Sinners are not excused and the illness does not come to be idealised. Jesus is a friend of sinners, not their comrade… Certainly, the return of the sinner remains indispensable; however it is not the condition, but rather the consequence of the gracious gift of God” (Jesus aus Nazareth. Ein Leben”, Munich 1987, p. 109). Salvation is a consequence of the unearned, undeserved, and wholly unmerited Grace of God the Father in our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit. From the side of man, conversion is essential. God and sin no more, the Savior commands. He expects a relationship that is obedient, faithful, that hangs wholly and completely upon His Grace. Jesus nowhere excuses sin. Jesus nowhere belittles sin. Jesus nowhere shellacks over sin so that it might not be so sinful. Sin is sin. We are full of it. We need the Crucified One to bring it to death in our lives. We need the Crucified One to carry us into transformative Resurrection. We need to welcome God’s mercy as just punishment for our offenses against Him. This means that we must be prepared to allow His mercy to discipline, correct, and judge at every step of our way back to Him. Merciful Sanctification is excruciatingly painful. Christ’s loving healing of our lives will cost nothing short of everything. Presuming upon God’s mercy and betting that He will forgive us in the end is footloose and fancy free. Such a notion is to be found nowhere in Holy Scripture. God in Jesus Christ calls us into tough love, severe mercy, and healing that must hurt for the sake of salvation. If it doesn’t hurt, we haven’t loved Him enough to forsake all. Time for all of us to grow up and follow Jesus to His kingdom.
©wjsmartin