drcheeks, maybe just a little behind: Justice and Grace.

Charlie was driving a canyon road drinking coffee his wife so lovingly prepared for him that morning. It slipped from his hand and the steaming hot coffee covered his legs. In that instant, distracted by the burning, the car drifted into oncoming traffic. What Charlie did not know was that Betty, wife and mother of 3, was taking her kids to school that day. Turning the car hard left to avoid the distracted oncoming driver, she lost control. She went off the road landing upside down in a blind ravine 100 feet below.

Charlie meant no harm that day. In fact, it all happened so fast he was completely unaware that Betty’s car even left the road. On that day, he took the life of Betty and two of her three children.

What is fair in this accident? Is Charlie responsible for their death? What should he pay? Could he restore the life he did not intend to take? He never intended harm that day but the fact remains, Betty and her two children are dead. Her husband, and especially her surviving child, will long live the consequence of his natural response to burning coffee. Bottom line, though not done intentionally, he was directly responsible for their death. If he was not distracted the husband and surviving child would never know this pain. How do you make restitution [1] or pay for such a thing?

Most people believe God is fair and just. Most would also agree Charlie was responsible for the death of three innocent people that day. Though it was not murder, we would expect Betty’s family to be deserving of some form of justice or restitution for their loss. Justice must be appropriate but unmerciful to be just. Charlie however does not possess the resources needed to repay those he hurt. To be fair, he would need to do what is not possible and give back the lives he took.

We do and do not do millions of things in our lifetimes[2]. Many things we do are natural reactions to everyday life events. Because we did not know or we had a natural reaction to something, does that make us innocent. Given the "butterfly effect"[3] where a small action can have huge unintended effects is it possible anyone is 100% innocent? To be sure, this made up story is extreme. The point is, even in innocence we are all responsible for something we either directly or indirectly caused. We effect our environment simply because we live in it. We cannot know the butterfly effect of everything we do. Even when we know of a wrong we are responsible for, we may not know how to fix it. Attempts to make things right can also have unintended consequences. Even if we could figure all that out, we then may not have the resources or ability to make them right.

The Bible tells us that no one is innocent[4]. Therefore, we are all like Charlie in our story, whose conscience was clear but only clear because he was ignorant of what he caused. When Jesus went to the cross, there was a legal price paid beyond the suffering that took place. Justice took place from the God we all fully expect to be fair and just beyond all others. In, Sermons from Solitary Confinement, Richard Wurmbrand[5] speaks of Jesus' full forgiveness. Explaining, not only does Jesus have the power to forgive, but also to provide full restitution. He is the only one with the resource, authority and above all the will[6] to pay restitution for what we have done. We are not capable. He willingly paid for the intended and the un-intended. Jesus is the only one who could pay to satisfy appropriate and unmerciful justice.

Grace is receiving undeserved favor, or not getting what you deserve. Out of love for us,[7] Jesus offers this gift of full restitution only he could pay for. He is inseparable from this gift and is the only way to satisfy the justice we face. In the end, you can go before[8] justice[9] on your own record[10] but it will require a price you will not be able to pay[11]. This grace offered to you both now and then does not go around justice it pays full restitution. You always have choice; God respects your free will now and on that day. The wise choice is to take His gift of grace.

[1] Restitution ¹The act of restoring to the rightful owner something that has been taken away, lost or surrendered. ²The act of making good or compensating for loss, damage, or injury; indemnification. ³A return to or restoration of a previous state or position.

[2] 1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.

[3] The flapping of a single butterfly's wing today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what the atmosphere actually does diverges from what it would have done. So, in a month's time, a tornado that would have devastated the Indonesian coast doesn't happen. Or maybe one that wasn't going to happen, does. (Ian Stewart, Does God Play Dice? The Mathematics of Chaos, pg. 141)

[4] Roman 3:30 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. ²¹ But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. ²² This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

1 John 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

[5] “The Hebrew word asham means not only “sacrifice for sin,” but also “restitution.” In Isaiah 53:10 it is written that Jesus gave His life as an asham,” Wurmbrand, Richard, With God in Solitary Confinement , Living Sacrifice Book Company, 2001 (reprinted from 1969), p. 50

[6] John 10:18 No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily.

[7] John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. New Living Translation (NLT). Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%203:16&version=NLT

[8] Hebrews 9:27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,

New Living Translation (NLT)

[9] Romans 14:10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ¹¹ It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” ¹² So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

[10] James 2:10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. New Living Translation (NLT). Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2&version=NLT

[11] Hebrews 2:2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm, and every violation of the law and every act of disobedience was punished. ³ So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak? New Living Translation (NLT). Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.

drcheeks, maybe just a little behind

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Justice and Grace.

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