THE boys and girls of our Industrial School were having their half hour’s instruction from the word of God before they took up their industrial work. After the verse, “All have sinned, and come short of the, glory of God,” had been committed, and some questions asked concerning it, the question was asked, How can we get to heaven? Plenty of hands went up in response. The teacher asked little Paul for the answer. “By being good,” was his very confident reply; but there were some who shook their heads, not satisfied with such an answer. “An,” said the teacher, “that is just what I thought you were going to say; and I have no doubt there are thirty thousand men and women in this town, who would give the same or a similar answer; but will that do? Shall we believe what man says, or what God says?” Without exception, the school was of the opinion that the question must be settled by what God says. Attention was then called to Christ and the two thieves on the cross. Some of the children thought that both of the thieves were lost, but the greater number thought that one was lost and one was saved. This was soon settled by the word. Then came the question, “Did the thief that was saved get into paradise, or heaven, by being good?” Among the many hands that went up there was one whose face was so bright and eager—and be was in the school also for the first time—that the question was asked him, “Well H—, how did the thief get into heaven?” Quick and brightly came the reply, “By being forgiven.”
How many of the little readers of “Messages of Love” could have given us as good an answer as that? Let me ask you now the question, Do you expect to get to heaven? Most of you, no doubt, hope to get there; but in what way will it be brought about? Will it be by “being good,” or will it be through “being forgiven”? All have sinned—you among the number: do you think being good will cleanse you from your sins? It certainly will not; all the good things you can do will not wipe out one of your sins. What then about the thousands of sins that are yours—the foolish thoughts, the idle words, the wrong things done! Ah, nothing but forgiveness will do; nothing but the blood of Jesus will make you clean. But that precious blood is enough and Jesus stands ready to receive you if you will come to Him. Your goodness is worth nothing in God’s sight, until you have come to Jesus. The blood of Jesus is of infinite value to Him, and it will cleanse you from all your sins.
Note, please, that it is all, not part. And another thing it is well to know is this; if you come to Jesus, the forgiveness you get will be eternal: it will not be as a certain little boy thought, to be granted over and over again, for he asked if God would forgive one six times. He thought a person was forgiven only until he sinned again. We may have to forgive one who offends us, six times, or even as often as seventy times seven which shows there is no limit to our forgiving others; we must be ready always to forgive those who may do us wrong: but with God, the forgiveness is once, and it is eternal. “Whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever.” Our acceptance is through Christ, “In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”
Unsaved reader, do you expect to get to heaven? And if so, how?
ML 07/29/1906