By David ReayFriday 8 Oct 2021LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 2 minutes
God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. (THE MESSAGE)
Listening to some old fashioned preachers, and even some today, we might think that God’s primary concern was to tell us how rotten we all are. And how by the skin of our teeth we might be saved by a stern faced Jesus who grudgingly takes us by the scruff of the neck and demands that we now be good.
Which is not what the Bible teaches. God sent Jesus not to condemn but to save. He did so not as a grim faced deity doing some necessary but distasteful thing. He did so out of sheer love for us and his desire to have mercy on we who deserve none.
This is not to reduce our faith to nice sentimentality. Sin matters, it must be judged and dealt with. Jesus did so on the cross, absorbing all that evil and sin could throw at him so we wouldn’t have to bear the consequences ourselves. But all this was done in the name of love and mercy. The bad news is that sin and death are realities. The good news is that Jesus has won victory over them, which is the primary reality.
To be sure, Jesus comes to judge or deliver the verdict on all that is wrong. He did so on the cross. But if we are to benefit from it, we need to embrace both our need of his help and trust that his promise of mercy is sure. Otherwise, when Jesus comes again, our own refusal to turn to him will be judged and condemned. There is an offer on the table which we are invited and encouraged to accept.
Acceptance of the offer assures us there is no pointing of an accusing finger at us, but rather a warm embrace. The only one who has the right to judge me instead advocates for me. My judge has become my Saviour.
Blessings,
David
God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. (THE MESSAGE)
Listening to some old fashioned preachers, and even some today, we might think that God’s primary concern was to tell us how rotten we all are. And how by the skin of our teeth we might be saved by a stern faced Jesus who grudgingly takes us by the scruff of the neck and demands that we now be good.
Which is not what the Bible teaches. God sent Jesus not to condemn but to save. He did so not as a grim faced deity doing some necessary but distasteful thing. He did so out of sheer love for us and his desire to have mercy on we who deserve none.
This is not to reduce our faith to nice sentimentality. Sin matters, it must be judged and dealt with. Jesus did so on the cross, absorbing all that evil and sin could throw at him so we wouldn’t have to bear the consequences ourselves. But all this was done in the name of love and mercy. The bad news is that sin and death are realities. The good news is that Jesus has won victory over them, which is the primary reality.
To be sure, Jesus comes to judge or deliver the verdict on all that is wrong. He did so on the cross. But if we are to benefit from it, we need to embrace both our need of his help and trust that his promise of mercy is sure. Otherwise, when Jesus comes again, our own refusal to turn to him will be judged and condemned. There is an offer on the table which we are invited and encouraged to accept.
Acceptance of the offer assures us there is no pointing of an accusing finger at us, but rather a warm embrace. The only one who has the right to judge me instead advocates for me. My judge has become my Saviour.
Blessings,
David