God's nature is Loving... However, without the atonement - forgiveness is impossible. It would go against His character.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
November 20

"Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. To forgive sin, while remaining a holy God, this price had to be paid. Never accept a view of the fatherhood of God if it blots out the atonement. The revealed truth of God is that without the atonement He cannot forgive— He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God through the atonement of the Cross. God’s forgiveness is possible only in the supernatural realm.
Compared with the miracle of the forgiveness of sin, the experience of sanctification is small. Sanctification is simply the wonderful expression or evidence of the forgiveness of sins in a human life. But the thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin. Paul never got away from this. Once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as in a vise, constrained by the love of God."

WOW! I do love Oswald Chambers. This is even better in the original version, but I don't have it with me right now.

Think about it. We minimize the Atonement. We don't recognize, without the Atonement there is no forgiveness. We need the spilled blood covering our sins. The spilled blood - the Holiness of Jesus, Son of God - the sacrificial gift of the Holy Trinity. Without His Atonement being given and our decision to receive that gift - forgiveness is a mute point.

The reality that He gave Himself for us. That He loved us so very much that even in our rebellion against Him He made a way for us to live in eternity, holy and complete in Him. That overwhelms me. That creates in me a deep desire to share Him. To share Him with anyone I meet that doesn't know this truth. Because, as loving as God is - He cannot go against His Holy Character and receive any blot of sin within His heaven.

I don't want anyone to miss out on this amazing love, this journey, this holy hope. Being cradled in the loving hands of the Great God of Creation. Being loved in the midst of confusions/joys, ups/downs, ins/outs. Knowing that God is Holy and yet gifts me with Himself. Amazing Grace!


Your mutating missionary
and ebenezer

And so...