Compassion

After thinking about what I wrote yesterday, the stuff Ravi said in the video, and some stuff that unfolded today, I got to thinking a lot more about the content of what Ravi said and the Bible supports many topics through scripture and as long as scripture is accurate then we can find everything to be true. Therefore, I thought today about a God who pours his wrath on people and shows compassion to others at the same time. Many people believe that God supposedly has only chosen/predestined "Christians" to be saved, per what the Christian church believes. This however is not true based on the validity of scripture, many people have been predestined and God has laid a call on their life but following the call is another story. I have covered this before about the call so I will not go into detail and if you would like to see that post then let me know and I will find it for you. What I am saying is this, people are not chosen to be saved because we all have freedom in our lives to choose what we do and do not do. the standards for what is true and noble are not set down by the Christian church, they are taken from the word of God. I always hear that church has all these rules but that is not the case. The church does not say you must abide by certain rules in order to come, God states that we must follow his rules in order to be saved and those who follow them are not doing it because they are told or because they are better than everyone else, but because they have made the choice to follow the commandments.  We see in Ephesians 2:8, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God."

God is one of compassion as he has given us a way out of our sin so that we are not condemned for our sins. God sent his ONLY son to die for us that we might live. I know we all have done something that we feel under-appreciated  for but Jesus feels like that every single day when people reject him. It hurts him to see a world so consumed that they do not even acknowledge him.  For it is stated in Isaiah 53:5, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." It is widely believed that Jesus did not die as a result of suffocation while on the cross but rather of a broken/ruptured heart this is the conclusion from the fact that blood AND water flowed from his side when pierced. Based on this verse, the flesh wounds are symbolic of his suffering and we are healed because of that. Now I will leave this to your determination and feel free to discuss with me or with others but the fact Jesus died of a broken heart leaves open the idea that the weight of the world's sin on him and the fact that he knew people would reject him even though he suffered caused his heart to break and that is was essentially killed him. Now you could make the claim of well what if he knew everyone would except him, what then? Well, he still had to die to fulfill prophecy and would have been killed anyway but I believe the broken heart symbolizes that he gave EVERY last part of his body for us just as he said at the last supper in Like 22:19, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." I know some of you are waiting for me to get to the compassionate part and I have just been setting the stage for that. We see at the crucifixion that two robbers were crucified with Jesus and one of them mocked him saying that if he was the Christ then he should bring them and himself down and save them. The rest of the section goes according to scripture in Luke 23 starting in verse 40, "But the other criminal rebuked him (the other criminal). 'Don't you fear God,' he said, 'since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.' Then he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' Jesus answered him 'I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.'

The compassion comes into play right here when the second criminal asks for forgiveness by stating that he deserves his punishment for what he has done. Then he asks Jesus to remember him when they enter the kingdom. Jesus could have said "look at the situation we are in, and you want me to save you?" but instead he understood that the man was sincere and not just trying to save his skin because he knew he should be punished but he wanted more in his heart. We ALL have sinned and fallen short, we all deserve to go to hell but by the grace of God we are saved through faith and by his wounds we are healed. God is not unjust, he does not say that there are people unworthy of his kingdom, as long as they make the choice to follow him. People are not condemned for being people, but they are condemned for being sinners.  "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." We have hope in Christ and everyone has hope in Christ but they just have to recognize it. Are you going to help them recognize their potential in life and in him?

I hope you all had a great day and I am happy to be able to spend time and indirectly talk with all of you. I am continuing to pray for all of you and if you need prayer, then let me know. I hope that you all continue to seek him and seek others for his kingdom. 

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson