In Alcoholics Anonymous, people are told not to take another person’s “inventory.” Instead, they are encouraged to focus on themselves and honestly assess their own actions.
In God’s world, however, He is perfectly free to take our “inventory.” This divine assessment helps us realize how much we need Him and highlights what needs to be corrected in our lives.
The early verses of Isaiah 59 share God’s assessment of our spiritual state. Verse 15 gives a blunt summary: truth is missing, and we are in a “world of hurt.”
Truth is lacking,
and whoever turns from evil is despoiled. (Isaiah 59:15a)
God’s Grace
I went to seminary to learn the theology behind something I had already experienced: God searches for us long before we even think of turning to Him.
This truth appears again and again in Scripture. In Isaiah, it is shown clearly as God responds to His people’s sins.
The Lord saw it, and it displeased him
that there was no justice.
He saw that there was no one
and was appalled that there was no one to intervene,
so his own arm brought him victory,
and his righteousness upheld him. (Isaiah 59:15-16)
How did God ultimately execute His justice with regard to humanity? Let’s break down the Apostle Paul’s understanding of God’s amazing act of grace for us.
(1) God is a righteous judge.
If a human judge pardons someone who is clearly guilty, innocent victims can rightfully complain that justice has not been served.
Paul wrote about God’s righteousness and how He overcomes the objection that pardoning sin is an unjust decision. He explains this in a long sentence that I have broken up for this article.
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets (Romans 3:21).
The law reveals the fact that God is entirely just in holding humans accountable for their behavior. Yet, there is something beyond the law, and that is the gracious activity of God through His Son.
(2) What humans were unable to do, Jesus did for us.
If we use God’s instructions as a template for a personal spiritual inventory, we will always fail.
As we stand before God in His courtroom of justice, we must plead guilty. We have all sinned, but God Himself has made a provision for our sin.
The righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe.
For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:22-23).
Intermingled with our guilty condition are glimpses of God’s provision for our sin. How can God be both a just judge and the One who justifies the ungodly?
(3) We are justified by God’s grace, which comes to us through Jesus’ sacrifice.
They are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith.
He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed;
It was to demonstrate at the present time his own righteousness, so that he is righteous and he justifies the one who has the faith of Jesus (Romans 3:24-26).
God is not a corrupt judge giving a free pass to a rebellious and sinful humanity.
Instead, He did exactly what He proclaimed in Isaiah. He acted on our behalf when we were unable to help ourselves. We were slaves to sin, pride, iniquity, and transgression, entirely unable to break free.
How can God be both a righteous judge and someone who passes over our sins? He did so by suffering the punishment we deserved.
Like all examples of healing in the Bible, God’s grace must be accepted in faith. We must be willing to receive what God has provided for us.
Reflections
I was able to put a name to what God did for me long after it had actually occurred. God was looking for me long before I turned to Him.
Around the world today, there are multitudes of people who do not know the theological nuances of Romans 3 or the academic terms taught in seminary. What they do know is the forgiveness of sins and a new life in hrist—all because our loving God did something for us that we could never do for ourselves.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 