What does this mean?
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him.
1. We confess that we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to Him. Whoever would be saved must believe in Jesus Christ and so come to Him "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Acts 16,31. Christ, our Lord, it is true, has done everything that was necessary for our salvation. He redeemed us, He paid the penalty for all our sins, by His sufferings and death He gained for us the grace of God and the forgiveness of sins. He has done everything that we might be His own and live under Him as our Lord. All things are made ready for our salvation.
2. The only thing that we need do now is to come to Christ and accept from Him all He has gained for us. Take an example. You are in great want and distress. A rich and charitably inclined man offers you a sum of money sufficient to help you out of your trouble. The money is yours, for the rich man has given it to you. If you take it, your want will be at an end. But suppose you do not take it. Perhaps you do not believe that the rich man really means what he says, or you do not want to accept it from him, or, if you have taken it, you are not making use of it. The help has then been offered to you in vain. Your sad condition remains as it was. So it is with what Christ, our Savior, has merited for us. He has gained full salvation for us, and He offers it to us in His Word. If we do not accept it, His work is in vain as far as we are concerned; we remain in our sins.
3. How do we accept what Christ has gained for us? By believing in Him as our Savior. He believes in Christ who from his whole heart confesses: I know from the Word of God that Christ is my Lord, that He has redeemed me from all my sins, from death, and from the power of the devil. I know from the Word of God that I am Christ's own, His child, that He is really my Lord. For His sake all my sins are forgiven. Through His suffering and death I am free from death and damnation and have everlasting life. What Christ has done He has done for me, a lost and condemned sinner. In Him is my only hope. By faith we come to Christ. Faith is, as it were, the hand with which we take everything that Christ has gained for us.
4. Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved, that is the only way to heaven and everlasting life. But we confess that we cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him. Alas! also this is most certainly true. We are lost and condemned sinners. The Scriptures tell us that all men are by nature blind in these things. We do not understand the glorious message that in Christ alone is our salvation. We always try to save ourselves by our good works. If we are told about this salvation, we think it foolishness. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto Him." 1 Cor. 2,14.—We have not the strength to come to Jesus, our Savior. We are dead in the sight of God. "Ye were dead in trespasses and sins." Eph. 2,1. A dead person cannot do anything to bring himself to life again. Lazarus could not raise himself from the grave. So we cannot do anything to raise ourselves from our death in sins. "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord [that is, believe in Him] but by the Holy Ghost." 1 Cor. 12,3. And even if we could, we would not come to Jesus and believe in Him. We are by nature God's enemies. We do not want to be saved by Him. We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him. As far as we are concerned, we are lost.
5. But God has had pity on us. He sent His Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost does what we cannot do. He brings us to Christ, He works in us true faith. True faith is God's work in us, the work of the Holy Ghost, His work alone. Not our works, but His grace alone moves Him to do this work. "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2,8.9.
REMEMBER:—
1. Christ has done everything for my salvation. All now depends upon my coming to Jesus, my Lord and Savior.
2. I come to Jesus by believing in Him. True faith in Christ is not my own work. I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, or come to Him.