That yucky feeling you get when you see Ryan Lochte might mean God exists

3.  We get mad at people like Lochte because we hunger for justice.

In other words, that yucky feeling you get when she see Lochte might have nothing at all to do with his unnatural hair color; it’s because you thirst for justice.

Koukl wrote:

Morality grounded in God explains our hunger for justice—our desire for a day of final reckoning when all wrongs are made right, when innocent suffering is finally redeemed, when all the guilty are punished and the righteous are rewarded… In the end, we’re forced to accept one of two alternatives. Either relativism is true or morality is true. Either we live in a universe in which morality is a meaningless concept and are forever condemned to silence regarding the problem of evil, or moral rules exist and we’re beholden to a moral God who holds us accountable to His law.

But wait — haven’t we all done wrong?

Yes.  And so that’s why we sometimes feel a sense of dread and fear.  My former pastor Arch Warren used to say, “Before you hear the good news of the gospel, you first have to hear the bad news.”

Here’s the bad news. Koukl wrote:

We feel guilty because we are guilty. We know deep down inside that we have offended a morally perfect being who has the legitimate authority to punish us. We also know we will have to answer for our own crimes against God.

In other words, you might actually dread seeing Lochte’s face because you know you’ve done stupid, idiotic things too.  You’ve embarrassed your mom and dad, you’ve hurt those you love, you’ve failed to live up to even your own standards

The bad news in a nutshell?  You’re worse than you imagine.  The good news? God is more forgiving and more loving than you imagine.

That’s why Lochte’s disgrace can ultimate be a moment of opportunity — for him as our mistakes have been opportunities for us.

CCEF, in a great piece about what to do when you make mistakes, says you don’t have to wallow in shame and regret.  The gospel offers a much better option:

We live with regrets because we think we should. We think it’s the right thing to do—that it is our duty before God. But… The Kingdom of Heaven is regret-free. The truth is that the triune God liberates us from past regrets. His will is being done. Bank on it. Neither your human limitations nor your sins hinder the good plans of your sovereign Father.

And that promise of the gospel is open to Ryan Lochte, to our other Olympic athletes, and for all of us.

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