By Sherri Stevens

Do you experience God more as your good Father or “The Godfather” who is just waiting to break your kneecaps?

If you have suffered through any affliction, you may have been persuaded to adopt a “Godfather theology,” which teaches that your affliction is a result of God punishing you for something wrong you may have done. But God is not up in heaven playing whack-a-mole with every wrong move you make.

The fear of God is meant to energize you, not paralyze you!

We often confuse punishment with discipline. But the two are very different. Punishment is a penalty incurred as a result of unlawful or bad behavior a person commits. Discipline comes from the word disciple or the Greek word mathetes, meaning “a learner” or “pupil.” Discipline is exercised as a method to “train up” an individual, while punishment is exercised as a method to “beat down” an individual.

WHY NOT HOLD TO A GODFATHER THEOLOGY?

When Christians hold to a "Godfather theology," they overlook the most fundamental premise taught in scripture: “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22). God only provided humanity with two systems acceptable to Himself to deal with sins, and both include the shedding of blood. The blood of bulls and goats atoned for sins in the Old Testament, and the Lamb of God took away the world's sins in the New Testament.

1 John 2:2 reads: "And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." The Greek word hilasmos, meaning “propitiation,” taught in the New Testament, differs from the Hebrew word kippur, meaning “atonement,” taught in the Old Testament. Propitiation means “to take away” sins, whereas atonement means “to cover” sins. If our understanding of how our heavenly Father deals with us is based on a "Godfather theology," we neglect to rest in the finality of forgiveness accomplished by Jesus’s death on our behalf. Let me try to illustrate this complex theological concept from an example we already understand in nature.

AN EXAMPLE OF PROPITIATION IN NATURE

Do you know what a backfire is?

When a forest fire spreads rapidly, firefighters try to contain the fire within the smallest area possible. They clear a strip of land, creating a firebreak or fire line in front of the oncoming flames. They cut down trees and shrubs and scrape away much of the soil with bulldozers and shovels. The firefighters may then set a backfire to burn the area between the firebreak and the rapidly onrushing fire. The firebreak and the backfire prevent the flames from spreading. An oncoming fire will not “re-burn” where a fire has already burned. 

The blood of Jesus Christ is like a backfire that has already been burned on our behalf so that God’s burning wrath will not ever burn us again. The fury of God's holy wrath has been appeased! Because a just and holy God has placed the punishment we deserve upon His Son, we can be at rest in God’s holiness! “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Pet. 3:18).

The payment and penalty to satisfy God’s divine wrath were accomplished once and for all by the blood of Christ shed on the Cross, redeeming us from the curse. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). A curse implies a penalty received because of condemnation. Redemption is the release effected by ransom payment or—literally—buying back from, re-purchasing what was previously forfeited.

Because of God’s divine justice in paying our penalty, we cannot and will not experience double jeopardy. The idea of “double jeopardy” means that a person cannot be prosecuted twice for the same offense. Just as a person cannot be prosecuted twice for the same offense, a fire will not burn an area that has already been burned. The shedding of Christ’s holy blood at the Cross is the backfire that fireproofs believers from the fury of God’s fiery wrath!

THE RESOLUTION FOR GOD'S WRATH FORESHADOWED

We see a foreshadowing of this concept illustrated throughout the Old Testament in Numbers 19, which refers to “the ashes of the heifer,” and in 2 Chronicles 35:13 with the roasting of the Passover with fire. Hebrews 10:1 explains that burnt offerings and sin offerings were only “a shadow of the good things that were to come—not the realities themselves.” “First he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them’—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, ‘Here I am, I have come to do your will.’ He sets aside the first (covenant) to establish the second (covenant)” (Heb.10:8–9).

Jesus Christ is God’s Passover Lamb who was “roasted with fire” on our behalf to satisfy God’s justice. His ashes assure us that we will never be put on trial for any offense that was previously punished and paid for by Jesus. The New Testament explains this theological concept this way: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19).

Propitiation is the answer to reconciling God’s justice with His mercy. The resolution to satisfying God's wrath was Jesus' blood shed on the Cross for the sins of the world. Jesus didn't just die for you but as you! But the benefits of His death and resurrection are not extended to us without conditions. We must exercise faith: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works so that no one can boast." (Eph. 2:8). Although the Cross bridged the gap between God’s holiness and humanities fallenness, we must choose to cross that bridge if we are to cross over from death to life.

GRASPING THE FULLNESS OF THE GOSPEL

Consider again 1 John 2:2, which reads: "And he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." This verse poses an obvious question: "Doesn't that mean that there is universal salvation?" The answer is "No," and here's why.

Although it was necessary for God to execute divine forgiveness to make salvation possible, forgiveness by itself is not salvation. Paul emphasized this point in the book of Corinthians: "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17). 

To put it most succinctly, humanity has two problems: First, our sinful condition separates us from a holy God. And secondly, we are spiritually dead and in need of life. Several passages throughout the New Testament testify to this truth that it is the restoration of the life of God we had lost in Adam that brings salvation:

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).

"Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life" (1 John 5:12).

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die'" (John 11:25).

We are not saved by the death of Christ. We are saved by the life of Christ. Christ's death on the Cross took away our sins and provided divine forgiveness, but it is because of His resurrection that we have the opportunity to receive eternal life.  

NATURAL CONSEQUENCES OF OUR CHOICES

It would be incomplete to cover this topic without addressing the negative consequences we can experience because of our own poor or foolish choices. Sometimes, the suffering we experience is self-inflicted. Self-inflicted suffering is different from God-inflicted punishment. We have already established that God is not up in heaven playing whack-a-mole with every wrong move we make, but that does not mean that we won't endure suffering.

Suffering is a vast topic, and I discussed it more thoroughly in a previous blog, Suffering & Glory. However, we can acknowledge the principle that most would accept for this blog: you reap what you sow. "Do not be deceived! God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please the flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life" (Gal. 6:7-9). Here are a few other Bible verses we can all relate to regarding self-inflicted suffering:

"Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I obey your word" (Psalm 119:67).

"In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride, but the lips of the wise shall preserve them" (Prov. 14:3).

"Whoever digs a pit may fall into it. Whoever breaks down a wall may be bitten by a snake" (Ecc. 10:8).

These verses remind us that before we start blaming God for "breaking our kneecap," we might want to consider the choices we may have made that led to our affliction.

WORTHY IS THE LAMB, NOT THE SHEEP!

In closing, we must never forget: worthy is the Lamb, not the sheep! None of us ever were worthy, and none of us ever will be worthy. But the good news of the gospel is that our Good Father provided His own Son as a sinless sacrifice to die on our behalf so that our relationship with Him could be restored.

The scandal of grace is Christ in your place!

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