Getting Even
Fools mock at making amends for sin Proverbs 14:9
Amends for Sin – There is an important difference between forgiveness and amends. The difference is recognized by God, but often ignored by us. Too bad! By ignoring amends, we tread a pathway that can easily lead toward mocking God Himself. Why do we make such a huge mistake? Because we refuse to understand that forgiveness does not remove consequences.
Our Hebrew word for “amends for sin” is ‘ashma. In one form or another, it is used 103 times in the Old Testament and is usually translated around the idea of guilt. In Leviticus, this word is connected with the trespass offering. In Biblical ethics, it is not enough to simply ask for forgiveness, even from God. Forgiveness demands that I make amends to the one who has been injured. In Leviticus, this often means a full repayment plus twenty percent. Forgiveness changes my legal standing in God’s court. I am counted as “not guilty.” But that does not mean that I am relieved of the burden of making amends. God does not fix it for me. Where injury and insult are the result of my sin, I am expected to do something about it; something that repays in full and then some.
Fools mock this approach. They say, “I have been forgiven. What need is there for me to do anything more? God sees me as righteous in His eyes. What the world thinks doesn’t matter.” They want forgiveness without restitution. They spit on the sacrifice of Jesus by ignoring the cost that the Father and the Son paid. They think that forgiveness is easy.
Have you been forgiven? I have. I know that God granted me a “not guilty” verdict. Not because I deserved it. I didn’t. God granted me this verdict because His Son loved me more than His own life. Does that mean I am off the hook? Not by any stretch of the imagination. Sin’s consequences continue to roll forward through the damage I caused. That is the natural law of the ethical universe. Forgiveness does not erase the consequences. So, I must make amends. I must do all that I can to make it right. I must be involved on the cost side of the equation, not because I am earning my forgiveness but because my forgiveness came at a great price and I am called to honor that cost.
Full payment plus 20. Is that how you view your reconciliation efforts? Or would you rather just ignore the requirement by claiming that God forgives?
Don’t be a fool. God expects you to get even – and then add twenty percent. You get to feel some of the cost too, but don’t be upset. It’s good for you.
