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God’s love and God’s wrath! Two parts to the whole.

Apr13

Christmas!

What’s the character of God that defines this world encompassing holiday? I’m sure God’s love comes immediately to the forefront. Christ’s physical entry onto the world scene was fraught with great danger and close calls. Yet, God’s love for humankind prevailed! Christ, as a man, grew up and successfully, powerfully fulfilled the purpose for which He had been born. As we study the sacrificial life of Christ, we get a sense of the extreme measures God’s love was willing to take on our behalf. Measures that would ensure our eternal and permanent home in heaven, after our temporary earthly life concluded.

But what concerns me is that as we become so wrapped up in the love God gave us in the Christ-child, we fail to move forward and even acknowledge the purpose for which Christ was born. By failing to embrace both the gift of God’s love and the purpose of the Cross, we venture into a world of deception and falsehood.

Therefore, we MUST come to terms with the fact that it was God’s wrath that was poured out upon Christ as He hung on that cross. Wrath that was meant for us! God cannot tolerate sin because He is God. Therefore, there was only one way that we could even hope for a personal relationship with Him and seal our permanent residence in heaven. Someone, who was without sin, would have to be willing to stand in our stead, take our place, endure God’s wrath. There was a price to be paid for our sin and Jesus paid it. For a moment in time, Jesus was willing to allow Himself to be separated from God. As human beings, I don’t think we can even begin to imagine the horror of that moment for Christ. But He endured the cross for us in order that we would never have to experience such horror.

We don’t talk much about God’s wrath, do we. But understand we place ourselves in great peril by avoiding to come to terms with the reality of God’s wrath. For there is no greater love than what was displayed on the cross where the wrath of God was poured out on Christ.

Yet, I wonder, if by overly focusing on just God’s love, without the balance of God’s wrath, could we miss heaven?

The Cross – God’s plan to save humankind; Satan’s plan to destroy humankind

Apr2

 

 

Good Friday, is aptly entitled! Know why? Jesus’s sacrifice for humankind sets every one, who believes in Christ and accepts Him as their Savior, on the path to heaven. Certainly, that is Good News! The cross and resurrection affirm that. 

But there is a lion (a desperate, hungry lion) roaming about seeking whom he may devour.  His diabolical deception and manipulation have set humankind on a path of destruction. His evil influence will attempt to convince us that God does not exist. Jesus was just a man, if he existed at all. Believing the Bible is for fools who desire to believe in myths and fairy tales. Or, this is a strong one; Go ahead and believe in God if you like, but don’t take Him seriously enough to pray and read His word every day. (The Bible exposes Satan and clues us in on how to defeat him. It’s no surprise as to why he is going to make sure you never have the time or desire to delve into God’s word or pray!)

Satan exerted powerful energy to block Jesus from becoming the Savior of the world. If you follow the close calls that if carried out would have destroyed the promised seed-line, it’s obvious God’s power thwarted Satan at every hand. At Jesus’s birth, Satan lunged forward in a failed attempt to kill boy babies that would have been around 2 years of age. The time the wise men told Herod they had been following the star. When that plan was thwarted, Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. That failed miserably as Jesus called on the power of the truth of God’s word to rebuff Satan at every turn.  

Satan likely thought Jesus’ death on the cross was proof that he had won. Imagine his surprise when the resurrection scene exploded! Satan’s pride and bloodthirstiness to destroy Christ, likely blinded him from understanding or even knowing of God’s plan of redemption. 

Make no mistake, Satan is out to destroy us! God’s plan is to save us. Yet, we must choose which plan we are going to cooperate with. Please ponder this!