When our youngest daughter, Leah, senior in High School, she wanted to drive her mother’s 1973 VW Super Beetle to school. We taught her how to drive a standard/stick shift and gave her our blessing. One of the first days of school, she kept killing it on the way – she was new to driving a stick – and was tardy. She was warned the next time she would get detention.

A few months later, I was already in my office at church and Cheryl had gone to her teaching job when I got a frantic call from Leah. Her car wouldn’t start. I told her I would come home to get her and take her to school. On the way, she told me she had a test to take during first period and was very concerned she would miss it. We arrived at the school about five minutes late, so I went in with her to explain what had happened. She was immediately told to report to the detention waiting room with a room full ne’er-do-wells. We were told the school police officer would be there soon to escort them all to detention. I told the lady my daughter would not be going to that toom and that I wanted to speak to the person in charge.

Let me explain that Leah was a straight – A student and had never been in any kind of trouble at school. I was told it would be a while before I could speak to someone. I told her I left work to get Leah here on time so she could take a test this period. The lady told me she would do her best.

About 15 minutest later, the principal showed up. The police officer had already escorted the others to detention. I calmly explained the situation to the principal, but he was unmoved. He said there was a “Zero Tolerance” policy in place. I asked what would have happened if I had called the school and told them Leah was sick and would not be there today. He said there would have been no consequences. So I said, “You mean the fact that I went out of my way to get a straight – A student, who has never been in trouble, here to take a test results in her getting punished, but a lie would have had no consequences? Doesn’t that seem unfair?”  He repeated that they had a zero tolerance policy in place and he wasn’t smart enough to know who was lying and who was telling the truth. I agreed with him, that he wasn’t smart enough. I told him I would take my daughter home before I let her go to detention. At that point, the principal relented. He let Leah take her test in the office and she was then able to attend the rest of her classes with no consequences.

Zero Tolerance policies sound like a good idea, but on this side of heaven you need to apply a bit of what should be “common sense” as well.

God has a zero tolerance policy for sin:

Romans 6:23a  For the wages of sin is death

That is what our sins deserve. If you try to stand before God on your own merit, you will be carted off with all the other ne’er do wells to the place prepared for sinners, separated from God for eternity. No amount of arguing or protests will keep you from getting what you deserve.

However, when you put your faith in Jesus and what He did by coming to the earth to live and suffer and die and rise again for you, you have a way out of the punishment you deserve.

Romans 6:23b but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Don’t misunderstand this. God is not saying your sin doesn’t matter. It does. And you deserve to be punished. What He tells you is that Jesus took your punishment so that you would not have to pay the penalty yourself.