After the 20-3 vote, Chief Justice Corona is impeached. Many people have different views whether Corona was guilty or not. Hearing from Miriam Santiago’s argument though – we could see that there is a valid reason why he needs to be acquitted.
On the other hand, listening to the other senators, we also could see that there was a grave mistake or sin that was made that would dictate that it is better for Corona to step down or be impeached. In short, he was not above reproach.
We all rejoice because we know that there is a higher standard and law that must be followed strictly. We now know that if there is any elected official who would try to cheat on their SALN could be impeached with greater probability. The impeachment case is a precedent to future cases of graft and corruption.
At the same time, some people are sad and mad because the chief justice was impeached. It was too small of a sin to be impeached. Justice was served but it was too much.
Now let me address this major issue with the gospel at hand: JUSTICE. What is Justice?
Doing justice means giving people their due. On the one hand that means restraining and punishing wrongdoers. On the other hand as we understand the gospel it also means giving people what we owe them as beings in the image of God.
All of us rejoice when justice is served. At the same time, when it comes to our personal sin, we pray that justice won’t be served. It happened in the impeachment case of Corona. He wanted all the congress and the senate to reveal their own faults and sin. I think nobody wanted to reveal and they don’t want justice to be served if the verdict is on them.
That is why the gospel makes us uneasy. It forces us to see what we already know and have been hiding – our sins and our faults. The gospel tells us what is wrong with us and it also tells us the solution to our problem. And how we despise that!!! How dare someone tell me what I need to do or tell me that I am bad but in reality, we know we are thus we hate it when people point it to us. But we must remember in light of the gospel we are sinful and flawed more than we ever dared believed but loved and accepted in Christ and by Christ more than we ever dared hope.
Our God is a God who is just. He would not let SIN go unpunished but at the same time our God is also loving and He made a way for justice to be served because He knew we cannot pay for our sin. If justice is served, we will all die and we all deserve hell – including those who are religious and those who are irreligious.
1 John 1:9 English Standard Version (ESV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The Scripture declares that He is faithful to forgive but He is also JUST. That means the way to forgiveness is that somebody has to pay for it but since we are all sinners we cannot pay what we cannot afford. Only the sinless Christ is qualified to pay for our sin. And His death on the cross produced victory and forgiveness for us.
Colossians 1:13-14 English Standard Version (ESV)
13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
In the end, we all stand before the ultimate Judge guilty but Jesus took our sin and paid the penalty of our sin. We can now stand before God – forgiven and loved not because we are not guilty but because Jesus paid it all at the cross.