Sunday School #2 - Forfeiture

Forfeiture (for-fi-cher) 2. The loss of a right, privilege, or property because of a crime, breach of obligation, or neglect of duty.

--Black’s Law Dictionary 8th Edition

God is a judge. God is the only judge to fear and the one who, when He sentences, does so for eternity. For those who relish their sin and thus forfeit their souls, it is an eternity of torment in hell.

A lawyer might win every case, a judge may be called "your honor" all the days of his or her life, but when God judges it will be found that many forfeited their souls.

Mark 8:36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

Crimes are committed in moments. So too, each person’s life, who they are, will be defined by moments of action or inaction. The legal profession speaks of "counts" - as in "fourteen counts of obstructing justice." But there has to be a first "count" - that moment in time when a person makes a decision to obstruct the law of God. At that moment a crime is committed against justice and against God. At that moment, the twisting of a fact, the raising of an evil suspicion, the ignoring of what is true, the use of man-made legal lingo to gain an advantage or win a court case, can lead to the forfeiture of a person's soul.

In some people, we can see this easily. Some men take this first "count," this first decision, and continue to add so many other "counts" that there souls are seen by all to be black. But with the majority, the consequences to their soul are not seen until years down the road. When the first Jew was persecuted according to the laws of Nazi Germany, who thought that it would lead to gas chambers and mass genocide? But it was that first "count," that first moment, that set Germany on a course to forfeit its soul – and it would grow so dark that a world war had to be fought to end it.

God will come to bring justice upon the earth, and what misery will be theirs who forfeited their souls by doing injustice upon the weak. Criminals who are hunted by the police seek to flee and hide, and many so-called "innocent" people will do the same when God comes to call them to account.

Revelation 6:16-17 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Black’s Law Dictionary defined "forfeiture" as occurring from neglect of duty. There are some who, in the future, may look back on case of Venessa Mills as the defining moment when they forfeited their soul. At the bar of God nothing is hidden and truth is all that matters. God is not swayed by ego, pride or money – He judges justly and has warned us all, that better a millstone were tied around our neck than to cause a "little one" to stumble or suffer.

Such is the Law and Justice of God.

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