The Offensiveness of God's Grace

There is an element of the grace of God that, when properly understood, offends our human notions of justice.  My sense of justice insists on placing limits upon God’s grace.  Eventually, grace must run dry so that justice can be served.  But my impatience and self-righteousness expect God’s grace to run dry far sooner than befits His slow-to-anger, long-suffering character.  

I take offense when God delays justice for the sake of grace.

Then, when I start thinking about my own personal sin, I am aware of how the grace of God to me is offensive to others.  For years, I lived a life almost exclusively for personal gain.  Sure, I was nice, but it was a kind posture aimed at self-advantage.  Sometimes, I wasn’t nice at all but instead was consciously aware of how I was seeking to control people and situations to fulfill my own desires.  I can imagine that some of the people who experienced my selfishness would despise the grace of God shown me in Christ.  My former life actually highlights the offensiveness of God’s grace.  For someone like me to be pardoned, forgiven, reconciled to God is legitimately offensive.  This pardon gives off a foul stench; it’s offensive to those whom I’ve sinned against.  

I wish I could turn back the clock and have a redo, but I can’t.  So I’m tempted to feel ashamed and put myself under some sort of justice stranglehold to atone for my past wrongs.  But that would be to ignore the grace of God…to box it inside of my personal sense of justice.  

I feel guilty for being a recipient of God’s grace.

But you and I cannot impose boundaries on the grace of God.  We cannot erect walls of justice to restrict God’s grace, to limit its reaches, to bottom out its depths, to dilute its potency.  And that offends me.  Who is God to “ignore” justice?  How can God determine to send an avalanche of grace into such a sin-sick creation when what we really need is justice?!  Who does He think He is?

I can feel a bit like Jonah.  I’m eager to receive the kindness of God personally.  I’m willing to consent to my sinfulness and rejoice in mercy.  But I’ve also got a vice grip on justice.  My subjective notions of justice prevent me at times from wishing grace upon others.  Sure, I snap out of it.  I don’t typically hold grudges and walk around demanding God judge others.  But my immediate response shows how deeply ingrained my offense at God’s grace is.  My default is not “Wow, God has been so gracious to me that I’m eager to see so and so experience his full measure of grace too!” 

My sense of justice is waging war against the offensive grace of God.

Thanks be to God that He is not bound by my notions of justice.  Nor is He bound by others’ cries against me.  My heavenly Father is entirely free to pour out grace on anyone and everyone.  It’s His prerogative.  The God who loved the world so much that He gave His only Son to die in the place of sinners is a God who has no one and nothing dictating to Him how He is to act.  And it’s only when I ground my understanding of His grace in that reality that grace ceases to offend and becomes delightfully amazing in all of its nuance and righteous glory.  Grace humbles.  The grace that would save a wretch like me, that would unapologetically speak life to a hypocrite in spite of his past self-seeking ways, is beyond words.  I need not apologize or feel bad about this gift of God.  Nor should I hoard it while demanding justice.  

Where grace exists, it reigns.  —C.H. Spurgeon

God’s grace is king.  And I can either be offended by it or I can celebrate it and worship God who is so gloriously good.  Day by day, I’m choosing to delight in it, to marvel at it, and to expect it to reshape my mind and my heart so that I might understand a little bit better just how great God is.

May offense give way to awe and joy.