Osama and common grace
Image via Wikipedia Common grace is more potent than we normally think. Special grace, on the other hand, is likely more nuanced than we tend to think. As these United States celebrate the just end to the life of Osama bin Laden , I’m afraid we are in danger of missing both of these truths. First, common grace is keeping the world from being populated with nothing but Osama bin Ladens. The difference between bin Laden and Gandhi isn’t that bin Laden was evil enough to embrace an evil, violent religion while Gandhi was good enough to at least choose and teach a more gentle, false religion. The difference is the amount of common grace given by the living God , the Father of our Lord Jesus . Both men were sinners. Neither gave any sign of having turned to the cross and clinging to the finished work of Christ. And so both men find themselves well beyond the reach of any grace, in eternal torment. Both are receiving what they so richly deserve. The state itself is a manifesta