Just wanted to say that I read this and it was very relevant to how I feel right now and how I struggle every day to understand grace and true forgiveness
When Paul listed off those who could not ever the Kingdom he immediately followed that with and such were some of you.
Just as when Isaiah saw God’s Holiness and he despaired of life and confessed that he deserved to die the VERY next words show the Lord giving a provision not just that he shouldn’t die but that he was made fit to serve.
These are the words that Isaiah later wrote (KJV):
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
“Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
The Lord’s “can” is so much greater than our “can’t”. His Grace can make the eyes of needles large enough for camels to pass through.
Considering how worldly rich we Americans are, nearly unprecedented, that’s some awesome news!