By: Emmanuel Huybrechts

The flesh of God torn asunder; can theological concepts even come close?  Can my intellect take it in? Is salvation brought about by a proper definition of cosmic power touching down from heaven and breaking the powers of hell, death and decay, and self-isolation in the stench of the ego of man forever steering into filth?

Jesus Christ is Lord, power from on high. I stand with the old Negro preacher for my atonement theology, “I don’t know how the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from my sin, but I know it does.”

I say His name on my lips, and His blood begins to flow. I look at a crucifix, and I know the power of God found a place to destroy hell.  I see that Priest raise heaven in His hand and say, “This is my body broken for you” as I reply “Only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

Satisfaction of justice or a satisfaction of a conquering King of Love–who shall lay any charge against His elect? It is God who justifies.

If justice was His motive for my redemption and it took the blood of God to do it, then it goes way beyond appeasing wrath, for God is love, and the justice it satisfied was God being true to what He is, Love.

Love stormed the gates of hell, love hung on a cross, love rose from the dead, and love poured out His Spirit on all flesh.  Love could not contain Him any longer, love demanded flesh in the manger, love demanded the desert with the devil, love demanded forgive them Father, they know not what they do.

Love breaks my hard heart by love. His blood is so mighty, so terrible that it reaches into the fall and puts it to death once for all. Love conquered death by death, and shattered justice into mercy. Hilarious mercy, God trampled on justice by a mercy flowing from Him as God from God, as light from light.

The real mode is: Will humanity respond to this comic mercy where justice has been abolished through the rending of His flesh?  Justice wasn’t satisfied in the death of God; mercy was satisfied, for mercy triumphs over judgment.

Love is the way, the truth, the life. Love is the answer to our human dilemma. If that bloody God lifted up before a world dying for love, dying to be loved, can’t reach us nothing will.  He satisfied the law of injustice by loving the unlovable.  Salvation has absolutely nothing to do with justice. His passion is the greatest act of injustice ever committed against man, for man by the God man.

Justice doesn’t demand a response, for even to respond to such mercy would be an act of injustice on our part. Only mercy can respond to this dread act of mercy. Have mercy on us Lord, and before we even say it we see mercy lifted up even to the right hand of the Father full of grace and truth.

Heaven demanded a great injustice because God is love.