“But if the wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed and observes all My statutes and practices justice and righteousness, he shall surely live; he shall not die.” (Ezekiel 18:21)
Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, we have at various times cried out for help from an angry God. In Psalm 60:1 we read, “O God, You have rejected us. You have broken us; You have been angry; O, restore us.” In Psalm 7:11–13 ISV[1] it says “God is a righteous judge, a God who is angry with sinners every day.” God is angry because sin causes a separation between Him and His creation. God is love, but He is also just, and therefore He will punish sinners who do not repent (1 John 4:16; Exodus 34:6–7).
Someone might say, ‘that was in the past. God is now about love and reconciliation.’ In reference to God’s anger the prophet Jeremiah wrote, “In the last days you will clearly understand it” (Jeremiah 23:19–20). In another book where the last days are mentioned we read, “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty” (Revelation 19:11–16).
How can we be saved from the fierce wrath of God? Jesus Christ was sent to preach the gospel of God, good news that explains that God will forgive our sin and save us from God’s wrath, and the penalty of sin—which is death. “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem (Luke 24:44–47).
That is the message God has been preaching through His chosen ones ever since the fall in the Garden of Eden. While the messengers have changed, the message has not. God hates sin, and will punish those who continue to practice ungodliness (Jude 14–15; Revelation 21:8). However, there is salvation for those who recognize they are sinners, and then repent by turning from sin, and turn to God (Acts 2:38; 3:17–26).
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SUMMARY • God is angry with sinners
• God will punish those who continue to practice sin
• We can be saved from God’s wrath by having our sins forgiven
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FOOTNOTES
The Holy Bible, International Standard Version®, Copyright © 1996-2010 The ISV Foundation, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. ↑
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RBG Devotional 4: The Message: Sin Can Be Forgiven Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org. 26-Jun-21, 05:43 |