Who needs forgiveness and why? According to J. C. Ryle, the short answer is that all men need forgiveness because all are sinners. He elaborates on this at some length and then offers a concise summary, “The first step towards heaven is to see clearly that we deserve hell. There are but two alternatives before we must either be forgiven, or be miserable forever.” He next addresses the question of how we are forgiven. Speaking directly to the unsaved, he implores them, “Cast your soul, with all its sins, unreservedly on Christ; cease completely from any dependence on your own works.” After describing several characteristics of those who have been forgiven—they hate sin, they love Christ, they are humble, holy, and forgiving—Ryle ends with a solemn warning to those who know they are not forgiven, and a word of exhortation to those who are.