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The Sinner’s Friend, April 2
A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is
a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24
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Jesus is the sinner’s friend, His heart is ever open, ever touched with
human woe; He has all power, both in heaven and upon earth.
In the person of Christ we behold the eternal God engaged in an
enterprise of boundless mercy toward fallen man.
Christ came to this world to show that by receiving power from on
high, man can live an unsullied life....
He could say to whom He pleased, “Follow Me,” and the one ad-
dressed arose and followed Him. The spell of the world’s enchantment
was broken. At the sound of His voice the spirit of greed and ambition
fled from the heart, and men arose, emancipated, to follow the Saviour....
He passed by no human being as worthless, but sought to apply the
healing remedy to every soul.... He sought to inspire with hope the
roughest and most unpromising, setting before them the assurance that
they might become blameless and harmless, attaining such a character
as would make them manifest as the children of God.
Often He met those who had drifted under Satan’s control, and who
had no power to break from his snare. To such a one, discouraged, sick,
tempted, fallen, Jesus would speak words of tenderest pity, words that
were needed and could be understood. Others He met who were fighting
a hand-to-hand battle with the adversary of souls. These He encouraged
to persevere, assuring them that they would win; for angels of God were
on their side and would give them the victory.
The Sinless One pities the weakness of the sinner....
Men hate the sinner, while they love the sin. Christ hates the sin, but
loves the sinner. This will be the spirit of all who follow Him. Christian
love is slow to censure, quick to discern penitence, ready to forgive, to
encourage, to set the wanderer in the path of holiness, and to stay his
feet therein.
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