What The Holy Spirit Taught Me About Sin, Forgiveness and Ministry by Robert Socha

I was very angry with Jeffrey Epstein and the sin he embodies; still am. The thought of men preying on vulnerable girls to exploit them for their pleasure is a terrible thing to comprehend; for they are seducing girls much like my daughters!

Upon the revelation of Epstein’s arrest in New York City, I wanted to do something. I needed to act and rescue these unfortunate souls, bring them to a safe place, let them know some men will treat them well, and somehow, someway, help. In my research, I learned of many organizations already mobilized: Christine Caine’s A21; Ashton Kutcher’s Thorn; and so many more: (See: List of Organizations That Combat Human Trafficking; Wikipedia.org)

I was sharing this desire with a close friend, and he said to me, “Robert if you don’t have the same desire to see the men perpetrating the crimes set free as you do the victims, you need to walk away.”

What! Why would he make such a suggestion? My motivations are pure, my desire sincere, and the perpetrators, well, quite frankly, they deserve wrath and destruction. Maybe it was a warning for me so that I won’t fall into the same temptation. Perhaps it was a question that aims to awaken my soul and fill a desperate need and a call to action.

How could I possibly suggest repentance, salvation, reconciliation, and freedom to a man sexually disposed toward the innocent? I come from a family having a history of sexual misconduct where girls were preyed upon by untoward men, making it inconceivable to offer forgiveness.

I felt like Jonah must have felt when he fled before the Lord to Tarshish, after the call to go to Nineveh and preach repentance. If I were honest, I didn’t want to see the men committing these heinous acts against innocent girls offered the opportunity for redemption through repentance and turning toward Jesus. I’d rather them receive the just dues for their sin, the fire reserved for those wretched souls who refuse the redemptive power of the Cross of Christ. Yet here I am contemplating the same and wondering how grace could cover such egregious, violent sins.

For a couple of weeks, I wrestled with the thought of reaching out to men who have committed this crime and extending them the opportunity to be forgiven. One morning while reading the Word, I felt the Lord show me I had been culpable through my sin of ogling women’s bodies and the damnable habitual nature it entails. I had been guilty of immoral actions, lies, and deceit, and the consequence of those sins is the same. He said, “The gravity of the sin to our natural man is insignificant in light of the Cross, for ‘all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.(i)'”

It’s possible to offer repentance and grace because John the Baptist urged us to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,(ii)” and Jesus said, “my grace is sufficient; for my power is made perfect in weakness.(iii)” It’s possible because, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.(iv)” It’s possible because if one Repents and turns from his wicked ways, God hears from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal.(v) It’s possible because “mercy triumphs over judgment.(vi)” It’s possible because God “is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.(vii)” That life is found in Jesus, by faith in Him and confession of His name. Christ, Himself said, “So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I will deny before my Father who is in heaven.(viii)”

Just as the thief on the cross next to Christ, when he asked the Lord to remember him, was encouraged, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise,(ix)” while the other thief condemned himself to the pit where the fire is not quenched. True repentance comes from the Heart of a man and reconciles the man to the Lord. “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.(x)”

With this in mind, I wrote a letter to Mr. Epstein, in jail, with the hopes he would extend an invitation to me to visit with him there, where I longed to share the Gospel of God’s grace through repentant faith in Christ face-to-face. Unfortunately, I received the message back unopened because of his untimely death. I want to share it with you here:

8/5/2019

Mr. Jeffery Epstein – Register # 76318-054 MCC New York
150 Park Row
New York, NY 10007

Dear Mr. Jeffery Epstein,

Hi, my name is Robert (Rob) Socha (So-ha), and I am writing this letter to introduce myself to you. I don’t know you and have never met you, but hope that changes in the near future. The purpose of this letter is to ask you to send me the required paperwork to fill out so I can be on the approved visitors’ list that I might be able to come and visit and encourage you in your present situation. Please use the enclosed self-addressed, stamped envelope.

I am not a man who has attained the means and position that you’ve attained, but I suffered from a similar predilection where I would view and ogle women’s bodies while satisfying myself. And I can’t say that if I had your same power and money I wouldn’t have behaved in a similar manner which you have been accused.

What I can say is that after years of struggle and frustration with myself for giving in to the temptation of my flesh and the hedonistic pleasure derived from what I ogled, through a deep and sincere faith in Christ, I am no longer a slave to those impulses, I truly walk Free! The grace of God that has covered my sin, and is sufficient to cover yours, is available.

I don’t simply want you to read about this through my words here, but I want to offer it to you in person and suggest that you, too, consider looking unto Jesus, the Author, and Finisher of Faith, and choose to repent and follow Him.
Sincerely, Robert Socha

I am incredibly disappointed to have failed in my attempt to reach Mr. Epstein. Yet, I have come to understand magnificently the Truth where sin with its destructive nature to all who indulge therein, ultimately leads to death and a hellfire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. However, forgiveness comes through the precious Blood of Christ, no matter the sins’ severity, if a man will choose to repent and turn from his wicked ways. I should offer it, and if the one who committed the offense is genuinely Repentant, where natural consequences should rightfully follow here on Earth, forgiveness and salvation come. Such mercy includes ours, Nineveh’s, the thief’s on the cross, and yes, as heinous a man as Mr. Epstein.

i Romans 3:23 ESV
ii Matthew 3:2 ESV
iii 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV
iv 1 John 3:8 ESV
v 2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV reference vi James 2:13 ESV
vii 2 Peter 3:9 ESV
viii Matthew 10:32-33 ESV
ix Luke 23:43 ESV
x Romans 10:10 ESV