Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects - TopicsExpress



          

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for Gods wrath remains on him. John 3:36 When it comes to using nature imagery to describe God, it is not surprising that Scripture pictures him sometimes as a great and mighty Lion. This image seems fitting, in harmony with the notion of his majesty and power. But it also fits an image of God that many people have grown up with, picturing him as a scowling, angry, impossible-to-please God. But where on earth did this idea of a grumpy, implacable, even frightening God come from? Is it simply a psychological projection, the result of the emotional distance many of us feel from the father figures in our lives, or is there more to it? I would argue that this image of God is constructed from multiple sources: from our own wounded and guilt-ridden psyches but also from demonic distortions of Gods character and even from the Bible itself. It is hardly surprising, given our fallen condition, that many of us instinctively sense the gap between who we are and who we were meant to be. From there it is not difficult to imagine a disappointed and disgruntled Creator scowling down at us from lofty heights. And then theres the devil, ever intent on distorting Gods image, painting the Lord according to his own likeness — prone to divine temper tantrums. But what about the Bible? Doesnt an honest reading of Scripture, particularly the Old Testament, reveal a God who is often spoken of in terms of his wrath? Isnt this the God described as a mighty Lion, roaring in judgment against the nations and against his own faithless people? Before we reach too hasty a conclusion about a supremely irritable Supreme Being, we should at least try to understand the meaning of the Greek word orge, translated as wrath in the New Testament. When Scripture talks about Gods orge, it is not talking about the emotion of anger as we experience it. Gods wrath is not primarily an emotion but rather a divine work of judgment that results when people adamantly resist him. Gods wrath is his holy resistance to everything that is unholy. Fortunately God has given us his Son to be both Lion and Lamb. As the Lamb he has taken the brunt of Gods wrath, bearing it away so that we can experience Gods mercy. But as the Lion he stands in judgment on all who persist in opposing God. As one commentator has pointed out, whoever accepts Gods mercy is freed from his wrath. But whoever rejects mercy remains under wrath. Today, as we contemplate Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, let us thank him for going to the divine extreme of the cross in order to enable us to stop resisting the God who made us. Let us remember that we will be one day be judged according to how well we have responded to his grace, allowing it to shape our lives. Today, let us kneel before his majesty, determined to repent of our sins and to intercede for those who yet oppose him, who are still ignorant of his love and clueless of his mercy. For more from Ann Spangler, visit her blogspot on Christianity. Be sure to check out Anns newest book, Praying the Attributes of God: A Daily Guide to Experiencing His Greatness.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 09:23:54 +0000

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