SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1380

“There is a Limit”

And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever…” – Genesis 6:3 (NKJV)

God’s love, grace, and mercy are infinite.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. – Psalm 136:1

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end… – Lamentations 3:22-23

For from his fullness, we have all received, grace upon grace. – John 1:16

God’s justice is perfect.

The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. – Deuteronomy 32:4

Synergistic Intersection. The cross of Jesus is where these attributes of our Father’s infinite love, grace, mercy, and perfect justice meet in harmony for the propitiation of our sin and the salvation of our souls.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. – 1 John 4:10

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

Long Suffering and Patience: God’s long-suffering however has a limit. There is a point where He will no longer contend with those who are rebellious and refuse to accept salvation through Jesus Christ and He will say, “Enough!”  Regarding sin and its consequence, Jesus made this statement to His disciples:

No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. – Luke 13:3

Jesus went on to underscore His statement with the parable of the Fig Tree showing that the long suffering and patience of the Father has a limit before His justice is meted out.

And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’” – Luke 13:6-9

Disgracing His Grace: There are those who proclaim to be Christian who are lukewarm and seek to live a duplicitous life with one foot in the sin of the world and one foot seemingly on the path of righteousness. This is a disgrace of God’s grace, and He will declare that He never knew them at the last day.

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. – Romans 2:4-5

Revealed Wrath of Justice:  The Word of God reveals times where He said ‘Enough’. We see His justice meted out in the Great Flood in Noah’s time and upon Sodom and Gomorrah.

Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave…; For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it. – Genesis 18:20, 19:13

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty… For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. – Nahum 1:3; Romans 1:18

God Reaches Out in Love: There is no better time than now to respond to God’s loving call to repentance and salvation through Jesus. There is no better time than the present moment to turn from sin and to be born again by His Holy Spirit, saved by grace through Jesus Christ.

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. – Isaiah 1:18

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9

Enough! There will be a point where God will once again say, ‘Enough!’ Will your name be in the Lamb’s Book of Life on that day?

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. – Isaiah 55:6-7

May you be found to have the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22) on that day.