As Far as the East is from the West

J. Wilbur Chapman, who wrote the wonderful hymn "Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners", tells the story of a German mathematics professor who was converted under his ministry and became a member of his congregation. One morning during a men's study at the church, Chapman commented that God had taken our sins as far as the east is from the west. He turned to the mathematics professor and asked him, "How far is the east from the west?" The man responded in tears, saying, "Men, you cannot measure, for if you put your stake here and keep the east ahead of you and west behind you, you can go around the world and come back to your stake, and east will still be ahead of you and west behind you. The distance is immeasurable. And thank God, that is where my sins have gone."