An earnest preacher of the Gospel had been sent for, in order to speak words of comfort to a lady who was ill.
Not long before, the lady had been brought to know the Lord Jesus as her own personal Savior, and coming back to her nieces with whom she lived, she had openly spoken of the new found peace and joy which were hers. To their great surprise she would say, "I am saved and I know it, I have the forgiveness of my sins and I know it.”
They feared that she was under some delusion, and thought the preacher might set her right, and so decided to tell him of her mental condition before he saw her.
As he was arriving late at night it was agreed that he should see the aunt in the morning, and that at breakfast time he should be quietly told of her strange words and ways since what she called her "conversion.”
So this was done by one of the young ladies.
Their visitor listened to the story, quietly proceeding with his breakfast, until the tale was told. Then the following conversation took place as he continued his meal:
"Been to school?”
"Yes!”
"Learned grammar?”
"Yes!”
"Know how to parse?”
"Of course!”
"Got a Bible?”
"Yes!”
"Bring it!”
The passage was turned to and the girl read aloud, "In whom we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
"Parse have," he added.
"Verb have, indicative mood, present tense.”
"What does have, indicative mood, present tense, mean?”
"Have, got, possess, own.”
"Humph" was now all the visitor uttered, and the girl was left to look upon the word "have," and the Word of God to do its own work.
And the work was done. She saw that the mistake had not been on her aunt's side but on her own. That it was the portion and privilege of the believer on the Lord Jesus to have redemption, to possess redemption and to know it now.
Rising from the table she rushed to her own room and there poured out her soul before God. She received Christ as her Savior, giving up all hope in herself—trusting in His blood for cleansing, she received the witness of God in His word and knew —because He said it, that the blessing was hers. The redemption—the forgiveness provided "through Christ's blood" belonged to her as to all who believe.
Coming back into the room she walked up to their guest and said with thanksgiving and praise filling her soul. "I have the forgiveness of sins.”
He bade her go and gladden her aunt by telling her the good news, saying, "It will give her more comfort than anything I could say to her.”
The girl became the Countess of Castlestuart, and lived to tell to many how the grace of God had reached her.
How simple is the gospel story told in these words.
In "the riches of His grace" God has opened the way of blessing. "Through His blood," tells of the infinite cost—the precious blood of Christ being shed for us, "a ransom for all.”
"Redemption—the forgiveness of sins" becomes ours by simple faith. God gives, we receive. He provides, we partake, "we have" the blessing. It is ours the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Scriptures give us the assurance that it is ours now.