Tuesday, May 25, 2004

'I Repent In Front Of God And In Front Of You'

I am amazed at the purity of heart I see in the Christians here, and the quote in this title demonstrates that attitude perfectly. Here is the story behind the quote:

Evdokia, the Christian who now lives in the Ukraine but who is back in Russia temporarily because of some problems in her family, is staying at the Moskvins and had dinner with us last night. The conversation turned to Bible topics soon after dinner, and Evdokia asked a question about eating blood. She said blood sausage, and even fried blood, is a popular dish in Russia and is very good. Yet she had read some passages in the Bible that made her wonder whether it is okay to eat blood.

Jeff's first response was to remind Evdokia of Tom's sermon on the conscience Sunday. "Your conscience is working well," he said. Jeff then referred to the passage in Acts 15 that says Christians should abstain from blood, and he explained the context of the passage dating back to Old Testament times. (Those of you who are in Jeff's Wednesday class at Centreville should be familiar with the topic because we discussed it recently.) He closed by answering Evdokia's question directly: The Bible teaches that it is wrong to eat blood.

Such bluntness offends many people, but it pricked Evdokia's conscience. "Then I repent in front of God and in fron of you," she said. "I did eat it." She had a smile on her face when she spoke, but tears soon welled up in her eyes. I saw the heart of a woman who knew she had done wrong, who regretted it and who was determined not to sin in that way again.

Hers is an admirable example for all of us.

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