Repentance and Restrictions

Do Christians today, do Protestant Reformed Christians today, understand that it’s not contradictory to believe and to live our lives in a practical way that shows we believe that when we commit sin, even horrific sins that affect the entire life of another, God can and does work repentance and a turning from that sin, AND, those sins are forgiven by Him and fellow believers, AND, the *eternal* consequences of those sins are paid for by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross….AND there are still consequences for those sins in our lifetime?

How many Christians today in the church would be shaking their fist and railing at God for all the consequences He laid upon David for his sins?

Did God work true sorrow and repentance in David? Yes.

Was David forgiven? Yes.

Was David a saved child of God? Yes.

Did David’s sins have consequences for him and his children/grandchildren? Yes.

Do we read that history and say it was not ok or fair for David to have to live with these consequences?

I doubt it.

The mercy and grace of God to save His own from our sins does not mean that our lives, and other’s, won’t look different because of our sinful choices.

This IS an aspect of the mercy, grace, love, and justice of God. As true children of God live with the consequences of our own sinful choices in this lifetime, we are more and more humbled because of who we are by nature, grateful for His salvation, dependent upon His mercy to daily fight our individual temptations, and so thankful that He has chosen us to be His and put us in a church that cares for us and wants to helps us in our fight against sin.

When we fight against consequences for our own sins, when we show hatred for those who are working in the local churches for the safety of the children/youth there, when we accuse (openly or passive aggressively) individuals as unforgiving and vengeful who are speaking up about the important precautions we must take in Christian churches/schools and the general community, we are saying that God is wrong to ever have determined consequences for sins in this lifetime.

Fellow Christians, please do not confuse our voice for safety in the church for an unforgiving attitude. Please do not confuse our plea for restrictions and accountability for those who have harmed children for a desire for vengeance.

Please do not confuse our repeated posts on the subject of abuse and safety as a desire for eternal consequences of judgement and justice on those who have sexually or physically damaged us. Rather, please know that we desire and pray for God’s amazing work of grace in their hearts, just as in our own.

Consequences in this life due to sin does not equal hatred and unforgiveness, in fact, it’s just the opposite. It’s love for the sinner and for the church members.

Yet another example that maybe might help:

Which one of us would allow a genuinely repentant woman into our homes to babysit, work in our church nurseries, vacation Bible schools, Sunday schools or schools, who in the past, while working in the NICU, purposely inflicted great pain and injury on the babies by repeatedly shaking them …injuries which caused lifelong damage?

Which consistory or school board would purposely hide this truth from their community?

Which one of us would tell the parents of one of her victims that they should not inform other parents so that they could decide how they would choose to protect their own children?

Each of us might make different decisions about how we protect our children, but is it showing love for our neighbor to hide something like this from the members of the church/school??

Which one of us would be concerned about the sincerity of her repentance if she fought against these precautions and claimed it was unforgiving and unchristian of those who spoke of the necessity of these restrictions?

Yes, God’s amazing grace is for each and every one of His children, and no matter what sin we have committed, when He works sorrow and repentance in us by the Spirit, we are truly sorry for and turn from that sin. No one is the PRC is denying this awesome truth!

But sometimes, life looks different after living in that sin.

-written by Jean Bylsma, shared here with permission