Tutu makes excellent points such as our unhelpful labelling of Kotze as the Modimole Monster. Labelling is unhelpful and makes us isolate people that in all reality are very much like us. We may not have murdered anyone, but Jesus reminds us in Matthew 5:21–22 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire." Our hearts are very broken as is Kotze's and we are ALL in need of the saviour of the world who can give us a new heart.
But Tutu made a statement that I want to refute: "Mr Johan Kotze remains a child of God with the capacity to become a saint. This may shock some of us. But have we forgotten, those who are Christians, the story of the repentant thief on the cross?" I want to differ with Tutu in his unbiblical view that Kotze is a child of God. Whilst we are all created in the image of God and all humans deserve dignity and respect, we are by nature chidlren of wrath (Eph 2:3) this is true for every child born on this earth save one: Jesus.
The danger of this kind of thinking is that it never leads to a call to repentance because if I am a child of God then why do I need to repent? I belong to him. This line of thinking minismises our desire to call people to follow Jesus, to seek his face and to come to him that they might find, life, rest and peace in him and him alone.
The Bible is too explicit about people NOT being God's children to allow us to say otherwise:
John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
Romans 9:8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
1 John 3:10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
The truth is that without Jesus we are not children of God but in fact God's enemies as Paul reminds us in Romans 5:10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. It was true for all of us and is still true for many, Kotze included. But Tutu is right that Kotze can repent and find life and we should pray desperately that he does.
If he, like the thief on the cross repents and calls out to God, he will in that moment receive the fullness of the grace and glory of all of heaven.
The slate will be wiped clean.
The charges made null.
His sin forgiven.
His life redeemeed from the grave.
He may have to live with the earthly consequences of his actions, but in God's eyes he will become the righteousness of God. That is the power of the grace of God that comes through the work of Jesus on the cross. Grace is a powerful, powerful thing!
Tutu makes a grave mistake to assume that just because we are children of the flesh we belong to God. It is those who in humble faith stand before the king and seek his pardon that become his children and are lavished with all his riches. Let us never become so arrogant as to presume upon the riches of the kindness of God but let us walk in deep gratitude that God chose to save us. But let us neither wallow in shallow sentimentality that assumes that all people are right with God. it makes Jesus death and resurrection unnecessary. For what need is there of us being reconciled to God if we are all already his children?
Let's get our thinking right and in line with the Bible so that we might understand just how powerful the grace of God is: that whilst we were sinners, Christ Jesus died for us!
