God Without Religion_ Can It Really Be This Simple_ - Andrew Farley [59]
While in prison, Rick came to know Christ. Then the idea of confessing his crime began to well up within him. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to jeopardize his upcoming release by admitting to the murder. That’d give the police what they needed to lock him up for life.
So he kept his secret inside.
One day, two men entered the prison with a message of total, unconditional forgiveness in Jesus Christ. Rick had already received Christ, but as he soaked up the grace-filled teaching from these two men, he realized just how forgiven and free he really was.
“God is on my side,” he said, “and if God is for me, then what does it matter if anyone else is against me?” With a deeper understanding of his forgiveness and acceptance in Christ came a desire for truthfulness in every area of his life. And the most natural result was to confess to the murder he had committed years ago.
Rick’s sentence was extended. He still sits in prison today because of that confession. But Rick knows he did what the Spirit of God and his own spirit within him desired. He feels the relief of being honest and open about his crime.
Anti-confession?
The two men who entered that prison are friends of mine. They know the gospel and teach it in a clear and simple manner. It was their presentation that freed Rick to confess his crime.
The message of total, unconditional forgiveness is sometimes misunderstood as anti-confessional. Nothing could be further from the truth. Although it’s not our confession, our sorrow, or even our repentance that cleanses us before God, confession is healthy and natural for the Christian. Confession of our sins is simply agreeing with God and choosing the truth over a lie.
There’s a place for confession, both to God and to others. James tells us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed (James 5:16). Some people pay a hundred dollars an hour to tell someone their problems and find healing. The work of the cross should mean we can share struggles with our spiritual Father and with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ, at no charge.
Total forgiveness makes us clean and close to our God. Our cleanness and closeness gives us the confidence to be real with God and others. This also means that we can rightfully choose grace as we listen to the struggles of others and pray for them. This type of radical forgiveness shows us that God is in our corner, no matter what. With God himself on our side, we can have the courage to face the damage we’ve done, no matter what it might cost us in this world.
Rick found that out in his own life. Although he remains locked up to this day, he’s now freer than ever.
27
Many of us enjoy air travel to our favorite destinations on a regular basis. But we probably don’t think much about what goes into this luxurious convenience. It was on December 17, 1903, that Wilbur and Orville Wright flew the very first powered airplane over the sandy beaches of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Even though the first flight lasted only about twelve seconds and covered a mere 120 feet, the Wright brothers were absolutely convinced that airplane flight was possible. They had made over seven hundred successful flights with gliders, and they had calculated how certain forces imposed upon a wing of a particular shape would allow a plane to lift off the surface of the earth.
Weren’t the Wright brothers aware of the law of gravity? Of course! But they were counting on other principles to “overcome” that law.
Much like the law of gravity, there’s a spiritual law of sin and death. Sin deserves death, every single time. But if we’re in Christ, we are fortunate to enjoy life under a different principle. This greater principle overcomes the law of sin and death. It’s called the law of the Spirit of life:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are