The Tupelo journal., 1906-02-23
"Jesus' Power to Forgive" - Inter
national s. s. Lesson for Feb.
IS, 1905.
BY REV. WILLIAM EVANS, B. D.
Director Biblical Department of the
Moody Bible Institute, Chicago; ON
cial Lecturer OF the Cook County
(Chicago) Sunday School Assoc
citation on the International
s. s. Iessonsl

49,
they uncovered the roof where He
was; and when they had broken it
up, they let down the bed wherein the
sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus
saw their faith, He said unto the sick
of the palsy: Son. thy sins be for
given thee. But there were certain.
Of the scribes sitting there, and rea
soning in their hearts: Why doth
this man thus speak blasphemies?
Who can forgive sins but God only.
And Immediately when Jesus perceived
in His spirit that they so reasoned
with themselves, He said unto them:
Why reason We these things in your
hearts? Whether is it easier to say
to the sick of the palsy: Thy sins be
forgiven thee; or to say: Arise, and
take up thy bed and walk? But that
We may know that the Son of Man
hath power on earth to forgive sins,
(He saith to the sick of the palsy
Arise, and take up thy bed, and go
thy way into thine house. And i'm
mediately he arose, took up the bed,
and went forth before them ALL"
Sickness a type Of Sin.
Throughout the Scripture there Is
recognized a very intimate connection
between sickness and sin. LeprOsy
is typical Of sin in its be- innings,
growth and contamination. Palsy,
like sin, paralyzes the faculties OF
man; natural blindness is symbolic OF
the spiritual blindness caused by sin.
In a spiritual sense people may have
eyes and see not; ears and hear not"
The Palsied Man Is a Type Of the
Sinner.
The sinner has certain faculties
which cannot be used until he is cured
of the disease of sin. Sin blights the
spiritual eyesight, deafens spiritual
hearing; darkens the understanding
SO that it cannot grasp nor under
stand divine things. Sin paralyZes
the faculties of the soul. The sinner
is as helpless to walk in the way of
Gods commandments as this palsied
man was to walk the streets of Pales-
tine. Paul, that deep student of hu-
man nature, said: Il know that in
me dwelleth no good things; for to
will is present with me, but how to
perform that which is good l find not.
The good that l would, 1 do not
What a confession of human inability.
Sin and Sickness Closely Connected.
While it is not true that in every
case sickness is the direct result of a
special sin committed by the one af-
ficted, yet the Bible distinctly teaches
that ofttimes such is the case. Jesus
taught His disciples in the case of the
man born blind John 81 that this
sore affection came not because of any
special sin on the part of the blind
man. Nevertheless by addressing his
spiritual before his physical condition
by saving first. "Thy sins be for
given thee and afterward: Rise,
take up thy bed and walk" the Master
distinctly taught us that In this case
at least Gas well as in John 81 the af-
Fiction was the result of some par
ticular sin. "Sin NO more lest a worse
thing com upon hee,"-words like
these emphatically set forth the close
relation between sin and disease.
How Can Sin Be ForgivenP
How can punishment for sin be
averted? 1t has been said that there
are three ways. First, inasmuch as
suffering and punishment is the result
- c;n IA+ nc ctan GINNING ond thon
we shall cease suffering. That sounds
we'll. But it is cold, comfortless logic.
Who can stop SHINING; where Is the
man in all the earth that doeth good
and sinneth not. This is law without
love. Secondly, it Is acknowledged
that there is sin and there is punish
ment for sin, but then God Is kind,
loving, and compassionate that He will
say to us al last: well, it is true,
you have been pretty bad. but I will
look wei it; come right into Heaven.
That is love without law. If this were
the real status of the case, Heaven
would not be a place long secure from
the attacks Of sin. Unless holiness
and righteousness be the center of
Gods throne, safety and security can
never be it's circumference.
Forgiveness Through Christ.
There remains just one other way
of forgiveness. and that is the true
way. There is sin, and there is pun
ishment and condemnation for sin.
But God has laid all our sins on Christ,
who bore them in His own body on the
tree. Forgiveness then is by faith in
the redeeming sacrifice of Christ. We
have forgiveness through His shed
blood. Here is law and love combined,
thus allowing God to be just and the
iustifer of the sinner who believes in
Jesus.
Sin Must Needs Be Forgiven.
Man must be forgiven or else he
will be lost. If there is such a thing
as sin in the world, then there is such
a thing as punishment and condemna-
ton for sin. If there be no sin, then
we need have no worry with regard
to the thought of punishment. Jesus
Christ taught very definitely that sin
was real, and if unforgiven was the
means of bringing down wrath upon
the head Of the sinner. He said to the
un~repentant Jews: IF We die In your
sins, where l am we cannot come" We
must deal definitely with God about It.
Few Bluffs, No Blows.
A very pleasant surprise party was