There has been a nice surge of online inquires since the recent My Hope broadcast by Billy Graham.
I volunteer as a chat counselor for people who respond to the web site with questions.
Some inquiries are from people seeking God and some from Christians with doubts.
It's a humbling and encouraging opportunity to share the Good News of Jesus.
This week a man used the occasion of our online chat (both of us are anonymous to the other online) to ask about God's forgiveness in Christ. He was stuck on the basic tenant of Grace - that God forgives us even though we do not deserve forgiveness. This, because Jesus died in our place on the cross, for the forgiveness of our sins. I explained that God then looks at us and sees no sin - Jesus having redeemed us.
The gentleman asked pointedly, how could God be so easily fooled - to see no sin when it is simply with Jesus. We went back and forth on this for quite some time, the man clearly struggling with God so easily re-directed, so as to overlook our sin.
This is not an unusual conversation. This man and many others have a hard time accepting God's willingness to forgive and love, because of what Jesus did on the cross.
I finally typed back to him..."its not that God is foolish to see past your sins...it is that he is merciful."
And that is what broke through for this man.
"Merciful." Ah, that made sense where the pure logic of retribution in our world did not.
Mercy is a foreign concept today. Especially mercy with no payback. Mercy without justice. Mercy with humble thanks.
The bible says "God saved us, not because of anything we did - but because of his mercy." Titus 2:5
For at least one person I met this week - that made all the difference.
What do you believe?
