Is This Man Unforgivable?
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Can God forgive this man?
This man is known as Hang Pin, a high-school Math teacher. He is also a pastor who has baptized numerous Cambodians and started a church in his home.
This man is also know as Kaing Guek Eav. He is on trial for his part in the deaths of over 1.7 million people under the Khmer Rouge party in Cambodia from 1976-1979, led by Pol Pot.
This man is most (in)famously known as Comrade Duch.
Today, he issued an 18 minute apology expressing his “regret and heartfelt sorrow.” However, the NY Times article covering this trial makes no mention (surprise!) of his conversion to Christianity. For that full story, check out Rick Warren’s new magazine, Purpose Driven, for that story.
It reminds me of my conversion story. I was explained the Gospel at the age of 12. However, the promise of heaven and grace despite all of my sins was almost too good to be true. My Bible Study teacher lead us through the sinner’s prayer. But before the ‘Amen’ could even settle in the air, I turned to my teacher and asked him:
Do you mean I could go out and kill 27 people and still go to heaven?
Thankfully, my teacher said, “Yes.”
I was confronted with a God that would base his forgiveness on his grace alone and not on my feeble attempts at righteous action.
Does God care that Comrade Duch oversaw the torture and death of over 14,000 people personally? Of course he does.
Does God’s love still offer forgiveness and eternal life? Does Jesus’ death pay for all of those murders? Of course it does.
The problem lies in the fact that if God forgiveness is dependent on our actions even in the slightest degree, then we create a heretical Gospel. God’s grace is not (and never) earned by us. It is earned through Christ’s death on the cross.
No matter what you have done, you can turn to God for forgiveness and receive his grace of salvation.
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. ~ Titus 3:5
Posted: March 31st, 2009 under Pastoral Musings by RjL.
Tags: Comrade Duch, forgiveness, grace, Khmer Rouge, unforgiveable