Dr. Law and Dr. Grace - Part 4 — Lester Roloff

Christ’s Suffering and Salvation

Chapter 2 of the book of Hebrews, verse 9,. "...but we see Jesus, who is made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, and bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering.". Now then, I'm the sinner.

Humanity’s Spiritual Death and Need for Grace

I'm sick unto death. I was stillborn spiritually. So were you. You know what a stillborn is? You know what a stillbirth is? That means you were born dead. I was born dead. The Bible said you had to quicken who were dead.

Where did you get dead when I was born? I was born dead spiritually. This is the very heart of the need for grace right here. Nobody was born good or alive. They were born dead in sin. And they live in sin.

And there's no other way to live except in sin until you're born again. All right, I'm the sinner. I realize there's something wrong with me. And so I say to my neighbor, I'm ailing. I need help. I wonder what can be done.

Dr. Law Exposes the Heart of Sin

Well, he said, I recommend an old doctor. He's unusual. He's tough. He's hard. He's hated. But he's been in practice a long, long time. I recommend that you go to him. His offices won't look too good, and you won't think he's much of a modern doctor.

But I recommend that you go to him. I said, where is his office? He told me. I went down to see Dr. Law. I said to the little nurse, I'd like to see Dr. Law. As he entered, he said, he's always in. He's waiting for you now.

I walked in. Not too much formality about Dr. Law. He looked at me. And he said, you have serious trouble. And I said, how'd you know? He said, I can tell by looking at you. I said, what do you think's wrong with me?

He said, I don't think I know. You have heart trouble. I said, you haven't even examined my heart. And like any old sinner, I began to get mad. And he ruffled my feathers the wrong way. I said, let me tell you, Dr. Law, you've never seen me before.

And you diagnosed my case by just one brief glance. And I said, I'm here to tell you, I'm having trouble with my feet. They've been carrying me to the dance hall, and I've been dancing, and they've been carrying me to the liquor store, and I'm having trouble with these hands.

He said, it's not your hands, it's your heart. I said, I've been having trouble with these eyes. These eyes have been watching television till twelve and one o 'clock at night, and I couldn't get enough rest to go to sleep, and my wife's just as bad as I am, and I need some help with these eyes.

He said, no, it's not eye trouble you're having. You don't need an optometrist. You need a heart specialist. I said to him, I'm having trouble with this old tongue. Ah, listen, that old tongue spits out oaths and dirty jokes, and it criticizes and it cuts people to pieces.

He said, it's not your tongue, it's your heart. Well, immediately I fell out with him. I said, I don't even like your attitude. I said, you seem quite egotistical. He said, no, I just know what's wrong with you.

I said, I'll tell you one thing, you're wrong about it, and I'm not going to pay any attention to you, and there are other doctors in this town, and he said, yeah, the woods are full of them, and when you make your rounds and won't get real help, come on back.

I said, I'll never be back. Isn't that just like a sinner?

Dr. Religion and the Comfort of Respectability

Down the street I went. You know where I went, don't you? I went to Dr. Religion. That's where most people go when they get in trouble, Dr. Religion. Oh, yes. I went in, and he had the plush office, and neon signs were flashing, and he had nurses all around, and I'll tell you, we just looked like we had really run into a tremendous doctor.

Dr. Religion. And so, he had some assistance, and he said, I'd like for you to go see Dr. Not-So-Bad. Well, I said, all right, that sounds pretty good to me. So I go into the office, and Dr. Not-So-Bad said, I don't really think you're so bad.

I see nothing seriously wrong with you. Well, I said, I like that. I feel better already. Yes, sir, not so bad, doctor. And isn't that what the sinner says? I'm not so bad. I've never killed anybody. I take care of my wife and my children.

I'm not so bad. But that old doctor's a quack, and you'll never get well going to Dr. Not-So-Bad. In a little while, I found out that he'd failed, and I went back to Dr. Religion. And he said, you know, I think the way you look, you've told me every time, you're not feeling just right.

Feeling, Trying, and Doing as False Remedies

I'd like for you to go to Dr. Feeling-Good. He's one of my newest doctors, and he's just got the latest training there is. And I think if you go in there, you'll start feeling better right away. So I went to Dr. Feeling-Good, and he ran me through his little simple tests, and I got nowhere, but I wasn't feeling any better.

I go back to Dr. Religion, and he said, I'll tell you what I believe.

I've got a doctor over here in a very lovely office, Dr. I-Try. And I go in to Dr. I-Try, and he said, I don't think you're trying. I said, well, tell me how to try. But that didn't work either, and yet people are trying.

You ever heard anybody say, I said to the man, are you a Christian? He said, I'm trying to be. He said, I'm working at it, working at it. You never get saved like that. I go back to Dr. Religion. He sends me in to Dr. Do-Good, and he tells me just to do good.

And this world's full of these do-gooders, you know, but they don't do good. Nobody can do good without God.

He sent me to Dr. Be-Better and Do-Better,.

But I couldn't because I had a bad heart. Oh, Dr. Religion, finally, he's getting a little discouraged with me, and he said to me, I've got a doctor in here in an office. I have a tremendous staff. I said, yeah, I noticed that.

I've about been to all of them. He said, there's one that you haven't been to. I'd like you to go visit Dr. I-Join. So I go in there, and a big sign says, Dr. I-Join. And I go in to him, and he said, now, I don't care how many doctors you've been to.

The Limits of Religious Association

If Dr. Religion sent you in here, I must have the answer for you. And I want you to start the church. Well, I said, which one? Oh, it doesn't make a lot of difference, the church of your choice. Now, one that's convenient to get to, one that has a nice young people's program.

You know, you have children, and they'll need to play. I said, yes, I sure do.