Second Chances – Does Pete Rose Deserve A Second Chance?
Is there anyone who is beyond a second chance?
Think about it. Who would be on your list of people who don’t deserve a second chance?
Jeffrey Dahmer? Dahmer, a serial killer and sex offender, raped and murdered 17 people in the Milwaukee area between 1978 and 1991.
Ted Bundy? Bundy, another serial killer and sex offender, murdered several people during the 1970s.
Richard Nixon? Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, who resigned in light of the Watergate scandal.
Bill Clinton? Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, who had sexual relations (despite lying about it) with a White House intern during his presidency.
Timothy McVeigh? Charles Manson? Adam Lanza? Lance Armstrong? Barry Bonds? Jose Canseco? Michael Vick? Jerry Sandusky?
Alex Rodriquez? Rodriquez, New York Yankees third basemen, suspended from baseball for a year for breaking rules regarding performance enhancing drugs.
Justin Beiber? Beiber, Canadian pop singer, recently arrested for drag racing and driving under the influence.
Lindsay Lohan? Lohan, actress, repeatedly arrested for drug and alcohol related offenses.
Pete Rose? Rose, all-time Major League Baseball hits leader, thrown out of baseball for betting on baseball.
We could go on and on with names of people in the limelight who have made critical errors. Do these people deserve a second chance? It’s a great question. Each of these people have committed crazy crimes or done something pretty stupid. Each of them is left with the consequences of their actions. Some face death. Most face public ridicule at a minimum. Others faced fines, jail time, or other punishment.
Here’s the deal. Just like this people above, we all make mistakes. We may not have killed anyone (at least I hope not). We may not have been caught for breaking the rules or doing something so stupid. But we all mess up. And we all have consequences to our actions. Do we deserve a second chance?
What yard stick are we measuring ourselves against?
Sure our “sins” make seem quite minor compared to the “sins” of those on the list above. But what happens when you compare our sins to God’s holiness? Suddenly, we begin to much worse.
The Bible tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) It goes on to say that “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) With this in mind, none of us deserve a second chance. We have all screwed up.
If this was the end of the story, it would be pretty depressing. Don’t you think?
But there is more to the story.
The Bible tells us in John 3:16 that God loves us so much, he sent His son for us. In Romans 10:13, we are promised that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This sounds like a second chance to me.
Our church is doing a series about second chances. On March 30th, Pete Rose will be on campus all three services to be interviewed. It’s hard to argue with his playing skill, but many could argue about his place in baseball and in life based on his past. I’m excited to hear what he has to say. If you live anywhere in the Philadelphia area, I’d encourage you to make your way over to Christ’s Church of the Valley in Royersford, PA to hear what Pete Rose has to say and to see how are pastor responds. I think you’ll be challenged and surprised. For more information, check out our church’s website at moviechurch.com. If you plan on coming, let me know. I’d love to say hello.