Forgiveness, Justice, and the Long Ball...

Hello Fellow Earthlings!,

Today Michael Vick (Quarterback of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons...the guy can throw it Way Far) plead guilty and apologized for his part in a dogfighting operation. The crowd that waited for him outside the courthouse was made up of supporters cheering for him and PETA activists booing him. Some of the supporters were holding up signs indicating that God forgives.

I definitely agree with this. God DOES forgive…over and over and over again. That’s sort of the whole deal with grace. It is a free gift – totally unearned. God will forgive us just as many times as we screw up and ask for forgiveness. But there are a couple of caveats to keep in mind:

ONE. Just because God will forgive you is not an excuse for not trying to become a better person. I believe that God is pleased with our progress but never content with where we are. We are always called to strive to be better. What makes this bearable is the assurance that God loves us and will be there to pick us up and dust us off when we fail in our attempts to be better people. To pull just one (of many) examples from Scripture, here’s Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.”

TWO. Forgiveness does not condone injustice. There are consequences for our actions. In the Old Testament, King David arranged for the death of a man so that he could be with the man’s wife (check out 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12 for the details)…and did some other not so nice things as well. David repented of these sins (i.e., apologized), and God still loved him, but he still had to face the consequences of those actions.

So, long story short (too late!). Do I think that Michael Vick should be forgiven for what he’s done? Yes. Do I think he should go to jail for what he’s done? Absolutely.

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions? Let me know what you think.

Our next Friday night activity will be on September 28^th, and we’ll be meeting at Nicholas and Jenn’s new house (directions and address to be supplied later via email!). On the docket is a night of games and discussion. Bring your questions – about religion, life, our world, etc. This will give us a chance to have fun and go a bit deeper at the same time. I’ll bring a topic or two to chew over, but I encourage you to bring your comments/questions/struggles. As always, you can find this event on our calendar page (link on the bar to your right à).

Be well my friends!

Peace,

Kevin