15. The Father’s Dilemma

If God were to forgive us when we sin, without demanding the appropriate consequences, He would be saying that it is acceptable to sin.  He would be cancelling out all standards of right and wrong.

Romans 6:23 (ESV) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of  God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  

Galatians 3:13 (ESV) Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by  becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is  hanged on a tree”—

In our earlier reading, we saw that God has established universal standards of right and wrong. These requirements are good and have their origin in His heart and nature. They reflect His righteousness and holiness. The Bible is also clear that the consequence of breaking these laws is death. And if God does not uphold these consequences, He would cancel His moral rules. 

Imagine a court case where the defendant had committed murder. There were multiple eyewitnesses, and the person on trial admitted their guilt. They carried out their crime just because they disliked the victim. Consider the uproar that would follow if the judge forgave the guilty person and granted them a pardon. I am sure you would agree this judge would be unfit to serve in the judiciary and would not hold their position for very long. 

Now, imagine a society that did not enforce the penalties for murder. They might decide that murder is wrong and harmful, and even have laws in place expressing this. But if they did not impose the prescribed penalties, that community would act as if murder were acceptable. You could murder without consequence, and by not enforcing the just penalties upon those who broke the law, they would abolish their rules of proper living. 

Similarly, if God does not apply the penalties for our sin, He would be turning a blind eye to sin, and we could not trust him to do what is right. He would be saying it is acceptable to sin, and He would be cancelling out all standards. This would destroy the moral fibre of the universe. Right would no longer be right,  and wrong would no longer be wrong. 

The Bible says Jesus redeemed us from the curse (consequences) of the Law.  This idea of redemption is that of paying a price on behalf of another. We have broken God’s laws and deserve to die. But when Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment of our sin on our behalf. He paid the price we should pay.  Through the death of Jesus, the Father was upholding the consequences of breaking His laws. He has judged our sin through Jesus. And now that He has carried out the judgment of our sin, the Father is free to forgive us without destroying His righteous laws. 

When Jesus forgave the adulterous woman, He was not ignoring her sin. Nor was He contradicting the standards of the Law. He endorsed those standards because they had their origin in His own holiness and were right. He could forgive her, however, because He knew that He would die in her place on the cross. In forgiving her, Jesus reflected the heart of the Father who passionately wants to forgive us of all our sins. When Jesus forgave the woman and said that  He did not condemn her, He was expressing the heart and will of the Father. 

God will always judge sin. He will never compromise with right and wrong because He is holy and just and will always uphold His holy standards. The wonderful news, however, is that although we deserve the consequences of our sin, Jesus has satisfied these consequences. The price has been paid, and if we accept His death on our behalf, we too can receive His forgiveness. When we receive the forgiveness offered to us by God, the Father, along with Jesus,  says that He, too, no longer condemns us.  

Further reading: Matt 20:28; Rom 3:24; Eph 1:7; Heb 9:12-15, 22; 1 Pet 1:18- 19; 1 Pet 3:18

He paid the price we should pay.

The Father and Jesus will always judge sin. This is the right thing to do. The wonderful news, however, is that Jesus took that judgment on our behalf. Our choice is whether we will accept His death on our behalf or choose to pay the price ourselves.

This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.