BEYOND THE PALE

The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (II Peter 3:9).

It was a sad sight to me.  Here he was, an elder in my congregation, sitting on an up-side-down bucket smoking a cigar. He was thinking about going fishing.  This was the third week in a row that he had missed church, so I had to know what was going on with him.  My elder knew the Bible well, perhaps better than I.  He lived what he believed.  He always attended church, so his absence was out of character for him, as was smoking a cigar.  What could have happened to keep him from worshipping with the family of God?

The elder was not surprised that I was there.  We had had many Bible studies and discussions; some of them being about reformed theology, so he had a ready answer when I asked him, "What's going on?"  "I'm beyond the pale of God's grace," he replied.  He was feeling as if he was not acceptable to God because he was not one of God's elect, though he had been baptized on his confession of faith in Christ.  The truth was, however, he was in the down phase of bi-polar disorder; he was not beyond the pale!  His feelings were real, but his feelings were not the truth!

The theological truth is that no one is beyond the reach of God's grace except those who refuse to surrender their lives to the love and rule of Jesus the Christ.  The context of II Peter 3:9 is quite clear, the Lord delays his coming so that each person has ample opportunity to come to Christ.  God has ordained that his grace extends to all who will receive it.  When one feels that he is "beyond the pale," his feelings are lies from the father of lies!  Rejection of Jesus Christ is the only thing that puts one beyond the pale of God's saving grace!

God has not made some people for Heaven and other people for hell; it is contrary to his nature.  God is not a respector of persons (Acts 10:34-35).  Hell was made for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).  People go there only because they reject the one who came to save them!

Grace&Peace;
Tom