Being Good vs. Faith - Amber Guyger
On September 6, 2018, off-duty Dallas Police Department patrol officer Amber Guyger entered the Dallas, Texas, apartment of Botham Jean and fatally shot him. Guyger said that she had entered the apartment believing it was her own and that she shot Jean believing he was a burglar. The fact that Guyger, a white police officer shot and killed Jean, an unarmed black man, and was initially only charged with manslaughter resulted in protests and accusations of racial bias. On October 1, 2019, Guyger was found guilty of murder. The next day, she received a sentence of ten years in prison.
After the trial, the younger brother Brant on the stand gave an impressive impact statement to Amber: “I wasn’t going to say this in front of my family or anyone but, I don’t even want you to go to jail. I want the best for you. Because I know that exactly what Botham would want you to do. And the best would be give your life to Christ. I love you as a person. I don’t wish anything bad on you. I don’t know if this is possible but can I give her a hug please? Please?”
The judge Tammy Kemp said, “Yes.” And then Brant went and he and Amber met in the middle and hugged. He offered and showed grace, kindness, and forgiving. On the video you could hear Amber weeping loudly.
Tammy Kemp consoled the family then went to her chambers and got her personal bible and went to Amber and said, “You can have mine. I have 3 or 4 more at home. This is the one I use every day. This is your job for the next month. Right here, John 3:16.” Amber then hugs the judge and then said something in the Judge’s ear.
The judge replied, “Mam, it’s not because I’m good, it’s because I believe in Christ! I’m not so good and you haven’t done so much that you can’t be forgiven. You did something bad in one moment in time. What you do now matters.” The judge then urged Amber to take the bible with her.
If you haven’t seen this video, I encourage you to find it on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/y_qpdyAuLu4?list=FLAmq2HOuG6Gg31GtAONC0EQ
For Amber Guyger, her mistake in a point in time, messed up her whole life and condemned her to prison. However, an act of kindness, love, and forgiveness was shown which could ultimately save her if she can diligently seek the scriptures and put her trust in Jesus for salvation.
Have you ever messed up badly and wondered how or even if forgiveness were possible for you? The good news is that forgiveness is possible!
Romans 3:9-31
9 What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. 10 As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The poison of vipers is on their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Do you have to be perfect to go to Church?
Many people are scared to go to church because they are not perfect! They think they have to be perfect first before they can be allowed to go to Church. That’s exactly backwards. We are imperfect, and we go to Church, to learn how to be forgiven and that God can work in us to become perfect like Him.
Were the Jews perfect? Is anyone perfect?
Is the OT a history of how “good” the Jew were? Nope, the OT shows the Jew’s back-fallen state. They maybe had a few moments of greatness but for the most part they were all messed up! Are we good people? Nope, we’re messed up too!
No one does good, no not one!
Romans tells us:
The wrath of God is coming
The entire world is condemned as sinful
The Law was given to show us how sinful we are
Good works will not help us avoid God's wrath and judgement
In Romans 1 and 2, it show that both Jews and Greeks were under sin. We get to chapter 3 and it says ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No one is perfect, we all need salvation.
Don’t we have to be good to be saved?
Many think you have to be good to be saved. Oddly that’s not true. You can never be good enough. They think they have to follow the law to be saved. When has the law ever saved? Never!
Romans 5:20,21
The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(The law was given to show how sinful we are!)
Because the law could not save us, Christ came and gave Himself as an offering on the cross to save us which the law could not do.
Romans 8:3
3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering.
The bathroom scale shows how heavy you are. Does it make you skinnier? Nope, it just reads out your weight. The law is the same. It can’t save you, it just points out how bad you are.
Excuse: Sure I’m saved, I read the Bible!
Just because you read the bible does not make you a Christian. The hearers are not just, but the doers. If you only read or if you only hear that Christ can save you but you never put that into faith action, you will never be saved. You can read the entire Bible but if you don’t have faith in Christ you will never be saved.
Excuse: Sure I’m saved, I went to Church!
Going to church is a good thing but if you go and never learn how to be saved, what good is it?
There are many people who have gone to church all their lives and sadly never learned how to be saved. Jesus died for you to take away your sins! If you don’t get it, don’t you think that’s eternally important to figure it out rather than just brush it off? It’s your life at steak!
Excuse: Sure I’m saved, My uncle twice removed is a preacher!
Each person, including Amber, including You has to accept God’s gift for themselves. You must take personal responsibility to have faith for salvation. We can’t be saved for you. Oh how we wish we could! Many of us would gladly do that if we could but we can’t. You have to trust Christ for yourself.
Excuse: Sure I’m saved, I’m a good person, I do good works!
Boy scouts do a lot of good works. What do they get, they get awarded patches! When a boy scout gets to heaven and God sees all those patches will He say, OK then go in? There’s never enough patches to save you. Instead God will ask, have you trusted in my Son for your salvation?
How can you be righteous before God? Not by works, not by our performance.
You become righteous by believing in Christ and having faith that He will save you. Good works has nothing to do with it. Of course after we are saved, we were ordained to do good works.
Eph 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
So, no good works won’t save us but yes, we were created to do good works.
Amber Guyger will have to face God someday, and possibly likely face the person she killed. Hopefully she will have taken the Bible given to her and understood that God loves her and gave His best for her, His only son as a sacrifice, so that she could be saved.
The Judge Tammy Kemp gave a great response that we haven’t done so much that we can’t be forgiven for. And, it’s not being good that saves us, it’s Christ who saves or else no one could be saved. Trust Christ and put your faith in Him for salvation before it’s too late!
Forgiveness is possible, but it’s up to you to receive it! Behold He stands and the door and knocks! Open your heart’s door to Jesus and let Him in. He wants to save you and forgive you. Put your faith in Him!
