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“Though we are overwhelmed by our sins, you forgive them all.” - Psalm 65:3
He walked through the door, his mind was elsewhere. The
day had been a long one and the night did not look any different. He had several projects due at work in the
next two weeks and he was missing his family time. He walked past the beer aisle and grabbed an
ice tea from the cooler in the small gas station. He walked down the aisle when he heard the
bell, hanging on the door open. Voices were
raised, speaking a different language, one he wasn’t familiar with, but
escalating to a yell quickly. He walked
toward the front of the store, still hidden from the cash register where the
yelling was taking place. He saw a
reflection in the window of a man, wearing a mask, holding a gun at the
forehead of the young man behind the counter.
He bumped the shelving unit, startling the man with the gun and the man turned. As he did the one behind the counter dropped down and hid to the side. The man with the gun raised the gun and pointed it in the direction of our victim in the chip aisle. The gunman yelled for him to get up, and then stated in plain English, “Why, why did you have to come in here tonight? This is between him {pointing to the man hiding behind the counter} and me. He raped my daughter, and the judge set him free. Justice must be served. You should not have been here.” His hand shook as he waved the gun, with a quivering voice, he told the man to “Go – get out of here.”
So the man took the opportunity to leave and ran out the front door carrying the bag of chips and ice tea. As he looked back over his shoulder he heard the gunshot. He stopped in his tracks and turned to see the man with the gun falling backward against the shelves holding the bread and the young man behind the counter holding a pistol, with smoke coming from the barrel. He immediately dialed 911 and stated the emergency. Then he ran back toward the door, and upon opening the door saw the pool of blood under the man in the mask. The young man behind the counter held the gun firmly pointed at the man lying on the ground and did nothing to help. Kneeling down next to the body on the floor, he removed the mask and saw the trembling lips of a dying man whisper, “Pray for me, please.”
Just then the police pulled in and burst through the door. They told the clerk to put the gun down, and told the customer, who was praying, to stand up away from the body. The clerk behind the counter told the police that the customer had attempted to steal an iced tea and bag of chips, while the other man, lying dead on the floor, had held him up at gun point, so he shot him in self-defense. Outside on the ground lay the bag of chips and the bottle of iced tea, shattered on the pavement, as proof that indeed the man had left the store without paying, despite the fact that he came back in.
You are the police overseeing this situation. Who’s right? Who’s wrong?
You don’t know all of the details behind the intruder’s motives. You don’t realize that the customer ran from the store to protect his own life. You don’t realize that the man behind the counter is a serial rapist that has been caught but never indicted. Does any of this matter based on the facts of this case?
Which of the above committed sins are unforgivable?
He bumped the shelving unit, startling the man with the gun and the man turned. As he did the one behind the counter dropped down and hid to the side. The man with the gun raised the gun and pointed it in the direction of our victim in the chip aisle. The gunman yelled for him to get up, and then stated in plain English, “Why, why did you have to come in here tonight? This is between him {pointing to the man hiding behind the counter} and me. He raped my daughter, and the judge set him free. Justice must be served. You should not have been here.” His hand shook as he waved the gun, with a quivering voice, he told the man to “Go – get out of here.”
So the man took the opportunity to leave and ran out the front door carrying the bag of chips and ice tea. As he looked back over his shoulder he heard the gunshot. He stopped in his tracks and turned to see the man with the gun falling backward against the shelves holding the bread and the young man behind the counter holding a pistol, with smoke coming from the barrel. He immediately dialed 911 and stated the emergency. Then he ran back toward the door, and upon opening the door saw the pool of blood under the man in the mask. The young man behind the counter held the gun firmly pointed at the man lying on the ground and did nothing to help. Kneeling down next to the body on the floor, he removed the mask and saw the trembling lips of a dying man whisper, “Pray for me, please.”
Just then the police pulled in and burst through the door. They told the clerk to put the gun down, and told the customer, who was praying, to stand up away from the body. The clerk behind the counter told the police that the customer had attempted to steal an iced tea and bag of chips, while the other man, lying dead on the floor, had held him up at gun point, so he shot him in self-defense. Outside on the ground lay the bag of chips and the bottle of iced tea, shattered on the pavement, as proof that indeed the man had left the store without paying, despite the fact that he came back in.
You are the police overseeing this situation. Who’s right? Who’s wrong?
You don’t know all of the details behind the intruder’s motives. You don’t realize that the customer ran from the store to protect his own life. You don’t realize that the man behind the counter is a serial rapist that has been caught but never indicted. Does any of this matter based on the facts of this case?
Which of the above committed sins are unforgivable?
- man with a gun enters the store, intent on killing
the clerk to avenge the rape of his daughter
- customer runs out the door without paying for the
merchandise
- clerk behind the counter shoots and kills the intruder
God knows all things at all times. The motives, the circumstance, the history and the future. In this case would it be justice that all of these individuals be given the same eternal resting state? If you had God’s perspective on the situation, would you forgive the customer, most likely yes? Would you forgive the man behind the counter for shooting the intruder? Would you forgive the intruder for his intent on killing the clerk? The answer to all of these is unequivocally, yes, with one caveat – have they accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Grace is given, not based on fairness and equity, but based on the love of the Father for all mankind, for those who seek Him through His Son Jesus Christ. Now we can debate all day long who in this situation had truly accepted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, and who had not, based on the lives that they are leading.
Only God knows the heart of each man, and only God can judge the righteousness and sanctity of mankind against their faith and trust in His Son’s sacrifice. Each of these men have the same value in God’s eyes and were all born into this world to serve Him with the one life He gave them. Let us leave it to God to determine who does and who does not enter into His Kingdom. We are charged to be right with God in our life and represent His glory and grace to those around us, such that they will see the love of God through us. God’s grace is sufficient to cover all sins and unrighteousness for those who have accepted His Son. Who are we to say that it isn’t?
© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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