[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by JJ

Now that's what real maturity looks like. Both repentance for wrong-doing, forgiveness, and not overstepping ones' bounds.

Thanks JJ for this wonderful post. Repentance and forgiveness are two of the pillars of our Christian life. What really stands out to me in this passage is that even though Joseph's brothers repentance was really more out of fear for what he could or would do to pay them back, and was hardly sincere, Joseph accepted their repentance anyway. It seems that Joseph left it up to God to judge and accept their repentance as sufficient and sincere enough.

This soft and tender heart displayed by Joseph really represents what God is like "in life and nature". All the repetition by rote of so-called "high peak" teachings mean absolutely nothing without a heart that has been truly changed by the love and mercy of God. Joseph also seemed to have learned something extremely profound about God's sovereignty - "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good". Only someone who has had their heart truly changed and their will submitted to God and his sovereignty could have comprehended such insight to the very "life and nature" of God himself.

Eventually, all who are truly regenerated will be transformed into a totally new creation and will be shining forth in God's Kingdom with his life and with his nature. The apostle John says it best: "and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2) For now, for anyone one to say that we are "becoming God in life and nature" is just so much theological gobbledygook, and at best is totally unhelpful, and at worse leads to what we see in our very dear, but very confused brothers and sisters in the Local Church. May God have mercy.
-