Second Journeys & Radical Grace

“For God has imprisoned everyone in disobedience so he could have mercy on everyone.” ~ Romans 11:32

Throughout history almost all cultures have believed and operated under the premise that sin and wrong doing are primarily to be punished...a price is to be paid, a pound of

flesh to be extracted. This has been the privy of courtrooms and lawyers, policing and prisons, conflicts and wars, and even most churches. The confounding revelation of the cross; however, is that sin and failure provide

the setting for transformation through the experience of an even greater grace.

As we as human beings difficulty admit the full nature of our wrongs, God’s intent is not for us to try to achieve some moral high ground or win back His affections, but for us to have a direct encounter with His already existent and never changing love. Our confession is not about punishing us, but about liberating us. As we expose our sin, God only loves more. He does not love us if we change, but He loves us so we will change. This is the unconditional love of his character that stands true regardless of our heart or actions. He cannot not love.

It is only love that effects true inner transformation, not duress or guilt, shunning or shame, isolation or social pressure. Only love transforms, and love is not love unless it is totally free. God’s love, most profoundly encountered when we are at our worst, overwhelms us with kindness that leads unto repentance and change. God resists our evil and conquers it with good, this is how he welcomes us into His economy of grace, and a radical grace it is!