God is Just, by Dennis Swick

I have the impression looking at some information that I see, read in newspapers, or hear on the radio that people in general do not take seriously the fact that God is furious, shows indignation, and is angry about sin. And it is interesting to me that people in general do not like the word “sin”. To some it must seems like a word used back in the Dark Ages or Medieval Times.

The human race seems to be more tolerant today of things that are bad. Things like Prostitution, Abortion, Partial Birth Abortion, Homosexuality, or even Divorce have become more acceptable. Everyone seems to be involved in these things, even Christians. And the truth is that they have been around for a long time. Many think just because they were frowned on centuries ago doesn’t mean that they can’t be accepted today. And the argument used is: “man has evolved. He has gotten better and is more tolerant of things.”

Yet when we delve into some of these things, instead of finding a man happier in living and a better person for it, we find a man with even more problems than he had before and his life sometimes seems “on the skids”. Sure he can handle the issues, but his life isn’t better but rather worse. And what does this all have to do with? Hasn’t he “evolved” and gotten better?

God set up the requirements for man in the first place. And God himself doesn’t need laws, borders, margins, or limits. God is limitless (Psalm 139:2-12). God is (Ex. 3:14; John 8:58). He has no past, present, or future (1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6). He is sovereign over all (Psalm 103:19). He controls everything (Isaiah 46:10). In Him everything holds together (Col. 1:17). In Him we live, move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

And despite the fact that God is long suffering with our sin (Psalm 86:15; Joel 2:13; Isaiah 48:9; Exodus 34:6; and Psalm 103:8) and does not want anyone to perish (1 Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 3:9, 15), God is Just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 89:14). It says in the Bible these things about God:

• God pays us back for what we deserve (Ezekial 16:59)
• God pays us justly (Job 34:11; Psalms 62:12).
• God is angry with sin (Gen. 39:19; Numbers 11:33; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9; Rev. 6:17).
• God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16)
• God hates lying (Psalm 119:104, 128, 163).
• God hates evil (Psalm 45:7; 97:10)
• We are saved from God’s wrath because Jesus paid our debt for sinning with his own blood and by dying for us on the cross. It is by God’s mercy and grace that we are not consumed (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 10:19, 22; Deut. 4:24; Hebrews 12:29).

We have been saved from God’s wrath because of what Jesus did for us (Romans 5:9).

The Bible says that we in the beginning, before accepting what Jesus did for us, were “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:15).

And as Hebrews 10:31 says, "It is a horrendous thing to fall into the hands of living God.” So with this thought, I still don’t understand how people can take God so lightly!