The Penalty Is Declined

Related Scripture:

“He does not punish us for all our sins; He does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.  For His unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.”  Psalm 103:10-12

Imagine this situation in a football game.  The team on offense completes a pass for a thirty-yard gain.  There is a flag on the opposite side of the field for defensive holding.  The referee confers with the coach of the offended team and then announces: “The penalty for defensive holding has been declined.”  Declining a penalty is a common occurrence in a football game, but what does it really mean?  Someone broke a rule, but the penalty for that illegal behavior will not be enforced.  Even though a spiritual application of that situation is not a perfect fit, God’s mercy means that He has declined to enforce a penalty for our sins.  King David told us a little bit about how God’s mercy works.

Declining a penalty in football is a choice allowed by the rules.  It doesn’t ignore the fact that a rule was broken, it just declines enforcing that penalty.  Declining to enforce penalties we deserve for our sins is a choice God makes because He loves us and wants to give us His grace.  Our sins are not disregarded – that is where repentance comes in.  His mercy means we are not given the punishment we deserve.  His grace involves giving us the gift of salvation we don’t deserve.  His forgiveness allows us to restore our relationship with Him.

Since God is willing to “decline” punishing us for our shortcomings, we need to be willing to do the same thing for other people.  Jesus told a parable about a man who wanted to get forgiveness of a debt he owed his master but was unwilling to forgive a debt someone owed him. Jesus’ conclusion is recorded in Matthew 18:32-33 -  “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’

Questions to Ponder:

Do you have an “attitude of gratitude” for God’s mercy?

Do you display that attitude towards others?

Ralph Swearngin - (Former GHSA Executive Director and Current FCO Advisory Committee Member)