Kaka D. Iralu
In the order of things in the universe, both at the level of creation (Physics), as well as morals (Metaphysics) Law comes before Power. The Law has to do with morals and power has to do with the execution of those morals. This means that before legal and political Powers were established, the Law was first given so that political powers can be guided by the law in the dispensation of God’s justice.
Now if man had evolved from a non-moral material object like a stone, the question of morals or the dispensation of justice would not be there. The question would not be there because man-the product of the inanimate stone-would be an amoral being needing no moral laws to guide him. But we know from the records of millenniums of human history that man is not an amoral being devoid of the knowledge of right and wrong.
Coming to the story of creation in the Bible, The all powerful (Omnipotent) God could have used his power to create man like a machine designed and destined to obey his moral laws without questioning it. In the created realm too, a machine is designed by its creator (Man) to operate according to the wishes and purposes of the designer. For example a vehicle cannot refuse to start and operate once the ignition key is turned. The vehicle simply has no choice to say, “I am tired today, so don’t start me!” God could also have made us like machines if he wanted to do so. But on the contrary, the moral God of the universe created us with moral choices of either obeying his moral laws or breaking them. In creation then: Choice and not mechanics was used for our creation.
Now, as the Biblical creation and human history unfolds, man used his choice to disobey God’s moral laws and brought sin and death into the human race. What now can save man from breaking God’s just laws? What choice was there on the part of the creator to redeem his creation from death without compromising his own moral laws?
At Calvary, God and his own beloved son had two choices before them. One was through power. The other was through love. As for power, when those who would crucify him came to the garden of Gethsemane and Peter used his sword to defend Jesus, Jesus said: “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my father and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (A Roman legion at that time comprised of over five thousand soldiers) Just imagine over 60,000 angels in glittering ropes and swords descending on the garden of Gethsemane in the night. I am sure all those unruly mob and the soldiers would have fled in petrified fear! But Jesus did not choose the way of power to redeem us.
The other choice was of course the cold desolating choice of Calvary where he had to hang in total abandonment and pain crying: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mt. 27:46).
Had Jesus resorted to power at Getsemane, power would have triumphed. But if power had triumphed at the expense of justice, then justice would have been nullified and defeated. But at Calvary, God’s justice on evil was neither by-passed nor compromised. At Calvary the power of Jesus bowed before justice and took the judgment of justice upon himself. This act of love was done for our redemption. And this penalty for the transgression of the law was paid in blood- the blood of the only begotten son of God.
In conclusion, was the sacrifice offered for the penalty of sin guilty of any transgressions of the Law? No, he was the unblemished sacrificial Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. (Jn. 1:29). Here, even the Roman authorities did not find any guilt in his person and washed their hands off guilt in hanging him. (Matt.27:24) The only guilt he was guilty of was- LOVE IN THE FIRST DEGREE. Thus both in the creation of man as well as in his redemption, God did not use the force of power but the embrace of his love.
