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"Full
Pardon"
During
the presidency of Andrew Jackson, George Wilson, a
postal clerk, robbed a federal payroll from a train
and in the process killed a guard.
The court convicted him and sentenced him to
DEATH by hanging.
Because of public sentiment against capital
punishment, however, a movement began to secure a
presidential pardon for Wilson (first offense), and
eventually Jackson intervened with a pardon.
Amazingly,
Wilson refused it.
Since
this had NEVER happened before, the Supreme Court was
asked to rule on whether someone could indeed REFUSE a
presidential pardon. Chief Justice John Marshall
handed down the court's decision: "A pardon is a
parchment whose only value must be determined by the
receiver of the pardon.
It has NO VALUE apart from that which
the receiver gives to it.
George Wilson has refused to accept the pardon.
We cannot conceive why he would do so, but he
has. Therefore, George Wilson must die."
And so, as punishment for his crime, George Wilson, on
a day appointed by the court, was taken from his cell
and hanged to satisfy the requirements of the law. Pardon, declared the Supreme Court, must not only be GRANTED,
it must be ACCEPTED.
You
and I are in a similar condition today:
We
NEED pardon.
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God" (Romans 3:23). "For the wages of sin
is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).
We are ALL guilty of sin, and deserve the
punishment that awaits us on the appointed Day of
Judgment.
Pardon
has been OFFERED by God.
"For the grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared to ALL men" (Titus 2:11).
Jesus "is the propitiation (the atoning
sacrifice, the sin-bearer) for our sins, and not for
ours only but also for THE WHOLE WORLD" (1 John
2:2). Pardon
has been OFFERED to ALL men – to the WHOLE WORLD!
God’s
pardon must be ACCEPTED.
The Bible teaches that we may ACCEPT
God’s pardon through faith
(Hebrews 11:6), repentance
(2 Corinthians 7:10), confession
of Christ (Romans 10:9-10) and baptism
for the forgiveness of our sins (Acts 2:38).
We continue to receive God’s pardon for
our sins by walking in the light as He is in the
light, while the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse
us from our sin (1 John 1:7).
A
pardon is ONLY a pardon IF
it is accepted.
FULL PARDON has been GRANTED
and is waiting......
Will you ACCEPT God’s
pardon on His terms?
God
bless you!
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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