"13He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:13-14
Dear believer,
You probably know that the ways of God's kingdom are counter to natural, human, fleshly ways. For example, Scripture tells us that the way to life is death. The path to maturity is childlikeness. True greatness is found not in being on top but in serving from below. The qualification for heaven is not a resume of personal goodness but moral honesty about our lack of personal goodness and need for mercy.
We could go on and on.
However, we'd be remiss to overlook the most striking counter-worldly way the kingdom of God is demonstrated.
When someone is convicted of a capital offense. Having been caught red-handed on video with multiple witnesses, we expect the culprit to pay.
So, the desire for the enforcement of justice is natural, and I think, necessary. After all, when such an offender is let off without any penalty, we cry foul at the lack of justice, which is injustice.
And yet, at the very core of the Christian message is that God declares many deserving of death, traitors to the kingdom, righteous. Not only cleared of all charges but imputed with a record that cannot be tried again. The offender becomes blameless in the eyes of God's law.
But what about justice?
This is why the counter-worldly nature of God is most gloriously displayed in the cross of Jesus. Who could imagine the king against whom traitors had rebelled to volunteer himself as a substitute for their crimes... against him?
But in paying the sinner's debt in full, justice is upheld and fulfilled. And mercy is able to flow freely, without reservation.
This is the model of another counter-worldly act: forgiveness.
On a cross of judgment, Jesus absorbed the wounds we caused, and we are forgiven. The same works with human-to-human forgiveness. We absorb the wounds of an offense by paying down the debt ourselves.
In fact, there may be no more perfect way the disciple of Jesus reflects the Father than by manifesting the mercy of forgiveness.
Is this easy? Of course not. The cross shows us just how painful it can be to forgive.
No, it's not easy. But I think we'll find that it's worth it, not only for what it does the one forgiven, but even more for the one who forgives.
This is the other-worldly nature of mercy.
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