The Seriousness of Sin
God’s anger against sin is not preached about frequently. Such a message has to present God as ultra pure, and a God who demands justice. But these qualities alone needn’t colour our perception of God wrongly. Jesus was ultra pure. Hebrews 7:26 describes Jesus as “holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted to the heavens.” And Jesus never compromised justice. Isaiah prophetically said of Jesus “A bruised reed he will not break and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice” (Isaiah 42:3).
But doesn’t God’s anger against sin lessen His love? Not at all. God’s purity, justice and overflowing love all came together in the cross. In His purity God could not look upon sin. In His justice He had to pour out His righteous anger against sin. But in His love He sent His own Son to take that anger so completely that it was utterly emptied. Jesus didn’t cancel God the Father’s anger against sin. He absorbed every last bit of it. God’s wrath was diverted from us who deserved it, to Jesus who willingly received it in our place. God’s wrath wasn’t cut short or withdrawn; it was spent; it was exhausted; it was poured out until there was no more.
Don’t trifle with God or casually presume on His love. The more we understand the seriousness of sin and God’s anger against it, the more we will look at the cross and cry out “This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning (wrath-bearing) sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10)
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