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An
Outreach Publication of the Church of Christ at
Creekwood |
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Revoked! Isaac Robert Toussie was one of 19 people that received a Presidential Pardon earlier this week. Toussie, who had been convicted of making false statements to the Housing and Urban Development Department and of mail fraud, was granted a pardon from President George W. Bush on Tuesday, December 23. Then on Wednesday, December 24, Toussie’s pardon was revoked! White House press secretary Dana Perino said the decision to revoke the pardon was “based on information that has subsequently come to light.” The new information included the extent and nature of Toussie’s prior criminal offenses and the fact that Toussie’s faither, Robert, had donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Republican Party earlier in the year. “Given that, this was the prudent thing to do,” Perino said. The Constitution of the United States gives the President the power to issue pardons to whomever he desires, at any time, but it is most often based upon merit. Under the Constitution, the power to pardon is absolute and cannot be overruled. But apparently, it can be revoked. * This instance of a Presidential Pardon and its revocation provides opportunity to learn about the pardon that God desires to give EACH of us. God has offered a pardon to each of us for our sins through the gift of His Son. God loved us so much that He gave His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for OUR sins (John 3:16). God’s pardon, however, must be accepted on His terms: believing Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Christ before men (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Only
two things can make
God’s pardon “ineffective” and neither has anything to do
with HIM;
they have everything to do with US. First,
God will not pardon those who REFUSE His offer.
Through the Gospel (“good news”) of Jesus Christ, God
continues to invite others to become recipients of His grace (Romans
1:16). Those
who ignore or refuse His offer forfeit the pardon, judging themselves
unworthy of eternal life (Acts 13:46). Secondly,
God will not pardon those who REJECT His offer.
Once one has accepted the gift of salvation through obedience to
the Gospel, he/she must continue to live faithfully to the Lord (1 John 1:7).
Those who turn away from the Lord, to once again live according
to the ways of the world, have rejected Christ and are in danger of
losing their salvation UNLESS they repent and return to the Lord (see 2
Peter 2:20-22, Hebrews 6:4-8, 1 Corinthians 15:1-2). God desires ALL men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4). He has made every provision for our salvation. It is up to US to accept His offer. Please don’t REFUSE or REJECT it! -- David A. Sargent, Minister Church
of Christ at Creekwood *
Information gleaned from “Coal for Christmas: Brooklyn Man’s Pardon
Revoked” by the Associated Press To Subscribe to "Living Water" send a blank e-mail to:
HTML version: subscribe-livingwater@lyris.dundee.net Follow this link to locate the church of Christ nearest you: www.churchzip.com Archived issues of "Living Water" can be accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org
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