“Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.” Psalm 73:25
At the end of the day, and standing before the reality of eternity, there is but one great, all-encompassing reality. There is but one Father, eternal in the heavens sitting upon His throne, with Christ, the victorious Son, sitting at His right hand, the eternal Spirit working mightily, bringing all worship, blessing, and honor to bear upon the One who is worthy to receive such attention, blessing, and devotion. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, …the Trinity, is that great and wondrous person of highest, and perfect worth and value, for He is holy, unique, set apart, the highest elevated. Specifically, He is perfect, almighty in love, joy, peace, …all goodness, wonder, source of blessing, possessor of all power and authority. There is no fault in Him, nothing less than perfect love, and this manifested, demonstrated, and proven by the giving of Christ, the Son of God, as the sole, and yet, perfect means by which sinful man can be brought into peace with Him, knowing His life, dwelling in the heart. The Almighty Creator, Designer, Sustainer of all, this Savior of the world, and sole Redeemer of men, has come to proclaim day and night that there is a way for small, sinful, and lost man to know the Infinite love of God, in part on this earth, but certainly in heaven and eternity. However, there is a problem, an insurmountable mountain to climb, another world to reach, if this is to be realized in the life. If God is the greatest BLESSED Subject for time and eternity, what is the greatest,most awful, and dispicable opposite? The answer is as simple as is the Holiness of God, and the ungodly wretched sinfulness of man.
The difference between God and man, with regard to the singular holiness that each originally possessed, was revealed in the Garden of Eden when man became “unholy.” Man, on that day of quiet rebellion and independent action from God, was born into another reality, one that God would declare to be characterized by sin and death. Man, that day, died, unlike God who would remain in His beauty and holiness, unscathed by the effects of sin. That is to say, God’s nature was not altered, nor His purpose or His will. God in His sovereignty, before the foundation of the world, would make provision for sinful and lost man, even though he had become, by nature, God’s enemy. That provision was, and is, the greatest demonstration for time and eternity of the presence and unchaning reality of the love of God. Why would the eternal Creator, Sovereign in power and authority, who holds the earth and heavens together by the word of His power, give His only begotten to be seized by sinful men, wrongly judged, then nailed to a cross out of hatred and spite, depriving this eternal Son of every right to be heard, embraced for His goodness, and believed in to be saved from wrath?
There are two reasons for this. The first is found in the unveiling and constant revelation of the love of God. If man, who by nature, flees the presence of a holy God, is to be saved, then “grace alone can reach him, and love alone can win.” Love is the supreme motive, power, and basis for trust.
There is a second revelation, which is the total opposite of perfect love. It is that of the convicting awful wretchedness of sinful man, who will defy and denounce all that is good, especially that which is holy and righteous. Isaiah puts the matter like this: “…and the Lord hath laid on Him (Christ) the iniquity of us all.” (53:6) Sin is so vile, and devoid of all that is good and right, that it must be destroyed, and every manifestation of it crucified and buried. It is the man who knows that he is lost, devoid of all righteousness, who will truly appeal to God’s certain mercy and be saved.
Dear Father, Save us every one. In Jesus’ name, Amen.