The Best Investment Ever Made
Notes of an Address
President of Canadian Corporation Brokers Company Limited
At the first Men’s Fellowship Supper in Hamilton, Ontario, Monday, January 10, 1966
Investments can be in money, in time, in a cause, in many things.
The Bible says: “A Man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” I want to consider a spiritual investment — an investment in salvation.
In an investment you leek for a number of things. First and foremost, you look for safety or security. If you buy Government bonds, you know that the Government stands behind them. You feel that your investment is secure. If you buy 10.000 shares of Moon Mining at 10 cents a share, you are not so sure. There is a good chance you’ve bought an interest in moose pasture. When we come to the salvation of our souls, we can be certain. Christ said, “My Sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish.”
They say death and taxes are the only sure things. However, salvation can be certain in this life and in the hereafter. “Life is brief and death is sure; sin is the curse, but Christ the cure.”
The next thing you look for in an investment is the yield. What does it earn? It may be 4 per cent on a saving account or 6 per cent on bonds or trust certificates; perhaps higher on certain other investments. Recently, in talking to a business man, he indicated that he was a partner in a certain concern and he actually received an 8 per cent cash return on his investment in one year. Salvation gives a good return. The results of the flesh and of the spirit are set out in Galatians, Chapter 5.
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revelling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”
Salvation gives a good yield, both in spiritual and material matters. It pays to be a Christian even in everyday things. The Christian has the best of both worlds. The Lord will prosper those who honour Him. Another thing about investments is the price. You may know of a tremendous investment which meets all your qualifications, yet it is so high-priced that you cannot afford it. In connection with salvation it is priced right — it’s free — it’s without money and without price. It’s something for nothing. “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.”
It doesn’t cost a penny to be saved. It is free as far as we are concerned, but it cost God His only Son. Christ had to endure the agonies of Calvary before our sins could be atoned for. Before we could have this free salvation, He must pay the greatest price in this greatest of all transactions.
This investment doesn’t depreciate, suffers no depletion and is never obsolete. If you invest in a stone quarry, it will eventually run out of stone. If you invest in an office building, it will depreciate. If you buy a certain machine, in time it will become obsolete. But the inheritance we receive as a result of our salvation is not subject to any of these forces. It is described in I Peter, chapter 1, “An inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” You will notice that this inheritance is reserved for us and we are kept for it.
In investing, a person often looks for diversification. They say, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” The Christian life is one of diversity. It is the most interesting life there is. Do you feel a need for a new life; are you fed up and bored with the old one? You can have a new start in life. The Bible says: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” It is possible to start anew, with the past forgiven and with a bright future.
With this diversity there is, however, permanence. In the world today values change. What is in style today, is out of style tomorrow. A few years ago laundromats were all the rage. Today many people wish they had never heard about them. However, salvation is permanent: it never changes. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.” His salvation never changes, it’s forever.
Growth is one of the features of this investment. As we grow in the things of the Lord, we become stronger. The Lord guides us in the way we must go. It is not necessary to conform to the world even in our business. As a Christian it is not needful to compromise. We can prosper in business and yet live the Christian life. “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus, the Lord, so walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith.”
Finally, there is a convertible feature here. You have heard of convertible bonds or debentures. There are bonds that provide for safety and income now and later can be converted to the benefit of common stock. This is like salvation. It provides for us here and now with safety and security and then, at a later date, we will be changed. At the coming of Christ, these bodies of our humiliation will be changed so that they will be like His glorious body (the marks of Calvary apart). We shall see Him and be like Him.
So when you think of this investment, remember concerning salvation.
1. It is safe and secure.
2. It provides a good yield.
3. It’s priced right — it’s free.
4. It doesn’t depreciate, deplete or become obsolete.
5. It provides for diversification.
6. It is permanent.
7. There is growth involved.
8. Finally, it is convertible.
You say, “that sounds good to me: how do I get it?” In a sense it’s not getting “it.” It’s getting a Person —Christ. When you receive Him, you receive salvation.
The writer, at the age of 19, received Christ as his Saviour. For almost twenty-five years he has proven the reality of this salvation. Often, if a product is tried for five or ten years, this is considered sufficient test. Many have enjoyed salvation much longer than twenty-five years.
Will you make an investment in salvation now? Receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and you will have eternal life.