DIVINE HARMONY God's kingdom is a perfect expression of His nature and demonstration of His character. More of God and His rule is comprehended in the saving of man than in any previously-known Divine activity. The reconciliation of man through Jesus is not a mere accommodation to the need of man; it is an expression of the person of God. He is what He represents Himself to be in the gospel. It is not the language of hyperbole – no exaggeration – that we have in the good news of a "ransom for all" (I Tim. 2:6). Think of the terms associated with salvation. "The GRACE of God" (I Pet. 5:12), the "LOVE of God" (Rom. 3:21). How the mind is stirred by the contemplation of the "LONGSUFFERING of God" (I Pet. 3:20; 2 Pet. 3:15), and the "WILL of God" (Col. 4:12)! It is God Himself that is reaching out for man in Christ Jesus. He does love man, and His grace and favor are toward man. -- Tomorrow:
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" (Deut 6:4). "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17)
Devotion 42 of 53
He has maintained His integrity and righteousness in providing a ransom for His offspring. His longsuffering toward men is not merely a tolerant attitude – it is a revelation of His person. The "abundant mercy" that is offered those that have "sinned and come short of the glory of God" is an expression of God's heart. It is true – He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).
In redemption we have a perfect expression of God's nature. That is the reason for its absolute consistency. For it to be otherwise would require inconsistency in the Lord Himself.
There are several conclusions that are dictated by these observations. 1. No man can question the applicability of the gospel to himself without questioning the integrity of God. 2. God does not have to be begged in order for salvation to be appropriated. Faith and obedience consistently obtain the promised benefit. 3. God is no more pleased than when His redemptive provision is received by faith. 4. God is not more displeased than when His provision of eternal life is rejected.
MEETING DIVINE DEMANDS
The perfect harmony of salvation with God's person is seen in the way it exactly meets Divine demands. Nothing that is necessary has been omitted. God has been completely "satisfied" with the price, and is joyful over the results of its acceptance. A salvation that did not address every facet of the Divine nature could not be consistent with it. So far as the basis for man's acceptance by God is concerned, nothing remains to be done. Here the genius of the kingdom is perceived.
HE WILL NOT ACQUIT THE GUILTY
God has revealed an aspect of His nature that is not to be ignored. At Sinai, when "the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood" with Moses, He "proclaimed the name of the Lord." He unveiled His person to Moses, opened up what He was like, and exposed that meek man to the Divine nature. Incorporated in that revelation was this word, "and that will by no means clear the guilty" (Exod. 34:5-7). What a revelation is this! God cannot call guilt anything other than "guilt!" He cannot overlook it, ignore it, or treat it lightly. It is His nature; He cannot and will not simply forget involvement in sin.
Until the vicarious sacrifice of Christ, sin remained. Though the guilt was often unacknowledged by men, under the convicting hand of the law, the whole world was "guilty before God" (Rom. 3:19). No one was cleared of guilt, no conscience purged, no reconciliation accomplished. God could by no means "clear the guilty.
In Christ, however, this aspect of God's nature was satisfied with perfect consistency. Man's guilt was laid upon Christ, in order that God's righteousness might be imputed to man. The guilt was not ignored, but dealt with in "wisdom and prudence" (Eph. 1:8). As it is written, "For He [God] hath made Him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). God did not "clear the guilty," but justified "the ungodly" (Rom. 4:5). Thus is salvation consistent with His person!
HE WILL HAVE MERCY
God also revealed to Moses that He was "merciful and gracious . . . keeping mercy for thousands" (Exod. 34:6-7). In an even more exact statement of the case, the Lord said to Moses, "I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Exod. 33:19). The point here is not an arbitrary or discriminatory conferring of mercy upon selected individuals. Rather, we have here an assertion that God's desire always accompanies His mercy. It is never revealed as an expression of legality, but of Divine will. In other words, God's mercy is an expression of His desire, not of mere pity.
If salvation is to be consistent with God's person, it must provide for the expression of mercy. In mercy the need of man and the desire of God meet together. Man's condition requires Divine tenderness and consideration, without which he will surely perish; on the other hand, God desires to show compassion and lovingkindness because it is His nature. "But God, Who IS rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He hath loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved)" Eph. 2:4-5. This mercy has been bestowed upon man without any compromise of the Lord's character. He forfeited nothing in order to show mercy, but retained all of His essential attributes. Divine consistency!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, I thank You that Your great salvation changes men, while You remain the same.