Article May 4, 2015 Issue

Redemption for those in jail

George Nutwell III

Many people are looking for the most direct path to the kingdom of heaven and eternal life. Those who are in jails and prisons are one group of people who are keenly focused on this search. While not all of them are looking, some are desperately trying to get their life back on track, to eliminate sin from their experience, and to find forgiveness. 

I am blessed to have the opportunity to meet twice a week with inmates in my local county jail to discuss this subject. Whether we meet one-on-one or in a group of two to five, we talk about the truth that makes us free. This has led me to find a way to explain to them the important subject of individual salvation, which I’m not sure I ever fully understood before myself. The Bible, especially Christ Jesus’ teachings, and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy have helped me understand and explain it better. 

In the Bible, a man once asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life (see Mark 10:17–22). Jesus referred him to the Ten Commandments, and the man said he had followed them from his youth. Jesus then told him to sell all his worldly possessions and follow him. The man was deeply disappointed because he “had great possessions” and was unwilling to let them go. He loved the world more than God, and in essence he broke the First Commandment, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).

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