Skip to main content

Love, Mercy, Life, and Grace


           But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

          The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9)

          Having spent yesterday talking about the fact that there are two trinities, and two groups, today’s passage may sound unfair. God has great love for us, shows us mercy, gives us grace, but they get nothing. Except, that’s not true. They are granted physical existence, and the common grace involved in their not watching their Christian neighbors get needed rain, sunshine, oxygen, food, wealth, wisdom, knowledge, health, etc. In fact, sometimes it seems as if those who have rejected God get more common grace than those who accept Him, meaning that God gives those who reject Him as much love, mercy, life, and grace as they 1) need in order to exist apart from him, and 2) are willing to accept, within the parameters of their rejection. He treats them like visiting children, which means that, yes, sometimes, He disciplines them, but the punishment is sending them back to their trinity of parents: the Devil, the flesh, and the world.
          We also need to keep the second passage in mind. It isn’t God’s goal for anyone to end up in Hell. He’d rather everyone be saved. He’s willing to pay for that with the life of His Son (who volunteered for the job), but it’s not that He won’t give up His Godhood. God isn’t being mean, He’s being real. He can’t make someone else God any more than you or I can - not a real God, anyway. 
          God’s love for us is not that kind of love. It is like the love of a parent. That often means less of something things, more of others. We get more love, more mercy, life, and grace than they do because we get the kind that comes with God, the kind that lasts forever, and sometimes, when we look at what the guests get, it doesn’t seem as good… but it’s better because it’s a parent’s love, not a neighbor’s, and we get it forever.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more