Propitiation

My friend “Ike” speaks really good English, but is also willing to practice Turkish with me.  Recently, while going back and forth in Turkish and English we started a discussion about how one “gets” to God.  I found myself trying to stress the weight of sin and God’s requirement of sacrifice to appease his wrath.  Why?  Because my friend kept emphasizing the love of God and his willingness to forgive, as long as the sin wasn’t that big of a deal.  I then gave the analogy that if I slapped him, or slapped a policeman, or slapped the prime minister, or slapped God in the face, that there would be different levels of punishment required.  I also said that I believe God is loving and merciful, and that is why Jesus took the punishment for my sin that I deserved.  Unfortunately Ike didn’t agree with me, but I think he left with a better understanding of God’s law and his sin.