On faith: God's gift of forgivness

Talk about it

People who have lived a long time and who have a positive attitude on life are fun and encouraging to talk with. They are the ones who, when you ask how they are doing will answer, “I’m well. It’s going to be a great day. I’m alive and breathing!”

This thing we call “life” is a gift from God. In Hebrew God’s name is Yahweh. In English His name is, “I AM.” It very simply but profoundly means, “I exist.” God always existed, He exists now and He will always exist. He grants us every breath that we take, every heartbeat that we have—the ones we had just now and the ones that come every moment of our lives. As a Christian, I am called to be faithful to God’s Word; I am to remind all who will listen that God is a God of life. That means I need speak out for the lives of the unborn.

Hermann Sasse saw what was happening in Germany in 1933. He wrote: “The lie is the death of man, his temporal and his eternal death. The lie kills nations. The most powerful nations of the world have been laid waste because of their lies. History knows of no more unsettling sight than the judgment rendered upon the people of an advanced culture who have rejected the truth and are swallowed up in a sea of lies. Where man can no longer bear the truth, he cannot live without the lie. Where man denies that he and others are dying, the terrible dissolution of his culture is held up as a glorious ascent, and decline is viewed as an advance, the likes of which has never been experienced.” The Lonely Way, Volume 1, 266.

The world largely ignored the murder of six million human beings by the Nazis. Forty years after Roe v. Wade, we Americans—the very liberators of Germany from the darkness of the Third Reich—have largely ignored and continue to ignore the deaths of over 50,000,000 innocent unborn babies in “the land of the free,” where we are supposedly guaranteed “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Do we mourn the loss of babies in the womb as we mourned the loss of those 20 children and six adults in Newtown?

Out of love for us the living God, our Heavenly Father, chose a young woman, Mary, to bear His Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of the whole world. The Holy Spirit made this conception possible, but who would believe Mary’s explanation for this unplanned pregnancy?

But God knew what he was doing. Jesus, the Son of the living God, would be born to die on the cross to forgive us of our sins-- such as ignoring that abortion is murder. Sins such as having had one. Sins such as not helping those dealing with the grief, guilt, and pain of having had one.

This is not just an issue for some big city newspaper; we can make a difference right here. It’s not too late to save the lives of other unborn children. It’s not too late to love and help those who’ve had an abortion. Since we can trust that God has forgiven all our sins in Jesus, we can speak out for life. We can trust that God will give us the resolve and the courage to do so.

He’d be glad to speak to anyone about God’s forgiveness. You can call (834-5345) or e-mail him (w61valley@hotmail.com).

Editor’s note: The views of Pastor Shield do not necessarily represent those of the Lake County News- Chronicle editor or staff.

Tags: on faith, opinion