Would you feel safer in a city where the penitentiaries are overflowing with crooks & criminals of every sort, or in a city where the prisons are half-empty because the judge liberally pardons them?
A FRIGHTFUL SCENARIO
Imagine coming home to find your entire family slain in cold blood (a quick Google search revealed that this scenario has been the grim reality for some, but I’ll spare you the sorrow by sharing no links). Shocked, you somehow manage to alert the authorities, and in short order, a man is brought into custody. His clothes are covered with the blood of your loved ones, and they, likewise, have traces of his. There is no doubt that the murderer has been caught.
Time passes, and at his arraignment, the suspect pleads ‘not guilty’. You’re insulted to say the least.
Time passes. At his trial, heaps of incriminating evidence is presented, along with multiple witnesses, all testifying against him. You are one of those witnesses, and you gladly honor your family by showing no mercy.
More time passes. You’re informed that an unexpected guilty plea was submitted. A glimmer of optimism washes over your soul. You’re thankful & relieved. You & your family have gotten the justice they deserve. Or so you think.
AN UNEXPECTED VERDICT
Again, time passes. At his sentencing, the defendant is asked to affirm his guilt before the court, which he readily does. The judge then declares his verdict: “I have seen the evidence, and I have heard the witnesses. Let the record show that I am a gracious & compassionate man. A judge who abounds in mercy and in love. I have decided to blot the crimes of the defendant from the record entirely. He is exonerated in full”.
The courtroom is stunned, the prosecution is outraged, and you feel like life has been taken from your family a second time.
The judge continues, now addressing the killer directly: “I declare you not guilty. You are innocent of all charges. Your crimes have been fully expunged from your record, and you are free from every penalty of the law. In addition, any future crimes you might commit are hereby forgiven as well. This court will always, only, consider you to be innocent. Further, I, personally, will lavish my love, care, and protection upon you for the rest of your life. I have decided to treat you as if you were my very own son, and I will bring to justice anyone else who fails to honor my decision. This case is closed”.
A MORAL DILEMMA
Is that the kind of judicial system you would prefer? Or would you feel better if criminals were brought to justice every time? Be careful answering that question.
It’s hard to imagine such a scenario. Even if a judge or magistrate like that were somewhere to be found, it’s likely that he’d be removed from the bench in the blink of an eye. Few people would tolerate a judge who not only dismissed criminal offenses, but unduly honored the lawbreakers of that community. If you’re like most people, you’d rather take the risk of living among crooks who attack the innocent than with a judge who acquits the crooks.
Unless, of course, you were the crook.
A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE
When we’re sinned against, we instinctively want justice. But when we commit the sin, its mercy we look for. Culpability changes everything. A person’s appreciation for God’s mercy depends on which side of the law they believe themselves to be on. Are you the law-keeper, or the law-breaker? Do you most often see yourself as the victim, or the culprit?
The hypothetical murderer of your family would have a different reaction to the judge’s verdict than you would, simply because he’s the one who committed the crime. He’s the one on trial. He’s the one facing punishment. You might not value leniency for your family’s assassin, but you’d want some for yourself if you were the one in court.
A BIBLICAL REALITY
This explains why the Apostle Paul labors in Scripture to prove our guilt like he does (see Romans 1-3 in particular). Only guilty people can appreciate the clemency of a Judge like ours. It’s for this reason that “God has consigned everyone to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all” (Ro.11:32).
When we fail to see ourselves as criminal, we fail to see our need for mercy, and God’s free gift of salvation offends us. But when our sins are ever before us, we recognize our own personal need for God’s pardon, and the free gift of salvation becomes so much more attractive.
We’re all guilty. And until we submit that plea, innocence is out of the question.
Case closed.