Cherilyn Chang

To Condemn or To Forgive? Lance Armstrong once said, “There’s no rule, no law, no regulation that says you can’t come back. So I have every right to come back.”1 At the young age of 16, Lance Armstrong was invited by the U.S. Olympic to be trained as a professional road cyclist. Soon after, Armstrong competed in several triathlons, eventually leading up to the Tour de France competition in which he won seven consecutive titles. His career was shockingly interrupted in October 1996 when Armstrong diagnosed with testicular cancer. Although he was given a 50 percent chance to live, Armstrong was determined to fight cancer until death. His determination paid off when he was pronounced cancer-free in February 19972. After his battle with cancer, Armstrong used the finances he had from his past races to create a non-profit organization known as the Livestrong Foundation. With his organization, Armstrong worked with other cancer organizations to bring comfort, hope, and a better quality of life for cancer patients3. It was to the dismay of many inspired cancer patients when they found out in June 2012 that Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs in order to gain his victory in the Tour de France triathlon. Armstrong fought against the charges for as long as he could until he finally broke and confessed what the USADA had claimed to be the truth. Armstrong had cheated. Within less than a year, the USADA pronounced Armstrong guilty of fraud and stripped him of the seven titles that he had won through his performance-enhancing drugs4. Upon hearing the news of Armstrong’s doping, there are some who swing to the end of the reaction spectrum as those who continued to revere and respect Armstrong because of what he had done for cancer. Rick Reilley in his ESPN article, “Lance still worth revering,” argued                                                                                                                 1  Lance  Armstrong,  Brainy  Quote     2  “Lance  Armstrong,”  The  Biography  Channel  Website     3  “Programs  and  Partnerships”,  Livestrong  Foundation     4  Lance  Armstrong,  Brainy  Quote   that cheating is a common occurrence in the world of sports, and it is more important to focus on the fact that Armstrong was and still is an inspiration to many who battle cancer5. Echoing a similar sentiment, LZ Granderson wrote in his article, “Did Lance Armstrong cheat?” that he has processed Armstrong’s guilt and forgiven him for lying.6 Yet, there are others who swing to the opposite end and completely lose all respect for him, calling him a hypocrite and a liar. An example of such a person is Bill Gifford, a journalist from the Outside Magazine. He questioned in his article entitled, “It’s Not About the Lab Rats,” whether Lance contributed anything substantial to the world, since his organization did nothing to find a cure for cancer7. Although some swing to one end or the other in the reaction spectrum, it could be argued that there is a middle ground that can be formed from Old Testament examples. This middle ground acknowledges the fact that Armstrong committed a grave sin when he decided to cheat during his Tour de France competitions, yet recognizes that because God has forgiven us, we too should choose to forgive and respect him because he has chosen to confess his sin. In Leviticus 19:11, the LORD explicitly commands the Israelites not to steal, lie or deceive one another. Honesty was one of the top Ten Commandments that the LORD gave to the Israelites on Mount Sinai (Ex. 20). There were grave penalties for those who did not abide by the LORD’s laws. In Psalm 5:6, David writes of the LORD as one who destroys those who tell lies. The abundance of laws given to the Israelites in the Old Testament gives God the image of solely being one who judges, condemns, and punishes. Yet, those who have read through Scripture in its context and entirety eventually come to realize that God is not merely one who punishes the wicked, but He is also one who forgives                                                                                                                 5  Rick  Reilley,  “Lance  Still  Worth  Revering”  (ESPN  Internet  Ventures,  2012).     6  LZ  Granderson,  “Did  Lance  Armstrong  Cheat?  I  don’t  care”  (ESPN,  2011).   7  Bill  Gifford,  “It’s  Not  About  the  Lab  Rats”  (Outside  Magazine,  2012).     those who repent and return to Him. Moses describes the LORD as slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion; yet, He does not leave the guilty unpunished (Num. 14:18). Here, the LORD sets the ultimately perfect example of what our attitude should be towards Armstrong’s doping case. Since Armstrong was proven guilty as charged for doping, he should be punished. According to the USADA rules and penalties, Armstrong was forced to retire from professional competitions for an income and all of his Tour de France titles were reclaimed by the USADA. In accordance with Scripture, this is Armstrong’s punishment for his sin. However, the verse also states that the LORD forgives sin and rebellion. During the time of the Old Testament, forgiveness and reconciliation came about through animal sacrifices that were prepared and offered to the LORD by priests (Lev. 4:20, 7:7, Num. 15:28). However, because in the 21st century we live under the New Covenant, we have a great High Priest who empathizes with our weaknesses and intercedes with the Lord for us (Heb. 4:15). Therefore, believers have the blessing and privilege of approaching God’s throne of grace with confidence, knowing that by Christ’s blood that was shed on the cross, we can be forgiven (Jn. 3:16, Heb. 4:16). Likewise with regards to Armstrong’s case, the final emotional reaction to Armstrong should be that of forgiveness by the grace of God that was first shown unconditionally to us. From the commandments and laws that God gave to the Israelites in the Old Testament, it can be concluded that although sin is abhorred, grace is abounding. The LORD is not only a God of justice and judgment, but also a God of grace and mercy. As children made in the image of God, we should live our lives in such a way that reflects the character of God (Eph. 5:1). From the example that the LORD has set for us throughout the Old Testament, Armstrong should be punished for his sin of cheating as well as forgiven. As I thought about Armstrong’s case, it was hard for me to make a decision about how I personally felt about him. My decision to forgive would have been easier if Armstrong had repented. However, when I watched Oprah’s interview with him in January 2013, I noticed that there was no tone of repentance or sorrow in his sin. He did not “feel bad” for cheating. He did not even consider it cheating. Knowing this, I struggled even more to forgive Armstrong. However as I thought about it longer, I realized that the LORD chose to forgive us before any one willingly repented. Thus, I realized that if I were to imitate the character of God, I should choose to forgive Armstrong, not on the basis of his repentance, but on the basis of the unconditional grace that God showed me in my sin. The application of the lessons learned from Armstrong’s doping case changes the way I view sin and forgiveness in my own life. Cheating is a sin, and it is abhorred by God and by the Christian community. I found myself in the trap of being the judging Christian, and the root of this was my religious pride. I thought that it was only right for me to forgive someone if he or she repents. After studying Armstrong’s doping case and reading stories of forgiveness in the presence of justice, I have learned that forgiving as God forgives means forgiving them even if they do not repent. This is the grace that God showed to me, and I ought to show to others. God’s amazing love and unconditional grace completely overturns the way I view sin and forgiveness. As hard as it is to say and even harder to do, I choose to forgive, whether it be cheating, lying, lusting, stealing, or any other sin present in this wicked world. I choose to forgive because God first forgave me by giving up His Son for me, even before I repented. Works Cited Armstrong, Lance. "BrainyQuote." BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. . Armstrong, Lance. "Lance Armstrong Talks to Oprah." Interview by Oprah Winfrey. Oprah Winfrey Network. N.p., Jan. 2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. . Gifford, Bill. "Lance Armstrong and Livestrong | Lance Armstrong | OutsideOnline.com." Outside Online. Outside Magazine, 05 Jan. 2012. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . Granderson, L. Z. "Did Lance Armstrong Cheat? I Don't care." ESPN.com. ESPN, 19 Feb. 2011. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . "Lance Armstrong." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Apr 06 2013, . "Programs & Partnerships | Our Actions | What We Do | LIVESTRONG.org." Programs & Partnerships | Our Actions | What We Do | LIVESTRONG.org. Livestrong Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2013. . Reilley, Rick. "Lance Still Worth revering." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, 04 Sept. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. .