I think we often focus too much on the aspects of God’s character and nature we like, while either ignoring, or dismissing any others. For example, we like the Peace of God, and His Grace and Mercy. We like that He forgives sin, but we don’t like that He calls us to holiness in all of these divine attributes. And in that, we dismiss or ignore his judgement, wrath, anger, and jealousy. I know there are an infinite amount (both positive, and what we would deem negative) attributes of God, but I want to focus on these few for now.
God is righteous. He is the Law giver. He set the stars in to motion, and is the reason Venus spins in an alternate rotation from the other planets. He established the foundations of the Universe, and so He establishes all of its orders and laws and intricacies. So why do we think He wouldn’t be the Righteous Judge when we play God and go against His Order? Why do we think our continued and unapologetic rebellion against Him wouldn’t incur His Anger or deserve His Wrath? Do we ignore the fact that He says He is Jealous? Or did we think that the cross nullifies His divine Jealousy? And let us not mistake any of these, Judgement, Wrath, Anger and Jealousy for human emotion. These are perfect in their execution by the One who is, Himself, Perfect. Because God is Righteous and the universal Law Giver, He must judge rightly. Because His creation seeks after itself, setting up idols in His place, God is Jealous, and will not share us with anything. Because those made in God’s image are in rebellion against Him, His righteous anger at our disruption of His good world is justified, and because of that justified anger, we deserve the wrath of God to be poured out…and yes, I’m speaking of those inside the church as well as outside. If you don’t know me, you know I’m not a fire and brimstone kind of preacher, but the fire and brimstone IS coming. Loved ones, Jesus didn’t die for us to continue as we are. He called us to Holiness, to love, to purity before Him. Jesus isn’t just a Savior, He is Lord, and He calls us to keep His commands. Seek the Holiness of God. Seek the Lordship of Christ, for Jesus is the only way in which we can flee the wrath to come.
John 14:15-31
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
Romans 2:1-11
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.
