Grace in practice, not just theory

One of my favorite maxims is "The best of men are men at best". It's a reminder to me that no matter how venerable I may think some man - either living or dead - to be, he had flaws and errors both in his beliefs and his practice. Countless times I have found an author or preacher whom I feel I can agree with in all points, but inevitably I find a something in his life or his teachings that I disagree with and I am disappointed. The fact that this discovery disappoints me is puzzling for two reasons. One, his overall agreement with me on what I think to be right ought to cause me to pause and consider whether or not this point on which we disagree is an inconsistency in my life instead of immediately supposing that the fault belongs to the other party. Secondly, it exposes to me that I had again fallen into the trap of imagining that there was a man who was in all actuality perfect while here on this earth. While I claim to refute that doctrine, and ever do in word, my hypocrisy is evidenced when the failure of a man I admired causes me feel betrayed.
I'm striving to fix this inconsistency in my life and to live every moment in the reality that every human on this earth has shortcomings and therefore a need for grace from their fellow humans. I expect it myself, when I fail in a duty or what someone expected of me, I want them to realize I'm fully human and forgive my fault. With all this in mind, it sickens me to see the level at which so many so-called christians look for opportunity to expose, decry, and disassociate themselves from someone else who claims to love the same Lord they claim to love, because of a difference in belief or practice on an issue of lesser importance than the gospel. What I am referring to is not the instances where men who have dedicated their lives to watching for the souls of other men do their duty and warn the true disciples of Jesus Christ of false teachers who are preaching another gospel; but of men and women of all walks of life who will verbally flay any man or woman who happens to disagree with their soap-box issue. The devil loves to see us defame a man who exalts Christ in his preaching because he dresses more casually than we deem appropriate, but listen to a preacher whose preaching is empty, because we like that he wears a tie, or when we would rather hear a distorted message preached from the KJV than Christ and him crucified from the ESV. How fractured and divisive, weak and lethargic, ineffective and unchrist-like the church is when we major on minors.
If we claim to believe the doctrines of grace, but all that means is that we are proud that we have our intellectual "I"s dotted and "T"s crossed, with no intention of showing a little of that grace to someone who is not on the same spiritual plane we imagine ourselves to be on, we have made a mockery of Christ's love for us. The Pharisees were horrified not only that Jesus associated with publicans and sinners in his evangelism, but that he chose and loved fishermen, tax collectors, and physicians as his religious cohorts, and even went so far as to call them brethren! Therefore, if I'm maligned for refusing to partake in the bashing of those who don't look, act, or believe just exactly like I do, or vilified for actually defending them, I'll feel like I'm in good company. After all isn't that the essence of grace?

Boaz, a type of Christ

In my last post I wrote about the cities of refuge being a type, or picture, of Jesus Christ. I would say that is one of my favorite "things" that typifies our Saviour in the Old Testament. However, one of my favorite people that give us a forshadowing of Jesus, is found in the book of Ruth, pictured in Boaz.
First we see that he was a near kinsman to Ruth (Ruth 3:9). Here we have a Moabitess, and yet she was of close kin to this man of the stock of Abraham. These, who looked on the outset like two total strangers were in actuallity close relatives. In like manner we are told that we were predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, that He might be the firtsborn among many brethren (Rom. 8:29). Again in Hebrews 2 we read that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels that he might bring many sons to glory, also that He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Though our sin has robbed us of much of the image of God, and on the outside we would never be associated with Him, yet through His mercy he has made us siblings and joint heirs with Christ.
Secondly, Boaz was a mighty man of wealth (Ruth 2:1). The same was said of our Lord Jesus in II Cor. 8:9, For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. The Son of Man walked this earth from infancy in a stall to manhood with no place to lay His head, He was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and aquainted with grief; this same Jesus is the owner of the cattle on a thousand hills, He both appoints and casts down every king raised up and every one defeated. Although in humilty he made himself of no reputation and took upon himself the form a servant, let us not forget that truly the Messiah was a mighty man of wealth!
Third, we see that even as a mighty man of wealth, Boaz took notice of a stranger. Eph. 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; Boaz had no need of Ruth, he had many servants and gleaners, he had a nation of women who came from a much more acceptable background from which to choose his bride. But, in mercy and grace and he chose the woman who was a stranger and foreigner.
Lastly, before Boaz could marry Ruth, he had to redeem her from the hand of another. (Ruth 4:1-10) We too were possessed by another, we were by nature the children of wrath, and in need of a redeemer. Thus we are told in Gal. 4:4-5 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Isn't God gracious to give us such a clear picture of his love for us through a love story in the Old Testament?