Has Bernie earned his freedom?

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Last week, Bernie Ebbers was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his crimes in building his personal fortune while misrepresenting the financial condition of his company, WorldCom. The resulting collapse of the company led to its bankruptcy and financial ruin for thousands of WorldCom employees and investors. Many were shocked by the severity of the sentence. Although few believed that Ebbers was completely innocent of the crimes, most expected the kind of slap on the wrist that white collar criminals have historically received.

Perhaps most telling was the comment by Mr. Ebbers’ lawyer, Reid Weingarten. Mr. Weingarten referenced Bernie’s acts of charity, some of them anonymous, and he repeatedly cited the 169 letters from friends and family attesting to his goodness. "[I]f you have an unblemished record, if you have endless numbers of people who attest to your goodness, doesn't that count? I simply say doesn't that count?"

This attitude smacks of modern American evangelistic thought – that despite the evil deeds we have done, that we can earn our freedom through our good deeds. Is Bernie Ebbers a good man? No. He’s a wicked, evil sinner, just like you and me. His righteousness comes only through the work of Christ, assuming that God has called Ebbers to Himself and Bernie has repented and accepted that free gift of God. Can any of Bernie’s good deeds or his charitable works cancel out his crimes? Not one – neither on earth, nor in heaven. Assuming Ebbers is a Christian, have his sins been forgiven and has the punishment already been paid? Yes, but only in eternal courts. The penalty must still be paid on earth.

However, I fear that this attitude, verbalized by lawyer Weingarten is also reflective of modern American evangelistic views of salvation – that it is our action that leads to our salvation. That it is our acceptance of Christ that earns our eternal reward. In reality, I was a dead man when God called me. I was dead and unable to save myself when God’s Holy Spirit changed my heart and gave me enough spark of life to call out to Him for help. In the C.S. Lewis book, The Silver Chair, Jill claims to have entered Narnia by commanding Aslan to do her will and bring her into Narnia. Aslan responds by saying "You could not have called me if I had not been calling you." And so it is with us, all the glory belongs to God in our salvation. We could not have commanded God to save us unless it was first His will and if he had not first been calling us. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith?and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God? not by works, so that no one can boast.”

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But perhaps the most offensive claims I’ve seen concerning Mr. Ebbers make him out to be a martyr – taking on the punishment of others. Some are saying that Bernie’s sentence is so severe (although it falls short of federal sentencing guidelines of 30 years to life) that it is making up for the lenient punishments given previously to corporate criminals such as Martha Stewart, Michael Milkin, and Ivan Boesky. However, a martyr chooses his fate – knows the sacrifice he is making and chooses it over his own comfort for the greater good. Bernie fails on all of these points. He did not choose this punishment, and if given the choice, he would run away from it. Even more, this is a sentence that he deserves.

Thank God that there is One who took a punishment He did not deserve. Who, although He truly is good and pure and innocent, laid down His life as a sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. If you have not accepted this free gift, is God now calling you to do so? Has He sent His Holy Spirit to place the spark of life in you so that you can now call out to Him? I pray that this would now be the time when you would do just that.

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