{"id":1442,"date":"2011-12-31T13:22:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-31T13:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/davidcprice.wordpress.com\/2011\/12\/31\/a-reasonable-response"},"modified":"2011-12-31T13:22:00","modified_gmt":"2011-12-31T13:22:00","slug":"a-reasonable-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/davidcprice.com\/a-reasonable-response\/","title":{"rendered":"A Reasonable Response"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the opening of Isaiah, God says something that, to me, is astounding.\u00a0 He calls the readers to do something that sounds, well, unreasonable.\u00a0 He says, “Come now, let us reason together.”\u00a0 Crazy, right?\u00a0 No, think about it:\u00a0 The sovereign Lord of all that is, who created by the power of His Word, who controls all that ever was, who speaks and no one can respond, who, with the power of a thought can build up or destroy, whose ways are higher and thoughts deeper than anything that could compare, calls us<\/em> to reason<\/em> with Him.<\/p>\n

Be Reasonable<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s the backstory: The Father has just laid out a grievance against Judah, that they have come to Him with acts<\/em> of worship, but filthy hands and hearts.\u00a0 Rhetorically, He has asked them where they got such an idea.\u00a0 Do you think I like this?\u00a0 Has anyone told you to do this and act this way towards me?\u00a0 Do you think I’m stupid?\u00a0 Did I say that I like for you to make a mockery of worship? (Yeah, a little bit of paraphrasing there). He then tells them what He wants them to do (which we’ll get to in a minute) then calls for them to be reasonable<\/em> in their response.\u00a0 Look at how He lays this out (so easily a baby could just about reason through this):<\/p>\n

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1. Your sins are disgusting\u00a0\u00a0 —->\u00a0 they’ll be cleansed like snow.<\/p>\n

2. If you’re willing and obedient\u00a0 —->\u00a0 I’ll bless your socks off.<\/p>\n

3. If you refuse and rebel\u00a0 —->\u00a0 you’ll lose your socks. (look how strongly the Lord states this:\u00a0 “you shall be eaten by the sword.” Gives the idea of complete consumption\/destruction, no?).<\/p>\n

4. I said it. That’s it. No other options. (“…the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Simple, right?\u00a0 So, the reasonable response is……?\u00a0 Of course, any reasonable<\/em> person would do what God says.\u00a0 OK, so…..do we?\u00a0 Do you?\u00a0<\/p>\n

What God Said<\/strong><\/p>\n

Isaiah 1: 6-7 tells us what we’re to do that, in doing so, will lead to the blessings of God:<\/p>\n

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1.\u00a0 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. Learn to do good. (personal experience – it is<\/em> a process.)<\/p>\n

3. Seek justice.<\/p>\n

4. Correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So this is what<\/em> God said. Now, what did He mean<\/em>?<\/p>\n

In summary, He tells us to separate ourselves from sin (repent) and do works in keeping with repentance. These were the words of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:8<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

How does it work?\u00a0 Simple.\u00a0 In our context (A.D.), it is coming to terms with the blood sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, who, having made peace with the Father on our behalf (that is, since He was pure and had no need to have His own sins purified, He could, in perfection, stand in and trade His purity for our impurity by dying the death we deserved, bearing the penalty of sin for us, absorbing the wrath of God towards sin so we don’t have to eternally and then rising from the dead so that Death is defeated forever), and repenting. That’s the “Gospel” or Good News in a nutshell.\u00a0 In my opinion, when you think of what’s at stake and what is gained, “good news” is an understatement!<\/p>\n

The repenting part is the application<\/em> of Christ’s pardon on our lives. If I don’t repent, I don’t get the benefit.\u00a0 It’s like getting a coupon for a free meal at a restaurant:\u00a0 Somebody<\/em> is paying for that meal, though I get it for free. However, I actually need to redeem the coupon in order to receive the meal.\u00a0 Repentance (that involves not only being sorrowful over sin, but actually turning away from that sin and believing what Christ has done) is that act of faith where I believe “the meal” has been paid for and is mine for the enjoying.<\/p>\n

Now the rest is the outflow of what has flowed in.\u00a0 Christ has given me salvation, called me to Himself, broken me over my sin, applied the ointment of healing through forgiveness as I repent, and sealed my soul for eternity with Him. Now, if that is real, I see the world differently:<\/p>\n