My last post was titled, “When God Hates” (Click here). I don’t have much difficulty identifying with Psalm 5:5 in relation to sin and sinners (Read Friday’s blog post if you struggle with the possibility of God hating). Where I scratch my head most is when I think about God’s LOVE… WHO he loves… HOW He can love them… and WHY He would love them (Actually… why He would love anyone… me most of all.).
Think about God’s love. He loves reprobate sinners who deserve immediate and eternal condemnation in hell from the first breath they draw from the womb. Not only does He LOVE sinners, but He calls them to work for and with Him! Not only that… He entrusts THE most precious thing in the world (The Gospel) to people who are failures and fail.
It would be like allowing a convicted child molester to baby-sit your kids or trust a convicted thief and robber to manage your money or a serial adulterer to pick up your spouse at the airport and stay in your home with them for a few months while you’re gone. Get where I’m going? Now think with me…
God picked a habitual liar to be our “Father of Faith” (Abraham)
God picked a murderer with a speech impediment to lead Israel out of Egyptian bondage (Moses).
God picked a deceptive liar to become the forefather of His people (Jacob).
God picked one He knew would become an liar, adulterer, and murderer to be king of Israel and write songs {Psalms} to be used in worship (David).
God granted a prayer request for wisdom from a man who had 700 wives and 300 concubines (Both are violations of God’s commands) who then allowed many of his wives to worship idols in violation of Scripture (Solomon).
God chose a harlot to be one of His son’s ancestors (Rahab).
God picked a person who lacked faith and was a known doubter to be a leader of the early church (Thomas).
God chose a man who denied Christ publicly and cursed Jesus loudly to be THE leader of the early church (Peter).
Among those God chose to be Apostles were: An insurrectionist (Simon the Zealot), a social outcast (Matthew the Tax Collector) and one who was a greedy self-serving thief He knew would betray His Son (Judas).
God chose a man who killed Christians to write over 1/3 of the New Testament (Paul).
The early church was filled with those God chose who USED TO BE: Sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, those who practice homosexuality, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers (1 Cor 6:9-10). {Would YOU pick people with those traits to be in YOUR organization who had NOT YET renounced their reprobate character??}
THEN… if you are a Christian… He chose you to be in His family. YOU… a sinner deserving condemnation just as much as Judas did. YOU have skeletons in your closet (As we all d0)… are immature… make mistakes & fail regularly. We all deserve hell just as much as anyone who has ever lived. WHY would God choose YOU (OR me!)?
Apart from Christ, no one is worthy of God’s love. We are unlovable sinners. YET… for reasons that testifies to the grace, mercy, greatness, and compassion of God… He has included us in His kingdom. God’s Love can be called confusing because He loves the UNLOVABLE (Me). That is AMAZING Grace!
See now why I say God’s love makes me scratch my head?! He doest NOT love based on conduct or actions like all humanity does… No… He loves because He chooses to. So I DON’T understand how God can love sinners… uh… me. His love makes me scratch my head much more than what I read about Him in Psalm 5:5… “You hate all those who work iniquity.”