Because we experience God’s mercy everyday, most of us grow to take it for granted.

The following is an abbreviated version of a story from R.C. Sproul’s book The Holiness of God. While his words are better, I cut some detail to fit my self-imposed word count parameters.

“I had the assignment of teaching a freshman Old Testament course to 250 students at a Christian college. On the first day of class I went over the course assignments carefully. This course required three short papers. I explained . . . that the first paper was due on my desk by noon the last day of September. No extensions would be given except for students who were physically confined to the infirmary or who had deaths in their immediate family.”

“On the last day of September, 225 students dutifully handed in their term papers. Twenty-five students stood, quaking in terror, full of remorse. . . . I bowed to their pleas for mercy. ‘All right,’ I said. ‘I’ll give you a break this time. But, remember, the next assignment is due the last day of October.’”

“The students were profuse in their gratitude and filled the air with solemn promises of being on time for the next assignment. Then came the last day of October. Two hundred students came with their papers. Fifty students came empty-handed. They were nervous but not in panic. When I asked for their papers, again they were contrite. Once more I relented. If you are late for the next paper, it will be an F.”

“[O]n the last day of November . . . one hundred and fifty students came with their term papers. The other hundred strolled into the lecture hall utterly unconcerned. . . . I picked up my lethal black grade book and began taking down names.” [He started marking an F for each student who did not have the paper.]

“The students reacted with unmitigated fury. They howled in protest, screaming, ‘That’s not fair!’”

[Sproul responded,] “I see. It’s justice you want? I seem to recall that you were late with your paper the last time. If you insist on justice, you will certainly get it. I’ll not only give you an F for this assignment, but I’ll change your last grade to the F you so richly deserved.”

“The student was stunned. He had no more arguments to make. He apologized for being so hasty and was suddenly happy to settle for one F instead of two. The student had quickly taken my mercy for granted. They assumed it. When justice suddenly fell, they were unprepared for it. It came as a shock, and they were outraged. This, after only two doses of mercy in the space of two months.

R.C. Sproul, The Holiness of God, 124-26.

Too many of us expect God’s mercy at every turn and protest in the face of justice. We forget that while God is bound by His holiness to maintain justice, He is never obligated to grant mercy. That’s precisely why it’s called mercy.

Take a moment to ponder the ways God has withheld (or is withholding) the F you deserved. And once again appreciate the wonder of God’s mercy.

People often wrestle with the idea of God sending His Son Jesus to live on earth and die for sin. If God is all powerful, why would God choose this method for “saving” people? Why not “just forgive” people? Or why not do it another way? Why Jesus?

The Bible offers a simple answer to these difficult questions: Jesus’ coming and dying provided the ONLY sufficient solution to an infinite problem. Thus far I introduced two important aspects of God’s nature and the obstacle created by man’s sin. Last time I explained that in this world three realities are colliding: God’s perfection, man’s imperfection, and God’s love. This collision brings God to the point of finding a way to satisfy His perfection and love in the face of man’s sin.

Again, His solution satisfies four necessary requirements.

1.      The need for a sacrifice.

2.      The need for a human sacrifice.

3.      The need for a perfect human sacrifice. Again, the sacrifice is required because of God’s absolute perfection. If the sacrifice was not perfect, it could not have accomplished its purpose. The primary reason I cannot die for the sins of my neighbor or brother or children is that my death will only pay the penalty for my own sin. I cannot die for you because even if I tried I would only be dying for myself. Imperfection cannot be offered as a means of satisfying God’s perfection. Thus, imperfect people are disqualified from being a sacrifice for other people’s sin.

4.      The need for a perfect person to make the perfect human sacrifice. Similarly, if the person offering the sacrifice is imperfect, he taints the sacrifice. Again, the sacrifice must be perfect or it tarnishes God’s perfection. So in order to preserve the purity of the sacrifice, it must be offered by a perfect priest.

So… why Jesus? Only Jesus could satisfy all four conditions. He could die as a sacrifice. He could die as a human sacrifice. He lived a sinless life so He could die as a perfect human sacrifice. He offered Himself by dying willingly so the sacrifice would not be tainted by a human priest.

Romans 3:26 summarizes that Jesus died “so that [God] might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” In a way He could never accomplish without Him, God satisfies His justice and His mercy perfectly in the death of Jesus.

Why Jesus? Because there is NO OTHER WAY!

People often wrestle with the idea of God sending His Son Jesus to live on earth and die for sin. If God is all powerful, why would God choose this method for “saving” people? Why not “just forgive” people? Or why not do it another way? Why Jesus?

The Bible offers a simple answer to these difficult questions: Jesus’ coming and dying provided the ONLY sufficient solution to an infinite problem. Thus far I introduced two important aspects of God’s nature and the obstacle created by man’s sin. Last time I explained that in this world three realities are colliding: God’s perfection, man’s imperfection, and God’s love. This collision brings God to the point of finding a way to satisfy His perfection and love in the face of man’s sin.

His solution satisfies four necessary requirements.

1.      The need for a sacrifice. The right or just punishment for sin is death. Every person who sins deserves to die. In order for God to uphold His perfection He must punish all sin with death. Again, if He were to overlook sin, His perfection dissipates and He forfeits His “God-ness.” Because of a person’s sin (or his inability to live in faith and obedience to God) he earns death. Therefore, for a person to live God allowed something to die in his place: a sacrifice.

God revealed this truth in the Old Testament through a sacrificial system that used animals. While animals cannot pay the debt incurred by man’s sin, God allowed men to use the system as a way to recognize their sin and foreshadow a better sacrifice that was coming. There is much more to say here, but for now understand: the only way for man to avoid the death he deserves is for someone to die in his place.

2.      The need for a human sacrifice. To satisfy God’s perfection the sacrifice had to be an equal trade. While the Old Testament animal system was symbolic; it could not be effective. An animal cannot pay for the sin of a person. The trade must be even. And this issue is no matter of “fairness” to people. This issue rests on the perfection of God. His perfection has been offended and the right or just reaction is to require the life of the offender.

Two down… two more to come.

People often wrestle with the idea of God sending His Son Jesus to live on earth and die for sin. If God is all powerful, why would God choose this method for “saving” people? Why not “just forgive” people? Or why not do it another way? Why Jesus?

The Bible offers a simple answer to these difficult questions: Jesus’ coming and dying provided the ONLY sufficient solution to an infinite problem. Last time we began the answer with two important aspects of God’s nature and the obstacle created by man’s sin.

Before we can address the solution to this quandary, we must establish man’s contribution to the problem more firmly. Most people are happy to accept an infinitely perfect and loving God, but they fail to see the real problem introduced by man. Their misunderstanding of the situation emerges from a failure to grasp sinfulness.

From Adam forward all men and women have rejected God and His standard of perfection. Even if you believe that people are basically good, you must admit that even the basically good people aren’t perfect. All people - by virtue of their imperfection - raise an obstacle between themselves and God because their imperfection contradicts God’s perfection.

On the basis of God’s absolute perfection and man’s inability to maintain absolute perfection, every person is separated from God. Thus, three realities are colliding: God’s perfection, man’s imperfection, and God’s love.

God wants to know us, but He must deal with our sin. He has three options.

1.      He could forget about humans altogether and move on.

2.      He could ignore our sin and accept us anyway.

3.      He could find a way to satisfy His perfection and His love.

The first two options present additional problems because each forces God to offend one of the two aspects of His nature I introduced last time. The first requires Him to ignore His love. The second requires Him to ignore His perfection. Therefore, the rest of the answer to our original question (Why Jesus?) centers on God’s plan for satisfying His perfection and love.

More to come…

People often wrestle with the idea of God sending His Son Jesus to live on earth and die for sin. They ask questions like: If God is all powerful, why would He choose this method for “saving” people? Why not “just forgive” people? Or why not do it another way? Why Jesus?

The Bible offers a simple answer to these difficult questions: Jesus’ coming and dying provided the ONLY sufficient solution to an infinite problem.

The answer begins with God and two important aspects of His nature.

God is perfect. His every thought is perfect. Every action from Him is perfect. He can only exist in perfect places. Perfection is not merely a standard of activity that God must maintain; rather, perfection is an attribute of God. He cannot ignore perfection or act in a way that contradicts it because doing so contradicts His nature. In other words, for God to ignore His perfection in any way destroys His God-ness. An imperfect “god” is no “god” at all.

Again, God is perfect. If He settles for less than perfection, He will stop being God.

God is love. With an undying and infinite love, God loves people and wants to bring them close to Him. He longs to welcome people to Him. Love is not a standard of activity that God must maintain; rather, love is an attribute of God. He cannot ignore love or act in a way that contradicts it because doing so contradicts His nature. In other words, for God to ignore His love in any way destroys His God-ness. An unloving “god” is no “god” at all.

Again, God is love. If He settles for less than love, He will stop being God.

As attributes of God, therefore, both perfection and love must be upheld at all times. One cannot dominate or destroy the other. He cannot ignore one to satisfy the other. Both are completely true of God at all times.

Thus, the infinite problem emerges from the fact that people are imperfect. Even though God loves us, by virtue of His “God-ness” He cannot just ignore our imperfection. Again, if He allows imperfection, He stops being God. At the same time, God cannot just ignore us. If He fails to love, He stops being God.

So our sin creates a barrier for God. He must overcome the imperfection of our sin if He is to maintain His love for us. This barrier is the first step to understanding, Why Jesus?

More to come…