Norway and the Scandal of the Cross

Jared Wilson proves once again why he is widely considered one of the best Christian bloggers in this piece - That Irritating Feeling, That Twinge? That's the Scandal of the Cross.  An excerpt below:

The horrid beast who murdered upwards of 100 in Norway last week deserves the full measure of justice executed upon him, and worse. He deserves the wrath of God. And if he goes to his grave as he is, he will experience the eternal conscious torment of hell.

But if he repents and believes in Christ . . .

That little "twinge" we feel at the very idea is our brushing up against the scandal of the cross....

...If this vicious murderer in Norway repents of his sins and trusts in Jesus' saving work on his behalf, when he goes to his grave he will be welcomed into the arms of the Father like a beloved child.

If this bothers me, it is because I have forgotten most of the Psalms and most of the New Testament were written by murderers.

And it is because I consider myself a better judge than God.

And it is because I have forgotten that I deserve the same fate as this horrid beast. Or I think I do not face this fate because of some comparative goodness of my own.

If this idea rubs you wrong or offends you, perhaps you need to rethink the depths of your own evil heart, for, like mine, it is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9). You may also need to reconsider the awesome grace of God. What a Savior we have!