the indulgence of God

...in my lectio divina today i was ruminating and pressing into Romans 3. i chose to delve into these deep waters of faith with the New Testament translated by Greek scholar Richmond Lattimore, which i highly recommend. He holds more true to the Greek syntax (even though in the English some portions seem like big, long, run-on sentences). Yet he writes flowing straight from the Greek with no chapter and verse numbers breaking the continuity of the text (although the first and last are listed at the top of each page). this particular aspect has helped me tremendously in reading the text more naturally.

to the point today, this section jumped out of the pages and into my soul this morning and has me relishing the gift of grace:

"But now the righteousness of God has been made evident apart from the law. It was testified to by the law and the prophets, but the righteousness of God is through belief in Jesus Christ; for all who believe, for there is no distinction. For all sinned and come short of the glory of God, but are justified by the gift of grace through their redemption by Christ Jesus, whom God put forward for propitiation through faith in his blood, for the demonstration of his righteousness by the forgiveness of sins committed before, through the indulgence of God; for the demonstration of his righteousness in the present time, that he is righteous himself and justifies one who believes in Jesus."

i love that turn of phrase: the indulgence of God.

you see, God is the most free Person i know.

He gives instruction to His people, but it isn't 'set-in-stone' so-to-speak. it's more like good, general guidance, but as He continues to speak and guide, (and this is where we need ears to hear and eyes to see)...when He speaks again, it's time to do what He says, do that new thing...that out-of-the-ordinary thing...that freeing thing.

like when His people were marching around Jericho. instead of calling it quits on the seventh day, He called them to do all they had done previously, but almost doubled it...and He put the priests (exempt for military service) out front. He's free to ask us to do out-of-the-ordinary things.

like when Jesus heals on the sabbath. it brings freedom and demonstrates freedom at the same time...as the Lord of the Sabbath...

and He is free...He is free to indulge Himself to give us grace and to passover sin until the cross of Christ...

like i said, God is the most free Person i know...