Our God is the God of odd distinctions. He proclaims in Isaiah 8 that he will be a sanctuary and a stone of offense (v. 14). He is simultaneously our greatest hope and our greatest fear. He is at the same time the one who brings joy and the one who brings destruction. The child born to Israel is the one who is already a King. And as we read in 1 Peter the victor is this Christ who has suffered for us.
Christ's people are the people of this promise. We have received this forgiveness from our Lord who has suffered. We respond to suffering b y bringing honor and praise to Christ. Does this seem odd? It should. It is quite different from what we see in this world. It is quite the opposite of our natural desires. But the God who makes these odd distinctions does this in us as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment