The Enormity of What God Has Done

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9).

It is very humbling to meditate upon the enormity of what God has done for all of us by approaching mankind as that which He created — “Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5). As the psalmist so beautifully asks: “What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?” (v. 4). And what God has done for mankind is so unique that there’s only way the story can be told: in the light of the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-5 / 2 Timothy 1:8-10).

“For God so loved the world …” (John 3:16). “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. … We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:9-10, 19). Without God’s love, there would be no love at all.

The purpose, though, for our humility in light of the gospel and what God has done for us through His Son on the cross is not simply to make us feel bad (though we, at times, should). God’s love is designed to elevate us — “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as

you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11).

This “elevation” is not just to make us feel better about ourselves — although that might happen as a result of the relief which comes from our realization and acceptance that our sins have been completely forgiven in Christ — but to also help us be better in every station of life: whether at home (as parents and children), work (whether as an employee or employer), school, or even when we’re alone and no one but God knows what we’re up to. In Christ we find a fresh start, a new beginning, and an ultimate hope of heaven where “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4 / Isaiah 25:8).

With a new year beginning today, we generally like to view things as “new.” The calendar has indeed changed, but really just from one day to another. So how can we see a change within ourselves? The real benefit today is that we, as Jesus’ followers, are coming together as His body to worship Him and to remind ourselves of His indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15) as we participate in the Lord’s Supper — “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).

Furthermore, we come together to pray to and worship in spirit and truth the God of the universe, and to encourage one another by stirring up love and good works (Hebrews 10:24-25). In other words, we look up and we look around in our time together in worship and spiritual refreshment; if you will, our time together is a kind of spiritual huddle — where we plan and then go out into the world to put into play God’s wonderful words of salvation.

Our adversary, the devil, wants us to miss out — and the more we miss worship and Bible studies, the weaker we become spiritually. As Paul said to the Corinthians about their abuses of the Lord’s Supper, “For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That at is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep [i.e., died spiritually]” (1 Corinthians 11:29-30).

God’s salvation is offered freely (Isaiah 55:1-7 / John 6:27). Take full advantage of this opportunity before it’s eternally too late (­2 Peter 3:8-13).