The full extent of grace

To see the full extent of grace, sometimes I have to look at the full extent of sin. My mind works in contrasts a lot. It helps me to learn and to grow - especially when the contrasts are concerning something so utterly relevant and definitive to my life and the way I live it.

For me, the full extent of sin is seen not only in the sinful acts I do, but it is seen in my capacity to sin. Even where I do not sin, when I choose to control myself and not allow the temptation to pull me in, the very fact of my contemplating the sin even for a moment condemns me. My mind is sinful. I find sin attractive. It is an option for me.  I am tempted to sin all the time. I relate to temptation. I consider the possibility of acting in sin. I weigh the pros and cons of sinning. My very consideration is a mark against me.

Jesus never considered sin as an attractive possibility. To sin was a concept so foreign and disgusting to Him that He immediately responded to Satan's tempting with righteousness. Satan sought to tempt Him just as he tempts us. The intent of the tempter remains the same in all cases. Satan wants people to fall, to sin, to deny God. Especially, I think, the Son of God incarnate. I imagine he was trying his devious best at that point.

In Christ, there was no connection. Jesus was completely without sin. Satan could not relate. He sought to tempt Jesus, to see Jesus fall, and found no hold. Jesus was sinless, perfectly righteous, perfectly good. Just as the volume of my sinfulness is basically limitless, so too is the volume of Christ's righteousness, of His goodness.

It is beautiful then for me to think of my own atrocious worthlessness, and then look away from my self (knowing full well that I can find no way out of sinfulness on my own) to my Saviour. The full extent of grace is that Jesus was willing to die for sinners, sinners so fully entrenched in their sin that they are ignorant of the depths. He was willing to take the full extent of our sin upon Himself, and bear it all, and die for it. He was willing to transfer to me all of His righteousness. I don't even understand that. It brings tears to my eyes to think of all that Jesus endured, and all that He has given to me, in spite of who I was. Oh to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!