In his theological mystery novel...
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In his theological mystery novel,* Thomas Trueblood tells about a brilliant college student who succumbs to the temptation of stealing endorsed stock certificates from an unsuspecting old woman who is at death's door. A trainee for master's work in business administration, Matthew Sutton learns early on how slick "white collar crime" can be — and how devastating the aftermath can be, once you are apprehended.
In a touching scene, on a park bench beside a rolling river in the heart of Erfurt, Minnesota, a small Lutheran college town, Matt sits and listens to a seminary professor explain to him how, no matter how rotten his behavior has been, God will not ditch him any more than God would stop the river from f lowing downstream — nor revoke Matt's own baptism. Almost against the student's will, God reaches him with the word of forgiveness, healing, reconciliation. The student doesn't know exactly what to do with such unmerited grace and forgiveness. In fact, his response is mostly protest: "But I don't deserve it. That's the hell of it, Doc Adamson. I don't deserve to be forgiven for it."
God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not counting their trespasses against them ...
*A Treasure Hidden, Thomas Trueblood. CSS Publishing Company, 1985.
In a touching scene, on a park bench beside a rolling river in the heart of Erfurt, Minnesota, a small Lutheran college town, Matt sits and listens to a seminary professor explain to him how, no matter how rotten his behavior has been, God will not ditch him any more than God would stop the river from f lowing downstream — nor revoke Matt's own baptism. Almost against the student's will, God reaches him with the word of forgiveness, healing, reconciliation. The student doesn't know exactly what to do with such unmerited grace and forgiveness. In fact, his response is mostly protest: "But I don't deserve it. That's the hell of it, Doc Adamson. I don't deserve to be forgiven for it."
God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not counting their trespasses against them ...
*A Treasure Hidden, Thomas Trueblood. CSS Publishing Company, 1985.
