George Floyd, Justice, and Mercy.

All Americans are saddened and many enraged in what, at this point, seems to be the unjust death of George Floyd at the hands, or rather, knee, of police officer Derek Chauvin. Mr. Floyd was being detained on the suspicion that he had passed a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill if I understand correctly. Whether Chauvin struggled with racism, was angry, burnt out, fed up and uncaring, or all four, we do not know. What we do know is that a man is dead, and another man will go to trial for murder. Hopefully, justice will be done. We also know that ruthless people have taken advantage of this incident to rob, burn, kill, and destroy. We watched looters selfishly stealing goods. We witnessed evil actors intent on destruction, burning down buildings, ruining the businesses of folks within their own communities. We saw violent individuals attacking police, media, and anyone else they chose.

All the participants in the above incidents, first to last, are sinners. I write this as a biblical fact. I am a sinner, too. This reality should be no surprise to us. We know that the power of sin will reign on the earth until God’s true sovereignty comes to earth. All these sinful actions, though currently dominating the headlines, are just a continuation of similar, heartbreaking events over millennia. Over and over, through centuries, people have, in their spiritual darkness and baseness, attempted to gratify their selfish, evil, ungodly desires. The impact of this immoral behavior is, as it always is, catastrophic and is a perpetuation of mankind’s slow descent into darkness and death. Death is the only direction sin can go. This does not mean that people drop over dead when they sin, but rather that sin brings with it a deadening and deteriorating of one’s soul over time and eternal death at one’s passing. It saddens us to watch this demise of our culture and society, a slow-motion flood that none could even attempt to impede, its unstoppable power sweeping downstream everything in its path and destroying it. This causes us to weep. We pray and call for justice, peace, mercy, and forgiveness.

So, yes, there is hope for our nation; however, it will only come when sin is rejected, and the life and truth of Jesus is accepted. I am told that prophets are saying a revival is coming. May it be so.

Christians also wait and hope for ultimate justice and eternal justice. A time is coming and now is, as Jesus said, for the end of all this wicked chaos. All injustice will cease because the King will end it, and no one can or will prevent Him. This King’s judgments are righteous and true. George Floyd will receive eternal justice on that day as will Mr. Chauvin, as will the rioters and thieves.

As will you.

As will I.

It is too late to pray for Mr. Floyd. If he was not a Christian, we can all hope he made peace with Jesus before he died. We can pray Mr. Chauvin will, too. George Floyd did not know that morning when he awoke that he would die that very day. You and I will not know, either. When the unforeseen end of life comes—and it will come—through whatever means, it is imperative that we know Jesus. We desperately need to be innocent before our God, Creator, and Judge, and that is not possible without possessing the freely given innocence of Jesus. We will then have been washed from sin and thus spotless, holy ones before the Judge. Those who turn to Him, whether cruel, lawbreaking police officers, thieves, looters, or murderers, will receive mercy, complete forgiveness, and wondrous relief from guilt.

“There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins.

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stain.

Lose all their guilty stain. Lose all their guilty stain.

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stain.”¹

Thank You, Jesus, our Savior.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 24–25).²

Amen.

¹Lyrics by William Cowper (1731-1800)

²All Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Gif courtesy Bing images.