The Ultimate Board (Godhead) of Grace and Correction

“I am the LORD, and there is no other;” Isaiah 45:5

“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” Gal. 4:6

Years ago when I was an auditor with the Inspector General, DOD, I was called upon to audit actions taken by the Air Force, Army and Naval Boards of Military Correction of Records. The United States Congress established these Boards to deal with the many requests that returning WWII servicemen made to their Congressmen to gain entitlements through private relief legislation. Thus encumbered by the number of requests for private relief to attend to its general legislation, Congress gave the Boards broad powers; allowing them to act on their behalf to correct errors or to remove injustices that were proven in a serviceman’s record that would have otherwise barred the serviceman from receiving an entitlement or benefit.In examining those powers, I read one case where an individual; who was en route to basic training, died the day before his arrival at the base and formal enlistment. Consequently, his family was not entitled to Serviceman’s Group Life Insurance (SGLI) which would have been effective the day of his enlistment. The Board received the request to review the man’s case and found that it was unjust that the man’s family did not receive the benefit of SGLI coverage. After all, the man died while traveling to duty. Few could disagree with the Board’s decision. However, what was fascinating was how the Board had to correct the man’s record in order for the family to be entitled to the insurance. The Board was not simply empowered to say, ‘Go and pay the family.’ No, as a matter of law, the Board had to change the date of the man’s death to conform to the rules of SGLI entitlement, which was the next day. That revised date, under law, became the official date of death in all of his records. Amazing, huh?I would dare say that God; our Lord and Creator, possesses just a little more power than our military Boards. However, it is interesting that the Boards followed similar principles that God used in effecting our salvation. First, for those of us who confessed our sins and believed on the name of the Lord Jesus, we all were declared dead in Christ on the day of His death, and thus, we are today entitled to glorification through God’s SGLI plan (Saints Glorification Life Insurance). Secondly, our justification is a legal determination made by God; not because of anything that we did (we were all dead on arrival in this life). We live as a result of Christ’s righteousness, which was imputed to us (God counted it to be our own). Finally, neither the Boards nor God could merely hand out an entitlement without changing the ‘facts’ of the case and correcting the record. That’s where most of us really fall short of our understanding of law and entitlements. God’s law, which all men failed, disqualified us. That’s a fact. However, where there is a difference, man’s fall was his error and there would be no matter of injustice in God’s judgment and condemnation of the sinner. What God did in enacting His SGLI program was a matter of God’s sovereign love and mercy, and that is not something inherent in the power of any human man or board that reaches into eternity.

Posted on FACEBOOK, July 4, 2014