Grace? What's That?: Devotions from Time of GraceSample

A paradox

Some teachings of the Bible are hard because we don’t want to do them. “Love your enemies,” Jesus said. “Turn the other cheek.” “Forgive each other not seven times but seventy times seven times.” “Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.”

And then there are passages that are hard because they seem to contradict one another. They are paradoxes--revelations of God’s identity and God’s ways that are given to you more to believe than to understand. Here’s a puzzle: has God condemned the world or saved the world? “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23,24).

The answer is (c) Both. Those two seeming contradictions come together in the cross of Christ. There God punished every sin by punishing his Son. There God forgave every sin by punishing his Son.

That wonderful forgiveness is yours through faith in Christ. That message is yours to believe, yours to treasure, yours to share. Do you know someone who needs to hear about this divine paradox?