For a second I felt like I was rereading our discussion from yesterday. Without the Grace of God we would be forever cut off right now! We must be tapping into the mind of Tozer. We’ve been reading Tozer’s words daily for 5 months now. Makes sense that we would start to think like him at least a little bit. Today, Tozer takes us a step further.
Yesterday, as I was thinking about the Grace of God throughout the work day I was struck by the realization that sin and grace are great equalizers. No one is more fallen than I am. Everyone receives God’s Grace. Today, Tozer concurs. Even Hitler, he insinuates, was given the opportunity to honor God. The evil that separates Hitler from God is the same evil that separates me. There is no distinction when we are compared to the holiness of God. Hitler wasn’t special. He was human. Neither am I special, whether for good or evil. As sin separates all of us equally, God’s Grace is also freely available to everyone for reconciliation.
There is a story from the Nuremberg Trials that encapsulates this idea of ‘equal evil.’ Yehiel De-Nur was a prisoner at Auschwitz and was brought in as a witness against Adolf Eichmann, the man who ran the camp and executed the genocide. He ended up passing out in the courtroom after giving his testimony. Many thought it was because he had to relive the evil he experienced. But in an interview with Mike Wallace on 60 Minutes he recalled why:
“Was Dinur overcome by hatred? Fear? Horrid memories? No; it was none of these. Rather, as Dinur explained to Wallace, all at once he realized Eichmann was not the god-like army officer who had sent so many to their deaths. This Eichmann was an ordinary man. ‘I was afraid about myself,’ said Dinur. ‘... I saw that I am capable to do this. I am ... exactly like he.’ (Getz)”
Realizing you are capable of incredible evil is one of the steps toward also recognizing the Grace of God in your life. Recently the Lord taught me that I tend to look down my nose at people for the wrongs I see they’ve committed. I also hold myself in high regard for the good things I’ve done. With a selfish vision like that, there is no way for me to see God’s Grace. I am blinded by pride and selfishness. When De-Nur walked into that courtroom he didn’t see a demonic monster. He saw a regular old man. De-Nur was no longer blind. He saw the condition of all humanity, of which he too was a member. No different. Equally capable of the same evil.
Yes, we are incredibly evil and deserve death. Now take a deep breath.
Praise the Lord. You didn’t earn that breath. You aren’t owed the next. It’s only by God’s Grace that we live and breathe. Praise the Lord. Keeping this in mind throughout your day will remove your blinders and open your eyes to see more of God's Grace, specifically to Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, and Self-Control beyond what you can imagine. I guarantee it!
Getz, Gene (2004). The Measure of a Man: Twenty Attributes of a Godly Man. Gospel Light Publications. p. 141. ISBN 0830734953.
My wife Alysha and I host a podcast called Disrupt the Comfort. In it we discuss what the Lord has been teaching us and how the Lord is moving us out of darkness into light. Look us up on YouTube or Spotify.
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