Grace Greater Than Grievous Sin
Favoritism. Jealousy. Murderous intent. Lies. Deceit. Prostitution. Hypocrisy.
How is it that these are the actions and characteristics of the heads of the nation of Israel?
I grew up learning the great stories of faith in the Bible. I grew up thinking that Bible characters were heroes we should emulate. So, when I grew up and read all the stories in the Bible – not just the “good” ones – so much of it didn’t make sense to me. There were many things that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his sons did that I thought were bad. But if they’re heroes and moral exemplars, maybe Abraham’s lying, Jacob’s deceit, and everyone’s polygamy is okay? That can’t be right.
In these stories, we see moments of great faith mixed in with moments of fear, weakness, and sheer wickedness. These men were far from exemplary; a fact that the opening chapters of Joseph’s story make indisputably clear. Yet – YET – God continues working through them despite their disappointing and destructive failures.
Viewing this within the context of the story arc of the book of Genesis, here’s what we see: God is on a mission to restore the blessing that was lost in the fall. He has purposed to bring that blessing through faithful partners, but their failure will not thwart his plan. This is because it is not based on anything good in us that is deserving of it. Rather, God’s commitment to bless is based on his own goodness and his desire for us to share in it with him. The continuation of God’s promises is owing to his relentless faithfulness to bring his blessing to us. This is good news! This means that our hope rests entirely on the never-ending faithfulness of God; the surest foundation there is.
Wait a minute, though. How is this okay? How can God just overlook all the damage done by these men? What does that say about God? Isn’t it unjust to bless the unjust? It is good to ask questions like this. This is the exact problem that Paul addresses in Romans 3:25-26.
…God put [Christ Jesus] forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
For God to continue in his promise, he overlooked the many sins and failures of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his sons. These are just some of the “former sins” that God “had passed over.” This calls “God’s righteousness” into question, just as it would any judge who did not condemn the criminals who came through their court. But Paul credits this to God’s patience, his “divine forbearance,” for the time until his wrath for those sins would be expressed and satisfied in Jesus. This is what he means by “a propitiation by his blood.” In the sacrifice of Christ, God proved himself “just” as the “justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
God was not “passing over former sins” in the sense of looking the other way. God patiently withheld his hatred of the sins of his people and continued in his commitment to his plan through them. This is because the preservation of his promise and the progression of his plan were working towards the appointed time when all the injustice that was left unsettled would be set right at the cross where Jesus endured and satisfied God’s wrath for the sins of his people. At the cross, God “shows his righteousness at the present time.” The cross proves that all the former sins that he had passed over were not ignored. God did not merely overlook former sins; he overtook those sins when Jesus rose from the grave.
Ironically, this means that the appalling sins we encounter in Scripture can be an encouragement to us. If it were only the good guys that God saved, what hope would we have? Even with grievous sin, God’s grace is greater.
~ Andy Barker grew up in Boston, Ma. and relocated to Charlotte in 2008. He currently serves as a Shepherding Elder at LIFE Fellowship. He and his wife Melanie have five children and have attended LIFE Fellowship for over ten years.