“You hurt me. You hurt a lot of people. But God forgives you.”
Did He? Did God forgive the Charlestown shooter who killed 9 during a Bible study? According to the daughter of one of the victims, He did, as revealed by this statement she made in one of her comments at the initial court appearance on Friday, June 19, 2015.
There is no sin, no matter how heinous, that God cannot forgive, because no sin is greater than His grace.
“…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…”
Romans 5:20b
Or as that great hymn puts it:
“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
there where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.Grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God’s grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!”Grace Greater Than Our Sin
But for forgiveness to be granted in the highest courtroom of all, the Divine Courtroom, by the eternal Judge, God Himself, there must be repentance by the individual.
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,”
Acts 3:19
Why does God require repentance? First of all because of coming judgement.
“The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Acts 17:30-31
Secondly, because sin is first and foremost against God.
King David knew this.
“For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.”
Psalm 51:3-4
And the prodigal son knew this.
“I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’”
Luke 15:18-21
Since God requires repentance for the forgiveness of sins, it is important to understand what repentance is. The New Testament Greek term for repentance, metanoia, literally means a change of mind. It is a change of mind as to who God is, namely Holy and Righteous Judge. It is a change of mind as to who I am, namely a sinner by nature and at heart who deserves and has earned God’s just judgment. It is a change of mind that there is salvation in no one else and in nothing else, whether it be my own self-righteousness or my baptism or my faithful church attendance or my Confirmation or any other religious ritual I am clinging to. It is a change of mind that there is salvation in Christ alone.
Repentance also means a turning to the living and true God from false gods.
“For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,”
1 Thessalonians 1:9
Repentance is manifest to others by its fruit and works.
John the Baptist said so.
“Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”
Matthew 3:8
And so did the apostle Paul.
“…that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”
Acts 26:20b
So, will God forgive the Charlestown shooter? Yes, if and only if there is true biblical repentance on his part.
“Repentance means that you realize that you are a guilty, vile sinner in the presence of God, that you deserve the wrath and punishment of God, that you are hell-bound. It means that you begin to realize that this thing called sin is in you, that you long to get rid of it, and that you turn your back on it in every shape and form. You renounce the world whatever the cost, the world in its mind and outlook as well as its practice, and you deny yourself, and take up your cross and go after Christ. Your nearest and dearest, and the whole world, may call you a fool, or say you have religious mania. You may have to suffer financially, but it makes no difference. That is repentance.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones(Studies in the Sermon on the Mount)
