We continue with selections from The Justification Reader by Thomas C. Oden.
It is divine mercy that pardons. It is divine justice that justifies. To pardon is to waive the execution of the penalties of the law. To justify is to declare that the demands of the law are truly and justly satisfied, not ignored or waived.
When a pardon is granted to one who is guilty, it is not strictly speaking according to the law, but in a way that transcends the law through grace. Grace mercifully covers the demands of the law without ceasing to be just.
For tomorrow, I will include the above printed piece with the sentences that follow. It is too much to digest at one time.
There is something important about the phrase "transcends the law through grace." When we are justified...when we are pardoned, it does not fit in with the way of the law. Instead, God acts outside the bounds of the law and by God's mercy - something new is created. Out of that which has previously been called guilty comes life that is boldly set free...as though there is nothing about which we need be called guilty again. We are pardoned. It is over. That which has ruled our lives and turned us away from God is mercifully let go...it is abolished without record...and...we are called the children of God....beloved.
Connection: So, what does that do to our hearts? What does that do to how we see ourselves...others...and the interactions in which we enter throughout this day? God takes us in...insists that - what could destroy us and our relationships... has no power over us anymore. That is the beginning of something new. That is today.
O Lord, your mercy is beyond our comprehension and yet you call us to be a part of your merciful reign so that all might know the power of your love. Grant us courage to face this day as though we trust what you have done and continue to do for us in Christ, Jesus. Amen!
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