Forgiveness: Part 7 One Goat or Two?

INTRO: We have now laid the theological groundwork for an understanding of forgiveness according to the Bible. We started with a divine problem. Man had sinned and how can God justly restore sinful man to Himself. Justice requires that every sin receive its just due, but if that happened to man, all would die and go to hell. Well, God found a way. He took man's punishment of death Himself and then required two things from man; repentance and faith.

I gave you the story of Timothy McVeigh. He murdered 168 people in the Oaklahoma bombing. Christians all over called for the unconditional forgiveness of Timothy McVeigh. Signs were put out, "We forgive you Timothy McVeigh". And while they poured out forgiveness to this unrepentant murderer he said to the families of his victims: “You're not the first grandparent to lose a granddaughter or a grandson. I'll use the phrase — and it sounds cold, but I'm sorry, I'm going to use it, because it's the truth — get over it.”