The Two Classes
“Two men went up into the temple to pray.”
I now want to speak of two classes: First, those who do not feel their need of a Saviour who have not been convinced of sin by the Spirit; and Second, those who are convinced of sin and cry, “What must I do to be saved?”
All inquirers can be ranged under two heads: they have either the spirit of the Pharisee, or the spirit of the publican. If a man having the spirit of the Pharisee comes into an after-meeting, I know of no better portion of Scripture to meet his case than Romans 3:10: “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth; there is none that seeketh after God.” Paul is here speaking of the natural man. “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” And in the 17th verse and those which follow, we have “And the way of peace have they not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”
Then observe the last clause of verse 22: “For there is no difference; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Not part of the human family—but all —“have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Another verse which has been very much used to convict men of their sin is 1 John 1:8: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”