Two marvels in one action...

 

Multitasker's really are not. We switch from one to the other but humanly only do one thing at a time. Not God. In redemption’s great climax at Calvary, He not only made clear two contrary affections at the same time and in one act, but dealt with both. Charnock writes of this and fills my heart with worship.

At the Cross, God manifests great hatred of sin, and the great love to the sinner by punishing the sin without ruining the sinner, and repairing the ruins of the sinner without indulging the sin. God shows His eternal love and eternal hatred by condemning sin to what it deserved, and advancing sinners to what we could not expect.

He showed His hatred of sin in other ways: in punishing the devil without remedy; sentencing humanity to an expulsion from paradise, yet ultimately pouring out His wrath on His Son. In condemning Jesus to a horrible death, He was a spectator who was “satisfied” by that horrible scene.

God put on His Son the pain we deserved that we might be restored to the place we had forfeited. He hates the sin so as to condemn it forever, and loves the sinner who believes and repents granting us joy and eternal life. He is at eternal defiance with sin, yet nearer in alliance with the sinner than he was before sin happened, almost as if our rebellion endeared us to Him. These verses sum it up:

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:7–12)

God, in great wisdom, twisted together the happy restoration of our broken relationship with an everlasting curse upon sin which caused the breach. Satan who seduced the sin fell also in this great plan of redemption. Hatred and love manifested together — hate for sin in the death of Christ, and love to sinners. This is the wisdom of God: Redemption that defeats sin and recovers the sinner.

 Christmas has become a gift-giving and gift-receiving event, eating too much and, for many, not a very happy time. The plan of God is sometimes celebrated in token, sometimes in deep reverence, but mostly not at all. Even so, we sense the wonder even if we do not understand what it is or why.

PRAY: Lord Jesus, I’ve sung “little Lord Jesus” but You are anything but little in my mind and heart. You agreed to the Father’s wisdom and in the power of the Spirit and the reality of Your love to do His will, You arrived, lived, died, and then rose again to redeem and deliver us from sin. What a wonder You are, and the best gift that could be given — and received.