Thursday, August 22, 2013

A God of Love Won’t Punish


~ Since “God Is Love” I’m Not Worried ~

note:  This is one in a series of Biblical answers to objections some individuals raise when presented with the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

 “I will not bother to personally conduct a serious investigation of Jesus Christ because the Bible says ‘God is Love’ and so He will not send me to hell.”

This is like saying, “I will go court and I’ve heard that the judge in my case is a very nice caring man and so I don’t think he will convict me of robbing the bank.  After all, there are many banks which I have not robbed. I’m no worse than the average guy.” Such a response doesn’t stand up to the test of logic. But logic is not the main issue. What does God say?

The Bible says that while God is a God of love He also demands justice. Throughout History God has demonstrated that He rightly demands justice.

God Demanded Justice When Angels Sinned  ~  “If God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment” (2 Peter 2:4).

God Demanded Justice in the Days of Noah  ~  “And did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly” (2 Peter 2:5).

God Demanded Justice for the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah  ~  “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly” (2 Peter 2:6).

God Demanded Justice for the Egyptians  ~  “And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock” (Exodus 12:29).

God Demanded Justice for the Canaanites  ~   “But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, and will inflict defeat upon them until they are destroyed” (Deuteronomy 7:23).

God Demanded Justice for the Amalekites  ~   “Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed’” (1 Samuel 15:18).

God Demanded Justice from His Own People—the Jewish Nation  ~  “If God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either” (Romans 11:21).

Most Importantly, God Sacrificed His Son to Pay Your Penalty  ~  He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). 

Because “God is love” He provided payment for your sin. The penalty for your sin has been conditionally paid. The condition is that you must accept by faith the sacrifice of God’s only Son on your behalf. 

It Is A Serious Issue  ~  Jesus said, “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matthew 22:13).

Jesus said, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).

summary:The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being.
So nobody has a good excuse.
What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life” (Romans 1:19-22, The Message).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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