Rescuing the Perishing

8 MAY

Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that He should return from his ways, and live? Ezekiel 18:23

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Revelation 22:16-21

God earnestly desires that those who are perishing and rushing to destruction should return to the way of safety. For this reason the gospel is spread abroad in the world. In this, God bears witness through all the ages how inclined He is to pity the lost.

The heathen may be destitute of the law and the prophets, yet they are always endued with some taste of this doctrine. True, they are suffocated by many errors, but they are also induced by a secret impulse to seek pardon from God. Also, the sense in some way is born in all people that God will be appeased by all who seek Him. God bears witness to this clearly in the law and the prophets.

In the gospel, we hear how familiarly God addresses us when He promises pardon (Luke 1:78). We can know salvation by embracing the mercy that He offers us in Christ.

It follows, then, that what the prophet now says is true, that God does not will the death of a sinner. God meets the sinner of His own accord. He is not only prepared to receive all who fly to His pity, but also calls them toward Him with a loud voice when He sees how they are alienated from all hope of safety. Note also the manner in which God wishes all to be saved, namely, that they turn away from their wicked ways. God does not wish all men to be saved to renounce the difference between good and evil. Rather, He stresses that repentance, or turning aside from wicked ways, must precede pardon.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION:

God cannot compromise His just character for men and women to be saved. He desires their salvation, but He still demands satisfaction for their sins. They must repent and trust in Jesus Christ and the salvation provided through Him. Have you truly repented, or are you simply banking on God’s loving character? His love will not compromise His justice. We must flee to Christ in true repentance.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke