1) What makes a person guilty before God?
Any amount of sin. [See Romans 3:9-24]
2) What qualifies as sin?
Anything that is contrary to God’s commands/standards is
sin. Any willful thought, word or action that falls short of the purity of our
Creator is sin. Jesus said not only murder and adultery, but anger and lust are
sins that will be judged and are worthy of punishment in hell. [Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28; Leviticus 20:26; Matthew 5:48, James 2:8-13]
For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
James 2:10
3) What are the consequences of sin?
Sin separates us from a personal relationship with God
while we live on earth. It drives a wedge between us and God that no human
efforts can mend. Our sin also affects the world around us – even our words can
be “full of deadly poison” (James 3:5-10). The greatest punishment, however, is
death. This is not only physical death, but a spiritual death that involves
eternal separation from God, and therefore separation from all goodness. The
fires of hell and eternal torment are the consequence for sins against an
eternal God. [James 1:14-15; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Matthew 25:31-32, 41, 46]
4) Is there any way to be forgiven?
Remarkably, yes.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 3:23
5) How are people forgiven?
Forgiveness comes through repentance and faith in Christ.
I’m not sure how to express the depth of this in so few words. First of all, biblical
teaching is that repentance is “more than just remorse” – it is a “wholehearted
turning to God…a complete turn from self to God" (1376). Salvation
from the previously mentioned consequences of sin comes through a rejection of
our old self and a receiving of a new life, united with Christ in faith and
completely surrendered to him. Fully human and fully God (and fully sinless),
Jesus alone was able to atone for the sins of humans. He absorbed our
punishment for sin when he died on the cross, and defeated that death when he
rose from the grave. This plan runs from Genesis to Revelation, the beginning
of time until the end of time. It is not haphazard, but an intricate and intentional
plan of a loving God. [Luke 5:32; Romans 8:1-14; Isaiah 43:25]
6) Are some people beyond hope?
No. God does not show favoritism. Prostitutes and
murderers alike were loved by Jesus – they were forgiven, and their lives
changed forever. All who genuinely come to Christ will be forgiven, and eternal
salvation cannot be stripped from a person. It is not earned, so our efforts
(good or bad) do not have the power to maintain or eliminate salvation. Every
sinner forgiven by Christ has a secure hope for the unimaginably beautiful
eternity he has planned. [Hebrews 8:12; Romans 2:11; James 3:2; Luke 15:7; Romans 10:10-13; Ephesians 2:8-10]
7) How are we to respond to all this?
I hope you might seek to
understand the Christian viewpoint, but if you have no relationship with Christ
then I can’t really speak to your actions apart from the law. Responsibilities
for the Christian, however, are as follows: Confess sin directly to God and
others in the church, praise God for his forgiveness, extend forgiveness to all
(how can we withhold forgiveness in a human to human situation when the God of
the universe has forgiven our lifetime of sins against him?), and provide
accountability for fellow Christians, participating in church discipline if
needed. Amidst temptations and sins, Christians are to continue living a life
of repentance and faith as God’s children – and we are not to take advantage of
God’s grace, using it as an excuse for sin to abound. [Romans 6:1-2, 9-11]
To conclude…Josh’s story is not a new one. Those who follow Christ and read his word, the Bible, recognize this controversy as all too familiar with only a few details being different than their own life with God. The sins that have been made public were disgusting and the implications devastating. No one is debating that. His sin renders him worthy of hell and God’s eternal judgment. However, if he confessed his guilt, genuinely repented before God, and turned to follow Christ, he is a new man. He will still fall to sin, as do all Christians, but by God’s grace and mercy he is forgiven and living under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Do not expect followers of Christ to hold a grudge in situations where our God extends mercy and grace.
If the acts of sexual abuse were committed recently, or if Josh was defending his actions, a great deal of discipline would be needed. However, the matter was addressed over a decade ago by his family, church and police. If their response was inadequate, that’s very unfortunate and we can reflect on any potential changes needed in the law – but it was dealt with seriously as they saw fit, and those of us currently learning about the tragedy do not constitute a jury. My hope now is continued healing for the girls, and continued accountability with brothers in Christ or counseling for Josh if he still struggles with impure sexual desires.
* Chad Brand, Charles Draper and Archie England, ed., Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003.
