The Greater Part

Not only did Christ die for us, His beloved, He died for God's glory.
Not only did Christ pay the penalty for our sins, He took away our guilt.
Not only did Christ redeem us as His own, He shares His inheritance with us.
God's love for Him, His love for the Father, is the same love He intimates to us, His people.

He gave us life, He adopted us into His family, He pronounced us NOT GUILTY, He imputed His righteousness to us, He reconciled us to His Father, He satisfied His Father's demand for justice on behalf of us, He sanctifies us with His own Spirit, and with the same power that He raised Himself from the dead He will glorify us with in the end. What greater love therefore hath God revealed to us than to give us the gift of knowing and worshiping Him?

Truly, the very nature of God obliges Him to administer justice and sentence sin to death, thereby upholding the integrity of His just character. What He was not obliged to do was to show mercy to me. Justice was a necessary obligation, but mercy is of His own free volition. He did not need to, but He did. In this sense, mercy is a greater attribute of His than His justice. But why would even God show mercy to this proud rebel? Because God, more than He is just and merciful, is pure love. 

Mercy is greater than justice, love is greater than both. He loved me, and gave His life for me. He bought me, so He can set me free. Free to serve Him, free to tell people about Him, free to love Him. Forever.

Lord, let me always be weak and needy,
that your grace might enable me to praise you
for your wondrous love, and your great mercy.

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Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever.
Psalm 106:1