The tragedy of George Wilson

Around 1830 a man named George Wilson robbed a mail coach in Pennsylvania.  He was caught and sentenced to be hanged for his crimes.  However, the president gave him a pardon so he wouldn't hang but would serve a prison sentence.  Despite this, he was still hanged; why?, you ask, - because he refused to accept the pardon.  Upon this refusal the supreme court ruled that a pardon was worthless unless it was accepted.  As George Wilson would not accept the pardon the sentence was duly carried out.

You may ask what this has to do with a blog about Christian truth and that is a fair question.  The answer is simple - there are parallels here between the case of George Wilson and the way people reject the Gospel.

The Bible (the infallible word of God) teaches that ..."God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life"  - John 3 v 16.  God has offered us a pardon for our sins and the assurance of eternal life in Heaven if we accept that pardon.  However, sad to say, most people are like George Wilson.  Just as he refused to accept a pardon that would have saved him from the gallows so most people refuse to accept God's pardon. 

Why is this?   The answer is found in verse 19 of the same chapter "....men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil".  People reject the pardon because it would mean repentance on their part, and they don't want to get rid of their sins, they don't want to live in the light of God's word and His teachings.

What should be our response to all this?  Answer - to pray for them.  We need not only to explain the Gospel and seek to answer their questions honestly but also to pray that God would open their eyes and draw them.  John 6 v 44 makes it clear that they will not "come" to Jesus unless they are drawn.

In the meantime the Gospel truth is being spread, and souls are being saved.  The Gospel will triumph in the end and eternity will vindicate the servants of God who so diligently make that pardon available to multitudes who are as sheep without a shepherd.

What's it all about?

It's that time of the year again when people go mad with their credit cards, get drunk at office parties and make pigs of themselves with food.  In other words, the time of the year when covetousness, drunkeness and gluttony are at their peak.  Clearly, most people completely miss the real meaning of Christmas.

So what is it really all about?  Although Jesus wasn't born on Dec 25th, and although He was born about 6 bc and not 0 bc we are right to remember His birth.  However, there are three questions that we should ask ourselves -

1.  Who was Jesus?

2.  Why was He born?

3. What does it have to do with me?

1. Who was Jesus?  The Bible says, Luke 1 v 35, that the angel told Mary that the one to be born would be called "The Son of God".    To put it another way - our God contracted to a span, incomprehensibly made man".

2.  Why was He born.  In Matthew 1 v 21 we have the answer - "....you shall call His name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins".   He was born to die.....as a sacrifice for the sins of the world, then rise again to be our saviour.

3.  What does it have to do with me?  We all need to turn from our sins and accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.  the Bible says "To all who received Him, He gave the right to become the children of God".  John 1 v 12.  Contrary to popular belief we are not all God's children, only those who have "received Christ" are
 God's children.

The onus is on every individual to turn from sin and receive Christ in order to be saved - this is why Jesus came.

I trust that, this Christmas, many would so turn and be saved.