Settled Forever | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 11, 1873

Settled Forever.

Some people are always confessing and re-confessing, repenting and re-repenting, and never can look upon any portion of their religious experience as a settled and accomplished fact.

A writer represents a minister to whom a deacon told over his tale of perpetual dolor as saying:—

“Deacon, I remember your son stoutly rebelled against your authority, some time ago, but afterward felt sorry, and repented of his sin, and humbly asked your forgiveness. Did you forgive him?”

“Of course I did.”

“What did you forgive him for?”

“Because I could not help it, when I saw how sorry he was.”

“And does he still ask forgiveness?”

“No—no! Nothing is said about it. It is all settled forever.”

“Now do you believe that you can be better to your son than God is to you? He pardons like a father.”

It is easy for a father to forgive his erring son. And sin once forgiven is settled forever between them. If the wanderer should come every day asking forgiveness for what is already forgiven, and pleading for mercy when mercy has already been shown, would not the father feel both injured and insulted?

When the prodigal son had worn the best raiment, and eaten the fatted calf, and had received such tokens of his father’s pitying and accepting love, would it have been fitting for him to plead with tears for forgiveness and acceptance? Would not every petition have been a proof that he doubted his father’s sincerity, and disbelieved his words of loving welcome? What excuse could he have made for thus marring the joyousness of that festal hour in which the father said: “This my son was dead and is alive, was lost and is found”? Would it have been fitting in him to refuse a place at the feast because he was unworthy, or to have hidden away in some corner in shame and tears, while his father’s heart was glowing with affection for his repentant son?—Golden Censer.