Crimes Pardoned.

Isa_53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

(Excerpt) 

(Continued from yesterday…)

Closely examining this subject we find,

IV. WHAT THE GOVERNOR MUST DO IN GRANTING PARDON 

He must do one of the following things:— 1. Disregard the strict claims of law and justice. But this, of course, is evil in its tendency, giving license to crime, and favoring lawlessness, rather than restraining it, which latter must remain the true object of government. This, indeed, is the very thing we have all the time been guarding against. We cannot admit this, it being dangerous to the Government. Because if the claims of the law may be disregarded in one case, they may be in many—they may be in all; and then government is at an end. And if the executive sets the example of disregarding the claims of the law, others may thereby be led to follow his example, or all may; and the result is the same—lawlessness and anarchy. And all this from following the example of him who occupies the throne of justice! The very thought is, in the highest degree, abhorrent.

Only one way remains possible by which pardon may be granted without trampling on justice, and endangering the Government; that is 2. Make satisfaction to the law by voluntary substitution. If the substitution be voluntary, so that the substitute be satisfied, and the full penalty of the law be inflicted, so that the law and justice be satisfied, all must be satisfied—all conflicting interests and feelings must be reconciled. Let  no one  say,  to oppose this, that such is not the case when pardon is granted in human Governments; for these are imperfect, and instead of conforming strictly to justice they can only hope to approximate it. The interests above referred to are never harmonized in human Governments. In these, if the prisoner is punished less than the penalty indicated by the law, then the law is deprived just so much of its due. In such case, justice is not

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reconciled or vindicated; it is suspended. All must see at a glance that the means herein proposed alone obviates all difficulties. Let us further examine its effects.

V. VOLUNTARY SUBSTITUTION,

1. Recognizes the claims of law. We have supposed substitution wherein all parties are satisfied—all conflicts reconciled. But if the law were unjust, if the accused were not really guilty of a wrong, the act of condemning would be tyrannical. There could then be no satisfaction, either to justice, or to the condemned, or to his substitute. Hence, to obtain the desired result, there must be acquiescence in the justness of the proceeding, which is a recognition of the justice of the law which condemned.

2. It honors and maintains the Government. It must be admitted that every infringement on the claims of law, every departure from strict justice, is a violation of common rights, and endangers the Government. Whatever honors and vindicates the claims of law and justice, tends to maintain the Government; and of course to vindicate personal rights under it. This voluntary substitution does, as has been shown.

3. It dispenses mercy, which could not otherwise be offered consistently with the great principles of right and justice. Hence, all the objects of government—justice and mercy, truth and love, —meet in this arrangement. This is precisely the idea of an Atonement—not a thing to be deprecated, as some have vainly imagined, but to be loved and esteemed, as a certain vindication of right and justice, and a beneficent dispensation of love and mercy. In the examination of principles thus far we have found that the Atonement affects our relation to the Government in two respects, looking to the past and to the future. To the past, in that it frees from condemnation for past offenses; and to the future, in that it recognizes the claims of the law, thus binding us to future obedience to the law. But some affect to discover no harmony between these objects, though it is plain that a proposed Atonement which should lose sight

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Of either of these would fail to unite justice and mercy; it would leave the sinner condemned, or dishonor the Government. It may, however, be noticed further,

VI. WHY AN ATONEMENT IS NECESSARY

1. Future obedience will not justify the guilty.

To argue this seems hardly necessary, as it has been shown that justice and mercy meet in no way but by an Atonement.

But some deny the use, by which it is presumed they mean the necessity, or justness, of obeying a law which will not justify the guilty. But the deficiency lies only in their own oversight. They make no distinction between justifying the innocent and the guilty.

The innocent are justified by law; the guilty cannot be.

But the innocent are justified by law only if they remain innocent; that is, if they continue to obey.

While the transgressor, already condemned, is not freed from condemnation of past offense by future obedience.

In this, no more is claimed than is settled as a principle of action in legal and even in commercial transactions. He who killed, last year, cannot offer in justification that he has not killed, this year. The judge has no right to listen to the plea of the thief, that he has not recently stolen, while the evidence of his past guilt is clear. It does not release a man from a past debt to pay for what he buys to-day. Present justice and present morality simply answer a present demand, leaving the past unsettled. But we have a question to ask to those who think it is not required to keep a law because it will not justify the transgressor.

If the law condemns a thief, and he can only be cleared by pardon, does the granting of a pardon release him from obligation to keep the law, and leave him free to steal thereafter?

2. We have no ransom to bring.

The demand of the Government is obedience; and the duty is perpetual.

Any cessation or suspension is a break in the chain that we cannot restore. We cannot on one day perform the duties of another, in such a manner as to suspend obligations on that other day. Presenting this idea on a moral basis purely, we will be better able to appreciate it. The obligation to love God with all our heart binds us every day of our life. Suppose we fail on one day, it would be absurd to say we could make amends by

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another day’s obedience; for that would be to love God that other day with more than all the heart, so as to apply some of our superabundance of love to the past! Hence the transgressor could not save himself, even though he retained all his original strength to obey; but the following truth is well known:—

3. We are incapacitated by immoral practices.

In this, appeal is made to the consciousness of every candid, reflecting mind. We all acknowledge ourselves to be subjects of temptation, and often find in ourselves a proneness to do that which our convictions forbid. If we allow ourselves to do wrong, these feelings become still stronger, and we are less able to resist the temptation. Wrong-doing becomes a habit, hard to resist or overcome. Thus, he who has a moderate desire to drink ardent spirits will find that desire greatly strengthened by indulgence and it will finally, if indulged too far, bring him completely under its control. This is the tendency of all wrong-doing. Now we all feel conscious of having done more or less wrong; and it is but reasonable to say we have done more than we are conscious of, inasmuch as we have not been sufficiently tenacious of the right, nor very watchful to observe our own wrongs. And, according to the plain truth herein stated, we have become weak according to the wrong we have done, and so much the more need the assistance of a third party to set us right with the power we have offended.

An Atonement must not only unite justice and mercy, and reconcile the transgressor to the law, but the perpetuity and stability of the Government should be the first consideration, as they are first in importance in our relations and duties, because on them the perpetuity of all private relations and rights depends. We all assent to this, that public good should be held paramount to private interest. But these only come in conflict when we place ourselves in opposition to the Government. Hence, if our interest conflicts with the Government, which is the conservator of general rights, it is proved to be a selfish interest. For, had we honored and sustained the Government in our lives or actions, it would justify or sustain us; but if our rights are forfeited by disobedience, wherein is the Government to blame? Because the transgressor has sacrificed his

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own rights, it is not therefore reasonable to ask that justice be dishonored, and the rights of others be sacrificed for his benefit. As right should be the first consideration in all transactions, the interest of the Government, which is right, should certainly be held paramount to the good of the transgressor, who is wrong. Therefore, in making an Atonement, the upholding of law—the maintaining of governmental authority—should be held as of the first importance. This is the only manner in which an Atonement can honor the Government in behalf of which it is made.

By a single violation of law, we forfeit our rights and privileges; but by persisting in such violation, or inducing others so to do, and thus disregarding the authority of law, we take the rank of rebels or traitors against the Government. Our relation to the Government while we are in that position, and our relation to the means of our restoration, should be considered with great carefulness and candor.

(To be continued)

(Excerpt from-) THE ATONEMENT-AN EXAMINATION OF A REMEDIAL SYSTEM IN THE LIGHT OF NATURE AND REVELATION.  (1884)

BY   ELDER J. H. WAGGONER

(((NOTE-by me, the one posting the excerpt:

In our world today we have governmental pardons. It's not unusual for a president to pardon certain people. Some presidents have pardoned more than others, but it's something that has become expected.  When a president pardons someone they are freed from prison, freed from the rest of their punishment that fit the crime they were guilty of. Has their pardon given them license to go commit further crimes? No. But their undeserved pardon has given them something many criminals long for… getting out of serving their just sentence. And yes, I'm using the example of a just punishment not someone wrongly convicted etc.  Often we hear of early releases of prisoners because of good behavior. Has their behavior absolved them of the guilt and need to be punished for what they did? Not really. Our system is completely imperfect. To those the criminal harmed in the course of their crime, they feel cheated of justice when a criminal is let go early. My grandfather was murdered and his murderer was convicted and his supposed 25 to life was a lot less than 25 to life… his early parole was a blow to our family who wanted the man who took the life of our beloved grandfather to at least serve the time given him for punishment. No, the time given would not ever really pay for the life of our grandfather, but it was better than the man going unpunished entirely.

In God's perfect government things are much different.

No one stepped up and said they'd serve the rest of my grandfather's murderer's sentence. No one offered to continue to pay for the crime. In fact the crime's demand for punishment has not been fully met, but rather just left undone.

In God's perfect government- every single crime, every single violation of His law will be answered for in one way or another. Not a single offense will be left unattended to. We cannot hide our guilt, we cannot absolve our own guilt, we are unable to atone for what we've done. The pardon for our crimes is our only hope. We won't deserve it, we can't deserve it, and our pardon unlike those of our own government, will be satisfied in that the crime committed will not go unanswered. Our pardon will come only as Another chooses to suffer for what we have done.

I'm going to stop here because I don't want to get ahead of the studying we are doing.   May God help us ALL to comprehend the truth of His Word, the truth of His Love, all through the Holy Spirit guiding us. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Savior! ))))