God is just and always punishes sin. Though controversial, this is a truth that gives me assurance that I am going to heaven. Sure it sounds like it would do anything but give me assurance and by itself, God’s wrath shouldn’t give me assurance of heaven but in reality, it brings a feeling of peace into my heart.
Most every religion in the world believing in a God and in heaven actually denies this. The only way to get around sin is to bend the rules or deny that God is always just. But the gospel is clear about God not lowering His standards in order to get us into heaven. In a tremendously real sense this truth gives me assurance that the gospel is true, as opposed to other religions which propose a trade granting haven in exchange for good deeds or faith alone.
There are three important points that help give us a proper understanding of this issue:
> God is just and always punishes sin.
> We’ve all sinned and deserve to be punished.
> That sin separates us from God and heaven, since heaven is a perfect place, and to enter it one must be perfect.
This truth is certainly not pleasant however, it is important to use God’s truth to justify the fact He punishes the guilty. Although God does love us, He is also a just God. Because He is just and holy, He always punishes the guilty.
The bible features numerous verses which clearly teach this:
“The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished.” (Nahum 1:3)
“I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.” (Revelation 2:23b)
Christians who know that God has forgiven them often assume He has forgiven them for all their sins which proves God does not always punish sin. How deceptive! Although it is true that He is willing to forgive us for our sins, He still punishes sin. How? Through His only son Jesus Christ who received punishment for our sins in our place when He died on the cross. If God could have just forgiven our sins without any punishment there would be no reason for Jesus to die for our sins.
While most Christians will not object to the fact God is just, many aren’t sure that He always punishes sin. This I believe is at the root of habitual sin among Christians and it must be exposed in an effort to allow all Christians to keep growing in their salvation.
Many disagree with me on the issue that since we’ve all sinned and have disobeyed God, we deserve to be punished. The word provides us with even more examples of God’s wrath for sinners; “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
The bible also reads “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” (Romans 1:18)
But what exactly is sin? Many agree that we all have sinned, that sin is basically knowing what’s right and acting against it conscientiously. Others react strongly against any suggestion that they might be guilty of sin using murder, rape, and robbery as guidelines when actually, sin involves any type of disobedience toward the Lord’s commands.
Sin can be found in things we shouldn’t do which we do anyhow (sins of commission), and there are things we should do which we don’t do (sins of omission). There are also external sins (sins which can actually be seen), and there are internal sins (sins of thought and attitude that others can’t see).
Consider this scenario. Imagine I commit two small sins each day. That would be over seven hundred sins per year. If I live to be 70 years old, that would amount to over 50,000 sins in my lifetime. Suppose I went before a judge and I had over 50,000 parking and traffic tickets, it would be foolish of me to argue that they were only little faults, nothing like murder or robbery. With that number of tickets, I certainly couldn’t argue the judge wasn’t very nice if he “threw the book” at me. Since God is my ultimate judge and we know He is eternally loving, we also know He is also just. Can you imagine standing before God and have Him pass judgment on each and every sin we’ve committed in our lives? Scary thing is, He may do just that…
While God loves us, He is also just and punishes the guilty. The good news is God is also merciful and has paved a way for us to get rid of our guilt and be forgiven so we can all ascend to heaven through His son Jesus Christ. Deny this truth and you will deny yourself a day of resurrection made possible only though repentance and acceptance according to God’s word.
Let’s pray!
Father God;
We thank you for your blessings in our lives
For all that you provide for us, for our families,
For our friends and all those in need.
Lord we pray you will continue to look after us
And inspire us to spend more time with you,
Obeying your commands and your word the bible
As we continue to grow in Faith.
Father we ask you to guide our footsteps,
Leading the way to life ever lasting
Where we will rejoice with you
And all other believers.
God we love you and thank you for all that surrounds us!
Praise God,
Amen!
This message was written by Daniel St.Pierre
Email: DanielStPierre@ThriveThroughChrist.com
