Proverbs 11:21. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished,
Have you ever done something wrong and gotten totally away with it? I have. Many times. When I was a kid I stole a 10 pack of Juicy Fruit gum from the grocery store. To this day nobody knows that I did that except me (and now everyone reading this). Truthfully, every day I do evil things, and think evil thoughts that no one knows about…except God. And rest assured God punishes every sin. No sin slips past God unnoticed.
More seriously, have you had evil done too you and the offender seems to have gotten away with it? Many people share this experience. Acts of abuse left unpunished. Injustice left unresolved. Victims given no voice, while victimizers walk away. But those who have been wronged can rest assured that no sin goes unpunished by God.
The problem with a proverb like this one is that it fails to point out just exactly who the evil are. Most of us likely don’t put ourselves into the category of evil. Hitler was evil. Charles Manson was evil. The person who wronged me is evil. But am I evil? No.
But Jesus went around calling everyone evil, including is disciples. Normal, everyday, good parents were classified by Christ as evil.
Matthew 7:11. If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
The truth is that all of us are evil. There is none righteous no not one, the Apostle Paul says. We all deserve the just punishment for our sins that this proverb predicts. But what this proverb doesn’t predict is the cross of Christ. Jesus Christ became sin for us, and he took that sin upon himself onto the cross where it was paid for in full by Jesus’ death. Jesus became the evil person who would not go unpunished.
The good news is that whether we are the one doing evil (which we all have), or the ones suffering from evil being done to us (which we will all experience), Jesus died on the cross as the punishment for it all. He was the one person who was not evil, and yet he was punished for the evil of all mankind. Now, in Christ there is no longer any condemnation. All who trust in him have been declared righteous by God. Hallelujah!
But what about justice? What about those who have done evil to us? Are they simply forgiven by the cross? Are they off the hook because of Jesus? If they truly trust in Christ, then yes. Yes, they are off the hook, just as you are for your evil. That is what the gospel is – total forgiveness. But also total recompense for those who have suffered in this life. Everything lost will be restored. Everything broken will be fixed.
In the end you can rest assured that Jesus will make all things right, and good, and new, and beautiful. Ashes will turn to beauty, mourning to joy.
You: Does it bother you that Jesus would call you evil?
You in Christ: In Christ you are no longer evil, but righteous, even when you act evil instead of righteous. How does this amazing truth allow you to choose the righteous thing over the selfish, evil thing today?
Christ in you: How might your perspective on life change if you trusted Christ to judge and restore all things?
Pray: Jesus, thank you for taking the punishment for my evil upon yourself. Help me to trust your justice today, waiting patiently for all things to be made new. Amen.
To Live is Christ 