"What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish. [Matthew 18:12-14 NASB]Jesus is continuing His thoughts from the previous verses. The "little one" He refers to are His disciples, that is, those who have humbled themselves and become the children of God.
Jesus told us the consequences of causing a Christian to stumble. Here He tells us about the one who stumbles.
First, Jesus calls us His "little ones", and now He compares us to sheep. He, of course, is the shepherd. Jesus does what any good shepherd does when one of sheep goes astray. He seeks us out, not to punish, but to bring us back into the fold.
This is where religion so often fails us. We have this image of God, sitting on a throne with a lightning bolt in His hand waiting to punish anyone who sins. Sorry, but that is an image of Zeus from Greek mythology. This is idolatry.
God is not an angry Father, waiting with a belt in His hand, ready to whip you because you missed curfew.
God is not a judge, sitting behind the bench with a pair of scales in His hands saying, "You've sinned this much, so I require this much penance from you."
The truth is, we sin. And there is a penalty for that sin. But in dying on the cross, Jesus sacrificed Himself and paid the penalty for all of our sins.
Most of us are already aware that salvation is a gift from God. "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;" [Romans 3:23-24 NASB] and "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." [Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB]
It's not just the initial salvation that is by grace. The ongoing work of sanctification (becoming holy) is also by grace. Paul gives us an image of the sanctifying work of the Spirit, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." [2 Corinthians 3:18 NASB]
This also is by grace, and not by any works that we do. "This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" [Galatians 3:2-3 NASB]
God knows that sanctification is a process, and that we will sometimes stumble and sin. His forgiveness extends, not only to salvation, but also to sanctification. "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." [Hebrews 4:15-16 NASB]
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