There is no lust that his faithfulness cannot purify. There is no addiction that his power cannot tame. There is no cruelty that his gentleness cannot transform. There is no darkness that his light cannot dispel. There is no hope for you, now.”īut the unlimited love of God will not stop pursuing us no matter how far we might flee from him. You have gone past the limit of his grace. He is desperate for humans to agree with him that God is not great, so he whispers in our ear, “God will not forgive you. He is called ’The Accuser,” ‘The Father of Lies,’ ‘The Adversary, and he has already determined in his heart that he will never accept the love of God. This enemy will use our very common and natural feelings of unworthiness to lead us away from God’s grace and love rather than toward him. However, we have an enemy whose skill at deception and misdirection is unparalleled. It is the unthinkable transfer: the perfect God becoming our unrighteousness, so that we can receive his perfection as our own. Paul wrote, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Since there is no limit to his purity and goodness, there is no sin that his death has not already paid for.
The Good News of Jesus is that he loves us so completely that he sacrificed himself, with all of his infinite perfection, and took the penalty of our sin, making it his own. It is the unthinkable transfer: the perfect God becoming our unrighteousness, so that we can receive his perfection as our own.Īnd yet it is that very same infinite perfection that shines out hope for everyone, no matter how vile their heart, or corrupted their thoughts. There is no one who can compare to God's holy purity and perfection. In comparison to his infinite goodness, even a gentle, loving woman like Mother Teresa looks the same as the worst of all sinners. The reason for this common self-assessment is the immeasurable perfection of Almighty God. The Apostle Paul called himself “the worst of sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15). Isaiah saw the glory of God as his presence filled the temple and he cried out, “Woe to me, I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5). The Bible records the guilt-ridden cry of many through the ages who were crushed by the weight of their sin as they encountered Holy God. These feelings are evidence that God, in his love, has been showing himself to you. I want you to know that not only is this feeling common, but it is a natural response from those who have an encounter with the perfection of God. Have you felt this kind of hopelessness and regret, realizing the darkness of your heart? Has the great mountain of your pride, selfishness, cruelty, greed, and lust seemed to block out the light of the love of God? If you only knew the things I have done! How could God ever forgive me?
0 kommentar(er)
