HIG—Human International Group
Only days ago spelled “oblivion” for the largest hedge fund company in the world. It had so badly mismanaged its business by taking bad collateral and loaning huge amounts of money in return. Interest rates were low and risk went sky-high in their thinking; and with risk went greed. Dollar signs were in everyone’s eyes.
But the super-inflated home values and mortgages they owned finally came to terms with reality. The gig was up. Investment properties stopped selling, and unfortunate investment property owners were stuck with the hot potatoes, which burned them so badly they let go of them and walked away into bankruptcy.
So many hot potatoes rolled back to AIG and it couldn’t take the heat. Or just refused to lose and learn. But a tightly interwoven global economy was riding on AIG, such that the U.S. government stepped in, against its will, to prop up the failed company before many other similarly ailing companies dominoed the world into a massive depression, leaving the whole world’s populations and governments destitute and poverty-stricken.
Now the U.S. government owns the largest hedge fund in the world. Maybe its purpose is to step in and fix the greed, dishonesty, and mismanagement debacle. Maybe its purpose is to find buyers who will return American’s money as soon as possible.
In either case, when it assumed the liabilities of AIG, it asserted control and responsibility for its restoration to economic health.
This was not a takeover; it was a rescue. Rather than the government agency being an aggressor, it was about saving and being gracious.
The U.S. government was now to do for AIG what AIG had proven it could not do for itself. Humbled in the dust, AIG was voluntarily seeking help. Surrendered and willing, now it will listen and learn (hopefully).
Isn’t this what Christ has done for the human race? He has rescued us from total ruin in devil-possession and sin. He has assumed our debt, our liabilities. All the payment of justice toward a world of transgressors was laid to His account. He became sin; He fought devil-possession in our stead on the cross. “The reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on Me.” (Rom. 15:3). He became surety for the guilty and weakened race, as Judah became substitutionary insurance for Benjamin. “I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever.” (Gen. 43:9). “He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Is 53:12).
The anointed Son of God cannot forgive, and leave it at that. He cannot forgive the sinner and then just forget about the sin. The debt is still very real; the insult we have given God and the retributive angel hosts is very real. Christ must pay that debt—with the surrender of His eternal life. And there’s more. He must pay that debt—with the loss of His eternal life and then He must suffer ever afterward. Because His Father was satisfied with Jesus’ perfect sacrifice of Himself, His Father exhumed Him from death to begin the next step of the plan of redemption—total rehabilitation of humanity to its original perfection when in Eden. “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25).
If He assumes our liabilities in exchange for forgiveness, now He must assume responsibility for the proper management of our freedom from condemnation; He must prevent a resumption of our former rebellion, exponentially adding to our former guilt. It must be His constant work to prevent pride and presumption of a fallen and weakened race. He must assert His control over them. All the punishment was His; and all the responsibility for our total deliverance and successful passage home is His also.
His sweet influence and His authoritative law have been forced upon a race on probation—a period given to get the race back on track with the rest of the unfallen universe. His grace and law are the new constitution for this fallen world.
His constitution is not uncontended. But Satan, His adversary, is daily proving himself incompetent in running creation, here on planet Earth. So his contention with God’s law and grace can be categorically ignored.
Jesus’ control is best—slaves to Him, prisoners to Him. He can rescue; He can save.
But the super-inflated home values and mortgages they owned finally came to terms with reality. The gig was up. Investment properties stopped selling, and unfortunate investment property owners were stuck with the hot potatoes, which burned them so badly they let go of them and walked away into bankruptcy.
So many hot potatoes rolled back to AIG and it couldn’t take the heat. Or just refused to lose and learn. But a tightly interwoven global economy was riding on AIG, such that the U.S. government stepped in, against its will, to prop up the failed company before many other similarly ailing companies dominoed the world into a massive depression, leaving the whole world’s populations and governments destitute and poverty-stricken.
Now the U.S. government owns the largest hedge fund in the world. Maybe its purpose is to step in and fix the greed, dishonesty, and mismanagement debacle. Maybe its purpose is to find buyers who will return American’s money as soon as possible.
In either case, when it assumed the liabilities of AIG, it asserted control and responsibility for its restoration to economic health.
This was not a takeover; it was a rescue. Rather than the government agency being an aggressor, it was about saving and being gracious.
The U.S. government was now to do for AIG what AIG had proven it could not do for itself. Humbled in the dust, AIG was voluntarily seeking help. Surrendered and willing, now it will listen and learn (hopefully).
Isn’t this what Christ has done for the human race? He has rescued us from total ruin in devil-possession and sin. He has assumed our debt, our liabilities. All the payment of justice toward a world of transgressors was laid to His account. He became sin; He fought devil-possession in our stead on the cross. “The reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on Me.” (Rom. 15:3). He became surety for the guilty and weakened race, as Judah became substitutionary insurance for Benjamin. “I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever.” (Gen. 43:9). “He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Is 53:12).
The anointed Son of God cannot forgive, and leave it at that. He cannot forgive the sinner and then just forget about the sin. The debt is still very real; the insult we have given God and the retributive angel hosts is very real. Christ must pay that debt—with the surrender of His eternal life. And there’s more. He must pay that debt—with the loss of His eternal life and then He must suffer ever afterward. Because His Father was satisfied with Jesus’ perfect sacrifice of Himself, His Father exhumed Him from death to begin the next step of the plan of redemption—total rehabilitation of humanity to its original perfection when in Eden. “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25).
If He assumes our liabilities in exchange for forgiveness, now He must assume responsibility for the proper management of our freedom from condemnation; He must prevent a resumption of our former rebellion, exponentially adding to our former guilt. It must be His constant work to prevent pride and presumption of a fallen and weakened race. He must assert His control over them. All the punishment was His; and all the responsibility for our total deliverance and successful passage home is His also.
His sweet influence and His authoritative law have been forced upon a race on probation—a period given to get the race back on track with the rest of the unfallen universe. His grace and law are the new constitution for this fallen world.
His constitution is not uncontended. But Satan, His adversary, is daily proving himself incompetent in running creation, here on planet Earth. So his contention with God’s law and grace can be categorically ignored.
Jesus’ control is best—slaves to Him, prisoners to Him. He can rescue; He can save.
posted by David | 6:55 AM
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