<> Ask the Pastor The Rev'd Walter Snyder Q: I find that many people are confusing forgiveness and consequences. While we are forgiven, there are consequences for our sins. Now we hear things like, "If the President has asked for forgiveness, why can't we just let him get on with things? Why do people (Christians) call for his resignation or censure despite the fact he has asked all involved for forgiveness?" A: This is a good summary of the questions that readers of this column have been asking. Some may agree; others will disagree with my interpretations and comments. Because my opinion has been sought by so many, I offer this response as an opportunity for us to consider our actions in the days and weeks to come. Christians often have an "uneasy truce" with the society in which they live. Often God's Word and the law of the land are at variance with each other. This is true even in the United States, which derives much of its legal system from English Common Law. Both systems were extensively normed by Biblical morality. However, much of this moral teaching is set aside or marginalized either by official sanction or through the inaction of the people. The Scriptures show many instances of the church (prophets) directly addressing the sins and the crimes of kings and other rulers. David is not the only monarch called to account by God's Word. Along with Nathan and David, one of the clearest condemnations of sexual immorality is John the Baptizer's denunciation of Herod. David impregnated Bathsheba, wife of his army officer Uriah. Uriah was murdered in battle to hide the affair. Herod Antipas married Herodias, despite her being both his niece and already married to his half-brother Herod when they met. To marry her, he also divorced a daughter of Aretas, the king of the Nabateans. Both affairs were "private," yet God went public with them through his prophets. Morality at the top was not allowed to decay or to be left only for the "common man." God knew in giving a king to Israel that his people would not only be mistreated at times, but that they would often be given poor examples of behavior--which they would promptly follow. We see through Biblical and secular history how the people follow the lead of their rulers, especially if it involves loosening of moral standards. Some of President Clinton's defenders in America's "religious leadership" keep returning to David and Nathan. David's case is especially striking: He is to this day the standard by which Israel's kings are judged. He was a great warrior who secured Israel's borders. Through him, God forged the Biblical nation of Israel. He was also not only an adulterer, but a murderer. He was found out, then trapped in Nathan's parable (2 Samuel 12:1-6). David recognized his guilt. He didn't hide behind legal language or administrative privilege. He openly confessed his guilt. After his confession (v. 13), David heard the Lord's forgiveness through Nathan. It is God's nature to forgive. Yet God showed that forgiveness does not always remove earthly consequences for sin. God also chose to punish and to make an example, so Nathan told David that the child he'd had with Bathsheba would die. This soon happened. All of Israel soon knew the hows and whys of the affair and its aftermath. Likewise, our nation and individuals may forgive the President for his behavior in our White House. However, there is no Biblical mandate to allow him to go on as before. If we honor and obey government and the rule of law (Romans 13; 1 Timothy 2; Titus 3; 1 Peter 2), should we not allow our legal system to decide his fate and his legacy in this life? As sinners ourselves, we also need sin (and crime) to be confronted and punished in the civil realm. All may not agree with his conclusions, but I offer a brother pastor's comments regarding the need for civil justice: "For my sake I wish President Clinton would resign or be impeached. To be unfaithful to your spouse like he has and to abuse his office as he has--then not to suffer very real, terrible consequences for that--is not good for me. Why? Because the same evil, and more of it, lives within me." He goes on to speak of the First Use of God's Law. This is the Law curbing gross outbreaks of sin through the threat of punishment. "The threat of the Law--the First Use--is very truly a gift from God. Were it not for the policeman on the side of the road, I'd drive like a bat out of hell and cause hurt and grief to all those around me sooner or later. The threats and punishments of the Law curb the evil that lurks within me. "I get scared silly when I see this sort of thing happening in our land. Scared silly because, as the Scriptures say, there is such dreadful evil within my heart, too. The threats of the Law are often the only motivation I can find for beating down the old man in me. And first use is the government's job. "I wish I were more noble, more full of godly desires and impulses...but I am not. I pray to God every day for the first use of the Law in our land. My own sake, my own morality demands that President Clinton resign or Congress impeach him. Yours does too." That's it for now. You can submit questions by mail to "Ask the Pastor," PO Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951; E-mail xrysostom@aol.com; or just stop me on the street. Walter Snyder is the pastor of St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches in Jasper and Woodville and coauthor of the book "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1998 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.