"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace" Ephesians 1:7
Whether in television, movies or the news, we have all seen guilty criminals standing before a judge receiving a just sentence commensurate with their crimes. We have seen people condemned to prison for years, for life and even the death penalty. I can imagine that there are some who, depending on the crime, look upon them with contempt and think, "They got what they deserve."
Now put yourself in the place of that criminal who stands in front of a judge to receive sentencing. Now imagine that judge to be God. And know in your heart that you are guilty as and of sin. The ultimate sentence awaits you as you stand with fear and trembling.
Now imagine Jesus standing beside you as your attorney while Satan, representing your victims, those who witnessed your sins and his own interests, continues to pile on charge after charge. Imagine Jesus requesting a sidebar with God. You overhear him say, "I've already served his/her sentence and you have agreed to free all who accepted my sacrificial serving. He/She has." Then imagine God pounding a mighty gavel of fire, uttering the words, "Case dismissed." Lastly, imagine Satan infuriated as he calls in the next accused.
Beloved, a court case comparison is neither new or unique, but it makes the point well. A verdict of "case dismissed" is the essence and effect of grace and mercy. The Scriptures tell us, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast" Ephesians 2:8-9. And mercy is most certainly the withholding of due punishment and consequence. We all deserve the death penalty. But through Christ, we are made free.
We all want justice, particularly if we are victims. But let us always remember that when we sin, however insignificant or confined it may be, we victimize someone else. And in those situations we all would much rather have grace and mercy than justice.
One,
Lee
Showing posts with label Mercy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mercy. Show all posts
Friday, April 4, 2014
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Don't Judge Me 6/6/2013
"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John 7:24
It is kind of a running joke in my family that when someone makes a goofy mistake, there comes a loud and defensive, albeit joking, "Don't judge me!" by the perpetrator. The reply, invented by the youngest of the kids is, "It's too late. You've already been judged."
In Christianity, we advocate the avoidance of judging others and cite scriptures like Matt 7:1-2 but then we do it anyway. Jesus addressed this contradiction by referencing the fact that there were those who wanted to kill him for miraculously healing someone on the Sabbath, a day on which no work was to be done. He pointed out that they circumcised babies on the Sabbath when the 8th day after birth fell on that day in order to keep the law but they wanted to destroy him for obeying God's ultimate law of love.
Beloved, it is not that we should not judge, but how we judge, be it favorably or unfavorably. When Jesus said, "Do not judge so that you will not be judged" in Matt 7:21, he was cautioning against having an attitude that results in unjustly looking upon the character of another and making rash and unloving judgments about them. To be sure, we must take a stand for righteousness and be able to correct our brothers and sisters when it is needed (Prov 27:6, Gal 6:1-2); however, we must consider the spirit in which this is done. Do we jump to uninformed and mean spirited conclusions based on what we see on the surface, or worse, what we have heard from others or do we apply love to the situation and treat others as we would want to be treated?
When Jesus healed despite the Sabbath, the rules of which had been extended far beyond what God stipulated by man, he did so out of love for someone who was hurting. His adversaries were upset and accused him of having a demon, being a blasphemer and many other things. This was done out of hatred, using the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law to persecute him. Worse, it was the law that they set aside or reinterpreted when it was convenient to do so, often for much less noble reasons. Everything about this type of judgmental behavior is to be avoided. Jesus has said that when we do that to others, the same will be done to us.
Committed,
Lee
It is kind of a running joke in my family that when someone makes a goofy mistake, there comes a loud and defensive, albeit joking, "Don't judge me!" by the perpetrator. The reply, invented by the youngest of the kids is, "It's too late. You've already been judged."
In Christianity, we advocate the avoidance of judging others and cite scriptures like Matt 7:1-2 but then we do it anyway. Jesus addressed this contradiction by referencing the fact that there were those who wanted to kill him for miraculously healing someone on the Sabbath, a day on which no work was to be done. He pointed out that they circumcised babies on the Sabbath when the 8th day after birth fell on that day in order to keep the law but they wanted to destroy him for obeying God's ultimate law of love.
Beloved, it is not that we should not judge, but how we judge, be it favorably or unfavorably. When Jesus said, "Do not judge so that you will not be judged" in Matt 7:21, he was cautioning against having an attitude that results in unjustly looking upon the character of another and making rash and unloving judgments about them. To be sure, we must take a stand for righteousness and be able to correct our brothers and sisters when it is needed (Prov 27:6, Gal 6:1-2); however, we must consider the spirit in which this is done. Do we jump to uninformed and mean spirited conclusions based on what we see on the surface, or worse, what we have heard from others or do we apply love to the situation and treat others as we would want to be treated?
When Jesus healed despite the Sabbath, the rules of which had been extended far beyond what God stipulated by man, he did so out of love for someone who was hurting. His adversaries were upset and accused him of having a demon, being a blasphemer and many other things. This was done out of hatred, using the letter of the law rather than the spirit of the law to persecute him. Worse, it was the law that they set aside or reinterpreted when it was convenient to do so, often for much less noble reasons. Everything about this type of judgmental behavior is to be avoided. Jesus has said that when we do that to others, the same will be done to us.
Committed,
Lee
Monday, August 1, 2011
Mercy-8/1/2011
"Then summoning him, his lord said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’" Matt 18:32-35
When one of his disciples asks Jesus about how much and how often forgiveness should be extended, he responds with a parable that relays concepts with which we can all identify. The story is told of a man who was in a greater debt to the king than he could ever hope to repay. Through pleading with his lord, he received forgiveness of his debt and freedom for himself and his family. This same fellow went out and found someone who owed him a relative pittance, beat and berated him and threatened to have him incarcerated.
Beloved, we may hear this story and think, "How awful!" We all maintain a righteous indignation toward an act so filled with ignorance and so bereft of compassion. It is important, however, not to miss ourselves in the picture of this scripture. God is the great King who through Christ, has forgiven us of all of our transgressions. It is we who were more sin indebted than we could ever hope to repay. We must then ask ourselves, are we guilty of failing to forgive those who are indebted to us? This is not just a financial consideration.Iin fact, it is hardly about that at all. Do we walk around with ill will harbored against our fellow man and do we remind them, covertly or overtly, whenever we get the chance? Are we holding grudges against others? Are we judging others?
God has said that without extending forgiveness to others, none should be expected from him, Matt 6:14-15. The point is mercy received should lead to mercy offered.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
When one of his disciples asks Jesus about how much and how often forgiveness should be extended, he responds with a parable that relays concepts with which we can all identify. The story is told of a man who was in a greater debt to the king than he could ever hope to repay. Through pleading with his lord, he received forgiveness of his debt and freedom for himself and his family. This same fellow went out and found someone who owed him a relative pittance, beat and berated him and threatened to have him incarcerated.
Beloved, we may hear this story and think, "How awful!" We all maintain a righteous indignation toward an act so filled with ignorance and so bereft of compassion. It is important, however, not to miss ourselves in the picture of this scripture. God is the great King who through Christ, has forgiven us of all of our transgressions. It is we who were more sin indebted than we could ever hope to repay. We must then ask ourselves, are we guilty of failing to forgive those who are indebted to us? This is not just a financial consideration.Iin fact, it is hardly about that at all. Do we walk around with ill will harbored against our fellow man and do we remind them, covertly or overtly, whenever we get the chance? Are we holding grudges against others? Are we judging others?
God has said that without extending forgiveness to others, none should be expected from him, Matt 6:14-15. The point is mercy received should lead to mercy offered.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
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