MOST of the boys and girls who read “Messages of the Love of God” have learned something about arithmetic at school. At first you learn to add, then to subtract, and later on one problems in multiplying and dividing.
Before I give you a little problem in arithmetic, I want to ask you a very simiple question, “What is sin?” Perhaps you are quick to answer: “Swearing and stealing and wicked things like that.” You are right; those things are sins, but there are lots of other things that are sins too, and perhaps you have never thought about that. Just simply doing your own will is sin in the sight of God, for we must remember that God is the One who tells us what sin is, and He is the One who is watching you and me all day long.
Every little act of impatience, every wrong thought, and every bit of disobedience is sin. Can you remember a day in your life when you have never done so much as one thing that God would call sin? I am afraid you must admit that there has never been such a day.
Now if you sinned just once each day, how many sins would be written against your name at the end of one year? The answer is 365! And if you sinned twice each day, the answer would be 730! But that is only for one year. If God kept that record for ten years, and you added them all up, there would be 3,650 sins! What a dreadful record, and yet God has seen and heard everything in your life and mine, and has written it all down — yes, and added it all up too!
Do you suppose there is any way that you could subtract a few sins from that dreadful total? If you were very, very sorry, and told God so, would that take away some of them? And then if you tried ever so hard to be good, would that take away a few more? No! No! Absolutely nothing that you or I could possibly do can take away or subtract so much as one sin from God’s total, and instead of that it gets worse and worse every day.
But here is the good news. The subtraction news! God is waiting to take them all away at once. He has promised in His own precious Word that, “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:77But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7). Isn’t that wonderful news! It is God Himself who has kept the record, and now makes this most glorious promise to forgive and cleanse them all away. By faith, all who believe God’s promise and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their own Saviour, their sins are gone.
Remember, every day your record is adding up higher and higher, and yet every day God is waiting to subtract every sin that has ever been written down against you. Do bow before Him now and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour and you will know the truth of His precious Word, “Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 8:1212For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 8:12).
Messages of God’s Love 12/22/1957