Question
When you have committed a sin, an illegal offense, do you have to make it right by law in order to be forgiven by GOD? Does GOD expect you to come clean in order to forgive you is my question. The consequences of coming clean in this case would be devastating to a large number of people directly and indirectly involved.
Answer
Three basic concepts here:
1. God requires that we repent of wrongdoing and turn to Him. 2. God requires that we submit to the civil government. 3. It is God who forgives our sins, not man.
The Jews to whom Peter was preaching in Acts chapter two had sinned big time — they had crucified the Son of God!! Peter commanded them to repent and be baptized (2:38). In Acts chapter three Peter commanded another group of Jews who were guilty of the same sin to repent and turn to God (3:19). In Acts chapter eight Simon sinned after he had become a Christian, and Peter commanded him to repent and to pray God for forgiveness (8:22). We know that Saul, whose name was changed to Paul, repented because of the change in his life from the one who was the greatest of persecutors of Christians, to the one who was the greatest proclaimer of the gospel of Christ. So we see that God requires us to repent, not just one time, but each and every time that it is necessary that we turn back to God.
We must submit to the rule of government, as Paul taught:
Rom 13:1-3 1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: (KJV)
That means that if the law says to do something, or to not do some other thing, then it is my duty as a Christian to obey that law. The only exception is when the law of the land would require me to disobey a higher law, the law of God. Fortunately in this land of freedom, including religious freedom, we seldom have conflicts between our duty to God and our duty to obey the civil law. But that has not always been the case throughout history, that is not always the case even today in other countries, and that may not always be the case even in this country some future date.
I have a disagreement with some of my brethren, even my own family, about the 55 mph speed limit. It is clear to me that when the law on the bookds says the speed limit is 55 mph, then it is my duty to God to obey that law, and that if I drive 65 mph I am in violation of not only the civil law, but the law of God. I know that there are times when I find my speedometer above the posted speed limit, especially when my cruise control is broken on my 11 year old car, but I try to minimize such violations and correct myself.
When someone has committed a public sin and brought reproach on the church and on the good name Christian, it is customary and it is proper that, when this person repents and turns to God, that this person make their change of life known to other Christians. The purpose for this public acknowlegement of correction of sin is threefold: 1) to make fellow Christians aware of the change in the life of their brother/sister, 2) fellow Christians will rejoice with the one who has repented and turned to God, and 3) fellow Christians will support and encourage the repentant Christian in his/her change of life.
Unfortunately, I have seen situations where fellow Christians have said to the repentant person that they could not forgive them, because their repentance was not enough. This is related to what John the Baptist said to the Jews, “bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.” But we must never forget that it is God who forgives the sinner, and who tells us that we must forgive, we have no choice:
Matt 6:14-15 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (KJV)
Having said all that, you realize that there are two kinds laws, both God’s and civil, which we can commit. Laws where there is no lasting consequence, such as ocassionally going over the speed limit, or ocassionally saying a dirty word. If we make these our habit and our lifestyle, we will have real problems and will have to deal with it. But if it is almost accidental, and a slip, then we can correct that between us and God; we don’t usually have to bother other people with it.
Then there are laws that do have a lasting consequence, such as stealing or murder. With these, we have to get other people involved, to the extent necessary, to correct the damage. If I were to steal a new car (with a cruise control that works), then have my conscience bug me, so that I went forward on Sunday and asked God and the congregation to forgive me of my sin, but kept on driving that new car that was not mine; do you think that God would consider my repentance to be real? Of course not; God could see right through that.
Adultery and divorce is a trickier issue. But Christ Jesus made it clear in Matthew 19 that divorce is sin against God, and is forbidden except in one case — and that is for the cause of adultery. Otherwise, divorce is adultery and is sin against God, just like stealing, and cannot be erased by just saying “I’m sorry,” or even by being baptized for the remission of sins. Of course God will forgive us of the sin of adultery, just as He will forgive us of any sin, if we repent of that sin. But to repent of the sin of adultery, we cannot continue to live with the second wife and continue to have sex. Each time is another adultery.
This really gets confusing when there are multiple marriages involved, as is so often the case today. But the solution is to go back to the origin. My father-in-law preached in Africa about 50 years. I heard of a situation over there where a chief, who had several wives, when he was taught God’s requirements on marriage to only one wife, solved his problem. He kept wife #1, and the other six or eight he no longer had any sexual relations with; but he took care of their living expenses and their children’s living expenses, because they were his reponsibility. This chief repented, and fulfilled his responsibilities to God.
So, am I answering your question? God will forgive us, if we repent, and only if we repent. There are consequences to sin, often innocent people suffer, such as the infant killed in a auto accident caused by a drunk driver. But each and every one of us has a responsibility to obey God.
A parting passage:
1 Cor 10:13 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (KJV)
Two messages here:
1. God will protect us, and will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to endure. A very comforting promise.
2. God will always provide a way of escape. It will always be there, but we may have to really look hard to find it. And when we find it, God’s way of escape may not be pretty, and it may not be fun. But if we are going to get out of that mess, we must take advantage of God’s escape plan.
Remember the one about the guy standed in a flood? He escaped to the roof of his house. A man in a rowboat came by and asked if he could take the man to safety. The man said, “No, I prayed to God to take care of me, and I trust that He will.” Then as the waters got higher, a military amphibious vehicle came by and ordered the guy to evacuate, but again he refused, saying, “No, I prayed to God to take care of me, and I trust that He will.” Then as the waters got higher, and the guy was standing on the top of his chimney, a news helicopter came by and begged him to climb up the rope to the safety of the helicopter. But the man said, “No, I prayed to God to take care of me, and I trust that He will.” Then the waters rose higher, and the man drowned. When he saw God, he asked God, “Why did you not save me!” And God responded that He had sent the man in the rowboat, and the military amphibious vehicle, and finally the news helicopter.
God gives us a way out. We have to use it.
By David Baize
