By Gerald Cowan
Maybe you said it differently when you
played hide and seek or some other childhood game but it’s
what we thought we were saying when I was a kid and played
those games. The object of the game was to stay hidden or
sneak in to the goal without being detected, then being
pronounced “safe,” no longer under threat or danger. As long
as you remained successfully hidden you were safe and
free. Ally, ally oxen free meant the game was
over and all those who were still out – trying to avoid
getting caught and so losing the game – were to come in,
with no penalty. Perhaps it was to start the game again or
start another game. But at any rate, everybody was to come
out of hiding and be free. The probable original saying was,
“All ye, all ye 'outs' in free." But children (older folks
too) say what they think they hear, and however you say it
everybody understands what it is supposed to mean: come in
free, no cost, no penalty. Sounds like a bit like amnesty to
me.
AMNESTY IS OFTEN SOUGHT, SELDOM DESERVED
Amnesty is understood to be a suspension
of rules or conditions, the cancellation or pardon of
penalties or consequences for violation of rules, laws, and
policies. It would be something like sneaking into a
sporting or entertainment venue and, when caught, not being
ejected but allowed to stay and even being allowed all
rights and privileges of paying customers. I remember being
one of several kids who tried it when the circus or carnival
came to town. Poor kids did it because they couldn’t pay.
Some just wanted to avoid payment so their money could be
used for other things. Some did it on a dare, some just to
see if they could manage to get in for free. There was a
feeling of elation when one succeeded, when one sneaked in
and didn’t get caught. It was the guilty pleasure of getting
away with something you knew was wrong, enjoying something
you knew you didn’t have a right to. And there might also be
a little contempt for the powers that be who couldn’t detect
you, or who let you stay even when they found out you had
entered illegally. Of course the sneak would be careful not
to draw undue attention to himself and be asked to show
proof of legal admission, a special ink stamp on the hand, a
ticket stub or some other document showing he had a right to
be there. The same principle, elevated somewhat, applies to
those who try to sneak into the country from some foreign
place. Probably nobody will ever know how many manage to do
it without getting caught and punished or deported.
Citizenship in any country is a precious
possession. Benefits are too numerous and generally too well
known to need being mentioned here, but among the most
alluring ones – depending of course upon the country: better
wages, better standard of living, opportunities for personal
growth, development and advancement, better relationships,
access to public welfare and public education, and a broader
range of personal freedoms. Of course there are important
obligations of citizenship too: obeying local and national
laws, paying taxes and tribute, defending the country from
its enemies (including illegal intruders). In most countries
there is a clear legal path to citizenship, to loyalty and
allegiance, and to the fulfillment of obligations. But that
path is often burdensome and usually takes a considerable
amount of time and effort. Many simply do not want to wait,
Either they want citizenship immediately or, what is more
often the case, they want the privileges and benefits of
citizenship without the costs, without the responsibilities
and obligations. The fast track to perks and
privileges without burdensome obligations is just to sneak
in. There are unscrupulous persons who promise a different
path into the country and the privileges of citizenship.
Often it comes at a high cost. For payment of a certain sum
of money they promise to sneak the person in. But they may
be predators who take the money and abandon the person. They
may sell the person – especially women and children – into
slavery. Trafficking in humans is practiced in most
countries of the world. So the one seeking freedom and a
better life is misled, diverted, robbed and destroyed by
immoral predators. Some countries allow children born there,
even to illegally-present parents, to be citizens on that
basis alone. Then there is the hope that the illegal parents
will be allowed to stay for the sake of and because of the
rights of their citizen children. Of course one must be
careful not to get caught without proper documentation and
permission to stay until such time as they can establish the
right to stay. The expected penalties for violating
immigration laws could range from fines and imprisonment to
deportation and being barred from legal access to the
country through the ordinary pathway. This is where the
appeal for amnesty may be raised. If amnesty is granted all
prior violations may be forgiven, penalties cancelled,
freedom to stay granted, access to all privileges and
benefits, and an easy path to citizenship if it is desired.
Amnesty should inspire gratitude, but it may sometimes
inspire contempt for the nation, its laws, and its
government. The nation becomes an easy mark for intruding
sneaks.
THERE IS NO AMNESTY IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The benefits of citizenship in the
kingdom of God outweigh anything a nation can bestow upon
its citizens. There are benefits for the immortal soul, the
eternal spirit – far more important than the temporal
physical body. Who can put a price on love, joy, peace,
patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
self-control shared by all who bear the fruit of the Spirit
of God? (Galatians 5:22-23). What can separate God’s people
from God’s love in Christ? Nothing can – neither death, nor
life, nor angels, nor authorities, nor powers, nor things
present or things to come. We are more than conquerors of
all these things and more (Romans 8:27-39). There is nothing
in the world of the spirit that we cannot overcome in
Christ. We can have perfect peace and fellowship that will
endure in the world and continue after the world. Nothing
other than the kingdom of God, the church of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the spiritual body of Christ can make such a promise
and keep it. Nothing is more important now or eternally than
the kingdom of God. Those who know that will surely want to
be in it and not be excluded from it.
There is a particular path to citizenship
in the kingdom of God. It is through Jesus Christ and
through no other person, group, or religion. He and the
gospel of God are the truth and the life and the only way to
God (John 14:6). There are those who propose and accept
other paths, but God accepts only this one (Matthew
7:13-14). The way of truth is restricted and narrow, with
plainly marked immoveable boundaries. The way into it is
clearly defined so that one who seeks it can find it and not
miss it. There is no “open door” policy and no “many doors
and many ways” policy. But there are spiritual predators who
make merchandise of people – they buy and sell people for
personal gain (2 Peter 2:3). They offer false ways to
salvation which God will never accept.
Why would anyone accept false religious
ways when the truth is readily available? Perhaps because of
ignorance of the scripture They are destroyed for lack of
knowledge (Hosea 4:16), having been mistaught by either
wicked or ignorant men who misquote and misapply the gospel.
But there is another possibility too. Some seek the benefits
of the kingdom without accepting
the restrictions, requirements, and
obligations God imposes. If they can somehow sneak in,
remain undetected and enjoy the benefits of citizenship
which do not rightly belong to them they are satisfied. But
they are unaware that they will eventually be exposed for
what they are, lose all benefits, be deported – not even be
allowed to see into heaven to see the full meaning of life
eternal there, and be cast into eternal hell. There is no
amnesty, no time when restrictions and requirements are
suspended, and no cancellation of penalties and punishment
for violators.
Repeat it: there is no amnesty in the
kingdom of God. But there is mercy, forgiveness, and
citizenship for those who take the proper pathway through
Jesus Christ and his gospel, those who obey the rules, those
who trust in God and take the way of salvation He offers.
Those who try to come into the kingdom of God by some other
way prove themselves to be thieves and robbers (John 10:8),
ignorant at best, hypocrites at worst, but misfits in either
case – misfits who will be deported by the Lord in due time.
And there is not enough power in the whole world of men and
demons to override God’s denial, invalidation, and veto of
anybody’s citizenship.
- Gerald Cowan, a longtime preacher and missionary, is
retired from full-time pulpit preaching. Gerald publishes an
e-mail newsletter entitled GERALD COWAN’S PERSONAL
PERIODICAL WRITINGS. He is available for Gospel Meetings and
he may be contacted at Geraldcowan1931@aol.com
