Fox News is reporting that David Berkowitz, the "Son of Sam" serial killer, has found Jesus in prison. He says he won't be seeking parole because he has found freedom in the forgiveness of Christ.
I have no idea if the claim is true. I have no idea if Mr. Berkowitz has come to Jesus. And at this point it's not my call. Nor is it my topic. My first thought when I read it was "I hope so." My second thought was "Will people think that's fair?"
Christianity stands (or falls) on this premise: You are saved from your sin and from an eternity apart from God if you place your faith in the blood of Christ who died for you. Fairly simple, but fair? The claim, you see, is that the Son of Sam killer might be going to heaven despite his notorious and horrendous murders, but that really nice atheist down the street who was good to his wife and kids and helped out at the food bank is going to Hell. Regardless of whether or not Berkowitz is among the saved, is the premise fair?
The question seems logical, but I'm sure if you think about it for just a moment you'll find the problem. The comparison between that nice guy down the street and that evil guy in prison is using the standard human measuring tape. "I'm much better than ..." and we'll figure out who the worst possible being is -- Hitler is ever popular -- "so I'm okay." Further -- and this is astounding when you think about it -- we would lay the accusation at the feet of God that He would be unfair if He did not recognize our good deeds.
The skeptic isn't alone in this faulty standard. We Christians balk at the idea. It's only natural. And that's the problem. We don't really get that our righteousness is as filthy rags. We don't really grasp that sin in one point is carries the guilt of all sin. What we fail to see is that "fair" would be damnation for all. We don't really want fair. We don't really want justice. What we really need is mercy. If we could actually see the horror of our sin through the eyes of God, then the silly question, "Is that fair?" wouldn't even come to our minds. The real hard part would be asking, "How is it even remotely possible that anyone gets saved?" And that's the first step of recognizing God's truly amazing grace.
4 comments:
I have no problem with God not being fair. The fact that He is good, just , and merciful is enough for me.
"Just" is right. "Equitable" ("fair")? Not so sure I even want that.
I think the problem is that it seems natural to view such stories from one's own position. But each such story, assuming they are true, can only be viewed as between God and the person involved, such as Berkowitz. Too many people look at sinful behaviors as being the deciding factor, but the deciding factor is if one has truly repented of one's sinfulness and accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. He died to save all who do as much and it is not for us to judge the fairness of it. The "terms" don't include a time frame beyond getting it done before death. And really, based on the Good News, it would be terribly UNfair if Berkowitz did indeed repent and turn to Christ but was not saved.
Speaking in terms of "equity" (fairness), this would be true. If the promise is made "Whoever believes in Christ will receive eternal life", but a Berkowitz is told, "Oh, sorry, you're too bad for that", that would be unfair.
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