Genesis 44
An elaborate test. Are the brother's sorry for their betrayal? Joseph has to see their hearts. Ligon Duncan says of the close of the chapter:
"It is interesting, isn’t it, here, the guilty [Judah] offers himself as a substitute for the innocent [Benjamin]. But there would be another lion of the tribe of Judah who was innocent, but who would offer himself as a substitute for his guilty brothers. And that substitute would be accepted and He would live and die in their place that they might experience His glory."
Mark 14
The beautiful mystery of communion. The ugliness of betrayal. The shame of denial. How dark that night must have felt. I can't imagine the confusion.
Job 10
Job walks a tightrope. On the one hand, he maintains God's position over all of creation:
"Remember that you have made me like clay;
and will you return me to the dust?" (v 9)
On the other hand he seems to assert that God is not acting "fairly".
"And were my head lifted up, you would hunt me like a lion
and again work wonders against me." (v 16)
This whole conversation between Job and his "friends" continues with both sides not ultimately getting it.
Romans 14
God is ultimately about reunifying his people. We ought to be working tirelessly for unity in the body, and yet we continue to create labels to describe how different "they" are from "us" (and ultimately, we must be right).
Monday, February 11, 2008
Saturday, February 9, 2008
When is a penny not a penny?
Genesis 42
Here is the faithfulness of God. Man's evil is just as subjected to God's sovereignty as are man's good deeds. There is nothing that is somehow beyond Him. Take heart and be encouraged.
Mark 12
This chapter is another rapid-fire series of quick exchanges. The parable of the vineyard is certainly an indictment of Israel. We can't simply leave it there, though, can we? We have the words of the very same servants and we have the life of the Son. What do we do with them?
The chapter ends with yet another hard lesson. It (money, stuff, relationship, everything) really does belong to God. Oh how we hate that. Surely my wise decisions and hard work have made the difference. Then again - not so much.
Job 8
It seems that Bildad has joined the local Orthodox Ass Fellowship and sits next to Eliphaz. It seems that they were looking for a televangelist gig as well.
"If you will seek God
and plead with the Almighty for mercy,
6 if you are pure and upright,
surely then he will rouse himself for you
and restore your rightful habitation.
7 And though your beginning was small,
your latter days will be very great."
Says who? They've turned back to our old friend "religion".
Romans 12
I don't know exactly what it is about this chapter. It's a tug of war within. Picture the old Frosted Mini Wheats commercials. The moralist in me loves the talk of 'sober judgment' and patient suffering, but then I read 'Let love be genuine' and I'm slapped back into the reality of my complete inability to live this life apart from Christ.
Here is the faithfulness of God. Man's evil is just as subjected to God's sovereignty as are man's good deeds. There is nothing that is somehow beyond Him. Take heart and be encouraged.
Mark 12
This chapter is another rapid-fire series of quick exchanges. The parable of the vineyard is certainly an indictment of Israel. We can't simply leave it there, though, can we? We have the words of the very same servants and we have the life of the Son. What do we do with them?
The chapter ends with yet another hard lesson. It (money, stuff, relationship, everything) really does belong to God. Oh how we hate that. Surely my wise decisions and hard work have made the difference. Then again - not so much.
Job 8
It seems that Bildad has joined the local Orthodox Ass Fellowship and sits next to Eliphaz. It seems that they were looking for a televangelist gig as well.
"If you will seek God
and plead with the Almighty for mercy,
6 if you are pure and upright,
surely then he will rouse himself for you
and restore your rightful habitation.
7 And though your beginning was small,
your latter days will be very great."
Says who? They've turned back to our old friend "religion".
Romans 12
I don't know exactly what it is about this chapter. It's a tug of war within. Picture the old Frosted Mini Wheats commercials. The moralist in me loves the talk of 'sober judgment' and patient suffering, but then I read 'Let love be genuine' and I'm slapped back into the reality of my complete inability to live this life apart from Christ.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Don't Listen, Just Talk
I know, I know..it's not my day...but did you hear what Eliphaz was saying to Job? Eliphaz (from now on simply E) presumes upon Job's sensibilities..invades his safe place.. because Job needs to be set straight. Starting in Job 4, E begins to explain to Job how he needs to "buck up and accept the inevitable." You are a good man, but no one is completely innocent...accept this pain as simply the inevitable result of being just another sinner! Essentially, E is saying, "Job, you are suffering because you have sinned." He backs this up..4:8-you reap what you sow; 4:17-is any man more righteous than God? 5:6,7-trouble doesn't just happen, it is the result of man's sinful actions! "Job, what you need to do is take responsiblity for the fact that you are a sinner, God is righteous and His judgement on you is justified. In fact, you deserve what you are getting and the proper response should be to be grateful that God cares enough to discipline you, because, as Hebrews teaches us: God disciplines those whom He loves!" It goes on..."Quit complaining..5:1..call out! Who's going to pay attention to you? 5:8-Quit complaining and start praying!!! Job you need to repent, realize that this is for your good, to get you to love God more, to get you to turn loose of those idols in your heart, to get you to be more righteous. Your suffering is God's discipline and when you see that you will really be blessed!" Wow. You know what? On the surface, this is all true! We do suffer because we live in a fallen world. Man does sin and God will not allow sin to go unnoticed. He does discipline those whom He loves. The votes are in: E is orthodox! But E is an orthdox ass.
In Job 3, Job wishes that he had never been born. How would you respond to that? E decides to rebuke Job. Job's honest, soul-bearing rants don't fit E's theological grid. E is more interested in correcting than empathizing. He's defending God's integrity! How dare Job be so honest and up front and..and..sinful!?! E is sorely lacking in compassion and wisdom.
We all tend to forget that discipline is not the only purpose for suffering. Remember John 9..the story of the man born blind. The disciples asked Jesus who had sinned and brought this on the man. Jesus points out that no one's sin was the cause of this. Now, to be sure, fallenness is the source of blindness, but the blindness was not retribution for sin...it was not the consequence of this man's parents' or his own waywardness! This man was blind so that God's works could be put on display in the present and future and people would be able to see those works and praise His holy name! He was blind to be a blessing to future generations who would be given eyes to see and ears to hear!!!!
We must remember that God is always telling a story much bigger than our own. Paul tells us in 2 Cor 4 that death may be working in us, so that life may be produced in someone else!
What about Joseph? In Genesis 39 he is being completely upright. In v. 9 he is determined to please God. He refuses the advances of Potiphar's wife, not because he is fearful of the consequences or because he doesn't want to be a nasty fornicator. He refuses saying, "How could I do such a wicked thing and SIN AGAINST GOD!" Now tell me...wouldn't that make God's heart soar!? Here's one of His creatures saying, "I don't want to sin because it would offend God." I would have written the story differently...by defending Joseph's AND God's integrity! Potiphar's wife's nose would have fallen off. She would have been afflicted with hiccups and farted non-stop for the next 40 years. Potiphar wouldn't have laid a hand on her! Instead, God let's her get away with a grand deception and Joseph goes to prison! But in verses 2, 3, 21 and 23 there is a beautiful set of parentheses..."the Lord was with him." Huh? What does that mean? It means that God was not abandoning Joseph (or Job..or anyone else) but was writing a grand story that puts His majestic glory on display! God had a plan...Joseph would tap into that later..."What man intends for evil, God intends for good."
Job and Joseph experienced great pain, pain that boggles our imaginations. In the course of this pain they were losing dreams and hopes and aspirations. This exposed their hearts. We hear of both of them ranting and raving, weeping and wailing. They questioned God, argued with God, disagreed with Him. And through it all, God listened. He didn't get His feelings hurt. He didn't turn His back. "The Lord was with him....." And you and I get a reminder that God's hand of providence, though not always pleasant, is always merciful and good and purposeful. He is always writing a bigger story than ours and we are getting to be a part of "telling it to the generations to come."
In Job 3, Job wishes that he had never been born. How would you respond to that? E decides to rebuke Job. Job's honest, soul-bearing rants don't fit E's theological grid. E is more interested in correcting than empathizing. He's defending God's integrity! How dare Job be so honest and up front and..and..sinful!?! E is sorely lacking in compassion and wisdom.
We all tend to forget that discipline is not the only purpose for suffering. Remember John 9..the story of the man born blind. The disciples asked Jesus who had sinned and brought this on the man. Jesus points out that no one's sin was the cause of this. Now, to be sure, fallenness is the source of blindness, but the blindness was not retribution for sin...it was not the consequence of this man's parents' or his own waywardness! This man was blind so that God's works could be put on display in the present and future and people would be able to see those works and praise His holy name! He was blind to be a blessing to future generations who would be given eyes to see and ears to hear!!!!
We must remember that God is always telling a story much bigger than our own. Paul tells us in 2 Cor 4 that death may be working in us, so that life may be produced in someone else!
What about Joseph? In Genesis 39 he is being completely upright. In v. 9 he is determined to please God. He refuses the advances of Potiphar's wife, not because he is fearful of the consequences or because he doesn't want to be a nasty fornicator. He refuses saying, "How could I do such a wicked thing and SIN AGAINST GOD!" Now tell me...wouldn't that make God's heart soar!? Here's one of His creatures saying, "I don't want to sin because it would offend God." I would have written the story differently...by defending Joseph's AND God's integrity! Potiphar's wife's nose would have fallen off. She would have been afflicted with hiccups and farted non-stop for the next 40 years. Potiphar wouldn't have laid a hand on her! Instead, God let's her get away with a grand deception and Joseph goes to prison! But in verses 2, 3, 21 and 23 there is a beautiful set of parentheses..."the Lord was with him." Huh? What does that mean? It means that God was not abandoning Joseph (or Job..or anyone else) but was writing a grand story that puts His majestic glory on display! God had a plan...Joseph would tap into that later..."What man intends for evil, God intends for good."
Job and Joseph experienced great pain, pain that boggles our imaginations. In the course of this pain they were losing dreams and hopes and aspirations. This exposed their hearts. We hear of both of them ranting and raving, weeping and wailing. They questioned God, argued with God, disagreed with Him. And through it all, God listened. He didn't get His feelings hurt. He didn't turn His back. "The Lord was with him....." And you and I get a reminder that God's hand of providence, though not always pleasant, is always merciful and good and purposeful. He is always writing a bigger story than ours and we are getting to be a part of "telling it to the generations to come."
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Whoa....
I am overwhelmed by today...it is so crammed full of good stuff.
Genesis 38 is a most bizarre and sordid story. One of those where I found myself scratching my head and thinking, huh...really?...did I need to know about that? But Judah and Tamar's story, as messy as it may be (messy=hope for me), is another piece in fulfilling the covenant and a step closer to Christ and redemption. God is relentless to keep his word and his covenant...and we are a part of that covenant. Security, much?
Romans 8 - can I just put the whole thing here? AMAZING chapter.
15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our Father...Our Father...lemme say that one more time...Abba...Daddy. Think about and dwell on what that means! We, wretched and dirty sinners enslaved to our flesh, have been adopted and grafted in as full heirs and children. And we can NEVER be separated from that. I can't even begin to wrap my arms around it...Abba, help lead us toward understanding of that! We are yours!
Mark 8
34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life[c] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
I must give props to ChitChat for drilling v.34 into our heads. Lose your life...die to self...suffer. Not pretty and comfortable...but to follow Abba and truly live...does that not make your soul groan?
Genesis 38 is a most bizarre and sordid story. One of those where I found myself scratching my head and thinking, huh...really?...did I need to know about that? But Judah and Tamar's story, as messy as it may be (messy=hope for me), is another piece in fulfilling the covenant and a step closer to Christ and redemption. God is relentless to keep his word and his covenant...and we are a part of that covenant. Security, much?
Romans 8 - can I just put the whole thing here? AMAZING chapter.
15For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our Father...Our Father...lemme say that one more time...Abba...Daddy. Think about and dwell on what that means! We, wretched and dirty sinners enslaved to our flesh, have been adopted and grafted in as full heirs and children. And we can NEVER be separated from that. I can't even begin to wrap my arms around it...Abba, help lead us toward understanding of that! We are yours!
Mark 8
34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life[c] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
I must give props to ChitChat for drilling v.34 into our heads. Lose your life...die to self...suffer. Not pretty and comfortable...but to follow Abba and truly live...does that not make your soul groan?
Monday, February 4, 2008
Putting the fun back in dysfunctional
Genesis 37
So, we've got a dad who plays favorites, a son who loves to tattle and is quick to bring up dreams demonstrating his superiority, and the other sons who despise the one son because of the father's obvious bias.
Recently, Frodo Jr (hehe) brought this passage home as a perfect example of the maxim: We are all both victims of and perpetrators of sin. As long as there have been families, there have been dysfunctional families (ahem, Cain and Abel). It is important to identify areas of victimization, not to bemoan them or use them as crutches, but to trace them into our own hearts and lives. Sins we commit today likely have roots in earlier life. Without careful consideration, prayer, and mortification, they will inevitably become the sins of the next generation as well.
Mark 7
The first half of the chapter deals with the basic question: Am I clean or dirty? The pharisees had concluded that they were basically clean so long as they kept the dirty world far enough away. Jesus is fairly direct in his rebuttal: "There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him." What a startling statement that must have been. You are not clean so long as you avoid dirty things - you are dirty until you are cleansed by something outside yourself. This is one of those conversations where I wonder how much the cross was on the mind of Jesus. He knew the hearts of those men and he knew ours. He knew the cost of cleansing us even as he said the words.
Job 3
Job finishes the first chapter (losing most of his family and possessions) with worship. He finishes the second chapter (losing his health) with silence. Now we see the first chink in the armor (losing his sense of purpose). No longer does he celebrate the creative and destructive power of God as he did in chapter 1. The hedge that God put around him was a blessing in chapter 1, now it is seen as God's way of blocking Job's path.
It is hard for any of us to judge Job harshly for his downward spiral. May God mercifully spare us from even a taste of his hardship. However, we can even now see how much bigger God's purposes are than we can imagine. It is not so much (in my opinion) that we are to be wary of complaints because Job's circumstances are so much words (that is certainly true). The question on my mind is: what does this say about purpose? Job's purpose did not change from chapter 1 to chapter 3 - only his circumstances.
Romans 7
"The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me." (v 10)
Sin perverts law until we die. John Owen warns us that if we are not daily engaged in the work of killing sin, it will kill us. Sin does not overtly contradict the law by saying something like "murder is good." No. Sin takes the law which we acknowledge is "holy and righteous and good" (v 12) and twists it into a weapon with which to kill us.
You can feel the frustration of Paul who sees his body held captive to a force his mind knows is evil.
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (v 24-25a)
So, we've got a dad who plays favorites, a son who loves to tattle and is quick to bring up dreams demonstrating his superiority, and the other sons who despise the one son because of the father's obvious bias.
Recently, Frodo Jr (hehe) brought this passage home as a perfect example of the maxim: We are all both victims of and perpetrators of sin. As long as there have been families, there have been dysfunctional families (ahem, Cain and Abel). It is important to identify areas of victimization, not to bemoan them or use them as crutches, but to trace them into our own hearts and lives. Sins we commit today likely have roots in earlier life. Without careful consideration, prayer, and mortification, they will inevitably become the sins of the next generation as well.
Mark 7
The first half of the chapter deals with the basic question: Am I clean or dirty? The pharisees had concluded that they were basically clean so long as they kept the dirty world far enough away. Jesus is fairly direct in his rebuttal: "There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him." What a startling statement that must have been. You are not clean so long as you avoid dirty things - you are dirty until you are cleansed by something outside yourself. This is one of those conversations where I wonder how much the cross was on the mind of Jesus. He knew the hearts of those men and he knew ours. He knew the cost of cleansing us even as he said the words.
Job 3
Job finishes the first chapter (losing most of his family and possessions) with worship. He finishes the second chapter (losing his health) with silence. Now we see the first chink in the armor (losing his sense of purpose). No longer does he celebrate the creative and destructive power of God as he did in chapter 1. The hedge that God put around him was a blessing in chapter 1, now it is seen as God's way of blocking Job's path.
It is hard for any of us to judge Job harshly for his downward spiral. May God mercifully spare us from even a taste of his hardship. However, we can even now see how much bigger God's purposes are than we can imagine. It is not so much (in my opinion) that we are to be wary of complaints because Job's circumstances are so much words (that is certainly true). The question on my mind is: what does this say about purpose? Job's purpose did not change from chapter 1 to chapter 3 - only his circumstances.
Romans 7
"The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me." (v 10)
Sin perverts law until we die. John Owen warns us that if we are not daily engaged in the work of killing sin, it will kill us. Sin does not overtly contradict the law by saying something like "murder is good." No. Sin takes the law which we acknowledge is "holy and righteous and good" (v 12) and twists it into a weapon with which to kill us.
You can feel the frustration of Paul who sees his body held captive to a force his mind knows is evil.
"Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (v 24-25a)
Saturday, February 2, 2008
A Prophet Without Honor and Job's Three Friends
Mark 6
1Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph,[a] Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
4Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
This passage breaks my heart. My first reaction is defensiveness for my Saviour. My next reaction is condemnation for his hometown. My third reaction is questioning myself if I would react the same. My fourth reaction is understanding that I would..."And He was amazed at their lack of faith." I have always said it would be so different, "it" being my faith in Christ, if He was walking in my midst, talking in my church, eating at my table. BUT, you know, He is, and I am not... but I am getting there.
47When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 51Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
This passage is another one of those 2X4's that I seem to be coming across here lately... my head is really starting to hurt. Once again, a simplistic story that is a reflection into my life. The first time I read this when I became a Christian, I didn't quite understand why Jesus waited for so long before going out and helping. He waited, and waited, and waited through four watches. He finally went out, not to the boat, but walking almost right pass them. The disciples had to scream out for Him to respond.
But I think I understand it now. He was waiting for them to call out to Him, always so watchful never leaving. But they didn't. So, He made Himself more visable and accessible, and they responded in a scream. However, our patient God didn't criticize them for taking so long or screaming at Him, He responded immediately with words of encouragement, and calmed the turmoil occuring around them.
So my "aha" for today: He is waiting for me to call out to Him, and frankly, I wait until I have exhausted all of my own abilities. Prayfully, as I continue to grow in my faith in Him, I will "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)... and I won't wait until I am screaming.
Job
11 When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Friends like these, it would be such a different world! Reread verse 13 and let that sink in.
1Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph,[a] Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
4Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
This passage breaks my heart. My first reaction is defensiveness for my Saviour. My next reaction is condemnation for his hometown. My third reaction is questioning myself if I would react the same. My fourth reaction is understanding that I would..."And He was amazed at their lack of faith." I have always said it would be so different, "it" being my faith in Christ, if He was walking in my midst, talking in my church, eating at my table. BUT, you know, He is, and I am not... but I am getting there.
47When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 51Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
This passage is another one of those 2X4's that I seem to be coming across here lately... my head is really starting to hurt. Once again, a simplistic story that is a reflection into my life. The first time I read this when I became a Christian, I didn't quite understand why Jesus waited for so long before going out and helping. He waited, and waited, and waited through four watches. He finally went out, not to the boat, but walking almost right pass them. The disciples had to scream out for Him to respond.
But I think I understand it now. He was waiting for them to call out to Him, always so watchful never leaving. But they didn't. So, He made Himself more visable and accessible, and they responded in a scream. However, our patient God didn't criticize them for taking so long or screaming at Him, He responded immediately with words of encouragement, and calmed the turmoil occuring around them.
So my "aha" for today: He is waiting for me to call out to Him, and frankly, I wait until I have exhausted all of my own abilities. Prayfully, as I continue to grow in my faith in Him, I will "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6)... and I won't wait until I am screaming.
Job
11 When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. 13 Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Friends like these, it would be such a different world! Reread verse 13 and let that sink in.
Wait till the midnight hour
Romans 3:
For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
This passage has captured me all over again. The fact that God is just and my justifier blows me away and has been on my mind for the past day. What perfection...what mercy...what a plan that undeserving doesn't even begin to describe. My soul bows low.
For there is no distinction: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
This passage has captured me all over again. The fact that God is just and my justifier blows me away and has been on my mind for the past day. What perfection...what mercy...what a plan that undeserving doesn't even begin to describe. My soul bows low.
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