ONCE two dear little girls were sitting out on the grass, talking to one another about their play. A lady, who was approaching, heard one say to the other, “We must not do that, must we, for God would not like it.” “No,” said the other, “God is very particular.”
That was a true word. He is very particular. He will not allow any sin at all before Him. How does He allow us to be with Him, then? He puts sin away by laying it on Jesus. That is the reason why He will not have our goodness or half goodness to save us. It is Christ He wants us to trust in, the One who bore sin away when on the cross, and now, being raised from the dead, has no sin on Him; so, you see, in Christ and in Him alone, we are fit for God.
Are you not glad to learn that He is so particular? A great many and indeed all of us, until He teaches us His estate of sin, would like to have God make light of our sins as we do. But what kind of a God would that be? No better than man. And what kind of a heaven would it be, if He were to allow us to enter it with our sins, instead of being CLEANSED FROM THEM with Christ’s precious blood? No better than this wretched world where man is unhappy and vile.
I have told you, dear children, how God hates sin and yet brings sinners into His presence. It is by having made Christ a sin-bearer. Can you find this one verse? “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” That One who knew no sin, who was made sin for us, was Christ.
And now I would like to ask you this question, “What think ye of Christ?” Will some of you send an answer to the editor of this paper? I once asked that of a class of children which I was teaching, and in a few days, I received some very precious answers telling me that some of them believed in Him as their Saviour. Do you? —Selected.
ML 07/16/1899