Christian Lawyers Called to Live God's Message of Forgiveness
Live God's message of forgiveness. This was the call given to nearly 100 Christian members of the legal fraternity gathered Friday evening at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Singapore for the Annual Dedication Service of the Lawyers' Christian Fellowship (LCF).
Christian lawyers differ from other lawyers only in that they know about the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, Andrew Neil Purchase emphasized in his address.
They should not make the mistake of thinking that their contribution is merely that of good character.
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Good character traits, like honesty, are expected of every lawyer, particularly those in Singapore. And if Christian lawyers merely aspire to good character in their profession they are doing nothing more than what is already expected of them, Purchase, 34, reasoned.
Right conduct is the minimum and starting point for the Christian lawyer. It is not the maximum contribution or the end point.
And if Christian lawyers are distinguished by their knowledge of God's forgiveness, they need to dedicate themselves to God and His message. Purchase reminded them that God has forgiven them of their sins, adopted them as children, and loves and cares for them. Additionally, they are destined for heaven.
Those who fail to forgive others have no right to preach the Gospel, he said. This is because God's message is essentially about God forgiving and accepting sinners. Those who fail to forgive others are at odds with their own message.
Christian lawyers should be "experts" in forgiveness, Purchase highlighted. They should be the best possible "practitioners" on earth of mercy, grace and forgiveness.
Christian lawyers are agents of the message of forgiveness well before they are lawyers, he pointed out.
They may be called as lawyers, but they are first called by a King to serve His message of forgiveness. And they may be called to the bar, but they are called by a Savior first.
God is in the "business" of forgiving even the worst of sinners, Purchase went on, and He has been on a sacred quest since the fall of mankind to bring total and absolute forgiveness to human beings. Joining God on His quest to bring His forgiveness to a needy world is "the Christian lawyer's finest hour," he said.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Purchase described the law firm as a "very pressurized environment where there's a lot at stake" and a lot of money involved. And "the opportunity to be ungracious exists," he added.
"It's very tempting to operate on the kind of principles of unforgiveness or bitterness."
So on a daily basis this year, Purchase has had to train himself "to be loving, … gracious, [and] cheerful."
What are some of the ways in which Christian lawyers can practice forgiveness in their workplaces?
Purchase said, "First of all, they need to forgive themselves and understand that God has forgiven them. And then they need to forgive as they have been forgiven.
"There are opportunities every moment because people make mistakes, people get cross with you, things don't go your way, there are so many chances where you can feel aggrieved or offended or angry. And in all those moments you've got to forgive people just as Jesus has forgiven us."
The LCF annual dedication service this year saw double the crowd it did last, according to LCF Chairman Gregory Vijayendran.
"God is touching the hearts of those in the fraternity to come and consecrate your vocation as a first fruit of time to the Lord," Vijayendran said.
"There is something about coming to the courts of the Lord and saying, 'Lord I honor You first, I seek You first' and laying on the altar your work and all that encompasses from your practice to your plans to the actual projects you're doing and saying, 'I offer this to You, Lord' and not just your work but yourself."
"It was a great joy that so many saw the significance of just doing that."
The purpose of the LCF service was twofold: to consecrate Christian lawyers' workplaces and their work and to have participants offer their lives as a living sacrifice to God, Vijayendran explained.
Attendees at the LCF service represented a wide spectrum of specialties in the legal profession, including senior and junior practitioners, litigators, and corporate lawyers, as well as justices' law clerks and district judges.
LCF was formed to encourage Christian lawyers to study the Word of God, have fellowship with one another, grow in their personal spiritual lives and relate the practice of their faith to the practice of their profession. The fellowship was also established to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others, especially those in the legal profession, and to serve the church and community at large.
LCF gathers 150 to 200 lawyers.
