Post by Erick

We live in a world created by God.

Most days I find myself wondering why He created beings with the ability to do wrong against Himself. From an earthly perspective all I think is, “how do you control the situation if it gets out of hand?” “What if these beings you’ve created just go nuts and rebel and never return to you?”

The more anyone thinks about this concept of creating anything in your own image, as well as love and admiration and praise and what it all really means when it’s done out of forced will or choice we begin to get a glimpse into “why”.

What is fascinating is that God is always greater than us. God is always going to be able to control the situation because nothing is, was or will ever be greater than Him.

What got me thinking about all of this is the current passage in Jeremiah I’m reading: chapter 5. In it, God talks about our fallenness.

“How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me and have sworn by those who are no gods. When I fed them to the full, they committed adultery and trooped to the houses of whores. They were well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for his neighbor’s wife. Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord; and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?” ~Jeremiah 5:7-9

What gets me is the end: “Shall I not punish them for these things? … and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?” Reading that, I try to put myself in God’s shoes.

Say you have a friend that you love and care for, and they are completely unthankful. Completely ignore your love and selflessness, and take all you give, and then move on to the next thing that will give them what they desire. Leaving you completely alone and unappreciated.

All I am left with is, “heck yea God! You are totally just in Your punishment and You deserve to avenge Yourself.”

Then I stop dead in my words. I’m the child that has forsaken God. Maybe not every second of every day; but at times, moments, days in my life I have said, “sorry God, but You’re not enough.”

Even if you’re not a Christian, not a believer in God (or anything spiritual or supernatural). You’ve said “no” to God. You’ve turned your back on what millions of people believe to be your Creator.

We are so blessed to have Jesus! A blessing sent from God to reunite us with Him. To take away all of the wrongs that we have done. A sacrifice to end all sacrifices. A love greater than we will ever know in this life on earth.

God sending His one and only son to earth to be murdered and sacrificed so that God’s punishment can be wiped away. So that God can still be a just God. So that Jesus could take our place in His death on a cross.

We are loved.

Awhile back I purchased a t-shirt from a company called “Not of This World“. It says “CONVICTED” on the front, with a pattern of handcuffs. On the back it says “NOT CONDEMNED”.

I believe this explains our condition. Convicted, and rightfully so. Not wrongfully accused or convicted but RIGHTFULLY so. But our sentence was carried out by someone else. Someone that was able to take on our sentence (as well as the sentences of everyone else in the world) and come out the other side.

We have been convicted, but we are not condemned.