My wife and I went to a movie last night, at Regal Cinemas-Virginia Center Commons. I give all of the details because it was the only theater in our area that was showing “My Brother’s Crossing.” Some may say, Don’t you know that there is a pandemic, and you choose to go to a movie? Sadly, we walked into a movie theater that was practically empty. We had a front row parking space and no line to wait in. We had Auditorium 2 all to ourselves. You heard me, not another soul in the theater where we watched this movie. I believe that two factors caused this theater to be empty. One was COVID-19, but the other was that most knew nothing about this movie. We would not have known had a family member not called and said, “You two have to go see this movie.” I do not want to tell you about the movie, just in case you decide to go and see it, but the theme of the movie was forgiveness. The movie was based upon the true story of a husband and wife who died when a pickup truck a pastor was driving struck them. There were many things to which I could relate, but my intent for this article is to talk about something that our nation so desperately needs.
Our greatest example of forgiveness is Jesus Christ as He was dying on the cross. One of the things that He said on the cross, as he freely gave His life for you and me, so that our sins could be forgiven, is found in Luke 23:34: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood so that those who would put their faith in Him would receive forgiveness of their sins, and the right to spend eternity with Him. Jesus truly embodied complete forgiveness. Even Stephen, as he was being stoned to death for his faith, stated in Acts 7:60, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” Jesus made total forgiveness available to each of us. The question is: when will you extend forgiveness to someone that you need to forgive? The Bible teaches that we should be willing to forgive our enemies. Forgiveness goes completely against human nature, but it has everything to do with Christ living in and through us. Unforgiveness has destroyed many families, and I believe that it will destroy our nation if we do not have a change of heart towards one another.
I have not always made the best decisions and I have hurt people along the way, but I have tried to learn from those times and seek forgiveness when necessary. We have come to a point in our nation where you are hated because of the stance that you choose to take. I served four years in the United States Coast Guard, but I was never in a war, like Vietnam or Korea. The only war that I fought was the War on drugs that were entering our country. A member of our church wrote the book, A Grunt’s Life, which gave a graphic depiction of his experience in Vietnam. As I watch people treat our police with such willful contempt, I wonder, how is this different from what happens in war? One of the deadliest wars that occurred on American soil was the Civil War. Americans fell into two categories, the North and the South, or the Confederate Army and the Union Army. Whatever you call it, it was Americans killing Americans. Today, the war seems to be between Democrats and Republicans, or socialists versus capitalists. I come back to the point that we are all Americans, or at least some of us are. For some reason, we have made this a discussion based upon the color of one’s skin. It is not about that. It is about the difference between right and wrong, not right and left. There are people that want to do whatever they feel like doing, even to the point of killing someone, and not think that there should be consequences or accountability. Should we hold our police accountable? Of course we should, and police departments and government municipalities have internal and external mechanisms for doing that. The problem is that people want a certain outcome no matter what the facts, and it just does not and cannot work that way. If you choose to be a criminal or hang out with a criminal, your choice puts your life and the lives of your children in danger.
You may ask: What does that last paragraph have to do with forgiveness? First of all, Jesus allows for complete forgiveness of and total redemption from all sin. The only sin that leads to spiritual death is a lifelong rejection of Jesus Christ, which leads to blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Our ability and willingness to forgive comes from what Christ has done for us. We must be willing to forgive the sins of the past. Most people have no idea what they are fighting for or against, they just want to destroy in the name of righteousness (what a play on words). If you need a human example, look at the relationship that Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg had, as they sat on the United States Supreme Court. They sat on opposing sides of many arguments, but in the end, they shared a deep friendship for one another, a love for the law, and a love for this country. We can disagree passionately and still remain civil towards one another. That which binds us should be much stronger than that which separates us. Our nation is in trouble, and this election is not going to change the trouble we are in. Hearts are going to have to change. In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” Our nation needs a spiritual awakening. Hebrews 10:24 states: “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” It does not say, let us consider one another in order to stir up hatred and violence. If you are doing the latter, you are wrong, and I forgive you. Give your life to Christ and watch what He will do.
