January 3
Genesis 7:1-10:5; 1 Chronicles 1:5-7; Genesis 10:6-20; 1 Chronicles 1:8-16; Genesis 10:21-30; 1 Chronicles 1:17-23; Genesis 10:31-32
We should ask these critical questions as we read: 1) What did my reading teach me about God? 2) What did my reading teach me about myself/humanity? Today we discover the grace and justice of God. His justice is seen in sending a flood to destroy/cleanse a sinful world. Yet even in his judgment, there is grace. God protects Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark. He makes a covenant with Noah that he would never flood the earth again. Finally, we see God's grace in the genealogy at the end of our reading. Some of these descendants would become nations which would ultimately slaughter and exile Israel. God in his grace allows these nations to flourish.
In our culture we often only want to spotlight one aspect of God's character—grace, and by grace we mean absolution at no cost. We like to tell people Jesus loves them, which is absolutely true, but may not feel quite as comfortable acknowledging that an eternity in hell awaits everyone outside of faith in Christ. Yet praise God he is just, in that Jesus died for our sins to make a payment we could not; and God is gracious, that through Jesus’ death forgiveness is available to us all. So let us hold both of these truths and worship the God who alone is perfectly gracious and absolutely just.
Father God, thank you that you are a holy, perfect God. Help me to glorify you with my life. Amen.
What would a more balanced view of God's grace and justice look like?
We should ask these critical questions as we read: 1) What did my reading teach me about God? 2) What did my reading teach me about myself/humanity? Today we discover the grace and justice of God. His justice is seen in sending a flood to destroy/cleanse a sinful world. Yet even in his judgment, there is grace. God protects Noah, his family, and the animals in the ark. He makes a covenant with Noah that he would never flood the earth again. Finally, we see God's grace in the genealogy at the end of our reading. Some of these descendants would become nations which would ultimately slaughter and exile Israel. God in his grace allows these nations to flourish.
In our culture we often only want to spotlight one aspect of God's character—grace, and by grace we mean absolution at no cost. We like to tell people Jesus loves them, which is absolutely true, but may not feel quite as comfortable acknowledging that an eternity in hell awaits everyone outside of faith in Christ. Yet praise God he is just, in that Jesus died for our sins to make a payment we could not; and God is gracious, that through Jesus’ death forgiveness is available to us all. So let us hold both of these truths and worship the God who alone is perfectly gracious and absolutely just.
Father God, thank you that you are a holy, perfect God. Help me to glorify you with my life. Amen.
What would a more balanced view of God's grace and justice look like?
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