8. "I can see that God has done His part in the work of my salvation, but must I not do my part if I would avail myself of what He has done?”

Have you ever heard the story of the colored man who was wonderfully saved and arose in a class-meeting to testify to his new-found joy? His heart was filled with Christ and his lips spoke of Him and of Him only, as his Redeemer and Lord. The class-leader was a legalist and said when the other had finished, "Our brother has told us what the Lord did for Him, but he has forgotten to tell us what he did in order to be saved. God does His part when we do ours. Brother, did you not do your part before God saved you?" The colored man was on his feet in a moment and exclaimed, "I shore did do my part. I took to running' away from God as fast as my sins could carry me. That was my part. And God took after me till He run me down. That was His part.”
Yes, you and I have all done our part, and a dreadfully sad part it was. We did all the sinning and He must do all the saving. After we are saved we can labor night and day to show our gratitude to Him for what His grace has wrought.
“I am not told to labor
To put away my sin;
So foolish, weak and helpless,
I never could begin.
But, blessed truth, I know it,
Though ruined by the fall,
Christ for my sin has suffered,
Yes, Christ has done it all.”