Our Living Hope

It is Easter again.

The years seem to be moving by so much faster now. I suppose that's a sign of getting older.

All these years (not that I'm all that old), all these Easters. I am amazed every time. When it is time to sit down and really think about why we celebrate Easter. The hope that we were given.

Jesus willingly went through what He did. The humiliations, the beatings, the false accusations, the insults...He took it. He had the power, the whole time, to pronounce judgement on all the earth. He could have stopped it at any point. Legions of angels at His command. All He had to do was say a word. He could wipe us out of existence with a thought.

He did not. He took it. He was our whipping boy. He was not compelled or coerced. He layed down His life voluntarily.

He did it because of the fact of His love for us. (John 3:16)

He layed down His life. But wait....there's more.

He took it up again. He took away death. (John 10:14-18)

Now, He sits at the right hand of the Father. He holds out hope for all who will believe.

For those of us who believe, He has taken away all reason for fear of anything...even death.

God is AWESOME!

In Other Words

I have learned a few Latin phrases over the years.
My favorite one is, 'Simul Iustus et Peccator'. It means 'at the same time just and sinner'.

It's basic meaning is that we have no righteousness apart from Christ Jesus. He is our righteousness.

In Christ, we are able to stand in the presence of the glory of God with no wrong in us and instead of trembling with terror in His presence, we are able to stand there with great joy. (Jude 1:24) Wow! Because of Jesus, we are able to approach the Throne of God with confidence. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

The reason I named my blog 'Beyond All Reason' is because a Holy God loves me. A fallen, sinful man. (Romans 5:8) It's just beyond all reason that He should love me. But He does.

He adopted me and invited me to call Him Daddy. (Romans 8:15 Galatians 4:6)

God is AWESOME!

Have Mercy

There is a book out there that I think every Christian should read. It is called 'The Holiness of God' by R.C. Sproul.

This book moved me to a deeper appreciation of God's mercy.

Dr. Sproul sited three major examples of God's justice. These three examples may cause people to consider how harsh God seems and to say that His actions aren't 'fair'. But if we pay attention to scripture, then the very last thing we want is for God to be 'fair'.

He is the Creator of all things. He is the Giver of life. He will have mercy on whom He has mercy (Romans 9:15-16).

The three examples were:
1) (Leviticus 10:1-2) The sons of Aaron when they submitted an unauthorized offering. In the book of Leviticus, God is very specific about how He wanted the priests to go about their work.

2) Uzza the Kohathite (1 Chronicles 13:6-10). Uzza was from the tribe of Levi, and a son of Kohath. The Kohathites were NEVER to touch the holy things.
(Numbers 4:4-15)

3) Ananias and Sapphira. You can read about them in Acts 5:1-10.

As Christians, we are to have a deep reverence for God. He is Holy. He's not your buddy. He's not 'The Big Guy' or 'The Man upstairs'. He is the Most High God.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul said to "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12-13)

He wasn't saying that we have to work for our salvation, he was saying that we need to live in reverence for God, and be obedient. We need to abide in Christ.

For a true believer, salvation is not at stake. Rewards, however, are a different story. If we do not live in obedience and reverence, and hold God as holy, we may miss out on some things in Heaven.

Moses missed out on a big thing because of his disobedience. He didn't get to enter the land that God had promised Israel. All those years leading Israel. All those years living in obedience. Just that one time Moses did not act in reverence, but out of arrogance and anger. He lost that giant reward.

Of course, we know Moses didn't lose his 'salvation'. We know he went to heaven. He was there on the mountain with Jesus and Elijah (Matthew 17:2-3).

God is a Holy God. He is a just God. And praise His Holy Name! He is a merciful God.

I want His mercy. I don't want His justice. He owes mercy to no one. He chooses mercy for us.

There are those who would stand and shake an angry fist at God, demanding He give them what He owes them. I fear for them, because they will recieve it.

God is AWESOME!