S ome interesting statements for our consideration are found in the Old Testament. In Jeremiah 2 :22 we read, “For though thou wash thee with nitre (alcohol), and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith the Lord GOD.” Then look at this question in the 13th chapter and verse 23, “Can the Ethiopian' change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.” Men have many colors. I have pre cious friends who have all different shades of skin. I have a particular love for the dear Indian people, such as the Navajos of our own land. While no man can change the color on the outside, the Lord expects for us to be cleansed within as far as the stain of sin is concerned. Apart from Christ, no man is better than another. We are all lost, unregen erate sinners, needing the Saviour. The moment we enter the world we are sinners. The Bible rightly tells us, “The wicked go astray from the womb, as soon as they be bom, speaking lies.” While he may like to, man can’t do one thing to change the color of his skin. The white skinned want to get brown and so go out into the sun. The brown or black people would like to have lighter skins. But as man can’t do anything to change the color of his skin so is it impos sible for him to work out a remedy for the sinfulness of his own soul. I have known some men who have finally rid themselves of some beset ting sin, and, as a result, have been so overtaken with their achievement that they have become proud. Pride, of course, is one of the worst kinds of sins. Our iniquities cover us from head to foot. In another illustration, the Bible
reminds us that the leopard has spots all over him, and it is not able to change any of them. The animal is born with them and there is no pos sible way of getting away from it. While the Ethiopian is dark all over, the leopard is dark only in spots. This is a picture of some sinners who are absolutely rotten, filthy and vile, while others just have pro nounced spots on them. The latter group may have a lot of nice things about them but every once in a while, their evil spots will come out. Both the leopard and the Ethiopian got his spots from his parents. Spiri tually speaking, this is true with every one of us. It was true with our parents as well. Too many people think they are like the leopard, only sparsely spotted. We need to come to the realization, however, that we are black all over, apart from the cleansing blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ doesn’t try to remove the spots by scraping, washing, or cut ting. There is only one way to have them depart and that is through the power of the Lord. So, while some sinners seem to be all bad, while others appear to us as only spotted, they both desperately
A favorite of "Biola Hour" listeners, and Christians everywhere, is God's choice ser vant, Or. Walter L. Wilson. We urge our friends to remember him in prayer during a period of prolonged illness.
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