Weekly Devotional 3-25-13 The Wonderful Love, Grace, and Mercy of God.
The last few weeks our weekly devotionals have been inspired by an online dialogue we had with a friend. These started with our assertion that God was satisfied with the sacrifice of Jesus for the propitiation of man’s sin. To that Assertion he responded, “I like your devotional, Steve, but your use of the word ‘satisfy’ leaves me feeling a little uneasy. You may know that the theory of ‘divine satisfaction’ was introduced by Anselm of Canterbury, in the Middle Ages (who is not a saint in the Orthodox Church), and that elements of this theory influenced some of the Reformers. But ‘satisfaction’ language in reference to the Atonement is not to be found in the Holy Bible.”
In these past weeks I have answered his claim by showing from the Scriptures that matter-of-factually God was satisfied with Jesus sacrifice and that it completely satisfied the Law of God. I asserted that all glory belongs to God for man’s salvation to which he responded, “You are perfectly correct in ascribing all glory, honor and worship to God alone. But Steve, you were never forced to go to the place where you met those Christians, where you were converted; you were never forced to believe. Even after you had been converted, you were never forced to remain a Christian. You chose to return to your former way of life. You accepted to return again to Jesus. You chose all of those things, without that ever taking away from the fact that every good thing begins and ends with God.”
He is correct. I was not forced into believing in or accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on my behalf, nor was I forced into returning to Him after walking apart from Him for several years; therein lays the wonderful love, mercy and Grace, of God. My accepting Jesus as my Savior and eventually making Him my Lord came by an act of my own will, but my will was overwhelmed by those things and by the power of the Holy Spirit. As to my salvation, the Holy Spirit overcame the spiritual darkness that permeated my soul and generated in me a hatred of my sin and a desire to turn to God. And, the eventual desire to turn back to God, from whom I had strayed, was also a work of the Holy Spirit; not a work of force, but of love. In love, God allowed (perhaps even initiated) things to happen that would remind me of the sweet fellowship I once had with Him and a renewed hatred of my sin. It’s hard to describe unless you have been there. Fortunately, Jesus told of a man who similarly walked away from his father, but returned.
“11 He said, A certain man had two sons: 12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. 13And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 14And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. 15And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. 17And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. 25Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. 27And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. 28And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and entreated him. 29And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: 30But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found. again; and was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:11-32 KJV).
We find no forcing in this account, only the love, mercy and grace of a loving father who allowed his son to experience the things that would bend his will and fashion in it a desire to return to that which he left. It is the same with one’s salvation and a righteous walk. God does not force, but overwhelms the hardened heart.
Oh, the depths of His love, mercy and grace.
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com