Having received a tract written by Robert E. Surgenor, published by The Gospel Message, which is intened to teach folks how to be saved, I submit this review of the same. Indeed, I find the message of the tract to be distressing, misleading those who desire to serve the Lord from the get-go, taking readers down the route of human wisdom and understanding rather than God's plan to save man.

John Newton's story is intriguing, and I applaud him for his choice to cease his part in the slave trade, and furthermore, for his eventual stand against it. I also appreciate the penmanship of Mr. Newton. I ahve sung the song, "Amazing Grace" many, many times, and will continue to do so, as this hymn brings with it the wonderful sentiment that the grace of the Lord is central to the salvation of souls. This being said, Mr. Newton's hymn is not Scripture, nor will any man stand before John Newton in judgment. The Lord plainly declares, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." (John 12:48).

I commend the writer of the tract in question on his definition of grace. "It is the unmerited favor of God bestowed upon men, thus enabling them to obtain salvation even though they don't deserve it." Amen! There is not one man to have lived who deserves the rewards of heaven, save Jesus Christ, the Son of God. For "...all have sinned and come short of the glory of God..." (Romans 3:23), and thus, the just reward of all is death (Romans 6:23). But, in this Jesus, God's grace was made manifest. So gracious was He, that "...he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5:21).

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CONCERNING NOAH
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The writer says of Noah, "...when the flood came, he was sheltered in the ark and saved --- not through his own good works, but through God's grace." Indeed, I agree that Noah was saved by the grace of God, yet let us not set aside the important truth that Noah did have to do something to be a recipient of this grace. Noah had set himself apart from the others of his generation as a just man, one who walked with God (Genesis 6:9). When the Lord determined to destroy all that was on the face of the earth, He commanded Noah to build an ark of gopherwood. He was given specific instructions as to it's design (Genesis 6:13-16). Let the reader know that had Noah not kept these commandments of the Lord, he would by no means have been saved in the flood.

Moses records, "Thus did Noah, according to all that god commanded him, so he did." (Genesis 6:22) The Hebrew writer comments on Noah's faith, saying, "By faith Noah, beign warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condmned the world..." (Hebrews 11:7) Noah "...prepared an ark to the saving of his household..." Had he not prepared it, he would have perished with the others. How is it that Noah "...condemned the world..."? Was it not by his obedience to the Lord's commands? Does this give him reason to boast? Certainly not, he simply did what he was commanded to do (Luke 17:10). Yes, Noah was saved by the grace of God, but not apart from his faithful obedience to the Lord's commands.

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CONCERNING PAUL
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The apostle Paul is used by the writer as a second example to illustrate his premise that God's way regarding salvation "...is all by His grace." Let us consider the apostle Paul, as we have Noah.

First, in the text which the writer has used, 1 Corinthians 15:10, Paul is not speaking about his salvation, but rather his work as an apostle. He says, "And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15:8-10) Did Paul say that he did nothing in regards to his salvation, or that he did nothing in regards to his preaching? Nay, rather what he has done is recognize that were it not for the grace of God, he would be nothing.

Consider Paul's conversion to Christ from Acts 9, and his recount of the same in Acts 22. After realizing that it was the Lord who had appeared to him on the road to Damascus, Paul asked, "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" To which Jesus replied, "Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told the what thou must do." Was Paul saved yet? Not according to the Lord, for he would be told what to do in the city.

In the city, Ananias came to Paul and said, "...the Lord, even jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost." But what was Paul told that he "...must do"? In Acts 22:16, Paul recalled the words of Ananias, "And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord..." Does this give Paul reason to boast? Certainly not! In being baptized, Paul obeyed the command of the Lord (Mark 16:16), and God cut off the "...sins of the flesh..." (Colossians 2:11-12). However, had he not heeded the words of Ananias, Paul would have remained dead in his sins.

Was Noah's experience one of grace? Indeed it was. Was Paul's experience one of grace? Surely, yes. Yet let us realize that man is called to action, having a part in his own salvation. Did the apostle Peter not say to those at Pentecost, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation." (Acts 2:40)?

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THE WRITER'S GRIEF
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Even as the writer says he is grieved by those who think "...salvation comes through efforts of their own", as well as the Lord, I am grieved at those who teach that man need do nothing in regards to salvation. The writer says, "...no matter how high a person may be in ecclesiastical circles, if he contradicts God regarding the way of salvation, he has to be wrong." AMEN!!

I would that the writer and those who read his tract would realize his error. He rebukes those who take an extreme position of salvation by works, to the exclusion of God's grace; yet he himself takes an equally extreme and wrong position, that of salvation by grace alone, apart from works. The Scriptures declare of our Lord, "...being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." (Hebrews 5:9). And again, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." (James 2:24).

It is often the case that one extreme and wrong position begets a corresponding extreme and wrong position. To say we are able to save ourselves hased upon our own merit, by our good works is contrary to Scripture (Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 3:24; 1 Corinthians 1:29; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5). Yet it is equally contrary to Scripture to say we are saved by grace alone, aside from faithful obedience to the Lord's commandments (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46; James 2:20-26; Hebrews 5:9). May we ever search the Scriptures, that we might know and obey that which is truth!

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