Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The Glory of God & True Contrition

The other night I was reading a sermon by Jonathan Edwards called "Praise, One of the Chief Employments of Heaven." As Edwards spoke about the "transcendent glory and divine excellency of God," I had a revelation of how right John Piper is when he says that true remorse for sin only comes from beholding the glory of God. Here are some thoughts I wrote down at the time:

Man can be made to see that his actions are evil in relation to other men, but this pales in comparison with the profound sense of shame and humiliation he will feel when he sees the infinitely bright and glorious excellencies of Christ and realizes what he has traded them for — the complete and total opposite. This is why evil men will hide their faces in shame when the glory of God is displayed to them at the Judgment. Imagine people seeing all of the infinite perfections of God, his infinitely glorious and sweet love and mercies, and realizing that instead of pursuing and embracing Him, they sought satisfaction in Jerry Springer and South Park. As Paul Washer says, "They will melt like wax figurines in front of a blazing furnace." Imagine how the man will feel who, while beholding the supreme beauty of Christ, realizes that he has spent his entire life excelling in things that God utterly abhors and leading others to do the same. Hugh Hefner's soul will implode into a million pieces when he stands before the glorious throne of the Almighty and fixes his eyes on the breathtaking beauty of Jesus Christ!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Stunned by the Beauty of Christ

When you think of great religious leaders and what they are like, what comes to your mind? You may picture Moses and his miracles, the Pope and his piety, or perhaps Gandhi and his non-violent reform. But what I would like to do in these next few paragraphs is show you something that stunned me about the greatest religious leader that ever lived—Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God.

In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus sits down to dine with a Pharisee, a strict religious man among the Jews. A “sinful” woman (or prostitute) comes up and stands behind Jesus. She then begins to weep over his feet, wet his feet with her tears, wipe his feet with her hair, kiss his feet continually, and anoint his feet with perfume. The Pharisee objects, knowing that she is a prostitute...but how does Jesus react? Does he preach against prostitution? Does he stay quiet? No. He defends her and loves her with intensity. He tells her, “Your sins are forgiven”—a powerful declaration of his love—and finally, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Jesus—being one with God the Father—is perfect in righteousness, complete in holiness, and fierce in wrath against wickedness. But this same Jesus also loves contrite prostitutes. He loves those who are sorrowful over their sins, even if they have committed unspeakable acts against him. He loves them intensely and personally. He is not unwilling to befriend the lowest and most despised of our world. He humbles those who are proud and raises up those who are humble. When I read this passage from the gospel of Luke, I could not help but be struck with the beauty of Christ as he—the supreme leader of all religious leaders—condescended to this sinful woman and loved her openly among the Pharisees. And when I compare this wonderful blend of perfect righteousness and compassionate love to the gods of other religions—Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.—I am stunned with the all-surpassing beauty of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.