Trial of the email blog poster
Hello again,
After spending way too much time learning about blog stuff today I have done a little study and enjoyed the wholesome goodness of baked beans for dinner.
My study, despite being very difficult for me, is also rather encouraging. I'm going to share my favourite quote for the essay I am currently writing but first I need to say what it is about... What does wrath and judgment mean to you? How does a loving God express wrath and judgment whilst still showing His love? Since a love that says yes to everything is a soppy, schmoppy love that has no power, sometimes we must hate in order to love. (ie I have to be opposed to the evil which may befall the one that I love in order for my love to be worth anything). My favourite quote for the essay is from Karl Barth - who admittedly spins my head out quite often:
"It is where the divine love and therefore the divine grace and mercy are attested with the supreme clarity in which they are necessarily known as the meaning and intention of Scripture as a whole, where that love and grace and mercy are embodied in a unique event, i.e., in Jesus Christ, that according to the unmistakable witness of the New Testament itself they encounter us as a divine act of wrath, judgement and punishment"
What this has come to mean to me is that God has expressed his love toward us sinners as His wrath. Love expressed as wrath? How?
In Jesus, love, grace and mercy are clearly revealed to us. Jesus has taken upon Himself our sinful/fallen human nature and ultimately God's wrath has been justly poured out upon Him as He represents every one of us. God's wrath is therefore an expression of His great love for all of us - since we receive the same resurrection life that Jesus has and we don't need to stand for ourselves in the face of God's judgment. Saying no to sinners (represented in Christ) is ultimately a huge YES to us in the fullness of life that we receive as people who are on the road to wholeness; connected with God, with each other, and the world.
I hope that makes some sense to you. It really opened my eyes to how God's wrath is a good thing. Whereas previously I thought of His righteousness and holiness as unfair standards to be required, I now see that they are good (in that God is truly loving when he hates evil).
Once again what seem to be complex thoughts about God, His love and His wrath all simmer neatly down to this simple message: God loves you
Thanks for listening !
After spending way too much time learning about blog stuff today I have done a little study and enjoyed the wholesome goodness of baked beans for dinner.
My study, despite being very difficult for me, is also rather encouraging. I'm going to share my favourite quote for the essay I am currently writing but first I need to say what it is about... What does wrath and judgment mean to you? How does a loving God express wrath and judgment whilst still showing His love? Since a love that says yes to everything is a soppy, schmoppy love that has no power, sometimes we must hate in order to love. (ie I have to be opposed to the evil which may befall the one that I love in order for my love to be worth anything). My favourite quote for the essay is from Karl Barth - who admittedly spins my head out quite often:
"It is where the divine love and therefore the divine grace and mercy are attested with the supreme clarity in which they are necessarily known as the meaning and intention of Scripture as a whole, where that love and grace and mercy are embodied in a unique event, i.e., in Jesus Christ, that according to the unmistakable witness of the New Testament itself they encounter us as a divine act of wrath, judgement and punishment"
What this has come to mean to me is that God has expressed his love toward us sinners as His wrath. Love expressed as wrath? How?
In Jesus, love, grace and mercy are clearly revealed to us. Jesus has taken upon Himself our sinful/fallen human nature and ultimately God's wrath has been justly poured out upon Him as He represents every one of us. God's wrath is therefore an expression of His great love for all of us - since we receive the same resurrection life that Jesus has and we don't need to stand for ourselves in the face of God's judgment. Saying no to sinners (represented in Christ) is ultimately a huge YES to us in the fullness of life that we receive as people who are on the road to wholeness; connected with God, with each other, and the world.
I hope that makes some sense to you. It really opened my eyes to how God's wrath is a good thing. Whereas previously I thought of His righteousness and holiness as unfair standards to be required, I now see that they are good (in that God is truly loving when he hates evil).
Once again what seem to be complex thoughts about God, His love and His wrath all simmer neatly down to this simple message: God loves you
Thanks for listening !
Brad wrote this @ 6:53 pm
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