"Wrath of God: Divine Punishment?"
“The one believing in the Son of God has the life of eternity; however, if anyone does not obey the Son of God, he doesn’t know life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Have you ever noticed how people over-react when we raise the topic of Christianity with them? I notice it quite a bit. I share a little pocket booklet with people that outlines the core topics of Christianity. I do this anywhere I go, and I find different kinds of responses.
Some people hunger and thirst for the knowledge of God, so they literally ask if they can have a copy to read. There is another type of person though, who will see only the two words on the front cover: “The Gospel”, and react with an angry passion, vehemently opposing and condemning me for daring to speak about God!
Apparently, it seems, they believe that sharing the knowledge of Jesus Christ, is an evil thing! (.. or rather, more likely, despite their objections, something very uncomfortable has come upon them by the mere name of the topic).
That is the nature of someone who has an evil spirit. Their behaviour is a manifestation of the spirit that is operating in them, so, accordingly, they oppose the very thing that would reveal their error and thereby lead them into the freedom of being right in God's sight (Romans 3:21-24).
Most people don’t like to be known as someone who hates what is good and loves what is evil, so they have to justify themselves. The only way a person can argue that they are doing good by opposing that which is good, is by ignoring or denying the truth that proves them wrong, concealing their wrongness with deceit.
“Woe to those who use deceit to bring their iniquity forward, calling evil good and good evil, presenting light as darkness and darkness as light. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight, who justify the wicked for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice!
- Therefore:
as a tongue of fire consumes straw, and as chaff collapses into the flame, so their root will be like rot, and their blossom will go up like dust. For, they have rejected the rulings of God, (The Lord of Hosts), and despised the word of the holy one of Israel.”
When a person has done that which they know they should not do, they receive condemnation in their conscience whenever The Holy Spirit is convicting them. This is why we see that Adam and Eve were hiding from God, and when He called for them and found them, Adam said “I heard your sound and I was afraid because I am naked, so I hid myself”.
They felt afraid because they knew they were naked, although they had never been afraid of their nakedness before .. they had suddenly become aware of something about their appearance that they were afraid of being judged for.
.. so that is why we in society cover up, because it is a universal standard of dignity, that each is entitled to not be judged for their private parts. Only, when it comes to a person who is guilty of having done sin, their nakedness is a spiritual thing – their heart and mind is exposed for judgement whenever words are spoken in the presence of God.
In this way, we can read value in John 3:36 that explains how a person becomes someone who has a deeply demonic desire to hide from, and to oppose, the gospel.
A person who is born of God is a son of God! His invisible qualities are visible in their nature: they are pure in mind and conscience and full of divine truth and grace.
Therefore, speaking as one being born of God and blameless in His sight, having accepted His commandments and chosen to follow Him in repentance, our words reflect that blameless spiritual condition. So our speech is perfectly good for expressing God’s will – there is nothing in our speech that hesitates to convey God’s will with good conscience.
His Word has literally come to abide in our heart and mind, shaping our every thought.
This is the doctrine of life eternal and salvation through spiritual rebirth, as Jesus taught (see John 5:24):
“But the testimony I have is greater than that from John. The works the Father has given Me to finish—the very works I am doing—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father who sent Me has testified concerning Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form. Nor do you have His Word living in you, because you do not trust the One He sent. You search the Scriptures because you suppose that in them you have eternal life. It is these that testify about Me. Yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life!”
Thus, when we see in John the Baptist’s testimony of Jesus Christ in John 1:32, that the Holy Spirit of God came to remain on Jesus, we can look to all that Jesus said and did as being the work of The Holy Spirit in Him, just as we also are called to follow Him so that The Holy Spirit can keep doing His work through us.
But some have fallen from grace.
Although believing themselves to be Christian, they do not walk in the light. Wanting to be teachers and departing from the teacher of all, they themselves have disobeyed the son (of whom we are all individual members – 1 Corinthians 12:27).
Because we are all members of Jesus Christ, individual expressions of the Son of God, then there should be no division. The fact that Christians often fail to agree, and often act against each other in a manner that is not loving, is proof of the principle that God is impartial in judgement.
Watch your feet when you go to the House of God. Draw near to listen, rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing wrong.
When we become aware of this reality, we come to know there is a type of Christian who is discerning spiritually and a type that is carnal, of the passions of their flesh and not listening to The Holy Spirit in their midst.
He said to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding, don’t take the seat of honor, for someone more highly esteemed than you may have been invited by him. Then the one who invited both of you will come to you and say, ‘Give up this seat.’ And with shame, you would proceed to take the lowest seat. But when you are invited, go and recline in the lowest seat so that when the one who invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you shall be honored in the presence of all those who are dining with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Our knowledge is not ours, so it is wrong to preach for our own interests. Our words must be offered to do God’s service for each other’s needs.
When we serve each other in love, we are not acting of the passion of the flesh, which is demonic and sinful. It is therefore The Holy Spirit who is speaking through us, and it is The Holy Spirit we look to serve in each other.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s judgment comes on the children of disobedience. Therefore do not be partners with them. For once you were darkness, but now in union with the Lord you are light.
Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them—for it is disgraceful even to mention the things that are done by them in secret.
Yet everything exposed by the light is being made visible, for everything made visible is light. This is why it says, “Wake up, O sleeper!
Rise from the dead, and Messiah will shine on you.”
* Image Attribution: "Anger" by Raziel1989
- Serving Zion, Oct 01, 2018