For millennia the mystery of disease had puzzled mankind. Various theories had been put forth as to why people became ill, such as spontaneous generation, evil spirits, an imbalance of bodily "humors," and bad air caused by eclipses and comets, among other conjectures.
Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723) of Delft, Netherlands, was employed in the textile business there where magnifying lenses were used to perform thread count in cloth. He began to hone his skill in grinding and polishing miniature lenses of high curvature, and magnifications of several hundred power. His curious mind led him to prepare specimens of the natural environment and examine them through his new lenses. These revealed, to his amazement, a new world of life, including what he called "tiny animals." van Leeuwenhoek thus became the first person to ever see bacteria and is commonly called "The Father of Microbiology."
When people such as Louis Pasteur in France began to assert that such microscopic organisms might cause disease and steadfastly insisted that surgeons sanitize their hands and equipment before surgery, they were often met with resistance and even ridicule. Many scientists and physicians found it ridiculous that something so tiny could harm a human being and would viciously attack proponents of such "quackery." Doctors such as Ignaz Simmelweis of Vienna, who insisted that doctors cleanse themselves before delivering babies, were made outcasts in the medical community. Of course, in time, Simmelwies, Pasteur and others would be vindicated as the danger came to be realized. *
Sin can also mislead people in a very similar way bacteria did in times past. Indeed many today view sin as a harmless and meaningless threat to their well-being, ridiculing and scorning those who point out its devastating effects on human existence. Despite the age-old euphemism, wisdom leads us to realize that....
what we can't see … CAN, in fact, hurt us!
"For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). God loved us so much that He gave His Son to die on the cross to save us from the devastating effects of sin (John 3:16). He will save those who respond to this amazing gift of God's grace on His terms: believing in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turning from sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confessing Christ (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized (immersed) in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
Although we may not see its effects immediately, sin WILL ultimately DESTROY us!
But God has a remedy: the BLOOD of Jesus. YOU can be cleansed of sin
-IF- you will respond in trusting obedience to His will.
Won't YOU?
-- Terry Livingston / David A. Sargent, Minist
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