Responding to this blog: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1LvEJjBx2n/
I think that the Ministers of God in the church would do well to take a considerable amount of time studying what the Bible says about Justice.
I don’t usually disagree with CS Lewis, and while I do not 100% disagree and I understand the quote and his perspective because yes we are given at times by God the choice whether to believe or not to believe, whether to love God or not to love God, as he said to the Israelites,
“I have set before you life and death, now choose life.” Deut. 30:19
Jesus crying over Jerusalem,
“ “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’””
Matthew 23:37-39 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/mat.23.37-39.ESV
And yet at the same time we read,
“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
Romans 11:29, 32-36 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.11.29-36.NIV
Ultimately according to Genesis, God is the judge of the whole Earth, Gen.18:25, and every Earthly judge will stand before Jesus Christ in the day of judgment and give an account like the rest of us for every careless word we have spoken, Mt. 12:36-37 – I would assume that also includes talk to text, and typing! – and we will give account for everything we’ve done.
And so a few questions:
Is the one being accused repentant?
And if there are people within that person’s circle that are believers in Christ, Have they effectively, according to the will of the spirit of God, shared the message of the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them?
If not, I’d be just as afraid for a Christian holding back spiritual life from somebody in need as I would be for the murderer – and I’m dead serious. Seriously, no pun intended.
Do they have knowledge of God?
And if Government claims to be walking in the knowledge of God, then how is it so weak that it does not have the power to forgive, because I don’t recall ever seeing that within our United States government system, though there is times of Mercy and I certainly am not usually in those circles, but it’s forgiveness even an option in our Christian country that claims to promote the Forgiveness of Christ for the sins of the world? Again I’m not talking foolishness or releasing murderers back onto the streets, I’m talking wisdom that works by love.
Thank God, Judgement without Mercy most certainly isn’t with God’s government or No One who has ever lived on the face of this Earth would ever have a chance at eternal life.
There is a balance and wisdom is needed because sometimes the sentence is not so much needed to be carried out for the one who is being killed, as for those around who might be tempted to kill, but, because of the law and the punishment, choose not to.
Regarding the quote by CS Lewis, I do believe it is a God kiss that we have more understanding of the human brain then I would assume in 5 millennia, and more understanding now than in Lewis’s time. Understanding can help us gain compassion, but it is not an excuse. Something wrong is wrong, wisdom knows when it’s the time to punish, the time to issue Mercy, or the time to get into the suffering of the world through the power and love of God help bring individuals out.
We humans are not capable of doing what God Alone can: we cannot judge a person’s heart. Only God can judge a person’s heart. We are only capable of judging actions and sometimes I think on a very small scale we can take a glimpse into somebody’s brain, but there we are more blind than seeing. So our judgment is quite Limited.
So how would you judge this scenario?
A true story, a 25 year old woman has been a drug dealer since 15 and a prostitute. She’s lived on the streets and has most certainly enticed other young ones into drugs selling them hardcore drugs.
She looks like a prostitute, she dresses like a prostitute and she’s good at what she does. She’s tough and you don’t want to mess with her.
What punishment does the law say she should have? And what do you think should happen to her? What punishment for the many evil things she’s done?
How would you judge this next scenario?
A young woman raised in a good upbringing and gets herself into some trouble in an employment opportunity that she took because the boss demands she does something illegal.
So she does it one time thinking, well that’ll be okay, it’s just this one time.
But the pressure builds and she has to do it again and again, lying, cheating and deceiving for 10 years. The consequences are great harm to other humans that affect the rest of their lives. How would you judge her? Without knowing too much I guess you can’t say too much but just from that little bit, what Justice should be meted out?
How would you judge this situation?
A group of mature religious leaders that have been in the church their entire lives, studying the word of God and preaching it, come across a rogue minister that is not submitting to their Godly Authority, not obeying the laws of the church as they see that it should be obeyed.
They warn him multiple times but he continues to stand up against not only them but what the law commands. And it becomes more and more dangerous because more and more people are leaving the church to follow after this rogue minister.
The leaders are concerned because from what they can see, if it gets any worse, the entire church is going to be shut down. Huge numbers of people could lose their Eternal salvation because they are not being obedient to a holy God.
Because of the words the young Rogue Minister has spoken they have the right to throw him out of the church.
But in an effort to keep the church together and not lose more people, the leaders Trump up charges on him that are not true, somehow all thinking that this would be a good thing, surely the ends justify the means.
I mean after all, they are concerned that those people following this Rogue minister might be doomed to eternal hell if they listen to him, so false accusations are made and he is tried before the public government and found guilty.
The punishment: death.
How would you judge this situation?
One last one.
Two prostitutes are brought before the judge arguing over a baby which both claim to be theirs – in a culture where prostitution is punishable by Death.
Both women claim the baby is hers.
The judge in wisdom discerns which is the true mother and gives that baby to that prostitute that was the True Mother.
However, curiously the judge does nothing about either of the women receiving the just and demanded death penalty for their crime.
And yet for some reason, the Judge was considered just, not only by those under him but by the One over him. Why?
I’m going to go back to those first two scenarios and I’m going to tell you the story of two little girls. True story.
The first little girl was born in a southern town full of racial struggles to a 16 year old white mom who fell in love with a 17 year old black man.
Now granted they shouldn’t have been together but they did and this little girl was born.
The black man went to jail for 2 years for rape.
The 16-year-old mother was forced to marry a man twice her age that was not a nice man.
Within a couple of years she went crazy because of the abuse.
The baby, according to relatives, if this part of the story was reported truly – and do not be deceived there are dark places of the world where these things are not reported – the baby had an iron mark on the back of her from a hot iron when she was an infant.
She was dark skinned and her mother, her mind burned out from abuse and drugs, would try to scour her with a scouring pad in the tub to get the dark off.
When she was three her stepfather decided she could start helping him with his physical needs.
You know that woman that was the drug dealer and the prostitute? In the first scenario? The one that we asked how would you judge her?
She ran away from home at 15 years of age after a life of molestation and abuse –
– but by all means you know, most definitely you should judge her and make sure she pays the penalty for her crimes of being a drug dealer and a prostitute. Surely God would consider that his kind of Justice…?😡🤢
She ran away at 15 when her mother took a shotgun to her head and said I’m going to do what I should have done 15 years ago.
And she hit the only place she knew that was safe, the streets. She was already a cocaine addict by the time she was 12.
But by all means make sure she gets punished. I’m sure God wants her to, as you said from CS Lewis, take responsibility for her crimes. Definitely let’s not let any mental health issues get in the way…
I think the Day of Judgment is going to be much different than most people think.
And I really think that people that are teaching the word of God would be wise if they took about 120 hours to pray and seek God and do a study of God’s justice and how He defines it.
Because Justice and Judgment are more often enemies than friends.
Because judgment loves to judge the person on the other side with a very different standard than equally with God’s rule judge the person in the mirror.
Judgment judges both equally.
And every judge will be judged.
The second little girl grew up with mental health instabilities. She was convinced by her boss that her parents did not love her. After a year of working for the boss and seeing some of the things that were not right she told the boss she was going to leave, but the boss said no you can’t. If you try to, I will kill you.
The statement was made in front of another adult that did not deny in any way the statement and so the young woman stayed working for that boss for 10 years. There was a day when there was intervention and she was given an opportunity to flee and for freedom. So, the young woman who was deceitful in work for 10 years, doing quite a few things that were quite illegal to the harm of others, while in essence working as a slave…
Tell me, How would you judge her?
Strange that Jesus said, “Judge not, lest you be judged…” but he also said to make right judgments.
We could learn a lot from the Son of God who offered the woman at the well the water of life, himself, freely. Strange, there was no command to repent from her immorality, no demand of reparation or penance with her five former husbands, just the offer of the Water of Life. Strange.
Strange that such a Christian country has no concept of such love and forgiveness, those are things I cannot understand or comprehend but I confess it terrifies me and so I run to the One who will always be the protection and refuge for those who come afraid, afraid of judgment, afraid of the terror of the person in the mirror…
The Resurrected Lord Jesus still gives life, he’s still rescues, he saves, but more than that, He alone is the Savior.
For such, I bow before him at his feet and worship and adore the one whose love is so powerful he forgives Wicked sinners – such as I.
It doesn’t mean there’s no consequence, it does not mean there are no punishments within this life and I guess to some respect perhaps in the next though I don’t completely understand.
But Salvation is purely through the work that he did, absolutely nothing to do with the work we have or have not done.
Thank God, the Judgment was poured out in full at the cross for the sins of the world.
The innocent Lamb of God took the death penalty that you and I truly deserved, more than stood in the Gap so that the Eternal separation from God that should have been ours somehow in ways we cannot comprehend Came Upon him.
There was God’s judgment. And he was just.
I believe we could learn a lot from the Living God.
I do not agree with CS Lewis in this case. Regarding the death penalty, I find it strange that a culture that claims the Christ as Lord within a country has no understanding or ability to forgive. I find it very strange.
I would be appalled and feel fearful before the one who died from my sins if I watched the death of one who had killed my child or family member, without striving to share the Water of Life with that person. And I would fear the wrath of God if I took pleasure in the death of the murderer, because the One who was tortured and who died for me said not to be like that. Ezekiel 33:11, Prov. 24:17-18, Rom. 12:14, Luke 6:28, Col. 3:13
Though I have never been through that kind of heartbreak, I am not one who has not suffered and there are people who have tried to kill me and there are people who have done worse to me so when I speak of forgiveness please understand – I cannot speak or be in somebody else’s shoes, but I’m not speaking as one who has not had to ask and receive the power of God to forgive – but regardless of what I can and cannot relate to, the One who does command me to forgive whom I call my Lord DOES most certainly know what it’s like to watch his son be tortured and killed by evil men – not just by the ones that did The Killing but by every human whose sins fell upon Christ on the cross.
We are commanded not to rejoice when the enemy suffers but rather to pray for our enemy and bless those who persecute us. Again there is wisdom, we are called to protect others and it is not a sin to have wisdom and to protect, but above all we are commanded to love.
I find this concept of justice that we commend in our country very contrary at times to the Justice – encased in Divine Mercy – of the Living God.
Thank God, at the cross, Mercy triumphed over judgment.
I’m NOT saying there should not be a death penalty, I am just reminding us that the death penalty is ours if God does not forgive.
So we might be wise to consider all God has said, With wisdom by all means – it doesn’t mean letting a murderer loose on the streets, but if more people were concerned with loving as God loved, getting into the suffering of abused children, reaching out with our time energy money and resources into the hurt and deep need for Jesus in this world, I suspect there would be less murderers.
But I’m quite curious in the day of judgment, who will be guilty? Who will be the ones that stand before the Judge of the whole Earth and find themselves guilty and condemned..?
This is real, my friend. Each one of us will stand before Christ, let us not wait until that day to start the conversation.
As for the religious leaders who in the name of God not only had the Rogue minister killed, but also consented to his torture, how would you judge them?
Surely they were just trying to protect the church from falling apart from people leaving God and ultimately going to hell. Surely their motive was the best interest of others…
How would you judge them?
Because the One that was tortured and killed at their insistence had this judgment against them as he was being killed:
“Father, Forgive them! They don’t know what they’re doing…”
So I would disagree with CS Lewis that we are all mentally capable, though I agree we all hold responsibility Before the Throne of God…
– Remembering that pride and lies is an Abomination before him and greed is as the sin of murder….
His statement and the quote I would put more under Ecclesiastes 3, to everything there is a time and a season… however I would be more quick to give Mercy then to give death because I know I am desperately in need of Mercy.
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely through his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” Romans 3:23-24 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.3.23-24.ESV
I will disagree in part with him, though Lewis is one of my favorite people and I look forward to having a long cup of tea with him, when I get home….
To steal a bit from Shakespeare,
To condemn or not to condemn? That is the question.
And from the words of Jesus,
“… forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors…”
God’s peace.
Disclaimer: all grammatical and other errors are mine alone. No AI has been used or harmed in the creation of my writings, as will be obvious. I’ll keep my mess, thank you…😊
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