When we look at how God paid the
price so that our forgiveness is ensured, we must not get the wrong sense of
God along the way. We should not think of the payment only in economic terms
or we will wrongfully conclude that God delights in suffering as must be
satisfied by blood. Rather, we must recognize that God insisted that
Jesus pay the price because of the reality that our sin brought to the
world. Thomas Hopko says it this way:
He ‘paid the price’ not to God the Father in the sense
that God delights in His sufferings and received ‘satisfaction’ from His
creature in Him. He ‘paid the price’ rather, we might say, to Reality
Itself. He ‘paid the price‘ to create the conditions in and through which
man might receive the forgiveness of sins ad eternal life by dying and rising
again in Him to newness of life. (See Romans 5-8; Galatians 2-4)
Before Jesus paid the price the reality of sin and death was inescapable.
The reason for the cost is the reality not God’s heart. God is not an
angry God who needs to be satisfied by blood. Rather God is a Holy,
Loving God who wants to save mankind from our destructive choice. There
was no other way for the Reality of Sin to be rectified than through the blood
of Jesus Christ. The reality of His suffering says more about sin and how
horrible it is than it does about God. As usual, when we look to accuse
God, we end up taking the focus on the truth of our sin.
Now that Jesus has paid the price, He offers forgiveness so
that a whole new reality is possible. This new reality is even more
mystifying than the other. The new reality is that Jesus the Lamb of God
has taken away the sin of the world. There was only one way to do it and
Jesus did it. There is only one way to benefit from what Jesus did and
that is to have faith that though a sinner your can receive forgiveness in
Jesus Christ.
It is difficult not to take our forgiveness for granted. The season of Lent
that focuses on repentance and ultimately forgiveness through the cross brings
us to greater love and reverence for God our Father. The love He showed by asking His Son to die
on the cross so that He could send His Spirit to live in us and transform the
Reality of sin is overwhelming.
At first I am overwhelmed by the
enormity of my sin. Later I am delighted
by the massiveness of forgiveness. This
leads me to embrace the God who offers such forgiveness and love. I cannot begin to comprehend the problem of
sin. I can accept that God has provided
a remedy through the cross of Jesus Christ.
Paul described it this way in
Colossians 1:13-14: For
he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom
of the Son he loves, in whom we
have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
In truth the Reality of Forgiveness
is mind boggling! I can’t explain
it. I’ll never deserve it. I’ll always need it. I can’t breathe in heaven’s glory without
it. It’s a reality that is greater than all
the problems of my life.
Copyright ©2014.
Deborah R. Newman teatimeforyoursoul.com
All Rights Reserved.
Comments
Post a Comment