Today's readings are 1 Samuel 2.18-36 and Acts 15.22-41.
Our reading today from 1 Samuel brings us to a very sad episode in God's Word. It confronts us with a very real concept, one which most of us would like to deny. God's blessing may rest on a person and then He may withdraw His hand of blessing and protection. What is the motivating factor? Our Lord lays his blessing on all creation. We confess with John the Baptizer that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Yet his salvation is known only to those who believe him. So did Jesus die for only some sin? That would not seem to be the case. Rather, and in the same vein as what we read about the house of Eli, he dies for all sin in all time, but his blessing is removed from those who reject him.
On the one hand this is a dreadful thought. It means that as we are unrepentant and unbelieving we can expect that at some point our Lord would leave us to perish in our folly. Yet at the same time we see that our Lord is being quite consistent here. He does not wish that any should perish. To those who repent and believe he always remains faithful and forgiving. He has done all that is necessary to save his people. He merely requires that we believe he has done what he claims. This is great good news. There is no hidden agenda. Jesus doesn't die for the sins of the elect only. He doesn't die for those he foresees doing good works. He dies for sin, period.
Lord, may your abundant mercy and your demand that we believe drive us to daily repentance and an abiding desire to believe. May we confess, as did the father in the Gospel, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!"
Our reading today from 1 Samuel brings us to a very sad episode in God's Word. It confronts us with a very real concept, one which most of us would like to deny. God's blessing may rest on a person and then He may withdraw His hand of blessing and protection. What is the motivating factor? Our Lord lays his blessing on all creation. We confess with John the Baptizer that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Yet his salvation is known only to those who believe him. So did Jesus die for only some sin? That would not seem to be the case. Rather, and in the same vein as what we read about the house of Eli, he dies for all sin in all time, but his blessing is removed from those who reject him.
On the one hand this is a dreadful thought. It means that as we are unrepentant and unbelieving we can expect that at some point our Lord would leave us to perish in our folly. Yet at the same time we see that our Lord is being quite consistent here. He does not wish that any should perish. To those who repent and believe he always remains faithful and forgiving. He has done all that is necessary to save his people. He merely requires that we believe he has done what he claims. This is great good news. There is no hidden agenda. Jesus doesn't die for the sins of the elect only. He doesn't die for those he foresees doing good works. He dies for sin, period.
Lord, may your abundant mercy and your demand that we believe drive us to daily repentance and an abiding desire to believe. May we confess, as did the father in the Gospel, "Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief!"
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Dave Spotts
blogging at http://capnsaltyslongvoyage.blogger.com
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