have forgiven our debtors.” And how often should we forgive? Jesus answered: “I say to you, not, Up to seven times, but, Up to seventy-seven times.”—Matt. 6:12; 18:22.

While being conscientious to bring forth such fitting fruits of repentance, we should not go to the other extreme of brooding over our sins all the time as though by making ourselves miserable we could atone for them. Rather, we must have faith that “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Far from encouraging such brooding, the Scriptures tell us: “Happy is the one whose . . . sin is covered.”—1 John 1:7; Ps. 32:1.

From all the foregoing it is very apparent that there can be no such thing as salvation because of deathbed repentance.

DIVINE AIDS IN BRINGING FORTH FRUITS OF REPENTANCE

Outstanding among the aids God has provided for our bringing forth fruits befitting repentance is prayer. We need to commune with God in prayer, praising and thanking him as well as asking him continually for forgiveness, wisdom and strength to do his will. Unselfishly our prayers should include petitions for the prosperity of His cause and the welfare of our brothers.—Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2.

Imperative also is the regular study of God’s Word together with the aids he has providentially provided so that we may get the sense of what we read in his Word. We cannot live “on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.” Only by diligent study can we make progress and become “fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”—Matt. 4:4; 2 Tim. 3:17.

Christian association is another aid God has provided for us in bringing forth fruits befitting repentance. Even as the members of a human body have need of one another, so do Christians. We may therefore not forsake assembling ourselves together at congregation meetings, where we can encourage and incite one another to love and right works.—1 Cor. 12:12-27; Heb. 10:23-25.

If any dedicated Christian finds himself overtaken in gross sin, he should make haste to repent of his wrong conduct. First to God and then to the responsible ones in His visible organization he should make open confession of his wrong, express his repentance and earnestly seek forgiveness. By thereafter making straight paths for his feet and humbly submitting to any discipline that may be administered he can demonstrate that his repentance is indeed due to godly sorrow and that he sincerely does want to walk in the ways of righteousness.

Truly the Scriptural truth about the repentance that counts with God satisfies heart and mind. It magnifies God’s wisdom and justice and, above all, his love and mercy.

Sleeping Pills

In his pastoral letter to the clergy of his diocese the new bishop of Lund, Nils Bolander, asks the question why so relatively few people enter in through the gates of the churches? And he himself gives this answer: “The foremost reason might be that we priests are standing in there under obscure vaults and telling neither rhyme nor reason.” He further says, about sermons: “There certainly is something to the saying that there is drowsiness in the Church. Sometimes our sermons may serve as sheer sleeping pills.”—The Stockholm Svenska Dagbladet, January 23, 1959.