There is comfort almost buried (at least many have not seen it!) in Isaiah 61:1, 2.
It’s Jesus speaking in prophecy of Himself:
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed me to ... bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound: to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God ...”
Note: the abundant time of the loving acceptance of the Lord toward repentant sinners is as an entire year of 365 days, compared with only one day of His punishing “vengeance.”
Paul says that “where sin abounded, [the Lord’s] grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20). The “grace” wins out.
What saves us is not craven fear of punishment, although for millennia people have assumed that the only way to control wickedness is the terror of threatened punishment.
There is a wonderful passage in Paul’s Letters that on the surface at first seems to suggest that: “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men ...” (2 Cor. 5:11).
But look a wee bit further:
“The love of Christ constraineth us: because we thus judge, that if One died for all, then were all dead [all would be dead if He had not died for “all”]; and that He died for all, that they who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him who died for them ...” (vss. 14, 15).
When your sinful heart contemplates, judges, comprehends that “grace,” suddenly the bands of wickedness are broken, you are set free, and “henceforth” you are “constrained” to “live unto Him who died for you” your second death; now nothing can stop you from giving yourself, heart and soul, to the Savior who died for you—yes, died your second death, entered hell to find you there and save you!
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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