Behind closed doors



Picture taken from the MediaWales web site



‘The number of possible sexual abuse victims of Jimmy Savile has risen to 300, Scotland Yard has confirmed. It is thought the TV presenter and DJ, who died last year aged 84, may have abused scores of young girls and some boys over a 40-year period’. This is news from the BBC website on the unfolding scandal of a very prominent celebrity who died last year.

For those of us who saw so many of Mr Savile’s exploits on TV, it is difficult to imagine what was happening behind closed doors. How could something so dreadful remain hidden for so long? Equally, how could someone who appeared so good turn out to be so bad? Here was a man whose work for charity was tremendous. Here was a man who seemed to do so much for so many. Who could have imagined what he seems to have been like in private? We will have to wait the full revelation of his crimes and what evidence there is to condemn him.

However, there is a lesson for us all. So often we think that what is done in private doesn’t count. What no one sees and what doesn’t hurt anyone we feel to be of no significance. What people wouldn’t judge us for is OK. But is it? The Bible says, ‘The word of God . . . is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are . . . opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do’. God is watching and is aware of our actions, even our thoughts! Jimmy Savile might have escaped prosecution, should the  case against him be proven, but he has not escaped the eye of God. There is a judgement that will fall upon the unrepentant sinner, and that cannot be escaped, even by death. We may not be guilty of the crimes that characterise others. We may not have committed some of the awful atrocities that were played out in previous centuries, but we are still guilty before God. We may have to answer for our sins and failures. However, God has provided a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ who can provide us with a way of escape from the guilt and penalty of our sin. His death at Calvary could provide you, as it has provided me, with forgiveness. Now is the time to come to God, acknowledge your need, and trust Christ.

"Sherwood Forest board should quit over cancer errors – MP"

This is the headline for an article on the BBC website on the 9^th October.

It is difficult to maintain an open mind upon matters that could affect any one of us, and with potentially fatal consequences. Mistakes do happen, and we can all make them, but when they could mean that a misdiagnosis has been made and a serious illness has gone undetected, we are not as likely to forgive and forget. We all know that although cancer is still responsible for many deaths if it caught early enough many can be saved from its consequences. What is our view of the mistakes that have been discovered at Kings Mill Hospital?

This story reminds me of an equally serious business. There are many people today who have been victims of misdiagnosis. I am not talking about a medical condition but a spiritual one. The Bible tells us all that we are sinners in the sight of a holy God – we have fallen short of His standards and expectations. That situation makes us guilty before God. The Bible diagnosis is simple: ‘The wages of sin is death’. To put it another way, ‘the soul that sinneth it shall die’. We are all suffering from a terminal illness that can rob us of fellowship with God, or a relationship with God in heaven.

The misdiagnosis comes from people around us. Atheists assure us that there is no need to worry as there’s probably no God. Good living people seek to reassure us that ‘it will be all right in the end’ because we live a good life, or, on balance, we are good people. Some religions tell us that God is love and would never punish sin and sinners. Some religions offer systems and styles of life to overcome the consequences of sin. There are plenty of options, or so it would seem.

In a serious case of illness most of us would want to consult the experts. We would want the best possible medical treatment that was available. Some, who can afford it, seek private medical advice. That is why we recommend that in the case of our spiritual condition we seek the expert guidance that the Bible offers. It is not a matter of what I think, or what anyone else might think. What does the Bible say? Romans chapter 6 verse 23 says, ‘the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord’. If we want to avoid the consequence of our spiritual condition we need to accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour.