"Evelyn," I said, "I want to tell you something that I was reading in one of my favourite books the other day, because I think it makes it so very plain. You remember the three crosses on Calvary?"
"Yes," she said, "there was the middle cross, with Jesus on it, and on each side of Him there was a thief."
"Yes," I said, "and both the thieves had been great sinners, both had led bad lives, and yet, oh, how differently they died! One thief went straight to Paradise, to be welcomed there by Jesus, the other went down to hell. Now, why was there this difference? Did you ever think why it was that one thief was saved, and the other thief was lost?"
"I suppose," she said, "it was because one thief looked to Jesus, and the other did not."
"Yes," I said, "quite so; but that is not all. What did looking to Jesus do for the thief?"
"I don't know," she said.
"Well," I answered, "my book puts it in this way. Both thieves deserved to go to hell because of their sins; both of them before they were nailed to the cross had sin in them, for they both had sinful hearts, they were born in sin, and they were both sinners. And they had also both of them sin on them, the burden and guilt and punishment of their sins resting on them; they both must suffer the consequences of their sin—both must go to hell."
"Yes," she said, "I see that."
"But now let us look at them again some hours later. They have been nailed to the cross, and one thief has looked to Jesus, but the other thief has not. Just look at the three crosses now. First, here is the thief who would have nothing to do with Jesus. Has he still sin in him?"
"Yes," she said.