There is a small word that does more damage to more souls than almost any other. It is not a word of open rebellion. It is gentler than that, and far more respectable. It is the word but.
You believe that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. You may even long for Him to save you. And still, when the invitation comes close, something in the heart rises up to keep Him at arm’s length. Yes, but… I am too great a sinner. Yes, but… it must be given to me. Yes, but… what about election? Yes, but… I don’t feel my sin enough. Yes, but… I have come so often and felt nothing. The excuses are endless, and they sound, every one of them, like humility or like sound doctrine. That is exactly what makes them so dangerous.
A little book has just appeared in English that does one thing, and does it relentlessly: it answers each of these objections, one after another, with Scripture. It is called Yes, But… Questions, Excuses, and Objections That Hold Us Back from Faith in Christ. I want to commend it to you warmly.
What it is
The booklet is a translation from Dutch (now in its fifth Dutch printing), and for the first time in English (2026). It comes out of the Boekenfonds Reformatorisch Appèl, a Dutch book fund that exists to call readers back to the roots of the Reformed message: grace freely offered, reconciliation accomplished, and the assurance of faith. The author has chosen to remain anonymous, content to let the Scriptures do the speaking.
If you have read anything else on this site, you will know why I love this book. I have written about people who have grown up under serious preaching, who knows something of sin and misery, and who would love to be saved, but have been taught, in a hundred subtle nuanced ways, that he or she may not come to Christ. Yes, But… is the medicine for precisely that condition. It will not let you hide behind your own helplessness. Patiently, plainly, it clears away the excuses we shelter behind, one after another, until nothing stands between you and the Saviour who freely invites you.
A taste of it
To give you a flavour of the book, here is one short chapter in full. It answers the objection that we must somehow make ourselves presentable before we may come. It answers with a fitting parable:
Yes, but… may I come just as I am now?
Yes, exactly as you are. Namely as a guilty, powerless, and unwilling sinner and not as a reformed Pharisee or as a respectable churchgoer. Come unconditionally to Him! We can indeed never fulfill God’s demand. The law shuts the door of our hope, but you don’t need to clean yourself up because that won’t help. Then you’re turning things around. You want to make yourself holy in order to become righteous. You want to have something to come to God with. You want to give Him a helping hand, even if it’s only one percent. The Gospel, however, is: living from the merit of Another. He has done everything (Galatians 3:13)! Your tears, your seeking, your earnest efforts will always be found wanting (Isaiah 64:6). There is only one thing that satisfies God and that is the holy Lamb of God. Are you satisfied with this Lamb? Then God is satisfied with you.
There was once a wealthy landowner who loved to paint. He met a homeless man in his park. He thought: “That’s a beautiful subject to paint!” He went to the homeless man and said: “Would you come to the castle this afternoon? I will reward you richly for it.” What did the homeless man do? He first went to wash himself, he went to the barber, and he put on the best clothes he could find. And so he stood at the wealthy landowner’s castle that afternoon. But when the door opened, the wealthy landowner asked: “Who are you?” The homeless man said: “I am the homeless man from this morning!” “No,” said the wealthy landowner, “I can’t do anything with you like this.” This was not what he had meant. He wanted to paint the homeless man, not this fixed-up man.
The Savior wants to save sinners. He wants to reconcile enemies. Will you then come to Him as you are and not fix yourself up? Don’t let anything or anyone hold you back, but flee to Him. There is salvation in Him and it lies ready. The Lamb has been slain. There is a fountain of blood that cleanses from all sins. Come to Him!
Who should read it
This is a book for the searching: for anyone who has sat under preaching for years and still wonders whether its invitation could possibly be meant for them. It would be hard to overestimate its usefulness: in the hands of a troubled friend, to give to a son or daughter, to read slowly with your Bible open beside you. At forty-nine pages it can be read in an evening, and it is cheap enough to buy a bunch and give away.
You can purchase the paperback or Kindle version on Amazon here (ISBN 979-8183513004). For questions or bulk orders, contact yesbut@cometothewaters.today.
Stop, then, with all your yes, but… yes, but… yes, but. Go with empty hands to the One who calls: “the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37).
