinners, for they say, ‘You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.’ Yes, notwithstanding the pollution of sin, Christ came to save sinners!
Romans 5:6 - “When we were yet without strength (unable to save ourselves), in due time Christ died for the ungodly…"
Christ did NOT come into the world to help us to save ourselves. He came to save us—not to set us on our legs and say, “Now you do so much, and I will do the rest.” No, He came to save us! From top to bottom salvation is all of Grace, and all the gift of God by Jesus Christ. He did not come into the world, I say, to make us salvable, but to save us—nor to put us in the way of somehow or other meriting salvation!
(Isaac Watts, “The Power of Divine Truth”)
The Gospel bids the dead revive,
Sinners obey the voice and live!
Dry bones are raised, and clothed afresh,
And hearts of stone are turned to flesh!
All of Grace: An Earnest Word with Those Who Are seeking Salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. It is a very surprising thing—a thing to be marveled at most of all by those who enjoy it. I know that it is to me even to this day the greatest wonder that I ever heard of, that God should ever justify me. I feel myself to be a lump of unworthiness, a mass of corruption, and a heap of sin, apart from His almighty love. I know by a full assurance that I am justified by faith which is in Christ Jesus, and treated as if I had been perfectly just, and made an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ; and yet by nature I must take my place among the most sinful. I, who am altogether undeserving, am treated as if I had been deserving. I am loved with as much love as if I had always been godly, whereas aforetime I was ungodly. Who can help being astonished at this? Gratitude for such favor stands dressed in robes of wonder.
“Jesus came to save sinners”, December 7, “Morning”
Go where you will, you need not ransack earth to find sinners, for they are common enough. You may find them in every lane and street of every city, and town, and village, and hamlet.
It is for such that Jesus died. If you will select me the grossest specimen of humanity, if he be but born of woman, I will have hope of him yet, because Jesus Christ is come to seek and to save sinners.
Electing love has selected some of the worst to be made the best. Pebbles of the brook grace turns into jewels for the crown-royal. Worthless dross He transforms into pure gold.
Redeeming love has set apart many of the worst of mankind to be the reward of the Saviour’s passion. Effectual grace calls forth many of the vilest of the vile to sit at the table of mercy, and therefore let none despair.
Reader, by that love looking out of Jesus’ tearful eyes, by that love streaming from those bleeding wounds, by that faithful love, that strong love, that pure, disinterested, and abiding love; by the heart and by the Saviour’s compassion, we conjure you turn not away as though it were nothing to you.
But believe on Him and you shall be saved. Trust your soul with Him and He will bring you to His Father’s right hand in glory everlasting.
September 25, “Morning”
Romans 3:26 “Just, and the justifier of him which believeth.”
Being justified by faith, we have peace with God. Conscience accuses no longer. Judgment now decides for the sinner instead of against him. Memory looks back upon past sins, with deep sorrow for the sin, but yet with no dread of any penalty to come; for Christ has paid the debt of His people to the last jot and tittle, and received the divine receipt; and unless God can be so unjust as to demand double payment for one debt, no soul for whom Jesus died as a substitute can ever be cast into hell. It seems to be one of the very principles of our enlightened nature to believe that God is just; we feel that it must be so, and this gives us our terror at first; but is it not marvellous that this very same belief that God is just, becomes afterwards the pillar of our confidence and peace! If God be just, I, a sinner, alone and without a substitute, must be punished; but Jesus stands in my stead and is punished for me; and now, if God be just, I, a sinner, standing in Christ, can never be punished. God must change His nature before one soul, for whom Jesus was a substitute, can ever by any possibility suffer the lash of the law. Therefore, Jesus having taken the place of the believer - having rendered a full equivalent to divine wrath for all that His people ought to have suffered as the result of sin, the believer can shout with glorious triumph, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?” Not God, for He hath justified; not Christ, for He hath died, “yea rather hath risen again.”
“All Of Grace”
This message is for you: “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” (Romans 4:4-5)
I call your attention to the words, “Him who justifies the ungodly.” They seem to me to be very wonderful words.
Are you not surprised that there is such an expression as that in the Bible, “who justifies the ungodly”? I have heard that men who hate the doctrine of the Cross bring the charge against God that he saves wicked men and receives to Himself the vilest of the vile. See how this Scripture accepts the charge and plainly states it! By the mouth of His servant Paul, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, He takes to Himself the title of “Him who justifies the ungodly.” He makes those just who are unjust. He forgives those who deserve no favor.
Did you think that salvation was for the good and that God’s grace was for the pure and holy who are free from sin? Perhaps you think that if you were excellent, then God would reward you. Maybe you have thought that, because you are not worthy, there could be no way for you to enjoy His favor.
You must be somewhat surprised to read a text like this: “Him who justifies the ungodly.” I do not wonder at your surprise. For, with all my familiarity with the great grace of God, I never cease to wonder, at it either…
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” This truth is a very surprising thing—a thing to be marveled at most of all by those who enjoy it. I know that it is to me even to this day the greatest wonder that I ever heard of—that God should ever justify me.
“Hope, Yet No Hope, No Hope, Yet Hope”, April 8, 1866
https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/hope-yet-no-hope-no-hope-yet-hope/#flipbook/
Isaiah 57:10 “Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way; yet saidst thou not, THERE IS NO HOPE,
Jeremiah 18:12 “And they said, THERE IS NO HOPE: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.”
Jesus stands this morning by you, and cries, “Soul, I have come from heaven to redeem thee. If thou hadst any good works, there had been no need for me to come to save thee; but, inasmuch as thou art naked, and poor, and miserable, I came to earth, and this face was bedewed with sweat of blood, and these hands were pierced, and this side was opened to work out thy salvation. Take it; I freely present it to thee.”
“An Appeal to Sinners”, September 14, 1856
Luke 15:2 “This man receiveth sinners.”
https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/sermons/0219.cfm
Sinner, remember that Christ is willing to receive thee, for he came all the way from heaven to seek thee and find thee out in thy wanderings, and to save thee and rescue thee from thy miseries; he hath given proof of his hearty interest in thy welfare, in that he hath shed his very heart's blood to redeem thy soul from death and hell.
“The Simplicity and Sublimity of Salvation” a sermon March 6, 1890
http://articles.ochristian.com/article8386.shtml
John 1:11-13
“He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
“The Glorious Gospel” a sermon on 1 Timothy 1:15
https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/gospel/the-glorious-gospel-2/
“Salvation For Sinners” a sermon on 1 Timothy 1:15
https://www.mljtrust.org/sermons/other-sermons/salvation-for-sinners/