Editorial November 7, 1936 Issue

God's Forgiveness

Duncan Sinclair

In the one hundred and thirtieth Psalm are to be found some of the most comforting words ever written. Allow the thought to dwell on these from verses three, four, and eight: "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with thee. ... And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities." They convey to the reader the assurance of the utter mercifulness of God, and of His power to deliver from the lowest depths of iniquity. Is not this assurance what the erring sons of men need, and what many of them are calling for out of a great longing for purity?

Sin is humanity's greatest scourge. Evil thinking and evil doing are sin. Hatred, anger, malice, envy, jealousy, revenge, and lust are sin. All unspiritual thinking, indeed, is sin. On the other hand, all manner of spiritual thinking is the very reverse of sin. It includes whatsoever is of the nature of good, whatsoever is of the nature of Love. Human beings seem to be conscious of both good and evil; and so they appear to be capable of being good and doing good, and of thinking evil and acting evilly—sinning. That is the situation as it seems to present itself to material sense.

Now sin inevitably brings punishment or penalty on the one who indulges in it, even as spiritual thinking always brings a blessing upon him who practices it. Examples of this are continually presenting themselves to us. How often we hear of those who have fallen low in the social scale through indulgence in intoxicants, or vice of some other kind! What a pathetic spectacle they present! And when they awaken sufficiently to realize what their wrong thinking has brought upon them, how keen is their remorse, and how intense their desire to be "forgiven," in order that they may tread again the sober and righteous way! How often, too, we hear of those who have thought spiritually and pursued the just and upright path! A great measure of happiness is theirs; prosperity also, and health as well.

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