The word “complacence” or “complacency” is defined as a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction in oneself or one’s achievements, like the little boy who announced to his dad one day that he was such a fast runner, he was even faster than God.
But it’s striking that the older theologians use this word to describe one of the kinds of love we experience from God. The older theologians often made a three-fold distinction in the kind of love God shows us. The first was called the love of benevolence, and it describes God’s intention and plan to save us from before all time. The second is called the love of beneficence, which describes God actually saving us from sin and death. And the third is the one they called the love of complacence, and that refers to God’s supreme delight in His people and His rewarding of His people, as being completely perfect and holy and just.
It’s one thing to see that God’s love was determined to save us from before all time. It’s another thing to see His love manifest in sending His Son to die and experiencing God’s love in forgiveness and cleansing and peace. But it really is quite another thing to be crowned with authority and glory when you know you deserve nothing but rags and shame.
But this too is an essential part of understanding what Jesus won for you. He did not merely fulfill the plans of His Father – though He did that. And He did not merely fulfill the demands of justice for your sins – though He did that as well. He also won the right to make His people kings and priests who reign with Him. He won the right to treat us as nobility, as royalty, as friends. He who deserves all the crowns, won the right to give us crowns. He who deserves all thrones, won the right to set us on one. He who ascended on high, above every name, did so in order that we might be seated in heavenly places with Him and given a stone with a new name.
Complacence in us is usually foolish and crazy. But complacence in God is His glory. He who sits in the heavens laughs. And I don’t think we can yet wrap our minds or hearts around the kind of laughter this is. But it’s good and clean and confident and full of love. And the sign of that laughter, the sign of that complacent love is this meal. What have you done? Your sins are forgiven. How bad was it? Jesus died and now lives. Lay it all down. Jesus invites you here, to His table, to His feast, to His joy, and He is pleased to have you here — there is a place set for you.
So come and welcome to Jesus Christ.
Photo by William Krause on Unsplash
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