I was watching the news this morning and a man was being interviewed regarding the shooting rampage conducted against civilians by an American soldier in Afghanistan. The "expert" said we Americans don't understand Islam as it is a religion that focuses on justice, while Christianity is a religion that focuses on forgiveness and grace. I got the impression this man believed the God of Christianity doesn't take sin serious, while the god of Islam does and that is why we deal with crime and punishment different in our respective countries.
I wonder how many would share this same error regarding Christianity? Not that we Christians aren't big on forgiveness and grace, but that God's holy and just character is what gives meaning to the forgiveness and grace we have in Jesus Christ.
When it comes to earthly justice for crimes such as the ones committed by this soldier, Afghanistan citizens (mostly Muslims) feel an obligation to take justice into their own hands and avenge the crimes committed against their family members personally. Our laws condemn personal vengeance, but we would agree that justice and even the death penalty, are reasonable and necessary under certain circumstances.
However, when it comes to crimes against God, as all crimes against man are, we should be the ones who proclaim the absolute justices of God toward sin the loudest. Because He is just, God is unwilling let even one sin against Him pass without the penalty of eternal death being required of the one who committed it.
It is this reality of God's justice that makes the forgiveness and grace found in Jesus Christ significant. Every death penalty required for every sin, for everyone redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, will have been carried out to the exact extent justice requires, as God the Father has put all that justice required on His own Son!
Rom. 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (NKJV)
If Muslim's or this "expert" on the news, really understood God's justice, they would (Holy Spirit willing) see the need they have for a savior from God's justice themselves!
Then they would know what we mean by forgiveness and grace!
"Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved."
No comments:
Post a Comment