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The Amish Voice
MAP
P.O. Box 128
575 U.S. Highway 250
Savannah, OH 44874
(419) 962-1515
November 2016
Welcome to part three of Emanuel
Schrock’s true life story.
3. The Answer
One day, I was listening to a man preach
from the book of Hebrews. I was at the
point where I was desperate to
know the truth. I had worn
myself out trying to please God,
and I still didn’t have peace. I
listened to the words being
preached, and I was ready to let
the Bible say what it wanted to
say to me. I was done with
trying to figure out what I
needed to do; I was ready to
just listen. I had tried all that I
knew, and all that I had to show
for it was a history of failing
and a bleak and miserable
future of unending efforts that
would only serve to ease my conscience
while I waited in vain for the miracle of
salvation.
At times, I thought that perhaps I must
resign myself to hell, but the very
thought of that drove me in anguish to
grab on to the only lifeline I knew: to
pray and beg God to save me until my
conscience was eased, so that at least if I
did end up in hell, God couldn’t blame
me for it, since I had tried my very best.
I knew it was a weak and fragile thread,
but I hung on to it. I knew that
everything I had tried so far hadn’t
worked, but I didn’t dare let go. My soul
hung suspended over the lake of fire, and
there was no way I would allow myself
not to do something about it. I longed for
something new to present itself, some
method of salvation so powerful and
effective that it would swallow up all the
methods I had unsuccessfully tried. I
longed for some means of salvation that
was so high and powerful that my own
efforts would not be able to interfere with
its effectiveness.
As I listened to the words of the Bible
from the book of Hebrews, I thought that
perhaps there was just such a method of
salvation available.
The man was preaching from Hebrews
chapter 10, which talks about how the
blood of bulls and goats could not take
away sins in the Old Testament, because
God had no pleasure in them.
Something greater than animal
sacrifices was needed to take
away our sins.
Hebrews 10:4
For it is not
possible that the blood of bulls
and of goats should take away
sins.
In the previous verses in this
chapter, the writer of Hebrews
pointed out that if the Old
Testament sacrifices had been
able to take away sins, they
would not have needed to be
repeated each year. The thousands of
bloody sacrifices made each year for the
sins of the people could only make a
temporary payment; they could never
take away the full penalty of sins or clear
the consciences of the people.
As the preacher explained the meaning of
the passage, I suddenly realized
something:
I
wasn’t
included in the passage.
My performance and
My Story, Part 3
—
By Emanuel Schrock
Continued
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