How wide is God's mercy, goodness, and wisdom?The old apostle John, the one who, of all New Testament writers, had the longest time to dwell upon Jesus and his revelation of "God, the Father Almighty," puts it all in terms of love: "Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:7–8). But one must understand that this "love" was and is an incredibly high standard. Does this mean that these people of love earned their salvation? That they deserved their acceptance by God? Not at all. It is simply a description of the wideness of God's mercy. The idea that God works with humankind strictly on a basis of merit is a mistake—especially when that merit is defined in human terms, which is the usual case. But the idea that anything and everything is acceptable to God is likewise a mistake. In his goodness and wisdom he responds to the flawed efforts of flawed humankind to reach him—by reaching them. He looks upon the heart: "The Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). This profound and pervasive prophetic wisdom was stingingly applied to some "righteous persons" of Jesus's day. "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others," he said, "but God knows your hearts; for what is prized by human beings is an abomination in the sight of God" (Luke 16:15). From Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge. Copyright © 2009 by Dallas Willard. All rights reserved. Used with permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
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