TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. (Deuteronomy 32:35 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Today, we’re addressing another hard question. We’re on Day 9 of a 14-day series and today’s question is, “If God can do anything, why can’t He forgive without someone dying?” It’s deeply related to yesterday’s question, “Why did Jesus have to die for our sins?”
Yesterday, we talked about the fact that God is a just God. We talked about how sin carries a death penalty… and animal sacrifices weren’t the permanent solution. But why did anyone have to die? Why didn’t God, the all-mighty God of impossibilities simply say, “I forgive,” without any sacrifice?
We used the example of the thief and the unfair judge. That illustration really answers this question. Fairness and justice don’t allow for sins and wrongdoing to go unpunished. It wouldn’t be right to the victims and certainly, it’s not right after we’ve wholly offended our holy God!
But let’s put this question to a real-life application. Look at the issues we’re dealing with right now. We have a man, George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer and our entire nation— the entire world — is horrified. His murder has stemmed protests. And from protests, opportunists in the name of “protest” have looted, rioted, and caused general upheaval and chaos in cities all over the country. All that has triggered loss of more lives and loss of livelihood. As if COVID-19 hadn’t done enough to small businesses in recent months, even more businesses have been destroyed. With catastrophic results, even more jobs have gone down the drain in the wake of this Mr. Floyd’s tragic death. Furthermore, that police officer’s actions have created a tidal wave of racial tension. And through it all, we have a demand for justice.
Now, what would happen if the jury who eventually hands down the verdict of this pending trial said, “We know Mr. Floyd was murdered, but we’ve decided to let the police officer go.”?
Ensuing riots would the monumental.
Just as our court systems have a responsibility to deliver justice, so does God. And He has determined that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). As the Creator of the universe, perfect and holy, it is within His right to determine the price of sin.
It’s not a matter that God CAN’T forgive without someone dying, but it would go against His just character (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8). And not only is God consistent, He is a GOOD judge. He will do what is right and fair. God said in Deuteronomy 32:35, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.”
While God is love, and He is a loving, good Father, we need to remember that when it comes to His wrath — none of us want to face it. We don’t want to be separated from God because of our sin. And physical death is nothing. Without Jesus, physical death leads to eternal spiritual death. Despite the flames of hell, the greatest torment for those who spend eternity in hell will be the eternal separation from God. But Jesus Christ gave us the way so we don’t have to. When you accept Christ, God no longer sees your sin. He sees Christ’s sacrifice. He sees that your sins have been covered by the perfect, sacrificial blood of the Lamb of God (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Because Jesus took our penalty, we are eternally secure and promised that though we will die a physical death, we will have ETERNAL life.
Then, justice is served.
Today, as you pray, thank God for being a God of justice. Thank Him that He makes all things right. Again, thank Jesus for being the perfect and sinless Lamb who paid the penalty for your sins. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand that God’s justice is a good thing. Ask Him to help you recognize the value of God’s consistent nature.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
