Today's Journal
THE WRATH OF GOD III
This the final entry in his short series on The Wrath of God. The last two Journal entries give information leading to this one.I believe in The Wrath of God in this way: When Jesus came to earth and became flesh (the incarnation), it was in preparation to “fulfill all righteousness.” In the familiar story of the crucifixion on the Cross there is a decision made by the Trinitarian God: The incarnational act and the obedience of death on the Cross to “take away the sins of the world” or as John wrote: “He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world” (1 John 2:2). The decision from the Lord for the Cross is in my view, The Wrath of God. This is the final and last act of God for all people to now make a decision about the decision the Lord made, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12). If we decide not to become children… we are under the Wrath of God. It’s our choice, not the Lord’s. The Lord has set a precedent and we may obey, or we are under wrath. Everyone since the Cross must make a personal decision about the work of the Cross and therefore about the Wrath of God.
John’s gospel puts it as clearly as it can be said by Jesus:
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. Now this is the basis for judging: that the light has come into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil deeds hates the light and does not come to the light, so that their deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in God” (John 3:17-21).
The Cross, and our decision about it… diverts or accelerates the Wrath of God. Our Judgment Day is our response to the Cross. Our Judgment Day is every day. By the work of the Cross, we pass through Judgement. It is not scary Harry, it is true love.
“The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already.” Jesus