Foolishness
My daily reading today placed me in Proverbs 6:1-35 (CEV). Wow, how amazingly frank the truths in this one chapter truly are. With powerful imagery and down-to-earth language, the Holy Spirit powerfully reminds us of simple truths about real life situations — co-signing a loan, laziness, lying, kinds of people God hates, obeying parents, and infidelity.
I am thankful that God is so clear about so many things we tend to “fuzzy up” a little bit so that we can feel better about our “little” rebellions agains our heavenly Father.
Fuzzy up? God hates those who….? Whoa, did Jesus fuzzy up Proverbs when He did not condemn the adulteress? What was Jesus thinking? She was not in a grey area, she was abhorrent, was she not?
Where were His words of condemnation? Where was the hatred? Wasn’t it a perfect time to quote from Proverbs and stone her along with the others? I think I’m fuzzy on this one, honestly, I am confused.
And the thief on the cross…what was Jesus thinking?
The guy deserved a good lecture, not unconditional love. A whole life of sin and in one moment he is sorry?! I guess grace and love seems to erase all condemnation and if that is fuzzy, bring it on!!
Susan,
I praise God for Jesus’ grace toward sinners and the grace the Lord extends to all of us that opens our hearts and also empowers us to do just what he asked the woman caught in adultery to do, leave her life of sin. His grace did not leave her unchanged. She didn’t need to be convicted to her rebellion and sin, she was trapped in it and needed a Savior.
I believe grace of God given us in Jesus covers, cleanses, and forgives us of all sin, just like He offered this woman. I thrill in the Gospels as Jesus touches the lives of those alienated and isolated from God because of their evil and rebellious behavior. I believe we are called to live in that same place of grace toward others. But we are to live in that place as Jesus did: changed to be more like Jesus because of grace and helping others to change.
I do not believe, however, that grace eliminates God’s loathing of sinful and destructive behaviors or His strong feelings toward those who wound, damage, and destroy others out of evil delight — Jesus had very strong words of loathing toward the Pharisees for their abuse of others in Matthew 23. This is why Jesus called people to repent — not just feel badly for sinful behavior, but turn from it — Luke 5:32. This is exactly what He offered this woman, and the woman at the well (John 4), and what he recognized in the change of life in the woman who anointed Him at the Pharisees’ house (Luke 7).
For example, in 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7 notice especially the phrase “the Lord is an Avenger in all such matters” and this is written to Christians who abuse other believers in business or in sexual sins. Paul makes clear the character of God still demands character in us. Jesus does offer grace, but grace that leaves us unchanged and untransformed is not the grace of the New Testament or the grace of God. Notice the clear statement about immorality and then the notice that believers are changed from that lifestyle in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 through their salvation in Jesus — those things “is what some of you were.” Grace changes us by the power of the Holy Spirit, our sense of wonder and thankfulness at having received it, and through our hunger to be more like God in both His character and His compassion.
Knowing our identity as God’s children and our future before God calls us to the character and compassion of Jesus (1 John 3:1-3). Clearly, we are not where we want to be yet, but we should be in the process of surrendering to Jesus’ Lordship and participating with the Holy Spirit’s transformation to make us more like our Savior (2 Corinthians 3:18; this is what the blog and article dealt with yesterday). When we lose a clear call to godliness — when we fuzzy up the things God says are against His will and His character — then grace becomes license, the rebellious side of legalism, which we can then use to empty grace of all of it’s life-changing power in our own lives.
Sincerely,
Phil
Susan
11 Mar 08 at 2:50 am