If We Are to Be Forgiving, Does This Mean We Shouldn’t Prosecute Criminals?
(topical)
1. “A man, convinced of a crime, was in court. The judge said 'Why did the police arrest you?'
The man replied 'For shopping too early.'
The judge said 'Well that's not a crime, how early were you shopping.'
The man replied 'Three in the morning.'” [https://upjoke.com].
2. Today’s subject is about whether Christians should ever press charges.
3. The principles we are learning today apply to many situations, like “Should I tell the boss about a fellow employees infractions?” or “When should I send someone to the principle’s office?”
4. My goal is to offer Biblical direction for an inexact science.
Main Idea: Are Christians free to prosecute lawbreakers?
I. The Broad Context: God Ordained GOVERNMENT to Execute Justice (Romans 13:1-7)
• Don’t confuse the word “prosecute” with “persecute.”
• 11 Christians are killed everyday because of their faith. That is persecution.
• A man who was sexually abusing a neighbor boy was arrested and charged and will appear in court. That is prosecution.
A. Remember, wanting justice is usually RIGHT, but taking our own revenge is wrong.
1. We saw this in Revelation 6, where the souls of martyrs in heaven are crying out for their blood to be avenged. We see it at the end of Romans 12, where being kind to our enemies means a harsher judgment for them. We see it in the imprecatory Psalms.
2. We have already addressed this, but most of the wrongs done to us are not candidates for prosecution.
3. Jesus was crucified by the governing authority.
B. The government’s PRIMARY job is to take revenge for crimes in God’s place.
1. Government was ordained by God as part of the covenant of Noah (Genesis 9:5-6):
2. And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.
“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.”
3. In many nations, however, the government is postured against Christians, especially Islamic and communist nations.
4. In the OT, there were no prisons. You were either put to death, fined, perhaps ex-communicated from the community, or whipped with 39 lashes.
C. God ordained government for the good of society; when government does what God ordained it to do, we should REJOICE.
• In many nations, the government takes a host of tasks, but drops the ball where justice is concerned. This is about what the government is supposed to do, not that this always happens.
• The Millennium – The Kingdom Jesus will establish on the earth, the Kingdom we pray for when we pray The Lord’s Prayer – will be a kingdom of perfect government, including swift punishment of wrong doers.
D. Forgiveness is responding to REPENTANCE; prosecution is about society and God’s JUSTICE.
Wayne Jackson writes, “Anyone who respects the teaching of the New Testament happily concedes that the grace of God and salvation by means of that grace is available to any person, no matter how evil he has been—if the person commits to Christ as his Savior...Is it, though, a legitimate cause to argue that [Jeffrey] Dahmer, on the basis of his conversion, should have been released back into society? No, it is not. And why is that? Because the moral-legal consequences of his crime ought to have been satisfied. As a result of his offenses against humanity, Jeffrey Dahmer should have paid the full price for his crimes (Genesis 9:6; Acts 25:11; Romans 13:4), but a lax society refused to implement the divine ideal.
• There are consequences to our behavior and choices; the Prodigal Son was forgiven, but he had no inheritance.
• Judges will often take things like remorse or repentance into account, but they don’t simply drop things.
II. The Specific Question: Are Christians Free to Prosecute Wrong-Doers? YES.
A. We must take into account the NATURE of the wrong done.
• I get frustrated here in Kokomo at how many people ignore the leash ordinance.
• But I am unwilling to make a citizen’s arrest.
1. We don’t want to turn in to the neighborhood police, tattle tale, Mr. Picky.
2. Would I report neighbors smoking marijuana? No. A meth lab? Yes.
3. When Marylu and I first moved out here, we thought there was a motorcycle gang.. speedway.
4. If this is repeated, are innocent people hurt/endangered?
5. Does the government expect me to report this? Some things you can report anonymously.
6. I always found it helpful to ask a police officer friend for advice.
B. We must sometimes apply the principle of the EXTRA mile.
• If it is a matter of personal loss to you alone and can be repaired.
• In general, we should be willing to suffer moderate loss to avoid court.
• Matt 5:40, “And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.”
• Grace must be applied with wisdom, not manipulation or false guilt.
• Situations are not always obvious. Inexact science.
C. We want to avoid believers SUING other believers in civil courts (I Corinthians 6:3-8).
1. Implication one: they are to be sued in church court (elders or committee).
2. Implication two: it can be appropriate to sue others in secular courts.
D. It is consistent to be a Christian and PROSECUTE.
Unfortunately, it sometimes is the case that well-meaning (though misguided) Christians confuse forgiveness with responsibility. Children of God should (and must) extend a forgiving spirit to pardoned sinners, but that does not license them to work for the unwarranted release of those who have committed serious crimes that have taken or wrecked the lives of fellow citizens. [christiancourier.com]
E. Sometimes prosecution does the WORLD a favor.
1. Illustration: When I was in the hospital with a mini-stroke, Marylu came to see me. She was upset, and so she didn’t pay attention how she parked and ended up ruining a parking space. Someone left a note: “Do the world a favor; learn how to park. Have a nice day!” Whoever wrote that gave us tons of laughs. And a new figure of speech.
2. Never forget: Letting a violent criminal go free is inviting him/her to victimize someone else. That is not loving your neighbor.
F. If we have to HURT another to right, it does WEAR on us.
That is why a feeling of “peace” is not the right way to determine God’s will.
CONCLUSION
1. The Christian life is a messy life. We are called to do God’s will, and sometimes no matter what we do, we are going to feel guilty.
2. We can feel guilty about being honest, saying no, setting boundaries, eating something that tastes so good, or taking time to relax and recreate.
3. But our main motivation has to be to hear those words: well done, good and faithful servant!”
