A Chinaman and a Hindu met together at an inn. The Hindu was a learned Brahma, (Hindu priest) who was well taught in many sciences. He even had studied the Bible very thoroughly, yet only for curiosity's sake, for which reason it had not become to him the power of God unto salvation.
With the Chinaman, it was just the reverse. He was a simple unlearned man, but he had come to the knowledge that Christ had died for him, a lost sinner, and that He now was his Salvation and his Life. He had enjoyed these precious blessings for some years.
The learned Hindu thought he would have some fun, so he began a conversation with the Chinese Christian, putting such questions to him as: "What is the name of the son of Kis?" "What was in the ark?" and so on. As the Chinaman could not give the answers, he triumphantly turned to the rest of the company and said: "How can he be a Christian? He doesn't even know what is in the Bible!”
But the Chinaman was not readily bewildered, and in turn asked the Hindu: "Do you know if your sins are forgiven?" "Who can know that?" answered the Hindu, whereupon the Chinaman continued, "You don't know that? Then you don't know anything at all from the Bible.”
He then got his Bible and read to the Hindu a number of passages about the certainty of sins being forgiven as: "Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son." Col. 1:12, 1312Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: (Colossians 1:12‑13). And again: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
"How can that be?" exclaimed the confused Hindu, who never had found such a thing in the Bible, because he had read it with a cold intellect, and not with a repentant heart, thirsting after salvation and peace. But a man who does not acknowledge his guilt, and does not believe that his rightful desert is hell, will have no desire for a Redeemer or a longing for the forgiveness of his sins.
The faithful Chinaman then said earnestly and emphatically, "You do know much, but you believe nothing, and therefore you are not happy. I know little, but I believe that once I was lost, but now am saved through Christ on the cross. He has given me pardon and eternal life. His word tells me, and therefore I am certain of my salvation, and I am happy in my heart.”