How God Judges Sin (Courageous)

Recently, I watched the movie "Courageous."

The story is about four police officers attempt to put their faith in God after a sudden and unexpected tragedy transforms their lives forever.

Courageous is the story of two dedicated cops Adam Mitchell and Nathan Hayes and their partners. They are confident and focused while on the job keeping the streets safe. But when these devoted peacekeepers face the challenge of fatherhood, both their faith and devotion to family are put to the ultimate test. They consistently strive for excellence at being police officers. But as a fathers, they are satisfied with only being "good enough" - not "excellent". It seems that in fatherhood it's OK to aim at a lower mark. But they quickly discovering that their standard is too low.

In the aftermath of a catastrophe (the accidental death of Adam's 9 year-old daughter, Emily), they are faced with a difficult choice that will ultimately help to define their lives. Fortunately, a wise mentor appears to help them understand that man's ambition and God's will aren't always in perfect harmony. They are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, and their faith, and their skill at fathering. They feel a sense of urgency to draw closer to God and to their children.

They begin to study in the Bible that God desires to turn the hearts of fathers toward their children, but their children are beginning to drift further and further away from them. As fathers, how can they find a way to serve and protect those that are most dear to them?

While watching, I found myself (on the inside) crying, laughing, and cheering - sometimes simultaneously - as they are inspired by everyday heroes who long to be fathers that make a lifelong impact on their children.

One of the heroes in the movie, Nathan Hayes, talks to a fellow cop about making mistakes. The younger man tries to justify his current bad behavior by saying that he’s done a lot of good things in his life. The excerpt below is a good illustration of how God judges sin.

(Clip) http://youtu.be/w_ympKXmC6c

[Nathan Hayes ] Suppose your mom was brutally attacked, and murdered in a parking lot. The guy who committed the crime was caught and put on trial. The guy says, "Hey judge, I've committed this crime, but I've done a lot of good in my life, too. If the judge let him go free, would you say he was a good judge or a bad judge? ...because the Bible says that God is a good judge, and He will punish the guilty, not for what they did right, but for what they did wrong. Because He loves us, He sent his son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment that we deserved, and put it on Himself, and that's why He died on the cross. But it only applies, if you accept it. That's why I asked for his forgiveness. I asked Him to save me. And I'm a new man because of Jesus Christ. Do you understand what I'm telling you? If so, then what's holding you back? We cannot assume that God will give us a pass on our bad actions because we have done good in our lives. Sure, people make mistakes, but we have to strive to be better in everything we say and everything we do.

"Предположим, что на вашу маму было совершено жестокое нападение, и её убили на парковке. Парень, который совершил преступление, был пойман и предан суду. Парень говорит:" Эй судья, я совершил это преступление, но я сделал и много добра в моей жизни тоже. Если судья отпускает его, чтобы вы бы сказали, он хороший или плохой судья? ... и Библия говорит, что Бог - хороший судья, и Он накажет виновных не за то, что они сделали правильно, но за то, что они сделали неправильно. Потому что Он любит нас, Он послал своего сына Иисуса Христа принять наказание, которое мы заслужили, и он принял всё на Себя, и именно поэтому Он умер на кресте. Но это только действует, если вы принимаете его как своего Спасителя. Вот почему я попросил у него прощения. Я попросил Его, чтобы Он спас меня. И я теперь новый человек. Ты понимаешь, о чём я тебе говорю? Если так, то что вас сдерживает? Мы не можем предположить, что Бог простит нам наши дурные поступков , потому что мы сделали много хорошего в нашей жизни . Конечно, люди совершают ошибки , но мы должны стремиться быть лучше во всём, что мы говорим и что мы делаем..."