Hmmm. So, we are a planet in rebellion, suffering the consequences of deliberately turning from God and going our own ways, yet it is narrow-minded to think that we need to be reconciled to God?
I invented a silly story to get across the points I want to make just using human terms.
Here is my story:
Bob was a nice guy. He had a good friend named Tom. One day Tom decided that he wanted Bob’s car, so he stole it. When Bob confronted Tom and tried to take the car back, Tom pushed him and poor Bob actually broke his arm when he fell from that push. Tom got away with the car and drove it to another country where he lived for a long time. Bob called the police and Tom was prosecuted….even though not present for his trial. The judge declared Tom was guilty and must pay all of Bob’s hospital bills and a large amount of money for Bob’s emotional distress due to physical injury and the time that Bob could not work. The judge also sentenced Tom to two years in prison.
Even though Bob knew that Tom needed to have these consequences for what he did to Bob, Bob really didn’t want Tom to have to suffer, he really wanted the friendship restored. Bob still cared about Tom, although Tom, it seems, did not care about Bob.
So, Bob asked the Judge if he could sit in jail for 2 years and pay off the financial obligations himself. The Judge agreed but only with the condition that the payment made by Bob would not be applied to Tom UNLESS Tom would acknowledge how deeply he hurt his friend and would commit to always being a good friend to Bob (since Bob was already always a good friend to Tom). The Judge agreed, Bob took the Judgment, then went off to find Tom.
When Bob goes to find Tom and offer the terms of reconciliation to him, would we think it was horrible that the victim would offer full pardon and even reconciliation in the friendship if only his friend would be reconciled? Since the victim is the one pursuing the relationship, it is only right that the pardon can ONLY BE RECEIVED by reconciliation with the victim.
Changing aspects of the story to our relationship between us and God, these are similarities:
- God is the victim of humanities many crimes. We have rejected His rule over us. The first time was when Adam and Eve deliberately stole what wasn’t theirs and disobeyed God’s command to them in the Garden of Eden. People have been rejecting His rule over us ever since. This injured God’s good plans for humanity.
- The Bible often shows how evil and sin has corrupted the human race by using a single person or small group of people as representatives of all people. One thing to consider that happened at the crucifixion of Jesus is that both Gentiles and Jews were a part of the procedure. I think, in God’s mind and in the angels who watch as well, that those people who killed Jesus were representatives of the human race. It can be said that the human race killed God when He came to this earth. In one sense, this demonstrates that evil should not be allowed to continue forever, but must be stopped, and must be judged. In another sense it shows the kindness of God, that He would give Himself, in the Person of the Son of God, to such a horrendous, painful death, in order to satisfy the righteous judgment of God. The point I’m trying to get across is that in addition to all other crimes people commit, people have also physically injured God.
- God has created all things we use and our bodies as well. We did not make ourselves. He does not have to provide for any of us the things we need to stay alive. They are all gifts that we did not and cannot create aside from redesigning already existing created things. It is not right, in God’s sight, for creatures He created to reject His right to rule over them.
- For those of us who have become reconciled to God through personally repenting and receiving the gift of God’s pardon provided by the substitution Jesus made on the cross, paying for our sins and then rising up again 3 days later, as victor over the death that comes as a result of sin, we come to realize that God is relational and not a tyrant. He is kind, though He must be respected. He loves beyond what we could ever imagine. It’s amazing to me that the God of the Universe would care about and bend His ear to the prayers of believers and walk with us in the trials of this life. He becomes our close friend.
A pardon can be refused. Below I have some quotes showing that George Wilson refused to accept a pardon back in the 1800's.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Wilson#:~:text=A report in The National,result of refusing the pardon.
In
United States v. Wilson, 32 U.S. (7 Pet.) 150 (1833), was a case in the United States in which the defendant, George Wilson, was convicted of robbing the
US Mail, and putting the life of the carrier in danger, in Pennsylvania and
sentenced to death.
[1] Due to his friends' influence, Wilson was pardoned by
Andrew Jackson.
Wilson, however, refused the pardon. The
Supreme Court was thus asked to rule on the case.
[1]
The decision was that if the prisoner does not accept the pardon, it is not in effect: "A pardon is a deed, to the validity of which delivery is essential, and delivery is not complete without acceptance. It may then be rejected by the person to whom it is tendered; and if it is rejected, we have discovered no power in this court to force it upon him."
[3]
Why would we not expect that repentance and being reconciled to God would be necessary to escape the eternal consequences for departing from God? It is a wonder that God would suffer as He did, to make a way so that all who come to Him by faith in Jesus will find that Jesus is THE WAY. THE TRUTH and THE LIFE…..and all who come to the Father through the Son will be saved.
