The sermon this last Sunday at church was about forgiveness.  Within the sermon was the story of how the son of Sam killer had been born-again and felt that he was right with God, forgiven and was content to remain in prison and not ever take parole, because he felt extreme remorse for what he had done and felt the punishment was due him.   David Berkowitz now feels free and forgiven while the relatives of his victims might still be in their own ‘prison’ of hate and torment if they are not able to forgive him!   

Now I might be setting on the fence about this although there are many cases of prison inmates who are born-again Christians.  Every person comes to Jesus in a different way, time, situation but the result is always the same, forgiveness and regeneration to a new creation in Christ.  The only ingredient necessary is a true sincere repentance of our sins, 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  That is a promise in God’s own words that we can count on, He will not only forgive those sins you repented of, He will also purify you from all unrighteousness!

Now does David Berkowitz have a right to go on the news and say he is forgiven and is now a child of God?  Does anyone else have a right to say he is only fooling himself?  Someone so evil to murder six innocent humans, how could he possibly think he has been forgiven?  This discussion could go on and on, there is merit on both sides.  But when we look at a crime from the viewpoint of a Holy God what would we see?  To an absolute Holy Being, sin is sin, if you rob a bank of a million dollars or cheat thousands of people out of their savings, or kill six people, doesn’t a Holy God look at each crime as sin?  There is no degree to sin; stealing 100 dollars is as sinful as a million.  If you hate your fellow man is that not murder also?    

God can see into David Berkowitz’s heart and that will be the determining factor as to where he ends up in the grand scheme of things.  A person’s heart is the final indicator of a person’s destiny.  If God has your heart you will be going to the right place.  If God does not have your total heart, and you still are breathing, take the time right now to ask Jesus to come into your life and lead you in all that you do.  John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."  

Matthew 6:15 sums it up, But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.