So for some time now you people have had to put up with ... ahem ... have got the privilege to read quotes and my (many) thoughts on the wonderful book, Knowing God, by J. I. Packer. But now I've finished that book and started The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul. So you now get to read quotes and hear my thoughts on this book. In his chapter, "Holy Justice," Sproul works to show how God's holiness and His justice fit together. In this section, he looks at God's grace vs. His justice:
How many times have I sang that hymn, thinking all the while, "Oh yes, of course God's grace is infinite. What a silly thing to question!" But I never took the time to really think about that statement and ask, "Now where is the Scriptural evidence for it?" Because if I did, I would have found none. Yes, our God is gracious, but He is also just. If God's grace was infinite, He couldn't be just. The actual definition of infinite is "unbounded or unlimited." If there were no bounds to God's grace, then He simply couldn't ever pronounce judgment, a thing as a just God, He must do.
So the next time you sing that hymn, think about God's grace, think about His infiniteness, think about His justice, but remember that His grace is not infinite. He is a righteous Judge, and when the time comes, He will act and He will punish.
"I remember preaching a 'practice sermon' in preaching class in seminary. In my sermon I was extolling the marvels of God's grace. As the hymn says, I spoke of 'God's grace, infinite grace.' At the end of my sermon the professor had a question for me. 'Mr. Sproul,' he said, 'where did you ever get the idea that God's grace is infinite? Is there absolutely no limit to His grace?' As soon as he asked that question, I knew I was in trouble. I could quote him chapter and verse of the hymn that taught me that, but somehow I couldn't come up with a single Scripture verse that taught God's grace is infinite."R. C. Sproul continues on to say, "The reason I couldn't find any Scripture passage to support my statement is because there is none. God's grace is not infinite. God is infinite, and God is gracious. We experience the grace of an infinite God, but grace is not infinite. God sets limits to His patience and forbearance. He warns us over and over again that someday the ax will fall and His judgment will be poured out."
How many times have I sang that hymn, thinking all the while, "Oh yes, of course God's grace is infinite. What a silly thing to question!" But I never took the time to really think about that statement and ask, "Now where is the Scriptural evidence for it?" Because if I did, I would have found none. Yes, our God is gracious, but He is also just. If God's grace was infinite, He couldn't be just. The actual definition of infinite is "unbounded or unlimited." If there were no bounds to God's grace, then He simply couldn't ever pronounce judgment, a thing as a just God, He must do.
So the next time you sing that hymn, think about God's grace, think about His infiniteness, think about His justice, but remember that His grace is not infinite. He is a righteous Judge, and when the time comes, He will act and He will punish.