“Peace Be Unto You”
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stealing, idolatry, and every other evil. “They which do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:21
. If they persist in
sin, the judgment you have declared from God’s word is pronounced
upon them in heaven. In choosing to sin, they disown Christ; the
church must show that she does not sanction their deeds, or she herself
dishonors her Lord. She must say about sin what God says about
it. She must deal with it as God directs, and her action is ratified in
heaven. He who despises the authority of the church despises the
authority of Christ Himself.
But there is a brighter side to the picture. “Whosesoever sins ye
remit, they are remitted.” Let this thought be kept uppermost. In labor
for the erring, let every eye be directed to Christ. Let the shepherds
have a tender care for the flock of the Lord’s pasture. Let them speak
to the erring of the forgiving mercy of the Saviour. Let them encourage
the sinner to repent, and believe in Him who can pardon. Let them
declare, on the authority of God’s word, “If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9
. All who repent have the assurance, “He
will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou
wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.”
Micah 7:19
.
Let the repentance of the sinner be accepted by the church with
grateful hearts. Let the repenting one be led out from the darkness of
unbelief into the light of faith and righteousness. Let his trembling
hand be placed in the loving hand of Jesus. Such a remission is ratified
in heaven.
Only in this sense has the church power to absolve the sinner.
Remission of sins can be obtained only through the merits of Christ.
To no man, to no body of men, is given power to free the soul from
guilt. Christ charged His disciples to preach the remission of sins in
His name among all nations; but they themselves were not empowered
to remove one stain of sin. The name of Jesus is the only “name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
.
When Jesus first met the disciples in the upper chamber, Thomas
was not with them. He heard the reports of the others, and received
abundant proof that Jesus had risen; but gloom and unbelief filled his
heart. As he heard the disciples tell of the wonderful manifestations
of the risen Saviour, it only plunged him in deeper despair. If Jesus
had really risen from the dead, there could be no further hope of a
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