Finding Forgiveness
By Anthony Casperson
4-1-23

A few days ago, I watched a youtuber play a strange indie video game. It involved a story that portrayed some extreme examples of the cultural misconception of parochial education—such as physical strikes by those in authority against the main character, who was a student.

Shortly after the protagonist experienced one of these situations, the voiceover read what the character wrote into her prayer diary. She prayed to God about the situation, and his place in it. She asked if he were there. And if he were, why he didn’t stop those authority figures who were mistreating her.

It was at that moment when a thought popped in my head. One which no one should ever say directly to a person in the middle of suffering. What a person in such a place needs is comfort, care, and concern. God is big enough for the questions in the midst of our pain. And he doesn’t need some “well-meaning” defender of his goodness adding more pain to an injured and confused person whom he loves.

The following thought is only to be used in the theological discussion of the Problem of Evil. And never to be discussed with one weighed down by the troubles of life. If you’re in the midst of heart-rending distress, there are plenty of other blogs I’ve written that speak to the care and concern you need. Come back when these words are less likely to tear at your wounded soul.

With that disclaimer out of the way, why is it that God doesn’t step in and force sinful people to stop physically/psychologically harming others? Answer: Because he loves the abuser as much as the one they’re abusing. And wants that sinner to come to a place of repentance and healing just as much as the rest of us.

Put down the pitchforks and hear me out. Please.

When a person sins, when they do anything against God’s set standard—including anything that leads to physical/psychological/spiritual injury against another human being—it is an act of their free will rebelling against God. The gift given to humanity alone that is twisted to ungodly action. And easily has leaned in the direction of rebellion ever since the first human beings ate of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

God has gifted human beings this freedom so that we can give him praise and glory of our own volition. So that our exaltation of him is not forced. And he continues to give us this freedom, even though so many destructive circumstances have been made on account of the sinful leanings of freely rebelling human beings, so that we can use that same freedom to repent. He wants us to choose him instead of the selfish sinfulness in our hearts.

And that includes those who’ve sinned against us.

“How’s that fair?” I hear some of you cry. “How can it be fair that someone who’s harmed us be able to be given forgiveness?” You’re right, it’s not fair. It’s no more fair than God offering his own body on the cross for we who bear his image and represent him on this planet even after we’ve dragged his name through the mud just so that we could get our own way.

Forgiveness isn’t fair, but it is godly. And freely available to any who choose to stop—of their own will—their mistreatment of God and his image-bearers.

This means that for forgiveness to happen, for God to gift that abuser his amazing grace that covers multitudes of sins, they have to choose him over their selfishness that leads to the abuse of others. An abuser can never be granted forgiveness if God forces them to stop their abuse. And he loves humanity too much to remove that gift of free will from any one of us. It’s that same love which drove him to the cross. So that we could choose true life over our selfish and abusive sinfulness.

He longs to forgive them and lead them to reconciliation with him. And those they abused. To show his mighty power through the former abusers. But they have to choose it. It can’t be forced.

So in this type of situation, God has to weep with those who are abused. And give them the grace to live through the pain and suffering. He’s with us. Knowing the agony because he paid for that abuser’s sin too.

Why do bad things happen to good people? Because Jesus paid for the bad people’s sin just as much as he died for the good.

We are all people who need forgiveness for our rebellion. The amount and extent of our rebellion doesn’t change that truth.