IS JESUS RELEVANT TODAY - PART 9

                                               IS JESUS                          RELEVANT                          TODAY

                                                PART  9 



In criminal cases, few ever turn down a full pardon. In 1915, George Burdick, city editor 
for the New York Tribune, had refused to 
reveal sources and broken the law. President Woodrow Wilson declared a full pardon to Burdick, for all offences he had  "committed 
or may have committed."  

What made Burdick's case historic, is that he refused the pardon. That brought the case to 
the Supreme Court, which sided with Burdick, stating that a presidential pardon could not
be forced on anyone.

When it comes to rejecting Christ's full 
pardon, people give a variety of reasons. 
Many say there isn't sufficient evidence, but 
like Bertrand Russell and a host of other 
skeptics, they aren't interested enough to 
really investigate. Others refuse to look 
beyond some hypocritical Christians they 
know, pointing to unloving or inconsistent behavior as  an excuse. And still others 
reject Christ because they blame God for 
some sad or tragic experience they have 
suffered.

However. Zacharias, who has debated with intellectuals on hundreds of college campuses
believes that the real reason most people 
reject God is moral.  He writes:

"A man rejects God neither because of 
intellectual demands, nor because of the
scarcity of evidence. A man rejects God
because of moral resistance that refuses
to admit his need for God."

The desire for moral freedom kept C.S. Lewis 
from God for most of his college years. After 
his quest for truth led him to God, Lewis 
explains how acceptance of Christ involves 
more than just  intellectual agreement with the facts. He writes:

"Fallen man is not simply an imperfect 
creature who needs improvement, he is a 
rebel who must lay down his arms. Laying 
down your arms, surrendering, saying you 
are sorry, realizing that you have been on 
the wrong track and getting ready to start 
life over again, is what Christians call repentance."

Repentance is a word 
that means a dramatic 
turn-around in thinking.   
That's what happened 
to Nixon's former 
"hatchet man."  After 
Watergate was exposed, 
Colson began thinking about life differently. Sensing his own lack of purpose, he began reading Lewis'  Mere Christianity, given to him by a friend. Trained 
as a lawyer, Colson took out a legal yellow 
pad and began writing down Lewis'  arguments. Colson recalled:

"I knew the time had come for me. Was I to accept without reservations Jesus Christ as 
Lord of my life? It was like a gate before me. There was no way to walk around it. I would 
step through , or I would remain outside. A "maybe" or "I need more time" was kidding myself.

After an inner struggle, this former aide to the president of the United States, finally realized 
that Jesus Christ was deserving of his full allegiance. He writes:

"And so early Friday morning, while I sat 
alone staring at the sea I love, words I had 
not been certain I could understand or say 
fell naturally from my lips "Lord Jesus, I 
believe You. I accept You. Please come into my life. I commit it to You."

next post 15th November