Avenged Sevenfold.
Being avenged sevenfold was not enough for Lamech. He wanted God’s vengeance upon his enemies seventy-seven times. Mark explains.
When Someone Offends Us
When someone offends us or wrong’s us, we have choices to make; be angry, push back, hold resentment or forgive and move on.
What choice do you usually make?
The Bible tells us in the book of Ephesians chapter 2,
“God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast…” Ephesians 2:4-5
God’s grace is His unmerited favor extended to anyone who acknowledges their transgressions against Him and have faith that Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for their sins, thereby receiving salvation.
Given that God extends grace to us, we must humbly acknowledge that we also need to extend grace to others.
God’s salvation by grace, at face value, can appear to be a divine act of great injustice.
Is not God just?
Justice
Justice says that when you do wrong, you get what you deserve, but the grace of God is unmerited favor toward a wrong doer.
How does this work?
When God bestows His grace to a repentant sinner, who receives Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for their sin, they are then associated with Jesus, who was sinless, and just/righteous. Anyone who believes in Him stands justified, before God, based only upon the merit of Christ’s saving work on the cross.
Faith in Jesus saves us from God’s judgment, by His righteousness being accredited to us. God’s marvelous grace is given to anyone who believes in the person and work of Christ; recognizing His undeserving gift of salvation. Understanding that their deliverance was a great cost on Jesus’ behalf humbly motivates them to live for Him and align themselves to His will. The natural response to knowing Jesus great act of love is a desire to live the new life received in Christ.
The Gift of God’s Grace
It’s hard to explain, but you cannot comprehend the gift of God’s grace until you receive it. Even after you have it, it’s hard to fathom. We will probably spend eternity contemplating the underserved love He offers humanity.
All this said, it is not surprising to say that those who are not saved will struggle to understand the concept of grace. Unless it is grasped, how can it be seen as anything other than the freedom to sin without consequences?
A Tree is Known By its Fruit
The difference is that our lifestyle will reflect the love we have for our merciful Saviour.
Romans 6:15 states,
Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!
Jesus taught that a tree is known by the fruit it bears; therefore, a genuine believer who claims salvation in Christ, will live their life according to their declaration of association with Him.
How far back does the misconception of God’s Grace go?
Cain to be Avenged Sevenfold
We read of the first example very early in the human experience; way back in Genesis chapter 4, and it’s based upon the mercy and protection God showed to Cain. He was the first person born into this world from Adam and Eve, who were the first people created by God. We read how Cain murdered his younger brother Able out of jealousy, this being the first recorded act of sin.
All sin is condemned by our Holy God, but murder, the shedding of another’s blood is seen as one of the most deplorable sins. Yet God showed great grace and mercy to Cain. Cain feared for his life, he cried out to God saying, “…now there will be those who will hunt me down and look to avenge the death of Abel by killing me.” God heard his plea for mercy, so He marked him visibly to warn everyone that he would be avenged sevenfold if anyone struck him.
This was truly a remarkable act of God’s mercy and grace toward a man who did so wickedly.
The Difference Between Mercy and Grace
What is the difference between mercy and grace?
Mercy is compassion shown toward someone who deserves punishment.
Grace is favoring someone who does not deserve it.
As chapter four continues, it gives an account of the generations born from Cain, and their human progress. When we come to verse 23, we are told about Lamech who is the seventh descendent from Cain, boasting to his multiple wives how he killed a young man for hitting him. He boldly implements to himself, the grace God gave Cain, saying;
“If someone who kills Cain is avenged sevenfold, then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times.”
What a heinous sin. He speaks in place of God. He not only self-justifies his actions, but he also applies a double part of God’s vengeance upon anyone who kills him. Why? Because he felt more merit in committing murder than Cain, he claims his situation is different. He killed in an act of self-defense. His thinking is, “…so, what God did for Cain He will do more so for me.”
The Way We Feel About Justice
If we are honest with ourselves, the way Lamech felt the need to be justified for his wrong action, and his desire to have stern judgement come upon anyone who opposes him, is much the way many of us feel the need to retaliate against those who wrong us…
We all have within us the desire to see justice done, especially when we feel slighted ourselves.
Getting even is the first inclination of our heart towards someone who offends; paying them back with something equally as bad or worse than what they did to us.
It is very much against our nature to show mercy and decide to say, “I’m going to forgive you for the wrong you have done to me.”
A Man Who Was Forgiven
When we turn to the New Testament, we read in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 18, how Jesus shared a parable about a man who was forgiven of a great debt, but he refused to forgive others who owed him. This is mostly our problem also. We love to be forgiven for our wrongs, we feel everybody should be right with us, but we find it hard to forgive when the hurt is ours.
Peter, a disciple of Jesus came to Him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy-seven times.”
Jesus is not meaning this is a set number of times you should forgive someone; he is simply taking Peter’s proposed number and implying that forgiveness needs to be given in abundance, a number so big that our perspective of forgiveness toward others should be limitless.
Being avenged sevenfold was not enough for Lamech. He was so wicked, he wanted God’s vengeance upon his enemies seventy-seven times (limitless), but Jesus says the opposite; “forgive those who wrong you, seventy-seven times” (limitless).
God’s Grace Misinterpreted
The story of Lamech is the first example of God’s grace being misinterpreted, abused and twisted in scripture. Since then, there have been others who have also fallen into the same misconceived thinking; “because of God’s grace, I am forgiven, my salvation is secure, I need not feel any guilt or need to repent when I do wrong,” continuing to sin without feeling shame.
God’s grace does not justify wrongdoing. The assurance of salvation we have in the cross work of Jesus Christ should not allow us to have an attitude to be okay with sin. If we ever have the thought that we are “off the hook,” for a transgression we have committed then that is wrong thinking, and we are abusing the grace we have received. It does not mean that salvation can be lost if we sin, but that our transgressions should not be intentional.
Awareness of Wrongdoing
Believers in Jesus continue to live in bodies of flesh and continue to sin. Although they hold a position of salvation in Christ, with the indwelling Holy Spirit of conviction, that helps make them more aware of their wrong doings.
Followers of Christ are not made perfect at conversion. Not until they enter the glory of His presence, but that is not an excuse to act in an indecent manner, and think it is okay.
According to Romans 6:18, we are slaves to righteous living because God set us free from the slavery of sin. For this, we are grateful. As a result, believers ought to live with this in mind and live with the conviction to do what is right rather than wrong.
The Apostle John gave us the right course of action we should take when we do sin; he wrote in his first epistle,
“…if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
I John 1:9
When you sin, don’t call it something it’s not. Claim your sin as sin, go to the Lord and confess it. He promises to forgive and cleanse us.
This is God’s will for His children as we see in 1 John 1:7
“… if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7
Are you able to forgive or do you seek your own revenge? Contact us at HopeStreamRadio, or comment below.
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