My wife and I were in tears as we watched the courtroom video last week. A man whose brother was shot and killed by former Dallas police officer, Amber Guyger, took the stand and did the unthinkable: he offered forgiveness. Brandt Jean captivated America by his decision to reach out and share the gospel of Jesus with Guyger, who killed his brother, Botham, when she mistakenly entered his apartment following a thirteen-hour work shift.
But not everyone was touched by this unselfish act of grace. Because the decided sentence was ten years in prison, many were angered and offended, demanding justice, condemnation, and the maximum penalty of the law.
Many people thought the forgiveness offered by Brandt Jean was a beautiful demonstration of mercy, God’s love, and grace. It was the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ rarely seen in a setting reserved for justice, sentencing, and punishment.
The jurors in the case could have sentenced thirty-one-year-old Amber Guyger to a minimum of two years all the way up to life in prison. Prosecutors wanted her to go to prison for 28 years, as that’s how old the victim, Botham Jean, would be today.
But inside the courtroom, many were in tears as Brandt Jean said, “I forgive you,” finished his comments, and asked the judge if he could please give Guyger a hug. Emotions were difficult to hold back as you heard Guyger’s muffled wailing and perhaps remorse in the compassionate arms of her victim’s brother.
Either the man is insane or he is a true Christian living out his faith in Christ. This just doesn’t happen naturally. How is this kind of forgiveness possible without the Holy Spirit and a supernatural move of God?
Again, as for past mistakes and sins, it’s what you and I do from this point on. No matter what you’ve done, God will forgive you – if you repent, confess your sins and simply ask Him. If it applies to you, get right with the Savior now, forget the past and surrender an unknown future to a known God in whose hands the future lies.
Regarding sin and the sacrifice of Jesus, Luke writes:
I know that you acted in ignorance… But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:17-20
Repent, come to Jesus and be refreshed!
Eradicate: Blotting Out God in America 