Today I was reading Genesis 38 and when I read versus like : "7 But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the LORD's sight; so the LORD put him to death."I can't help but making the conclusion that there is a limit to God's grace. There is a point when God says enough is enough...I also think of Sodom and Gommorah and the flood narrative...Am I right?greetingsHolywarrior
Hi Holywarrior, Ron (philologos) has a sermon on Noah which I would recommend as it shows that essentially the flood was not a demonstration of God's wrath, but of his grace and love:https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?lid=1759
I can't help but making the conclusion that there is a limit to God's grace. There is a point when God says enough is enough...I also think of Sodom and Gommorah and the flood narrative...-I believe that, in the words of the old song, "Jesus' blood can make the vilest sinner clean." But God's perfect grace is tempered by His perfect judgment and righteousness. Paul carries the Old Testament application over into the New Testament in Rom. 1:18-32. Those who knowingly reject Jesus and remain firm in their rejection will receive their heart's desire: "uncleanness" (v. 24) and a "reprobate mind" (v. 28). This certainly doesn't take place overnight, though; some people are scared that God will reject them for any little thing they do wrong. Grace abounds in the presence of sin, but grace doesn't support or affirm sin. Grace is the lifeline that a sinner can grab hold of, and God will move the heavens and the earth to retrieve the lifeline. On the other hand, if someone chooses not to grab the lifeline - the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ - they reject the only means available to find salvation (cf. Is. 45:22)..-Thanks, Holywarrior; great idea for a sermon (series, maybe?)..-Blessings...
But God's perfect grace is tempered by His perfect judgment and righteousness.I have to disagree, God's perfect grace cannot be tempered by anything, God does not change, neither does his grace.I encourage you to listen to the sermon and (although I don't want to spoil it) you will see that God's judgment on the sinners actually saved Noah and his family.As you said - "God's perfect grace"! :-D
There are different kinds of God's grace, one of them being His grace in withholding judgment. If God were to judge us the instant we sinned, and give us our just dues, we'd all of been fried long ago.This leads one to wonder why Adam and Eve had judgment fall on them after their first sin. Why didn't God hold back His judgment then? Well, He did because He had every right to destroy them. Afterall, the promise was that if they were to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, on that day they would die. They didn't die the day they sinned, but two animals did (to provide them coverings for their bodies - the establishment of the sacrificial system that ultimately points to Christ.) They did experience the judgment of being cast out of the garden of fellowship with God, and never since has man and God had such regular, intimate communion with God in the way Adam and Eve did in the garden.So, God's judgments sometimes accompany His grace - as the case with Lot and Sodom. God will judge the proud, but give grace to the humble (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6), so it's not so much God's grace having limits as it is man welcoming judgment instead of grace through prolonged self-exaltation. God's grace doesn't have limits. It knows no boundaries. But it is its nature that keeps God from issuing it unconditionally, for grace cannot be forced upon people. As with any gift, it must be accepted and not rejected. Some people struggle with this because they think God is too sovreign to have lowly men reject Him, but just as God chose to go through the humilation of the cross, He is also willing to go through the humiliation of rejection of His grace by some, knowing others will embrace Him - and not doing so because He forced them to.If you've ever handed out tracts or been out evangelizing, you've tasted the rejection that God experiences. It is bitter. It tears your heart out, and you weep for those who are blinded to the truth. But just as heaven rejoices over each sinner that repents, when God uses you to reach someone with the Gospel, and they accpet the gift of God, it has to be one of the greatest experience any human being can have.-Chris
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