5.03.2011

God, Osama and the Church

I don't understand the eternal complexities of God's perspective on the death of Osama.

Seeing that God is both perfectly satisfied in his wrath AND broken hearted for the suffering of the wicked, I cannot with my little finite mind interweave his eternally just emotions of love and anger, patience and omnipotence, forgiveness and justice.
I can't with full assurance perfectly interweave and articulate how verses like Ezekiel 18:23 "Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? . . . For I do not pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live." AND Deuteronomy 28:63 "And as the LORD took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the LORD will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you." fit together.
I won't even try to explain the compassion and forbearance of the God and the promise to judge the wicked.
This is all too much for me to understand.

But I do think that I can understand what the churches perspective aught to be.

Remember Luke 6?

27“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,  28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.  29To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.  30Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them."

If there was ever a time to put Jesus' words here into practice it is now. I think that we can put Osama safely into all the "enemy" categories here and yet I have seen very little of the "love" categories response (especially on facebook) from those who claim to follow him.

Let us pray for this abuser, for if he is recoiling beneath the heavy wrath of God right now then he is a Jesusless man who is who paying the debt that is owed while I stand safely in Jesus who has taken the weight of my debt upon the cross.

ty

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