There is a scene in the upcoming book 4 of the Without Time series in which Jimmy is struggling with God’s timing. Amos, his mentor from another time, counsels him by explaining that God’s choice of timing is never arbitrary.
“God never does anything important at random times,” he began to explain. “He always has a perfect time for those things. For the really important things, there’s the fullness of time."
He paused for a moment as he thought about it. “What was it that Paul wrote? ‘…when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son.’ (Galatians 4:4) What do you suppose that meant, exactly? It could not mean simply that God had waited ‘long enough.’ It was not as if any time would do. There are no arbitrary times for God’s interventions in history.
“Think of it, son. It was at the moment when earth most needed a savior that Christ was born in Bethlehem. But I’d dare say that it was also the moment when God most felt the need for men to be saved. The religious leaders of the day — those who were entrusted with ushering men to God — had instead become gatekeepers, blocking men’s path. It was at the point in history when the greatest barriers had been erected to keep men from God — that was the fullness of time. God felt the pangs of separation from his beloved creation. When humanity sought for God but could not reach Him, God came to man.”
Pause and consider for a moment what a debtor we are to divine sovereignty!
Having broken his law, as we all have, we were debtors to his justice, and we owed to him an amount that is too vast to repay. Yet, Christians can rejoice that we no longer owe God’s justice anything because Christ has paid the debt that we owed. I am no longer a debtor to God’s justice because He will never accuse me of a debt already paid!
Christ, to the uttermost, has satisfied divine justice; the account is settled; the handwriting is nailed to the cross; the receipt is given, and we are debtors to God’s justice no longer. (1)
Yet the truth is that since we are not debtors in that sense, we have become ten times more debtors to God than we would have been otherwise. The believer owes all the more to love.
Consider how much we owe to His daily mercy, that after ten thousand affronts He still loves us as infinitely as ever. Consider what we owe to his power for raising us from our death in sin; for preserving our spiritual life; for keeping us from falling. When a thousand enemies and trials have beset our path we have been held fast on our way. Although we have changed a thousand times, He has not changed once.
We are as deep in debt as can possibly be imagined. To God we owe our very self, and if we yield everything we have as a living sacrifice, it is but a reasonable service.
Yet even this infinite debt of love cannot match the love He gives us in return.
Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God. (2)
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love him. (3)
(1) Spurgeon, Morning & Evening, Feb 3rd.
(2) 1 John 3:1
(3) 1 Corinthians 2:9
Inspired by “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors.”," Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Feb. 3rd