Ignorance is No Fix

While driving this morning, I noticed something a bit odd in my rear-view mirror.  The vehicle behind me had what appeared to be a parking ticked tucked underneath the windscreen wiper, flapping madly in the breeze.  I wondered if the person hadn't noticed it before they climbed into their car.  But then again, perhaps the driver had noticed it.  Maybe they thought if they kept driving and the ticket happened to fly out, they could deny all knowledge of being ticketed for parking illegally.  People aren't that silly, are they?

I wondered.  Every driver with a reasonable amount of sense knows when they are ticketed, their details have been recorded by the governing body to enforce legal parking.  The loss of the paper ticket does not erase their infraction, nor will it wipe the fine they owe from the record.  It would be utterly foolish to ignore that ticket, watch the wind pry it loose from the wiper, shrug the shoulders and ask with a grin:  "What ticket?"

There is no doubt in my mind this is a similar approach some take with God and His righteous requirements.  They drive around (so to speak) with little scraps of paper flying from their vehicle they hope will slip away to litter the ground as they speed along.  Some think they do themselves a favour by ignoring their debt of sin before God.  Perhaps they believe that when they stand before God on the Day of Judgment they can "play dumb" and by pleading willful ignorance they can escape the enormous, compounded fine they owe for a life of sin.  Ignorance does not provide freedom from the Law and its righteous demands.  The only way to "fix" a ticket is to deal with it with the governing body and meet their conditions in the time permitted.  In similar fashion, the only way our sins are forgiven is when we own up to it before God, humbling ourselves according to God's conditions.  Our sins need not hang over our heads because atonement and forgiveness has been provided to all who repent and trust in Jesus Christ as LORD.

Ever so often it is reported on news stations a sting has been carried out to arrest people who have outstanding warrants for all manner of crimes.  These home arrests are typically carried out when the lawbreakers would not expect it, usually before the light of day when they are asleep in their beds.  We know that God often requires the souls of people at a time they do not expect.  Every word and deed will be brought under His righteous judgment.  Both Christians and non-Christians will be brought before God and will be required to give an answer, either of the quality of our stewardship or the denial of Christ.  When God brings it to our attention we have transgressed, let us take that slip of paper and own it, choosing repentance over willful ignorance.  Praise God He has provided the means of our atonement, forgiveness, righteousness, and reconciliation!