Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 12:20: Words of Counsel

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“A bruised reed he will not break.”
(Isaiah 42:3; Matthew 12:20)

It is dangerous for those seeking salvation to rely on others’ experiences. Many wait for a repeat of their grandfather’s or grandmother’s conversion. I had a friend converted in a field, who thinks everyone should go to that meadow to be converted. Another was converted under a bridge and believes anyone going there would find the Lord. The best approach for the anxious is to go directly to God’s Word. If anyone should find the Word precious, it’s those asking how to be saved.

For instance, someone may say, “I have no strength.” Let them turn to Romans 5:6: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” It’s because we lack strength that we need Christ. He has come to give strength to the weak.

Another may say, “I cannot see.” Christ says, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). He came not only to give light but “to open the eyes of the blind” (Isaiah 42:7).

Another may say, “I don’t think a person can be saved all at once.” Someone with this view was in an inquiry room one night, and I pointed them to Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” How long does it take to accept a gift? There’s a moment when you don’t have it, and another when you do—a moment when it’s another’s, and the next when it’s yours. It doesn’t take six months to receive eternal life. In some cases, it may start small, like a mustard seed. Some are converted so gradually, like morning light, it’s hard to pinpoint when the dawn began; for others, it’s like a meteor’s flash, with truth bursting suddenly.

I wouldn’t cross the street to prove when I was converted; what matters is knowing I truly have been. A child raised so carefully may not recall when their new birth began, but there must have been a moment when the change occurred, when they became a partaker of the divine nature.

Some don’t believe in sudden conversion. But I challenge anyone to find a conversion in the New Testament that wasn’t instantaneous. “As Jesus passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he rose and followed him” (Mark 2:14). Nothing could be more sudden.

Zacchaeus, the tax collector, sought to see Jesus and, being short, climbed a tree. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:5). His conversion must have happened between the branch and the ground. We’re told he received Jesus joyfully and said, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold” (Luke 19:8). Few today could claim such proof of conversion.

Cornelius’s entire household was converted suddenly; as Peter preached Christ, the Holy Spirit fell on them, and they were baptized (Acts 10:44-48). On Pentecost, three thousand gladly received the Word, were converted, and baptized the same day (Acts 2:41). When Philip spoke to the eunuch, the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” Nothing prevented it. Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” They went into the water, and the eunuch, a man of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, was baptized and went on his way rejoicing (Acts 8:36-38). Scripture shows conversions as sudden and instantaneous.

Suppose a man has stolen $1,000 from his employer over a year. Should we tell him to steal $500 the next year, then less each year, until in five years he steals only $50? That’s the logic of gradual conversion. If such a person were pardoned in court because he couldn’t change instantly, it would be bizarre. The Bible says, “Let the thief no longer steal” (Ephesians 4:28). It’s an immediate turnabout! If someone curses a hundred times a day, should we advise ninety curses tomorrow, eighty the next, until the habit fades? The Savior says, “Do not take an oath at all” (Matthew 5:34).

If a man gets drunk and beats his wife twice a month, should we suggest once a month, then once every six months? That’s as logical as gradual conversion. Imagine Ananias telling Paul, en route to Damascus breathing threats and murder against disciples, to kill fewer than planned and let enmity fade gradually. If told not to stop threatening and start preaching Christ instantly because philosophers would doubt such a sudden change’s lasting power, it would align with those who reject instantaneous conversion.

Another group fears they won’t hold out. This is a large, hopeful class. I like seeing someone distrust themselves. It’s good to point them to God, reminding them it’s not they who hold God, but God who holds them. Some want to grasp Christ, but the key is for Christ to grasp you through prayer. Let them read Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.”

Some call this the traveler’s psalm, fitting for pilgrims in this world, and one we should know well. God can do what He has done before. He kept Joseph in Egypt, Moses before Pharaoh, Daniel in Babylon, and Elijah before Ahab in dark times. I’m thankful these men were like us; God made them great. What we need is to look to God. True faith is human weakness leaning on God’s strength. When we have no strength, leaning on God makes us powerful. The problem is we have too much confidence in ourselves.

In Hebrews 6:17-19, we read: “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.” These verses comfort those fearing they won’t endure. It’s God’s work to hold us. The Shepherd keeps the sheep, not the sheep the Shepherd. Who heard of sheep retrieving their shepherd? Some think they must sustain themselves and Christ. That’s false. The Shepherd cares for those who trust Him, and He promises to do so. A dying sea captain once said, “Glory to God; the anchor holds.” He trusted Christ; his anchor gripped the solid rock. An Irishman said, “I tremble, but the Rock never does.” We need sure footing.

In 2 Timothy 1:12, Paul says: “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.” That was Paul’s conviction.

During the Civil War, a chaplain visiting hospitals met a dying Christian soldier. Asking his denomination, the soldier replied, “Paul’s persuasion.” “A Methodist?” the chaplain asked, as Methodists claim Paul. “No.” “A Presbyterian?” for Presbyterians claim him too. “No.” “An Episcopalian?” as they also claim the Apostle. “No.” “Then what persuasion?” “I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.” This grand conviction gave the dying soldier peace.

For those fearing they won’t hold out, see Jude 24: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.”

Also, Isaiah 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

And verse 13: “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’”

If God holds my right hand, can’t He keep me? Doesn’t the God who made heaven and earth have power to keep a sinner like you or me if we trust Him? To lack confidence in God for fear of falling is like refusing a pardon for fear of reoffending or a drowning person declining rescue for fear of falling into water again.

Many view the Christian life and fear they lack strength to endure. They forget the promise: “As your days, so shall your strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:25). It’s like a clock’s pendulum, discouraged at traveling thousands of miles, but gaining courage realizing it’s done by “tick, tick, tick.” So Christians commit to their heavenly Father’s care, trusting Him daily. It’s comforting to know the Lord won’t start a good work without completing it.

There are two kinds of skeptics: those with honest difficulties and those who love debate. I once thought the latter would always trouble me, but they don’t now. I expect them along the journey. Such people surrounded Christ, trying to trap Him in His words. They attend our meetings for debate. To them, I commend Paul’s advice to Timothy: “Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels” (2 Timothy 2:23). Foolish questions! Many young converts err by thinking they must defend the entire Bible. I knew little of the Bible when first converted and thought I had to defend it all. A Boston skeptic overwhelmed me, discouraging me. But I’ve moved past that. There are things in God’s Word I don’t claim to understand.

When asked what I do with them, I say, “Nothing.”

“How do you explain them?” “I don’t.”

“What do you do with them?” “I believe them.”

When told, “I wouldn’t believe what I don’t understand,” I reply that I do. Many things unclear five years ago are now illuminated, and I expect to learn more about God through eternity. I avoid debating disputed passages. An old divine said some start eating fish by picking bones. I leave such matters until I have light. I’m not bound to explain what I don’t grasp. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever” (Deuteronomy 29:29). I take, eat, and feed on these for spiritual strength.

In Titus 3:9, we find sound advice: “But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless.”

But with an honest skeptic, I deal tenderly, like a mother with a sick child. I have no patience for those who shun a skeptic. At an inquiry meeting, I handed a skeptic to a Christian lady I knew. Soon, I saw the inquirer leaving. I asked, “Why did you let her go?” “She’s a skeptic!” I stopped her at the door and introduced her to another worker, who spent over an hour in conversation and prayer. He visited her and her husband, and within a week, that intelligent lady shed her skepticism and became an active Christian. It took time, tact, and prayer, but if a skeptic is honest, we should treat them as the Master would.

Here are passages for doubting inquirers: “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority” (John 7:17). If someone isn’t willing to do God’s will, they won’t know the doctrine. Skeptics know God desires them to abandon sin; if they’re willing to turn from sin, accept the light given, and not expect full understanding instantly, they’ll gain more light daily, progressing step by step, led from darkness into heaven’s clear light.

In Daniel 12:10, we read: “Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.”

God never reveals His secrets to His enemies. If someone persists in sin, they won’t grasp God’s doctrines. “The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant” (Psalm 25:14). In John 15:15, we read: “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” When you become Christ’s friend, you’ll know His secrets. The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?” (Genesis 18:17).

Those resembling God are most likely to understand Him. If someone refuses to turn from sin, they won’t know God’s will, nor will God reveal His secrets. But if they’re willing, they’ll be amazed at how light comes in!

I recall a night when the Bible was the driest, darkest book to me. The next day, it was entirely different. I thought I’d found its key. I’d been born of the Spirit. But first, I had to surrender my sin. God meets every soul at the point of self-surrender; when they let Him guide, the issue with many skeptics is self-conceit. They think they know more than the Almighty! They don’t come teachably. But when someone approaches with a receptive spirit, they’re blessed, for “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him” (James 1:5).

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About the Author

Born in Northfield, Massachusetts, Dwight L. Moody overcame a poor upbringing and limited education to become a leading 19th-century evangelist. Converted in 1855, he left a successful Chicago business career for ministry, founding the Moody Church and leading the Chicago YMCA. His powerful revivals with singer Ira D. Sankey drew millions in America and Britain. Moody’s simple, heartfelt preaching on salvation transformed lives. He established the Moody Bible Institute and Northfield Schools, leaving a lasting legacy in modern evangelism.