If you were guilty of a crime and sought a pardon, the pardon would be at the complete discretion of the governor. There is no appeal because there is no right to a pardon. A judge, on the other hand, is responsible to find the facts and apply the law in a just manner. There is an appeal from a judge's decision because you deserve justice. You do not deserve mercy. James M. Boice writes, "It is not justice we want from God; it is grace. And grace cannot be commanded. It must flow to us from God's sovereign purposes decreed before the foundation of the world, or it must not come at all." God is not unfair. Each person will get justice but no one deserves mercy. Jesus says, "You did not choose me, but I chose you." (John 15:16) "No one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father" (John 6:65). If you are wrestling with the doctrine of election, your first question should be is it taught by the Bible? The question is not yet whether you understand it or whether you like it. Election is the Bible's teaching and not man's—and this is the reason that people often find it hard to accept. In any given courtroom, there is a bench and a dock. The bench is where the judge sits. He is the highest in the courtroom. The design displays his authority. The dock is an enclosure where the accused comes into or is bright into to face the judge. It is lower. The accused is usually asked questions by the judge, for the accused is on trial. C. S. Lewis wisely observed that in the old days, people approached God as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man, the roles are reversed. Man is the judge! God is in the dock. But no human has the right to judge God!
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David Bodanza is the pastor of Mission of Grace Church in Westborough, Massachusetts. He is also a practicing lawyer. He holds an M.Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a J.D. from New England School of Law. He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, four...
