.....accepted

In Medieval Times, there was a young man caught and found guilty of murder, and sentenced to death. His mother and father loved him with all their hearts, and they appealed to everyone they met for leniency for their son. Without any results, they finally appealed to the Lord of their kingdom for a lesser sentence.  To everyone's complete surprise, the Lord granted this young man a full Pardon. 

 

Like today, a pardon is a document that forgives a person convicted of a crime, removing any penalties or punishment that the convicted person would normally receive for his crime.  The pardon was sent to the prisoner, with instructions to release him from prison. When the warden told the young man about the pardon, the young man became angry and said, "I'm guilty, I murdered another human being and I want to die." 

 

"But," the warden replied, "I have your pardon in my hand!" 

 

No matter how much the warden pleaded, the prisoner kept demanding to die. Not knowing what to do, the warden appealed to the Lord to help him know what to do. The Lord, said, "A pardon is not a pardon unless it is accepted!"  

 

So, the young man was executed. He had been completely forgiven for his sins against humanity, and for his other most grievous crimes. So why did he die? Because a pardon is not a pardon unless it is accepted! 

 

Jesus died in the place of every human being - who by their sins against God were deserving of the death penalty. Every human being who would ever live has been granted an unconditional pardon from God.  

But, you can only obtain this pardon by believing that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that he rose from the dead, trusting in Him for your salvation and accepting Him as both Savior and Lord. The Lord has given knowledge of Himself to every human heart, but it is our choice whether we accept His Pardon (through Jesus) or reject it  

 

Remember, A PARDON IS NOT A PARDON UNLESS IT IS ACCEPTED.  

- dave langerfeld