Forgiveness for the Shooter

In the wake of the shooting in Colorado movie theater shooting, where 12 people have died so far, we are wondering how could this man do what he did. He ran into the movie theater dressed in riot gear and just started to indiscriminately shooting at the crowd.  Thank God his clip became jammed or there would be more casualties.  He set up bombs in his apartment so that his apartment could be blown up as well.

My personal belief is that there was demonic activity going on with this individual that he was a willing participant with. I'm not blaming it all on the devil, but I believe he allowed Satanic influences to affect him, and that is how he could do what he did.

I don't believe he is legally "insane" because he planned it out so well; and I wish that insanity couldn't even be used as a defense in these cases.  To me it is rather simple, if the did it, there should be justice no matter how much the person was deceived or disconnected from reality because justice demands penalty.

But I can forgive him and wish him the best as far as his soul is concerned.  I know it is really soon, not even a week away from the horrible day. I think I could still forgive even if I lost a loved one, but perhaps not be nearly this quick.  If he killed one of my family members, I don't know how long it would take to forgive, maybe years?? (or maybe I'd be surprised by the grace of God much more quickly in my ability forgive in horrendous wrongs, I am getting some practice with lesser things).

How can I so easily forgive him and yet have a strong sense of justice? We don't know that he is remorseful.

Because I understand forgiveness since I have been forgiven a huge debt.  I haven't murdered anyone, but I have hated, and Jesus said that we are guilty of murder even if we have hated (Matthew 5:21-22).  I know of all my sin, therefore  I pray he goes to the throne of grace and seeks the forgiveness that Christ Jesus can offer, like I have.  We are alike in that way, that we are both needy of God's grace.

Forgiveness by God the Father is the most important way we need to be forgiven.

Mark 1:15 (NASB)  "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

There is no sin too big for the power of the cross. Christ became sin for us (took that line from the song below). God Himself became man and paid the penatly we should pay. The penalty was an eternity's worth of wrath poured out from God the Father.   It was hell squeezed in a cup. It wasn't just that Christ stopped breathing on the cross. He bore wrath and was separated from God the Father, and that was infinitely more painful than the physical suffering he endured. Our souls are at stake. We should not fear what man can do us but what God can do to our souls in eternity.   Matthew 10: 28, Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

The cross was not a mistake, or a weakness of Christ.  The cross happened according to the plan of God the Father and it took a lot of strength.  This plan was agreed upon in eternity past.  Even as Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God planned to redeem mankind for His glory.  So, no sin is too big for what Christ bore on the Cross.  To say that is to make little of His sacrifice.

Just as one can be restored to God (the most important restoration that needs to occur), one can be restored to an individual person who has been offended by their sin. From Matthew 18, even though this applies to believers in the church, the principle of having someone realizing what they have done, and being sorry for are some key ingredients for restoration on a human plane.  I remember from my husband's sermon on this, the purpose isn't to condemn anyone but to restore a person to God and each other.

15“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 

Obviously this doesn't apply to the shooter situation but you never know what repentance can do.  It has brought enemies into a relationship because of their common bond in Christ.  Because of their forgiveness by God, they were much more able to extend forgiveness to their enemies.  (To read about a real life example from WWII, click here.)

Oftentimes when someone offends us, we don't see repentance, what do we do then?  What if the shooter doesn't seek God's forgiveness, or admits even that he sinned or that he is sorry.  Peter raises the same type of question in the same passage of Matthew, where the person who sinned doesn't seem to have changed:

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26“The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

So, we should be willing to forgive others understanding what we have been forgiven.  We may not get an apology, but we can let go of what they did from our heart.  So, maybe it could be said that there are 2 types of forgiveness, the preferred kind with repentance and full restoration and the other only sets our own selves free from bitterness realizing what has been forgiven us.   Otherwise, we will be in torment from bringing up another's sin to our heart and mind.  This is the torture referred to in vs. 24.  This torture is a loss of our own peace and joy.  It keeps us up at night and we notice the effects in many ways.  Forgiveness may not be instant, and we would lack compassion to expect it to be for the ones who lost a loved one from the shooting, but with God all things are possible.