The Power of Love and Grace.
As believers we are called and saved by grace. Many who believe in an angry God do not trust that His way of grace and love is a dynamic powerful enough force to bring about justice and overcome evil in this world. If you look around the religious world most of the time you see God portrayed as an angry and revengeful God who is displeased because of our actions. From a human standpoint, when we see all the evil and injustice in the world, I can understand the viewpoint that God should be angry and revengeful against evil.
Although understandable, it would be self-defeating if God acted in that manner. For James says, "The wrath of man does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:20). Anger leads to more anger, hatred breeds hatred, contempt leads to contempt and revenge leads to revenge. When people feel the dehumanizing effects because of the awful things people do religion in turn dehumanize them and retaliate by doing awful things back to them and feel justified in doing so as the religious wars have borne out.
The solution is not an eye for an eye but, but because of what the sacrifice of Jesus accomplished the solution is love and grace. Love and grace is how we can really fight evil in our world, transform bad situations and the hearts of people.
The strongest force in the earth is the power of love graced with God's grace, it has much more effect against evil that anger and retribution ever will!
Although understandable, it would be self-defeating if God acted in that manner. For James says, "The wrath of man does not bring about the righteous life that God desires" (James 1:20). Anger leads to more anger, hatred breeds hatred, contempt leads to contempt and revenge leads to revenge. When people feel the dehumanizing effects because of the awful things people do religion in turn dehumanize them and retaliate by doing awful things back to them and feel justified in doing so as the religious wars have borne out.
The solution is not an eye for an eye but, but because of what the sacrifice of Jesus accomplished the solution is love and grace. Love and grace is how we can really fight evil in our world, transform bad situations and the hearts of people.
The strongest force in the earth is the power of love graced with God's grace, it has much more effect against evil that anger and retribution ever will!
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