Liberated

So speak and so do as those who will be judged

by the perfect law of liberty.

For judgment is without mercy

to the one who has shown no mercy.

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:12-13

I know alot of people, both in the world and in the church, whose concept of God is that of a stern and vindictive judge who sits enthroned in His high court of justice and hands out punishments to those who displease Him. People either cower in fear of His sovereignty, or defiantly shake their fists and rage against the system. We anticipate God's anger, God's wrath, God's vengeance when we make mistakes. We expect God to do away with us, or at the very least dissolve His connection to us. Many who truly love God spend their waking hours worrying over whether or not they have succeeded in pleasing God, or if they have successfully failed in doing so. And that if it is the latter, at any moment a dark thundercloud may appear over their head and dispense lightning bolt justice.

Can I tell you, it just isn't so. There is nothing in the Bible that indicates this is what God is like. People want to point to certain examples of God's wrath and say, "That's going to happen to you if you mess up!" But consider the examples...

God drowned the whole earth and all of its inhabitants with a flood...but that was only after 1500 years of warning, the last 120 accentuated by the preaching of Noah while he built the means of escape.

God demolished Sodom and Gomorrah with fire...but that was only after the righteous examples of Abraham and Lot showed the Sodomites how to live in God's blessing.

God devastated Egypt with ten plagues...but that was only after Pharaoh resisted (and might I say, resisted and resisted and resisted again) the request of Moses to let the Israelites go into the desert to worship their God.

God destroyed an entire generation of Israelites in the wilderness...but that was only after they rebelled against Him, flagrantly disobeyed His law, and continually complained about how good He had been to them.

God didn't kill Cain when Cain killed Abel.

God didn't kill Noah when Noah got drunk.

God didn't kill Moses when Moses hit the rock instead of speaking to it.

God didn't kill Samson for letting Delilah cut off his hair.

God didn't kill David for sleeping with Bathsheba, or for having her husband killed.

God didn't kill Jonah for running away from his calling.

God didn't kill Peter for denying Jesus, or Judas for betraying him.

God didn't disown Jacob for being a conniver.

God didn't disown Judah for being a hypocrite.

God didn't disown Aaron for being a people-pleaser.

God didn't disown Saul for his first mistake, or even his second.

God didn't disown Solomon for having 1000 wives that pulled his heart in 1000 different directions.

Now granted, sometimes there were consequences for sin. Anyone sowing seeds of sin will reap a wild harvest in one form or another. But when it comes to serving God and pleasing God, there is a whole more to life than not sinning. We can let the laws of sin and death scare us and keep us captive, always fearful of breaking a commandment. We can let worry and self-doubt consume us. We can spend our time fretting over the possibility of making God mad. Or we can accept that we are saved, sanctified, spirit-filled and heaven-bound...and that God is lifting up His countenance upon us and causing His face to shine upon us as we serve Him.

Through His mercy we are not consumed. Because of His grace we are not condemned. Because of His love we are blessed and highly favored. Yes, we are going to make mistakes in life. Yes, sometimes we are going to make the wrong choice. Yes, sometimes we are going to look like fools because of something we said or did. But God is a good God, and He doesn't inflict pain and punishment on us because we sometimes stumble. He is the One who picks us up, dusts us off, makes sure we are okay, and holds our hand as we continue on our way.

The law of the Lord is perfect; it revives the soul; it is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey! But the law is not restrictive; it is liberating! Even the ten commandments are meant for our blessing, and not for our destruction. I mean, really! Who wants to be a lying, stealing, adulterous, murderous, blasphemous, greedy, godless, hateful workaholic? Those are the things that destroy us! The law of the Lord is a law of liberty, that has set us free from sin and death!

So let us serve God in the liberty that His law really gives, and know that He is a good God!