d Silas taught the
jailer, a man under the law, unredeemed, not a child of God, "Believe
on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved."--Acts 16:31. John
taught the believers (1 John 5:13), those who were redeemed from the
curse of the law (Gal. 3:13), and were God's children (1 John 3:1, 2),
"If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins,"--1 John 1:9; Paul taught the unredeemed, those who were
not God's children, "To him that worketh not, but believeth on
him that _justifieth the ungodly_, his faith is counted for
righteousness."--Rom. 4:5.

Many believe and teach that if any one, the unredeemed man as well as
the son of God, confesses his sins, God will be faithful and just to
forgive his sins. A Mohammedan, a Jew, a Christian Scientist, a
Unitarian, a Universalist, confess their sins,--are they forgiven? To
these and all others under the law, God has said, "Apart from shedding
of blood there is no remission."--Heb. 9:22. "Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till
all be fulfilled."--Matt. 5:18. John is writing to believers only (1
John 5:13), to those who are God's children (1 John 3:1, 2), and to
_them_ he says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins."--1 John 1:9. Men unredeemed, under the law, can
never get rid of their sins by confession. To them God has one
message,--"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so _must_ the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth on him
should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him
should not perish, but have everlasting life."--John 3:14-16.

The Saviour taught the _disciples_ to pray, "Our Father, ... forgive
us our sins"; but so widespread is the misconception that it applies
to all, redeemed and unredeemed, that all over the world vast
multitudes of the unredeemed kneel down every night and say, "Our
Father, ... forgive us our sins," and lie down to sleep deluded with
the thought that they are forgiven. If they are forgiven, why was
there any need of Christ dying for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3)? But the
real child of God can pray, "Our Father, ... forgive us our sins," and
he is really forgiven. Why the difference? With the unredeemed, those
yet under the law (Rom. 3:19), God is dealing as judge with violators
of law, and law knows no forgiveness. With the rede