Should Criminals Go Free?

September 17 – Today’s Readings – Amos 1-3 and Psalms 77

These first three chapters of Amos remind me of a very important facet of God’s character  – one that is so often ignored by our modern day Churches. God is The Completely Just and Holy Judge of the whole earth.

Imagine now – for a moment – a judge who ignores all the laws of the land and lets criminals go free. Imagine a murderer standing before this judge and using as his defense – “but sir – I’m not really a murderer – I only killed one person – I’ve never done this before and I never plan to do it again! – I’m basically a good person!” The judge agrees with this defense and says – “Yes, you really seem to be a good fellow to me – go with my blessing.”

Now it just so happens that this man planned the murder and executed his plan in “cold blood”. The victim of this murder was your mother and you are sitting in the courtroom that day. Shall not a judge execute righteous judgment? Shall not a judge do what is fair and good? Shall not a judge uphold the law? Shall not a judge minister justice?

There is a simple standard of right and wrong in this world. Whether you are a Christian or a non-Christian, most of us agree that planned, calculated, cold-blooded murder is wrong. It’s supposed to be a no-brainer! The same is true for all sin – whether we agree with God’s holy law or not. If the policeman stops me and informs me that I was going 150 in an 80 construction zone – and I will have to pay $500 – it will do me no good to protest loudly that I don’t “recognize” this law as being valid! It is the law whether I like it or not. There is a theme that reoccurs throughout Scripture – God is the Judge – and we will all stand before him in judgment. What are His laws? Simple – they are written on your conscience. We all know deep within what is right and wrong and we will all be held accountable for keeping these moral laws of God. If perhaps you have irreparably damaged your conscience and can no longer discern right from wrong, then reading the Bible will remedy that situation very quickly.

The Law of Jesus is simple too – “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’ – ‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

We come to the foot of the cross and receive the ultimate gift of salvation that Christ paid for with His life. We then become God’s children – Holy before Him because of the sacrifice of Christ. Let this covenant never be a small thing in your eyes – our salvation came at an enormous price – HE took the “sentencing” for the sins of the world – He stands before God as our “lawyer” reminding the Father that all sin has been justly dealt with through Him.

Questions:

1. Tell me how it makes you feel when you are treated in an “unjust” manner.
2. What about when you are completely misunderstood and “yelled at”?
3. How does it feel when you have done something wrong and suffer the penalty?
4. How is it that though we are “sinners saved by grace” – we are also sinless children of God?