Rescue From Certain Destruction

wikipedia.org

“When we understand the character of God, when we grasp something of His holiness, then we begin to understand the radical character of our sin and hopelessness. Helpless sinners can survive only by grace. Our strength is futile in itself; we are spiritually impotent without the assistance of a merciful God. We may dislike giving our attention to God's wrath and justice, but until we incline ourselves to these aspects of God's nature, we will never appreciate what has been wrought for us by grace. 

"Even Edwards's sermon on sinners in God's hands was not designed to stress the flames of hell. The resounding accent falls not on the fiery pit but on the hands of the God who holds us and rescues us from it. The hands of God are gracious hands. They alone have the power to rescue us from certain destruction.” - R.C. Sproul

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 "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)..." - Ephesians 2:1-5

Something about the photo bugs me: I was trying to find a photo to illustrate rescue, but unlike that which the photo portrays, God rescued us not while we were still alive and struggling to survive, not with a little help from us - or the best one yet, 'Because He saw something good in me' theory - but 'even when we were dead in trespasses (sin against God's Law'), while we were dead (Picture Lazarus. Dead, rotting corpse) and utterly hopeless.  While we were in that condition, He made us 'alive together with Christ.'  Why? Why would he rescue rebellious, headstrong, arrogant people? Because He is rich in mercy and because He loves us.  

How can we respond to that kind of love and mercy?

Worship.

"Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." - John 3:18 

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:13


Have a blessed Lord's Day!