One Sunday morning I was telling my Sunday school class of young children the story of Adam and Eve. During the lesson I asked, “Joel, have you ever had to have a spanking?”
“No,” he said very solemnly. “You’ve never been naughty?” I asked.
“No,” he assured me.
So I thought I’d ask Michael. Now Michael is my neighbor, and I’d seen both his mommy and his daddy give him a spanking. So I said, “Michael, have you ever had a spanking?”
He shook his blond head “no,” and assured me that he also had never been naughty.
Tony was next, and he was six. Since he had lived six whole years, I was sure that he must have had a spanking. So I asked him the same question. But Tony was sure that he had never been naughty and had never needed a spanking.
So then I asked Rhonda. And Rhonda also said she had never had to have any kind of punishment.
Several more of the children told me the same thing. Then Robby, my little grandson, was next. He was the second to last child to be asked. He was sitting there looking at me with bright, blue eyes. The class was very quiet. I asked, “Robby, have you ever had a spanking?” His answer was the same — he had never had one either. I said, “Robby, you’ve been at our house when I’ve seen your mommy take you into the bathroom and I hear ‘smack, smack, smack,’ and then I hear you crying. What is going on in there, Robby?”
He didn’t seem to know. He just sat still and looked at me.
Now there was only Jason left. “Jason, have you ever had a spanking?” I asked.
Jason sat looking down at his hands that were fidgeting on his lap. And finally he said in a very small voice, “Yes.”
“Why did you have to have a spanking, Jason?”
“I was bad.”
How very hard it is for us to admit that we are bad. But God tells us that we have all sinned — we have all done things that are wrong. “There is no difference: for all have sinned.” Romans 3:22,2322Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:22‑23). “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him [God] a liar.” 1 John 1:1010If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:10). So we have to admit that we have been bad and that we need to be saved from our sins.
A little stir went through the class when Jason told the truth and admitted that he had been naughty. I said, “Jason, how very nice that you’ve been able to tell the truth. I’m sure that everyone in this class has been naughty and has had to be punished at some time.”
We sat in silence for just a moment. Then Joel spoke up, “Sometimes I tell the truth.” You know, we might as well always be honest with God, because He sees everything we do, He hears everything we say, and He even knows what we think. “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him [God] with whom we have to do.” Hebrews 4:1313Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:13). But the wonderful part is that even though He knows how naughty we are, He still loves us just the same. In fact, He loves us so much that He sent His own beloved Son to die on Calvary’s cross, and to bear the punishment for naughty sins and take them away forever. Won’t you admit to Him that you’ve been naughty and trust Him to wash your sins away? You’ll be very happy because then He will make you one of His children. This means that some day He will take you to His heavenly home to live with Him there forever.
ML-11/22/1987