The Complete Gospel

“It is not that they reject Christ forever, but they reject Christ today. The Scripture says, “Now is the day of salvation,” because sinners need it now. Lost sinners are under the wrath of God. They stand condemned now. And here is the beauty of the text: “Now is the acceptable time.” Most unconverted hearers do not believe this. Some claim they must think about it. But what will be the result of their thinking? After they have thought so much, are we to imagine they will think themselves into salvation? Others say they cannot be in a hurry to make a decision. A hurry? What did the psalmist say? “I hurried, not hesitating to keep your commands” ( Psalm 119:60 ). When a person is on the edge of damnation or the borders of the grave, do not talk hurry; when it is a case of life and death, let us be quick to make a decision. Still, others claim they do not feel prepared to make a decision at this time, as if living another month in sin would make them more prepared to believe. Others may say their heart feels hard. Nothing in the Word of God leads us to believe in any way soften our own hearts. This is a mighty work of grace. Hearts that have been exposed to the gospel and rejected it will certainly grow harder in the course of time, not softer. The text says, “Now is the acceptable time”; it does not say, “There is an acceptable time lasting through a period of weeks, months, or years.”

Charles Spurgeon