“How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a
thankless child,” says William Shakespeare’s King Lear. Well, then, how about a
thankless jailbird? If you want an answer to that one, ask District Judge
Philip Killien of
Last month, Eric Whipple appeared before Judge Killien on charges of car theft. The judge saw no reason to keep Whipple locked up while he awaited court action. He released him on his own recognizance. A short time later, Killien’s 1980 Honda Civic disappeared.
Police quickly found the stolen car—and the guy who stole it. One day soon, Judge Killien will be in court in a new role, not as a judge, but as a witness against Eric Whipple who stands accused of stealing the magistrate’s wheels.
A Japanese proverb reminds us that forgiving the unrepentant is like drawing pictures on the water. Though Christians must forgive those who wrong them whether their adversaries are repentant or not, we are mistaken if we think that our God ignores sin. Ignoring sin may gain the sinner’s temporary gratitude, but makes no lasting impression. A forgiven car thief is still a car thief if no change of character takes place. God knew this when He chose to redeem mankind from sin.
Many believe that God will simply ignore their sin, and they equate this with forgiveness. They fail to realize that a forgiven sinner is still a sinner if his nature has not been changed. By smiling nearsightedly at the crimes of man, the Lord would sin against his own justice and populate heaven with hardened criminals.
God does not ignore sin. He removes it. He does not simply reject old faults; he provides a new nature. Don’t forget that the words of Christ to the prostitute were not, “Go your way, and do as you please,” but “Go your way, and sin no more.”
How about you? Do you seek to escape justice or to be justified by God’s grace and Christ’s mercy? God offers you liberty, not license, in the cleansing blood of Christ.
Through Christ, God is just. Through Christ, God is able to justify those who trust in the blood of the Lamb.