It’s a shameless promotion, I know; but New York Times best-selling author Ted Dekker is coming out with a new book April 19! The Priest’s Graveyard looks to be the best Dekker book yet – full of action and challenging themes and with Dekker’s signature style. While I haven’t read it yet (I’m still very much in the middle of studying for OKAPs), my sources tell me that this is a very good book!

Here are some links to check out:

Booklist Review
Podcast interview between Ted Dekker and Fiction Addict bloggers Jake Chism and Josh Olds

“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.” —Hebrews 10:10 (NLT)

Now, before anyone gets into a tizzy because grace can’t (and probably shouldn’t) be packaged into a nifty little formula, I hope this exposition ends up bringing about a greater appreciation for God’s amazing grace.

So what am I talking about when I refer to the “mathematics of grace?” Well, it’s my approximate and imperfect way of describing why only Jesus saves. So as I stumble through this little illustration, I would encourage you all to really test this against what God has revealed in Scripture – after all, if I’m in the wrong somehow, I don’t want to be spreading falsehoods. And please (tactfully) let me know if I’ve got it all messed up. Ultimately, Scripture is the authority; please don’t take my illustration as THE dogma of this theology. At the same time, I do believe that what I am about to explain is based out of what God has revealed in the Bible. So, with trepidation, let me set up the groundwork for this illustration.

==== Assumptions ====

To start things off, as with all mathematical theorems, we need to start with some basic assumptions. My intention is not to prove that any of these assumptions are true – there are volumes written by people much smarter than I debating the truth of these assumptions. I do want to write out these assumptions so that my rationale makes a bit more sense. I am willing to concede that these assumptions may be false. However, I believe that these assumptions are true as best as I understand it.

1. There is a single standard of infinite perfection, embodied in one Being, God Almighty.
   
   Throughout the Bible the essence of who God is defined as the embodiment of goodness (Mark 10:18). The only completely infinite Being, the First Cause, He possesses every good attribute infinitely. Many people balk at the thought of an absolute standard out there. Yet, if we were to look at various “good” characteristics – love, kindness, happiness, faithfulness, justice, etc. – regardless of the culture and the language translation, there are sets of attributes that people value highly. I don’t think it’s too much more of a stretch to consider that perhaps these good attributes can exist infinitely and perfectly. And if these character qualities were found in a single Being, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to call that Being God.
   
   I’m not going to spend time debating questions such as “if God is all powerful, can He make a rock so big He can’t lift it?” and such things like that. This is one of the assumptions I am making, as part of what I believe the Bible says about who God is and how the universe works. But I hope it somewhat makes sense.
   
   
2. God chose to create beings apart from Himself that could make choices.
   
   Again, I don’t want to dwell on this too long. Angels and humans alike were created with this freedom of choice, the choice to follow God or reject Him.
   
   
3. Consequently, there was then the potential for choosing a path apart from God. Paths apart from God are defined as sin.
   
   Sin and evil have a bunch of different theological definitions. At the heart of those definitions (that we “fall short” [Rom. 3:23], etc.) is the concept that if God is all things good, anything less than that will never measure up. The adjective describing those imperfections is evil; the noun and verb describing both acts and the action of evil is sin.
   
   
4. The consequence of sin is separation from God, which is defined as death (Rom. 6:23).
   
   Since God is defined as absolutely and perfectly good, imperfection is not tolerated before Him. I’m skipping a bunch of logical steps so I can get to the heart of my thesis. God did not set up rules just to punish us when we deviate from that standard of perfection; rather, imperfection simply cannot exist in God’s presence because He radiates all things perfect.
   
   
5. Another way of describing #3 is that, if we could quantify each individual sin, the subsequent consequence of each sin is separation from God (i.e., death) for the individual committing that sin.
   
   While individual acts that are contrary to perfection are by definition sinful, the consequence of that act befalls on the person committing the act. I think that’s pretty straightforward.
   
   

Now, with all that being said, I shall begin computing this mathematical concept.

Suppose each individual sinful act could be quantified as a single unit of sin. If one were to take all of the sin committed by all the humans in the world in the past and present, it is conceivable to add the units of sin to get one large (but finite) sum of sin. Now suppose that for each unit of sin, the penalty for that sin is a human death (which goes back to assumption #5). Considering that each human probably sins more than once per day, we can probably surmise that there is a higher tally on sins than there are (and have been) humans to pay the penalty for those sins…and we haven’t even talked about future sins!

So even if we managed to pay off this so-called debt of sin (which we can’t do without dying), we still run into the problem that we continue to and will continue to fall short of perfection. The only way to ensure that the penalty of every single sin (past, present, and future) has been paid once and for all is for an infinite price to be given. That way even if more sin is incurred, the sin has already been paid.

If that is so, only the death of an infinite being would suffice – after all, the death of a finite being would only carry a finite price. The infinite being would also have to be perfect and without sin, because if that being did fall short in any way, their death would be the consequence of their own shortcomings. This infinite being has to be in the form of a human, because in order for humanity’s sin to be paid humans must die. Have I lost you yet? Good.

Now, going back to assumption #1, God is the only being capable of paying the penalty for all sin for all time. And the only way for Him to do so is in the form of a human, living a perfectly sinless life, and to die despite being completely without blame. This is one of the reasons why who Jesus of Nazareth is just as important as what He did and what He taught.

Now, I suppose it could be argued that God only needed to take human form and “die” immediately following that. Perhaps He didn’t have to be born, grow up in a family, eat, poop, walk, etc. Yet, in living 33ish years as a human, God demonstrated that He wanted to empathize with His creation in knowing firsthand the struggles and difficulties, the joys and the heartbreak, the abuse and the love, that we humans see daily. Hebrews mentions that in Jesus we have someone who can advocate for us in the difficulties of daily life because He has experienced it (Hebrews 4:14-16). God also demonstrated mastery over death through Jesus’ resurrection, showing that there is a new life that can now be had, once the debt of sin has been removed. And after Jesus’ death and resurrection, God offers this new life to everyone who accepts the gift that Jesus paid for. This is why our salvation no longer depends on our merits and our death to satisfy the great debt of our sin.

I guess one could argue that, if all the sin in the world has already been paid for in full, why isn’t everyone “saved?” Well, let me use an imperfect illustration. Suppose I want to go to medical school. Medical school costs $250,000, and there is no way I can pay the medical school up front, so I take out a loan. After I get done with medical school and residency I’m faced with this $300,000 loan (with the accrued interest). Now suppose the medical school comes in and pays the loan, then offers to forgive the entire loan amount for me. If I accept their offer of forgiveness, I am no longer required to pay the loan. But if I reject their offer, I still owe them money and have to pay the loan. I believe that salvation is like that – while God has taken it upon Himself to pay the full penalty for everyone’s sin, if people choose to reject the offer of payment, they are still responsible for their sin.

Hopefully my explanation makes some sense. The way I view God’s amazing grace largely comes out of Paul’s grand thesis on grace in Romans and the explanation of God’s plan for humanity in Hebrews. I believe that this is why grace will always trump sin, and why our salvation is made possible by grace through faith and not by works. I also believe that in understanding grace deeper, the wonderful freedom that God has given us through Jesus provides the impetus for us to now live life in a new way – the redeemed life.

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

“God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.

So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. —James 1:12-18 (NLT)

What would life be like if we knew, deep into our innermost core, that we are God’s favorite? Would it not motivate us to do things we otherwise might not ever consider possible?

One of my favorite authors, Ted Dekker, addresses this question in one of his more recent novels, The Bride Collector. I enjoyed it immensely. Dekker explores this theme of favorites in a chilling and incredibly visceral story of a serial killer bent on murdering young women by draining their blood and then making them up to appear beautiful, to be presented before God as His favorite bride. The story’s climax stirs up the question, “what would you do if you knew that you are treasured?” While this post was not intended to be a plug or review for the novel, I highly recommend it as I churn out a few thoughts before I go to work.

I think it’s a commonly-accepted idea that we humans are all searching for love and acceptance. It’s reflected in most TV shows, movies, and songs. Why is being treasured so important to us? I believe that it is because when we are treasured, we are changed inside and out.

We are desperate for being valued in this way. It plays out in our ambitions. It plays out in our relationships. It plays out in our fantasies and dreams. There is not one aspect of our lives that is left untouched by this primal instinct, a driving need to matter and find what matters.

Why else would we cast aside meaningful relationships and temporary pleasures to pursue careers and advanced degrees, if not for some greater goal? Why else would we cast aside those careers and advanced degrees for the admiration of one man or one woman, if not for some profound sense of belonging? Why else would we endure the hardships of life, or perhaps try to prematurely end our lives to escape those hardships? We long to be cherished, and when we feel like we aren’t, we despair.

The book of James begins with words of encouragement to the Jews to endure through the seasons of great trouble. James writes that God promises a great reward for those who love God and persevere – “the crown of life.” James then goes on to remind his readers that God is not the source of evil. Instead, He is the source of everything good and perfect. He is constant, without any element of fluctuation. And He chose us to be His favorite.

I believe that this reminder serves to motivate us. A person who knows in his/her core that he/she is God’s prized possession lives passionately! Our thoughts are turned toward His, our desire is to please Him. All of our actions become an overflow of the Love that was first directed towards us in Jesus Christ.

A somewhat obvious illustration of this is played out in a young couple in love. A man will put aside all other things in his life that he once considered valuable (games, friends, etc.) to impress and woo the woman he loves. Similarly, a woman thinks about nothing else but the man who treasures her. Their lives are irreconcilably intertwined (perhaps in an unhealthy manner, but that’s a different topic for another day), and their lives are marked by the affection they show for each other, both in deed and in feeling.

Throughout the Bible this same illustration is used to describe how our lives should look, as a result of God’s choice to make us His prized possession and what happens when we focus our attention on Him and His incredible grace to us. How does knowing that you have been chosen as God’s favorite change you?

Don’t have much time for a long post…intern year has been even more time consuming than I ever thought possible! Here’s a little proverb that just came to me.

A little hubris clouds everything, but humility is the clearest mirror.

Disclosure: This review is sponsored by Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Bloggers program. I disclose that this book was given to me free of charge in exchange for a review. There is no content in this review that was required by Thomas Nelson for me to include.

I just finished reading Called To Worship, an expositional study of worship written by Vernon Whaley of Liberty University. Exhaustively researched and carefully explained, Professor Whaley explores worship of the God of Christianity through the Bible. Stories and cultural meanings are taught, with application to 21st-century God-worship suggested as well.

Be warned, this is not a feel-good, how-to-worship book. Called To Worship lays out the gentle but firm challenge that God Himself lays out throughout the Bible: Worship the Lord your God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. No compromise. Nothing half-way. Whaley reminds readers in a media-filled, style-driven generation that worshiping God is completely about God. This is a fantastic study of worship to augment and challenge someone’s personal devotions, or to explore as a small group.

Stars: 5+/5