Genesis 3:23, NIV - So the Lord God banished [Adam]
from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
Proverbs 3:11-12, NIV - My son, do not despise the
Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines
those he loves, as a father the son he delights in
Though God did forgive Adam for
disobedience, there were still consequences.
Forgiving someone does not remove natural or imposed consequences of the
offending action. As Rob Bell has said,
“You can forgive someone and call the police.” Obviously, many actions have consequences that
are natural and cannot be removed. For
instance, imagine a situation where a friend had agreed to pick you up in his
car to take you to a job interview. He doesn’t show up, and consequently you
miss the interview and your chance to get the job is lost. Forgiving that friend is certainly possible,
but getting another interview for the same job is not. The consequence cannot be avoided, but
forgiveness is still a possibility.
There
are other instances where you may choose to forgive but also impose
consequences. In the job interview
situation above, you may decide to never accept a ride from the friend when
something important like a job interview is at stake. You have imposed that consequence, but that
does not preclude the choice you make to forgive your forgetful friend. Even if you, at a later date, decide to
remove that consequence and give your friend another chance, that decision is
still separate from the decision to forgive. What is important to note here is
that whether the consequences are natural or imposed, they are a separate issue
from forgiveness. When consequences are
removed, it is often called a pardon, as is the case with a Presidential
Pardon. The President often pardons
people who have previously been convicted of crimes and consequences have been
imposed. While the person receiving such
a pardon has the consequences removed, the people hurt by their crime are not
forced to forgive the person. The forgiveness and the pardon are independent
from each other.
As a
good parent does with errant children, God often imposes consequences in hopes
of correcting unhealthy behavior. It’s
important to note that consequences, when imposed wisely, are never given for
the purpose of hurting or punishing the other.
God and good parents are interested not in hurting, but helping the straying
child. Being on the receiving end of helpful
impositions is not pleasant, but trusting that God is trying to help us can
make the “pill” easier to swallow.
Question: Can you
think of a time when consequences for a mistake you made helped you in the long
run?
Prayer: God, thank
you for loving us enough to care about when make mistakes. Help me see the places in my life where I
need correction and the grace to accept that correction when it is offered.
Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for God to give wisdom to people facing an important decision.
Song: Good, Good
Father
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