This past weekend, Tim talked in the message about how a proper understanding of the wrath of God is necessary for an appropriate understanding of the love of God. Today I was reading an exerpt from a sermon by 16th century preacher Jonathan Edwards entitled "The Excellency of Christ" . Here is what he said...

"There meet in Jesus Christ, infinite justice and infinite grace.

"As Christ is a divine person, he is infinitely holy and just, hating sin, and disposed to execute condign (well-deserved) punishment for sin. He is the Judge of the world, and the infinitely just Judge of it, and will not at all acquit the wicked, or by any means clear the guilty.

"And yet he is infinitely gracious and merciful. Though his justice be so strict with respect to all sin, and every breach of the law, yet he has grace sufficient for every sinner, and even the chief of sinners. And it is not only sufficient for the most unworthy to show them mercy, and bestow some good upon them, but to bestow the greatest good; yea, it is sufficient to bestow all good upon them, and to do all things for them. There is no benefit or blessing that they can receive, so great but the grace of Christ is sufficient to bestow it on the greatest sinner that ever lived. And not only so, but so great is his grace, that nothing is too much as the means of this good. It is sufficient not only to do great things, but also to suffer in order to do it, and not only to suffer, but to suffer most extremely even unto death, the most terrible of natural evils; and not only death, but the most ignominious and tormenting, and every way the most terrible that men could inflict; yea, and greater sufferings than men could inflict, who could only torment the body. He had sufferings in his soul, that were the more immediate fruits of the wrath of God against the sins of those he undertakes for."

 Those last two sentences are illuminating to me. It is possible for us to perhaps imagine greater tourtures than crucifixionnow in our "advanced" age . However, regardless of the mode of physical torture Christ suffered, he suffered in his soul. This suffering was at the hand of God, not of men. And was deeper than any of those who are in Christ will ever experience.

Of all the religions of the world, Christianity alone proclaims a God who suffered so deeply for the sake of those he created.