Roger
An ‘old sinner’ – accepted by God
Like many of my generation, as a child I was sent to Sunday School and encouraged to say my prayers
at night. But I saw God as an eye in the sky, as one who was always looking to find a mistake and
logging it in a book, waiting for the day when I would be brought to account. As I grew into my teens,
I discovered that many grown-ups didn’t believe in God and so I thought that if he didn’t exist I was free
to do what I wanted, and so, within the limits of my decent upbringing, I did just that!
In my late thirties, in God’s goodness, I met a Christian who brought me the good news about Jesus Christ. I felt sure that I could prove to him where the Bible was wrong in its teaching, but the more I read it, the more it seemed undeniably true. I saw that if God really did exist then I was in serious trouble as I was a sinner. But how could I know for sure; would I throw away my enjoyable, self-indulgent life-style for what might prove to be pie in the sky?
Then I came across some words in the Bible which said that Jesus was knocking on the door and if I responded and opened the door, he would come into my life. One night I did just that and he came in! Now I was sure that everything in the Bible was true. I knew that all my sins had been paid for when Jesus died on the cross; that God now looked on me as white as snow!
Some people who remember me from this picture may say, “How can this old sinner think that God is going to accept him?” Well that’s the whole point, none of us are acceptable to God; only the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross can make us acceptable. He bore our sins there, paying the price for them. How about you reader? Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour? He offers you forgiveness right now, with the gift of eternal life, if only you’ll ask him.