Unjust or Just? You may have a lot of questions, after reading the article regarding the controversy of the PCC eradicating the term “the wrath of God, satisfied,” with “the love of God magnified,” from the famous hymnal, “In Christ alone.” What is wrath, and how do we define what wrath is? What does the term ‘wrath’ even mean? Depending on the cultural context, some would say that wrath can be subjective truth. For instance, if I am in the Amazon rainforest, and encounter a flood of tribal Indians, whom sacrifice babies as for rituals, they believe that there deed is justifiable and acceptable due to their upbringing and culture. But, in this modern Western culture, sacrificing babies, would be deemed irrational wrath. So is there a universal definition for wrath, or a subjective standpoint according to what is acceptable. Another scenario, back in High School, I was a hooligan. I remember a situation, where my father and I bought a PlayStation two. But after a couple years, this gaming system was outdated, and rationally I thought “Let me sell this console and upgrade to a new one, (the PS3).” My father was, upset to say the least, and as I was about to leave the premises of the house, when all of the sudden, my father grabbed me by the throat and slapped me! Now, this instance may seem petty, but society could label my father as unjust, inhumane, and irrational for slapping your own child. But back, in the 1950 era, if the parents did not discipline there child through physical contact, the parents would declared unjust, inhumane, and overall not a good parent. So, how can we define if wrath as just or unjust? According to Scripture, “God created man in his own image,” (Genesis 1:27_KJV). Also, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew, God they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Romans 1:20-21_NIV). If we are all created in the image of God, and have general revelation from His creation of who He is, then this means, that God injected His characteristics into us. His likes and dislikes. All of mankind has a deeply etched sense of morality, distinguishing between immoral and moral. If the Bible is true, then we cannot define what is just or unjust, or love or lust, but there must be absolute truth, set by the “Lawgiver and Judge,” (James 4:12_ESV). God whom is unmistakably truthful, and undeniably righteous, cannot lie. So, here is another question, what is sin? Sin can be defined as, “the act of violating Gods will. Sin can also be viewed as anything that violates the ideal relationship between an individual and God. Sin has been defined as to miss the mark.” Back in the Old Testament, God gave Moses, two tablets, known as the “Ten Commandments,” (Exodus 20:1-7_NKJV), to reflect His righteousness, holiness, and sin. If one were too, mishandle the tablets given by God, the LORD would strike down that person with fire and he would die. The Bible also says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all,” (James 2:20_ NASB). Also “All liars. Have their party in the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Revelation 21:8_NIV). We see, the severity of keeping the whole law, but how can we keep the whole law? How can one reap eternal life, if we have all sinned, and God’s wrath is not insensible? If all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God, how can we approach a holy and flawless God? Let’s say you’re in a courtroom, and are committed of a crime of murder and rape. Looking at the demeanor of the judge, you see that the scale of evidence for this crime is tipping over unto you; you’re undeniably guilty! What do you tell this judge, ‘I’m sorry’, or ‘I’ve changed, I promise, I’m a good person!’ If the judge is good, he will judge you according to the law. The judge hears the verdict from the jury, ‘he’s guilty!’ The judge, posts a fine of a one million dollar parole. All of the sudden, an unexpected civilian, props into the courtroom, and shouts, ‘I will pay his fine!’ The judge, stunned by this outlandish statement accepts this proposal, and legally dismisses your case. It is as though, you’ve never committed the crime, the only question the judge asks, is ‘do you accept this?’ We see throughout Scripture, that we are worthy of the righteous wrath of God. But two thousand years ago, Christ, fully God, became fully man. He lived a sinless life, and died the death you deserve and defeated death. He persistently pleads with you, and asks ‘do you accept this gift?’ It was as though Christ paid your fine, and can legally dismiss your case, the promise for the Christian is “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16_NIV). There is nothing you can do to earn God’s favor, and grace on your own merit. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast,” (Ephesians 2:8-9_NIV). The Just Judge, awaits for you response, and I employ you to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. These three articles, proposed by the PCC, is more than some mere language, it’s actually pivotal to salvation. As we see, “In Christ alone, the wrath of God has been satisfied.” Christ is love, He loves you with an unfailing love. The act of the cross was because Christ loves you! When, we extract the wrath and justice of God, and we preach a relevant, conformed message, we are actually worshiping a false God, and not Jesus! Jesus tore the veil, of separation between God and man, and offers redemption through the cross, all of us are subject to the wrath of God, but if we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, we receive the grace we didn’t deserve.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 01:31:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015