The Point where God and Man must Meet

Man is sinful, but God is holy and gracious. His holiness requires that sin be judged, but His grace requires that sin be forgiven. On the cross, both attributes of God were perfectly satisfied. Sin was punished to its fullest, not in the sinner, but in a substitute. When the sinner recognises his sinfulness, and sees God as gracious (the cross), forgiveness results. But when a sinner denies his sinfulness, and rejects the grace of God revealed on the cross, he will have to meet God for what He is: a holy God who must punish sin wherever it is found.

When the reality of what I am meets with the reality of what God is, depending on what I do next, the result is either salvation or judgment. The reality of what I am is that I am a sinner, and the reality of what God is is that He is just, holy and gracious. There is a point where God and man must meet, whether in grace or judgement, and that point is where both are revealed as they are: man as a sinner, and God as just, holy and gracious. If God is not received as gracious, He must be met as a just and holy God, the end of this is judgement; in this case, the sinfulness of man is met with the holiness of God. 

It is the will of God that everyone meets Him as a gracious God, and receive forgiveness, but sadly, some, because of their impenitence, will meet Him as a holy God who must punish sin. The choice of the point where we meet God is left to each of us to decide. 

Toni