Merciless Mercy

Luke 20:18 describes what I call the 'Rock of Grace' "Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."

A recent discussion on the Grace of God reminded me of this passage in Luke. And since perhaps humans tend to the extremes and fearing a lean too far towards a libertine philosophy that seemed to rear its head, wise shepherd Ken Sweers on Kingdom Grace reflected on Paul:

“For we all must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” -2 Corinthians 5:10, Paul writing to believers!

“Yes, God’s grace is indeed amazing. But it does not excuse humans for the choices we make in this life. There is much greater dimension to God’s ways than we can possibly imagine.”

I'd like to draw these two together a little and, though it be grace we reflect upon, let it be Him we seek. To that end I second Ken's statement on the dimensions of God's ways. All things here on earth, the actors and their acts so to speak, even the sets and subplots will come to fruition in heaven. All will find purpose in God’s grandeur. C.S. Lewis played with this idea a bit in the last of the Narnia stories. Almost neo-Platonist to the first time reader, all things merely shadow the reality that lies in the eternal Aslan, Lewis’ icon for Christ. The point was lost on many (which speaks volumes on the quality of modern education), but the point was that the Lord God will bring all things together for His purpose, and at the Last (which is the Beginning) we will see the accumulation of all we have known and done for all must appear before the Throne.

At that “time” I think it will be made clear that all good is God’s, none of it ours for the claiming. Even the consequences of our sins, which must be met, will be found to be made into an everlasting wonder. For those that believe and love God, though we are forgiven, God’s world is one of cause and effect and we are called to face it one day (did David, though forgiven, not bear the brunt of his sins with Bathsheba?). Elbert Hubbard once noted, “we are not punished for our sins so much as by them.” Perhaps he was right.

After all, we must be pruned. But the Father works the greatest miracles by pruning us, for that which is pruned burned, and that which is burned turned into fertilizer. God turns the worst evil to into good. Is that not the miracle that Christ proved; is this not the true power of God? God is Life itself and its source, He has given it to us freely, and indeed independently. Adam had a choice to follow or stray. He strayed (and we seem to run full out). When we stray (run) from Life all that is left us is death. Entropy. Death isn’t evil, its just the natural consequence for turning away from the Source of Life, from God. Death is the wage of Sin we are told. Evil is not exactly the opposite of good, it is the lack of it; it is the degenerate and decaying hole left in the absence of the life-giving goodness of God’s Breath.

And running away leaves us breathless.

But you see, though it is easy for mankind in our pride and arbitrary humanism to do evil - and we took all of Creation with us when we fell – it is within the power of God, and God alone, to turn evil into good, to reverse death. Christ’s resurrection gives new life to all of Creation, it puts Breath back into dry bones. Death where is thy sting?

God takes everything He has made and bends it to His will, yet still allows us the freedom of our own humanity. For those who are willing to accept God’s call, to accept His love, to live under His Kingship, though we find pain in death and in bearing our cross, He has parted that water and promises us passage through the river Styx and life on the other side.

Truly all things are made to His purpose – we can either bend willingly or be broken by His merciless Mercy. All will be dashed upon the Rock of Grace.


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