Bruce Collins, Evangelist

John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

Is it possible to be sick for many years and NOT want to be made whole? I suppose that if a person wasn’t in pain; if he got used to the sympathy of others, and if he liked not having to work for a living, that person might get quite comfortable being infirm.

In the Bible, sin is likened unto diseases like leprosy and paralysis. Sin causes us to be blind, lame and impotent or invalids. Some of us are like the impotent man of John 5, we have been a long time in that condition. The Lord can cure us of the disease of sin, and can make us fit for heaven, but He will not do that unless that is our desire.

When I preach the Gospel and people come to me personally for help, I often ask them three questions: The first is, “Do you need to be saved?” Some people don’t even know they have been afflicted with the disease of sin, and they cannot honestly answer in the affirmative. They think they are better than others. They say that they have tried to do the best that they can, and that somehow they are pretty good. Because they don’t see their need to be saved, there is nothing that I can do to help them.

If those I am helping say that they need to be saved, then I ask them, “Do you want to be saved?” Some people simply do not want to be saved. They may think God is unfair or that He will require them to live the kind of life that they do not want to live. Obviously, I cannot help them. When people want to be saved I ask them, “Do you want to be saved NOW?” I have had people tell me that they want to be saved, but just not right now. Some want to live without being accountable to God and then they seem to think that there will be a “convenient season” (Acts 24:25) when they will get this matter settled. Unfortunately, Satan makes sure there is never a convenient time to be saved from the eternal conscious punishment that has been prepared for unbelievers.

But if a person can answer all three questions with a resounding “yes”, I know that I can use the Word of God to bring them to the assurance that Christ died for their sins. They have said “yes” to the Lord’s question, “Wilt thou be made whole?” We think people have a hard time understanding the Gospel and believing in or trusting in the Truth when, in actuality, most people are arguing with God about their need to be saved now. Once they agree with God that they need to be saved, once they decide that they want to be saved and that they want to be saved now, it is not hard for them to accept the fact that salvation is obtained by depending on what Christ has done for us and it is not obtained by depending on what we are doing for Christ. The truth that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 2:15), is still Truth that is worthy of all acceptation today.

I wonder how many of us have actually said “yes” to the question “Wilt thou be made whole?” For us the question might be phrased, “Would you like to know for sure that you have been cleansed from your sin and that you are going to heaven?” I remember when I came to the conclusion that I needed to be saved, that I wanted to be saved and that I wanted to be saved now. It wasn’t long before I was able to rest in the Truth that I didn’t need to wait for God to save me because Christ had already died to do just that. I rested on that Truth and it still gives me peace with God today.

Bruce Collins