The Gospel - The righteousness and wrath of God revealed
Understanding gospel in a proper way is key to unlocking our hearts in greater passion for Jesus. The Gospel proclaims that the merciful God of love has provided out of Himself a ransom for the lives of all mankind - all of us being sinful, unrighteous and unjust - by giving taking the punishment for or sin upon Himself. He has done what men could never do - He has satisfied the terrifying righteous wrath of God against sin and has reconciled us to Himself. The Gospel is not good advice on how to live, what to do, and how to behave. It is an announcement of something that God has accomplished for His glory and man’s great need. The gospel is the statement that the ONLY hope for man is that God has provided a way of salvation.
I feel burdened by the fact that many of us do not have a right understanding of the utter wickedness and depravity of our sin and God's wrath against it, and thus don't really understand the real power and beauty of the Gospel. If we do not see the great trouble (or condemnation) that we are already under we cannot see or appreciate the great solution that God provided in His Son, and therefore live devoid of significant gratitude in our hearts and revelation of God’s commitment to us. We will never really understand the good news of the Gospel until we understand that the good news is in context to bad news.
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the WRATH OF GOD REMAINS on him. John 3:36
The righteous wrath of God against sin is frequently neglected and misunderstood resulting in great loss in the areas of evangelism, God-centeredness in church, and the revelation of love. Believers technically believe it but functionally reject it minimizing it to a theory without bearing the burden of its reality. Unbelievers ridicule this doctrine calling it barbaric and primitive. The rejection of this doctrine inevitably hinders us from comprehending God’s love.
The doctrine of the wrath of God (and the good news of it) is crucial in awakening our hearts in passion for Jesus, for both the unbeliever unto salvation and the believer to continue in the power of salvation. This doctrine is central to understanding the measure of God’s love and holiness.
God is not an easy-going Father who would rather we didn’t sin.
In truth the wrath of God is an expression of His love rather than the opposite of love. God’s anger demonstrates His love rather than contradicts it. Imagine a father who knew his daughter was being molested by his neighbor. If the father did not get angry would we believe that he loved his daughter? God's goodness and love require that He act against sin and evil.
Our impoverished view of the wrath of God (and the necessity of His wrath) exposes our insufficient understanding of the true nature of sin, and the holy love of God. We think God is extreme because we don’t understand the destructive nature of sin.
Because of this low view of sin, many teachers pervert God’s grace by reducing its message to receiving forgiveness without repentance and seeking to make people comfortable with God while continuing in their sin. They present grace as an insurance policy while we continue to sin.
4 For certain men (false teachers) have crept in unnoticed…ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny…our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 4)
The true grace message inspires us to deny lust and gives us power to walk godly. We want the true teaching on grace because that is the only way that we will experience God’s power in our spirit.
11 The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared…12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live…godly in the present age… (Titus 2:11-13)
Much of the “grace teaching" in the body of Christ is not true grace teaching. It is distorted because it empowers compromise and passivity as it gives people false confidence in their relationship with God. They deny Jesus (Jude 4) by denying the main doctrines of salvation. They deny that grace is given to empower us to live holy as defined by the 8 beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7).
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GRACE AND MERCY
Mercy extends God’s forgiveness and grace imparts God’s enabling power (to our inner man).
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16)
Mercy is NOT receiving what we deserve (escape something negative: God’s wrath).
Grace IS receiving what you do not deserve (impart something positive: God’s power that enables us to walk in righteousness and to function in ministry).
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are…under grace? Certainly not...19 So now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. (Rom. 6:14-19)
11 The grace of God that brings salvation (deliverance) has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age…13 Jesus gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people…15 Speak these things. (Titus 2:11-15)
There is a tearing of the heart that occurs with holiness. It is costly. I am not referring to sinless perfection but to quickly and continually warring against the sin that we have recently stumbled in. There is a contingency for the flesh in God’s grace for those who continue to war against their lust. Grace gives us confidence that God enjoys us (after we stumble and repent) and empowers us to be wholehearted, rather than making us comfortable in compromise and passivity.
12 Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. 13 So rend (tear) your heart, and not your garments; return to the LORD your God. (Joel 2:12-13)
The Western Church has little understanding of repentance that tears the heart. This can be called “spiritual violence" (Mt. 11:12) or “pressing in for the prize" (Phil. 3:13) or “cutting off our right hand" or “plucking out our eye" (Mt. 5:29-30).
We should exert effort in cooperating with the grace of God.
A foundational revelation of the Kingdom is that Jesus is our king and we are His slaves. He literally owns our heart, body, time, money and destiny. Many have never seen this.
18 Flee sexual immorality…19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Cor. 6:18-20)
To come to God with the true teaching of grace is essential because the power of grace in the Christian life is only experienced in consistently pursuing 100-fold obedience. There are powerful dynamics that occur in our heart when we soberly aim at pursuing 100-fold obedience. This pursuit is different than attainment. The 98% pursuit of obedience has a limited blessing on it. The last 2% is what positions us to walk with a vibrant heart.
The cost of non-discipleship is very high.
6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. Romans 2:6-8
The pursuit of “complete obedience" includes making a covenant with our eyes (Job 31:1), bridling our speech (Jas 3:2; Eph. 4:29-5:4), managing our time (for service and prayer with the Word) and money to increase the Kingdom beyond our comfort and honor (Mt. 6:19-21) as we engage in communing prayer with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14).
HOW GOD FEELS TOWARD PEOPLE
God loves all the unbelieving world even when they have no regard for Him (Jn. 3:16; Mt. 5:45).
16 God so loved the world that He gave His only…Son that whoever believes… (Jn. 3:16)
8 God demonstrates His love toward us…while we were sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8)
God releases natural blessings and great acts of kindness on evil and unjust men.
45 Makes His sun rise on the evil and the good…sends rain on the just and unjust. (Mt. 5:45)
God's love for the ungodly in His mercy must not be confused with His approval of them.
It is necessary to have a sincere heart attitude of repentance to receive God’s saving grace. Jesus refuses to forgive the people who ask for it if they refuse to repent (Mt. 7:22-23).
As sincere, repentant believers, God’s mercy gives us confidence that we can have a new beginning with God as a “first class citizen." This results in giving us the assurance that God enjoys us (even in our weakness) as we walk in sincere repentance (that seeks to obey Him). Then we run to Him instead of from Him.
We can “push delete" after we have sincerely repented. Jesus paid the price that we might stand before God with confidence of having His favor. This is very different from “pushing delete" on our need to understand why and how we sinned. It is necessary to understand the processes and mindsets that contribute to strongholds of sin in our life.
We cannot work through the unsettled issues in our life without confidence that God is smiling on us. We view conviction of our sin differently when we feel loved and favored by God because it does not feel like condemnation or accusation from God. Guilt says that our actions are wrong. Shame says our whole personhood is wrong
God's enjoyment of us is not His approval of all we do. The fact that God likes us does not mean He overlooks all the areas of our lives that need transformation. God revealed His enjoyment of the prodigal son by the father giving him the best robes. This newly repentant yet immature prodigal son still needed transformation in many areas of his life (Lk. 15:20-24).
God can smile over our life in a general sense, while He deals with a particular area of our life. That issue does not define our entire relationship with God. However, if we do not obey in that area, then sin will grow and affect other areas. He disciplines us in the areas that we resist Him. God corrects areas in our life that He disapproves of to remove that which hinders love in us.
10 He (disciplines us) for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 No chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those trained by it. (Heb. 12:10-11)
Divine correction is not rejection. God enjoys the very ones He disciplines. God hates the sin yet enjoys the person He disciplines (Ps. 103:13-14).
Whom the LORD loves He corrects, as a father the son in whom he delights. (Prov. 3:12)
6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons…8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. (Heb. 12:6-8)
God has tender patience for a season with believers who do not instantly repent, but they must not confuse this with His approval. Jesus gave Jezebel and her disciples in Thyatira time to repent.
21 I (Jesus) gave her (Jezebel) time to repent of her sexual immorality…22 I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent…23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. I will give to each one of you according to your works. (Rev. 2:21-23)
11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecc. 8:11)
4 Do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? (Rom. 2:4)
God’s jealousy for us requires that we live in wholehearted love and obedience before Him.
5 Do you think the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit…in us yearns jealously"? (Jas 4:5)
14 For the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Ex. 34:14)
However, we must not forget that despite His mercy and forberance, God will eternally judge and condem those who refuse to repent of sexual immorality.
I list the following scriptures in fear and trembling:
5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man…has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (Eph. 5:5-6)
9 Do not be deceived...neither fornicators...nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves...nor drunkards...will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 6:9-10)
8 Sexually immoral...liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire… (Rev. 21:8)
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city...outside are...sexually immoral…(Rev. 22:14-15)
Comments
So true. When I came to Christ, I did not completely understand the necessity for God's wrath. I knew that I was a sinner, and I believed in the wrath of God, but I didn't completely understand the need for eternal punishment. That changed as I started to grow in Christ.
It is only as I grew in Him that I came to understand the abhorrent nature of sin.....It was so abhorrent that it would take the sacrifice and death of a perfect, sinless, holy God to atone for it.
It was only as I came to understand Christ's sacrifice that I also understood the grave nature of sin, and thus, the righteous wrath of God.
I don't think we can understand the nature of sin completely until we've been walking with God for a while....the Holy Spirit must reveal that turth to us....but I think we understand enough naturally to come to salvation.
One does not need to understand sin completely inorder to turn to Jesus for salvation. For that matter one can be a western mind and still understand repentance. It does not require someone who is eastern in thinking. The Bible may have some eastern roots but God was wise enough in contstructing His word to transend cultural barriers.
You said that "However, we must not forget that despite His mercy and forberance, God will eternally judge and condem those who refuse to repent of sexual immorality."
I have good news, if you are saved, you are forever saved and you can not loose your salvation for we have been saved by grace apart from works.
Ro 11:6 "And if by grace, then it is no longer by works, if it were [by works] GRACE WOULD NO LONGER BE GRACE"
If we are truly saved blood-bought sinners for whom Christ died, and if we truly understand that "Salvation is of the Lord" [Jonah 2:9] and based entirely on the performance of Christ (and His ability to purchase a complete, full and lasting pardon for His people), and NOT based on our performance, then we will be less likely to be led astray by those false preachers who claim that a believer in Christ can lose their salvation. Similarly, if we are truly saved and if we understand the severity of the punishment inflicted on Christ for our sins, we will be less likely to perpetrate further crimes against our merciful, loving Saviour. We will realize what David meant when he said:
"Against thee, thee only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight" [Psalm 51:4]
In the using of eph 5:5, it is being taken out of context. First read the entire verse, it says "who is an idolator". Everthing in that verse is conected to an idolator not just to someone who is commiting certain acts of sin.
If you where to try to cross reference eph 5:5 with ga 5:19-21, you would need to recognize that God said those who practice such sin. In John, it is clear that those who are born again do not practice sin. Therefore, these scriptures can not and do not imply that a saved individual can loose their salvation because anyone practicing sin is not saved to begin with.
Romans chapter 8 is one of the most blessed, encouraging and thrilling chapters in the Bible for the person who is "IN CHRIST JESUS" (compare verse 1, verse 39). The chapter begins with NO CONDEMNATION (v.1) and it ends with NO SEPARATION (verses 35-39). The key word, in the first part of this chapter, is the word "SPIRIT" (occurring 20 times in chapter 8 whereas it only appears 4 times in the first 7 chapters!).
The person who is "IN CHRIST JESUS" is safe and secure forever (v.1). Romans chapter 8 is one of the key chapters in the Bible which so clearly sets forth the doctrine of eternal security.
"No condemnation (judgment)" (v.1). Not one bit of condemnation! Compare also John 3:18; 5:24 and 1 Cor. 11:32. The word "condemnation" literally means "judgment coming down (on someone)." God’s judgment is not going to come down upon me! Why not? See Romans 7:24; 8:2 -- I have been delivered and set free from the law of sin and death. If I were still under the law of sin and death then I would be under God’s condemnation (sin demands judgment, death and condemnation -- the penalty for sin must be paid!). But, praise God, Calvary took care of it all. God condemned His Son (Rom.8:3) so that I might never be condemned (Rom.8:1)! God’s judgment came down upon His only begotten Son so that His judgment would not need to come down upon me! I am not condemned; rather I AM JUSTIFIED! Keep in mind the teaching of the last part of Romans 5. IN ADAM I am condemned, but IN CHRIST I am justified!
The true believer will not come into condemnation or judgment (John 5:24). There is "no condemnation" for him (Rom. 8:1). All of his sins have been take care of at the cross. The believer's judgment for sin took place about 2000 years ago when Christ was judged and condemned for us! He was punished and condemned for my sins. God's wrath was poured out on Him. "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. . .the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquities of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). And when we come to Christ in faith we are justified and declared "NOT GUILTY" by the Judge of all the universe! "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? Shall God that justifieth? Who is he that condemneth? Shall Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us?" (Romans 8:33-34). If God is never going to condemn us and if God is never going to charge us with guilt, then we need not worry!
Salvation is not about works it's about a free gift.
Hey Theophilus,
Are you still there? What is going on in your life? Hope you still come to read the posts...but you have not posted anything in quite a while. Let us know how you are doing.
I also wondered if you had ever read the book, "The Normal Christian Life" by Watchman Nee? I got ahold of the book recently, and just read a couple of chapters in it, but they blew me away and really helped me understand Romans chapter 7 and the issue of being under grace, not the Law. I wrote highlights of the chapter in "Theology and apologetics"...wanted to get your feedback.
Blessings,
Tonya
I agree. This post is an excellent one, one of many that I will need to read again and again. Intellectually, I know all the points about grace and sin, etc, for the Lord has laid the same ones on my heart. But at the same time, I admit that I do not have a wholehearted devotion to God, am struggling with obedience in some areas, have not ever really "fell in love" with Jesus. I don't really think I truly understand the evil-ness (I know it's not a word, smile) of my behavior.
I think the scripture in Matthew 7:3-5 makes the point I want to make: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?..." It is our human nature to do the opposite; we tend to think other people have the "plank" in their own eye, and ours is just a speck. Obviously, Jesus knew this about our nature, and turned this around. We need to realize this about ourselves and be willing to see our own sin first and deal with our own. Sin is sin. I agree that we tend to categorize sin, and think murders and rapes as worse, and lies as not as bad.
Proverbs 6:16-19 says, "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush to evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers."
If we humans made our own list of sins, each of us would have different things on our lists, and no doubt would be different from God's. Because He is holy, and we cannot begin to understand His Holiness. We just know our sinful nature and how much of a struggle it is, and don't fight it cuz it is useless to fight it. Without Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit in us, it is true, we are powerless. Thanks be to God, we are more than conquerors thru Him who loved us!
Keep up the good work (of the Lord in you)!
Tonya
Excellent, Theophilus!!!! :):)
I completely agree with your statement that most people do not understand the grave nature of sin. I do think that it is this misunderstanding that keeps them from realizing the necessity of God's wrath.
Because we are all sinners, we tend to see sin for less than what it really is.
We tend to categorize it according to our limited understanding. Some sins are worse than others. We tend to justify it by saying "Well, at least I never murdered anyone," or "I'm not as bad as THAT guy." But the Bible says that sin is sin, because ALL sin separates us from God.
From a human standpoint, it just seems like no big deal...an error in judgement, a mistake...something that should be excused. We are immune to the severity of it, because we are creatures of sin ourselves.
That's why we need the Holy Spirit to convict us:
John 16:8,9 And when He (the Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement: of sin, because they do not believe in Me.
Sinners need the Holy Spirit to reveal to them just how bad sin is; otherwise, they will keep thinking that it is "no big deal."
The thing is, a lot of people like to focus on God's gracious mercy, while completely bypassing His just wrath....but the Bible says that no sin will go unpunished:
Ex. 34:7 .....keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, BY NO MEANS CLEARING THE GUILTY....
The truth is, it is God's grace that allows us, not only to be forgiven, but to actually have fellowship with Him. If we didn't have God's grace, we would be continually and hopelessly separated from Him....because of sin.
I do think that a lot of people take God's grace for granted, because they don't see the severity of their own sin. The only reason that we can even come to God to ask for His forgiveness is because of His grace. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be able to stand in His presence.