fhansen
Oldbie
And yet this simply means that, while God's forgiveness may be universal, we may or may not care, we may or may not accept it, or after once accepting it, may reject it again.One can shipwreck their faith and turn away from the Lord toward apostasy, that doesn't mean God has revoked His forgiveness. That forgiveness is universal and for all by the death and resurrection of the Son of God who gave His life for all unconditionally. We apprehend that forgiveness through faith, given to us by God as pure gift through His Word and Sacraments; if we despise His gifts, reject His mercy, and go our own way then we cast ourselves away from Him; that doesn't mean God's forgiveness is conditional. In the parable of the Prodigal Son the good father at no point forsook his son, mercy and forgiveness were always there, boundlessly from the father's good and loving heart--it was not the father who abandoned his son, it was the son who abandoned his father--the son spent his time in the pig slop by his own volition, choosing to remain apart from the good and loving father.
So it is with our good and gracious God, there is no end or limit to His unyielding love and compassion which He has for us, He forgives not from anything worthy we have done, but by His own grace, on Christ's account alone which is for us as pure and unmerited gift. The only reason we are on the outside, with the pigs and the muck, is because we choose to be.
-CryptoLutheran
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