Romans 1-5 - Why God Reveals His Wrath (1)#
Romans 1-5 Why God Reveals His Wrath (1)
(JP Text Group - Wang Na Compilation)
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You, for Your grace is about to come upon us once again. We believe we will be renewed in strength through Your words.
Lord, please guide our time today, grant us revelation, let us receive Your power and rest in Your words, and understand Your will.
Dear Holy Spirit, we commit this time to You, open our hearts to receive Your special revelation. May the Holy Spirit lead us to look solely upon our Savior, Jesus Christ, for all our grace comes from Jesus Christ. Bless every brother and sister who seeks You. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!
Romans Chapter 1, Verses 18-23,
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. 19 Because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.
21 Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools; 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
Today, our topic is called, Why God Reveals His Wrath (1)
Brothers and sisters, we often read some scriptures, such as "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger." In the New Testament, Jesus rarely spoke in anger, and it seems that in the New Testament, our God is full of love.
Jesus never said to His disciples, "Look at you, this group of people is so foolish! After teaching you for three years, do you still not understand these things?" Jesus never got angry with them. It seems that in the Old Testament, God often got angry, but in the New Testament, God no longer shows His anger. Has God changed?
Dear family, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament, when God reveals His wrath, there must be a reason, and this is certainly to lead people to repentance, to turn away from sin and death, so that we may benefit.
Today, we will share through the scriptures, Why does God reveal His wrath?
In the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve had not sinned, there is no record of God being angry. Since Adam and Eve sinned, human sin has continually increased, and the Old Testament mentions God's wrath. Our God is a wholly good God, a holy God; He cannot coexist with sin, nor can He turn a blind eye to sin, because He is also a just God.
As a Creator, He cannot tolerate evil that lowers His standard of justice; if He did, He would not be just. So where is God's love and justice revealed? On one hand, it is His love, mercy, and kindness towards the righteous. On the other hand, it is His hatred of sin. The two are not contradictory, just as much as you love your child, you also hate the disease that afflicts your child.
God loves us very much, so He hates the sin that binds and controls us. When people sin, they face God's judgment. Many people say, "Did God not curse Adam after he sinned?" Actually, this statement is not correct; God cursed only one, the devil.
Genesis 3:14 So the Lord God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life."
He only pronounced judgment on Adam, "In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life." Because Adam sinned, he must face punishment. This is God's justice.
Genesis 3:17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life."
Although God punished Adam, He quickly provided him with salvation by killing an animal, shedding its blood, and making garments of skin for them.
Genesis 3:21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
Brothers and sisters, do you see? God's intention was not to cast Adam out of the Garden of Eden; He desired for Adam to remain in His love and grace. However, after Adam sinned, God could no longer dwell with a sinful person, so He drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. When these things come upon humanity, God does not say, "Since you have sinned, I will always be angry with you until you perish."
God has given us many opportunities to turn back to Him, allowing Adam and his descendants to communicate with God through sacrifices.
Indeed, God's wrath is revealed from heaven against the ungodly and unrighteous.
What does ungodly and unrighteous mean? If you do not understand this term, you can compare it with its antonyms to understand it better. The antonym of "ungodly" is "godly," and the antonym of "unrighteous" is "righteous." This means that God's love is always present with the godly, the righteous. So who are the opposites of the righteous? Sinners.
God cannot arbitrarily be angry with people. Some people watch ancient dramas where the emperor can be angry with anyone when he is in a bad mood. But our God is not like that; when sin is upon a person, God gives them a chance to repent, but if the person does not accept it, refuses, and insists on doing things their own way, they become trapped in sin.
Some even say, "Don't save me, I don't believe in you; I'd rather stay in sin. If I don't go to hell, who will?"
God has wrath against these unrighteous people; His wrath is revealed in the hope that they can turn back.
Jesus once said a very harsh word to the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" When Jesus said this, did He hate these people? He hoped that these people could turn back; although the tone was heavy, Jesus' purpose was to hope that these people would leave their original path and return to God.
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
God has given us the truth because He wants us to live in His love, to live in life, and does not want you to continue living in sin, finding pleasure in sin. God does not wish for people to perish. But how do these people respond? They commit unrighteousness and suppress the truth. In other words, if a person cannot swim and accidentally falls into a river, almost drowning, they still refuse your help to save them.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
God sees us gradually sliding toward death; He sent Jesus to save us. When we say to God, "Please do not save me, I do not need Jesus; I can manage on my own; stay away from me," this is when God reveals His wrath.
Only when people commit unrighteousness and reject the truth does God's wrath become evident in them. The reason God becomes angry is still in the hope that people can turn back and save their lives.
Everything that comes from God is good; even when He is angry, His righteousness is still revealed. He does not hate us, wishing for us all to perish; if that were the case, He would not care about us at all. But when He is angry with people, it is because those people would rather die than accept the truth! This is why His wrath is revealed.
Since the creation of the world, God's eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen.
What is our God like? What is His will? Many things can reveal this.
Some may ask, how were those Gentiles saved before Jesus came? They had no gospel and no law from God. Would it not be unfair to send them to hell? Today's text tells us that God's eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen; even without the law, people can understand through the creation.
Our God has repeatedly revealed His divinity, revealing His salvation, hoping that people can turn back.
Thus, God has used various revelations.
First Point: The Revelation of Conscience
Since Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they gained a simple ability to distinguish good from evil, but this standard is no longer God's but their own. However, within this conscience, people still have a lot of common understanding of good and evil. This can be called conscience. In other words, when God is angry with people, they are very clear in their hearts about what they have done. Even a child who has not learned the law knows very well when they have done something wrong.
My daughter is now two years old. When she does something wrong and laughs, I immediately know she has done something wrong; every time she does something wrong, she is very happy. The effect of this conscience is quite interesting; when God rebukes us, our hearts are very clear about what kind of wrongdoing we have committed; in fact, our conscience has already given us a hint.
However, many times, people ignore the hints of their conscience again and again, and eventually become numb. Just like the Bible says, their conscience is seared as with a hot iron. When they do wrong again, their conscience has no effect at all.
1 Timothy 4:1-2
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.
I once watched an Oscar-winning movie called "Slumdog Millionaire," and there was a very interesting scene. A criminal who is a Catholic kneels before an altar, holding a gun, praying to God, "God, forgive my sins! Amen!" Then he takes the gun and goes out to kill.
He actually knows that this is wrong, but in order to balance his conscience, he pretends to pray before God, and his conscience is balanced. This person's conscience, which once prompted him towards justice, becomes smaller and weaker, and eventually, when he kills, he feels no condemnation in his heart.
Brothers and sisters, this is what we mentioned about the conscience being seared with a hot iron; originally, the ability given by God to distinguish good from evil is lost. People become completely self-centered. Thus, they become selfish and ruthless, using any means necessary to achieve their goals.
In many families, people often use this phrase to accuse their spouse: "You touch your conscience and tell me, are you right?" Why do people say this? If a person's conscience has not yet been extinguished, they have a certain ability to distinguish good from evil, and people are still willing to do good. Thank the Lord!
God can be known by people. Your conscience has already told you. There is a God in this world because God has revealed it to them. Although people cannot fully comprehend God's matters, there are still many things about God that people can know. And these things revealed by people's consciences are powerful enough to guide people to come before God. However, many people deliberately choose not to know God.
Many people also acknowledge that there is a God in the world. Some say they believe in "Heaven," but who exactly is this "Heaven"? Why do people have a sense of awe towards Heaven in their hearts? This is also the function of conscience.
Conscience tells them, "Look, when you plant crops, rain comes at the right time, and then you bear fruit; this is not your ability." Thus, their hearts indeed acknowledge that there is a God. Thank the Lord!
Although people know there is a God, some choose not to know God. Instead, they deliberately suppress the feelings of their conscience, rejecting the inner knowledge of God. When people do this, God's wrath is revealed upon them. They are not unaware in their hearts; they are deliberately refusing to accept.
Many people encounter this when preaching the gospel. This person may not have accepted Jesus yet; perhaps their previous understanding of God was very vague. But when you tell them that Jesus Christ is the God they vaguely know, the one true God who loves them and hopes they will accept Him as their Savior, their conscience will tell them, "Yes, that is right!" But immediately, reason tells them, "Do not accept it; where is God in this world? Everything I have is earned by my own efforts." At this moment, reason overcomes the truth.
Many people say, "What good is believing in Jesus? Can He provide me with food and drink? Can He help me earn more money?" Many rational thoughts immediately arise, taking away the feelings of conscience. So they choose not to accept.
Second Point: The Revelation of Nature
The only true God created the world, as clearly stated in Genesis, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Since the world was created by God, including humans, there has always been a void in people's hearts that the material world can never fill; that void can only be filled by the Holy Spirit.
Material things can only make people increasingly greedy and cannot satisfy them. Money and fame cannot satisfy people; if you covet these, your heart will become a bottomless pit, never satisfied. Only when you come to know Jesus will your heart be satisfied.
God created this nature, and when He created us, we were not much different from the animals in nature. But after creating us, God breathed His spirit into our nostrils, so at that moment, we had something that other creatures in the world did not have: the Holy Spirit!
Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
When Adam sinned, this spirit was temporarily separated from God, and people lost their sense of fulfillment. To this day, people have always longed to have dominion over nature and have a desire for beautiful things.
When God created man, He gave him authority, saying, "You shall have dominion over the earth."
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
Even though people have fallen and sinned, the desire to manage still exists within them. People are willing to raise flowers, keep birds, and put birds in cages to feed them daily. However, what people do not understand is that God has placed the authority to manage within them, so people long to understand nature and where they come from. In reality, people are longing to find the true God.
Many times, when people see how beautiful nature is and how everything is orderly, they cannot help but think, "Perhaps there really is a Creator!" Or when they see the changing of the seasons, see a seed grow from the soil, and see a tree bloom and bear fruit in due time, people feel it is quite marvelous and think there is a God in the world.
God has adorned nature so beautifully; He wants to give people a revelation through nature, to let them know that there is indeed a God in this world. He loves you and is willing to help you. This is what we just mentioned: since the creation of the world, God's eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen.
No one says that nature suddenly appeared; everything just came into being. Who would believe that everything came from a sudden explosion? Try testing it: take apart your television into small parts, put them in a bag, and shake it vigorously. How many years do you think it would take for it to become a perfect television? You all would say it is impossible. Likewise, such a perfect creation as the world could not have come from a random explosion.
Brothers and sisters, however, many times people would rather believe in erroneous theories than believe in God's creation. People search for God in this world but find one false god after another.
When people seek God, they do so according to their own desires, and as a result, they find only fakes. In the past, many people thought the sun was so great! It rises and sets on time every day, so they regarded the sun as a god, calling it the Sun God; the moon is also impressive; it becomes full and wanes at the right time, eventually disappearing, so they called it the Moon God! The reason people have such a seeking heart is that they see the existence of God through nature.
God also knows people's thoughts, so He comes to find people, but unexpectedly, people reject Him, saying, "I do not want to accept You." Because the God they seek is one who listens to them at all times, this is precisely the manifestation of self-centeredness. People are unwilling to listen to God's words and unwilling to change themselves.
For those who reject the true God, God's wrath is upon them. In fact, God also hopes they will wake up and see what they are worshiping. Those are all false; they are all created things by the true God. Why do you worship them?
So in the Old Testament, God used a passage to explain the issue of idols:
Isaiah 44:14-17,
He cuts down cedars for himself, and takes the cypress and the oak; he secures it for himself among the trees of the forest; he plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it. Then it shall be for a man to burn; for he will take some of it and warm himself; yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; indeed, he makes a god and worships it; he makes it a carved image and falls down to it. He burns half of it in the fire; with this half he eats meat; he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, "Ah! I am warm; I have seen the fire." And the rest of it he makes into a god, his carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, prays to it and says, "Deliver me, for you are my god!"
Brothers and sisters, our God has written these details to hope that people know that any god they find in nature is not real. People should accept the true God who created this world. Jesus Christ, whom God sent, is the Savior we need to accept.
If people reject Him, God's wrath will be revealed, with the purpose of making them see what they are worshiping. The Israelites repeatedly worshiped idols in the Old Testament; God punished them and became angry with them, not to kill them but to lead them to turn back.
The law clearly states, "You shall have no other gods before Me." Worshiping other gods leads to death. But do you know? In fact, God has always given the Israelites opportunities to turn back; He is always slow to anger. When the Israelites worshiped idols, according to the law, they should have been immediately destroyed by God, but God did not destroy them immediately; instead, He sent His prophets to tell them, "You have gone astray; turn back."
Brothers and sisters, do you see? God tells us that this nature is created by Him; you should not worship these things; these things are not God.
People cannot excuse themselves before God by saying, "I did not know God." Everyone knows very clearly that God has revealed it to us; it is clearly known in the hearts of men.
Third Point: The Revelation of God's Son, Jesus Christ
If you say, "I am a bit dull and do not understand the revelation of nature, nor do I understand the reminders of conscience; I cannot hear what my conscience is prompting me." God has also given us another revelation, which is the revelation of His Son, Jesus Christ.
God sent His Son to come down from heaven to the world for one purpose: to save people from this corrupt world and to let people know God's love.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This is indeed God's will.
God sent Jesus Christ into the world not to tell us how evil we are; not to tell us how much God hates us and how great His anger is.
God sent Jesus Christ into the world to save us through Christ and grant us eternal life. Because through the law of Moses, people cannot be saved or justified by God; they can only fall under God's wrath.
From the history of the Israelites under the law for 1500 years, it can be seen that God is particularly willing to reveal His grace to people, complete grace; as long as people believe in Him and follow Him, that is enough.
Exodus 19:4-6
You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to Myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.
But how did the Israelites respond? The people answered together and said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do." The original Hebrew means, "Do not always say You bless us; let us do something!" As long as what You say, we can do.
Once again, people rejected the grace God gave them, insisting on earning it through their own actions. At this time, God said, "Alright, then I will tell you My standard," so God gave the Ten Commandments. The reason God became angry with the Israelites was to tell them, "This is God's standard. If you keep these Ten Commandments, He will bless you."
But God also said that if you cannot keep them, breaking one commandment is breaking them all. All the curses will come upon you. God is loving, but He is also just; He cannot say you have sinned and pretend not to see it, nor can He say today you have clearly done wrong, and God will not rebuke you. Therefore, when people make mistakes, God's wrath is upon them.
Brothers and sisters, do you know? In fact, these things are self-inflicted by the Israelites; their intention was to say, "Do not always talk about grace; let us do something!" When God revealed His standard through the Ten Commandments, the Israelites were under the law for 1500 years, and God's wrath was often upon them, but this was not God's wish.
Many people do not understand the meaning of the Old Testament in the Bible; it seems that God sends disasters in the Old Testament and later comforts and heals them, as if God is acting out a play. It seems that God deliberately makes you disabled and then heals you, or sends diseases upon you and then heals you, with the purpose of making you praise Him!
As long as you do not listen, He will send you some diseases; as long as you sin, He will become angry, as if our God is never satisfied with us and always looks for opportunities to punish people. Is this really the case?
Brothers and sisters, if you think of our God this way, then you will definitely be in fear every day! The Israelites fell under wrath because they sinned and wanted to be justified by their actions.
When they wanted to be justified by the law, two sides came upon them: one side is blessing, and the other side is wrath. When does God become angry with the Israelites? Every time it was when they worshiped idols. Through the history of Israel, we can see that many evil kings led the way in worshiping idols in the temple; some priests worshiped the sun, moon, and stars as gods in the temple. If at this time, God did not reveal His wrath, that would not be just.
God's anger is revealed to show His righteousness. But God's anger is not hatred; it is to give them a chance to repent. In fact, God could directly destroy them without saying these words because the law had already been given to them. Brothers and sisters, when God says these things, He is still tolerant of them, still loving them, hoping they can repent of their evil deeds.
There is a king in the Bible who committed many sins throughout his life, not listening to God's words. Finally, after being taken to Babylon, he repented under the iron chains of his enemies, prayed to God, and God immediately blessed him and restored his throne. Our God is such a God.
How does God's anger come about? Because people refuse to accept God's grace, wanting to achieve their own righteousness without God's righteousness; at this time, we fall under God's wrath.
Some may ask, what kind of people are under God's wrath? I tell you, as long as a person has not accepted Jesus Christ, they are all under the law and under God's wrath because no one can be justified before God by their own actions; no one can please our God by their own actions.
Brothers and sisters, do not think that just because you believe in the Lord, your actions can please God. You do not please God by your actions; you are accepted by God through the redemption of Jesus Christ.
After many years of effort, the Israelites found that they still could not keep the law completely. God gave people another revelation, which is the revelation of Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus to fulfill the law; on the cross, Jesus paid the price for our sins, shedding His blood for our sins. He completed all the righteousness and requirements of the law.
God laid the sins of all upon Jesus Christ; as long as people are willing to accept Jesus as Lord, all sins are forgiven, and God will no longer be angry with that person.
Brothers and sisters, do you see God's love? What is the other revelation God gives us today? You must accept Jesus Christ; do not reject this grace.
The scripture we read at the beginning says, God's wrath is revealed against those who commit unrighteousness and suppress the truth. Do not think of truth as a sentence or a doctrine; it is a person. If you rely on your own righteousness, you are under God's wrath. Truth is a person, and His name is Jesus Christ.
John 3:36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.
Only when people reject Jesus does God's wrath rest upon them because they do not believe that Jesus has completed all this for them.
Some often ask me, "Teacher Ren, do we need to confess our sins now?" My answer is very simple: Do you believe that Jesus has paid the full price for your sins? Do you believe that in the eyes of the Father, He no longer calls you a sinner but has called you righteous?
If you believe that the Father has declared you not guilty, you only need to repent before God.
It is like someone who has committed a crime and goes to court; the judge says the fine is 50,000, but this person does not have that money. Someone says, "I am willing to pay that 50,000 for him." When you have paid off the debt required by the law, the judge says, "You are released; you are not guilty." Because you have paid off what the law required.
But at this time, you do not leave; you plead before the judge, saying, "Honorable Judge, please forgive me! Please set me free! Please do not remember my offenses! I should not have stolen from others; this punishment is self-inflicted."
Do you know what the judge's attitude would be? "Get this person out of here; I do not want to hear him babbling."
Brothers and sisters, can you understand what I am trying to express? Today, many people say, "Lord, I have sinned again today; please forgive me, have mercy on me! I am a sinner; although I know You have saved me, I have indeed made mistakes today. If I do not admit my mistakes to You, I will be uneasy!" Is this not exactly like the story we just told?
The forgiveness of Jesus Christ for our sins is not only for the past and present but also includes the sins you will commit in the future. Jesus has already paid the price for you, and the case has been closed before God. God says, "From now on, you are as precious in My eyes as Jesus, because all your sins have been laid upon Him. He has paid the price for all your sins in your lifetime, so you are now precious, holy, and without blemish in My eyes."
Brothers and sisters, here we no longer emphasize what you should do; we just tell you the truth, and then you examine the Bible to see if what we say aligns with the Scriptures. Do you believe that Jesus Christ has washed away all your sins and that the case has been closed before God?
Or you should think about what Jesus Christ has brought you. God personally sent His Son into the world to take the place of the sins of the world.
John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Brothers and sisters, do you see? We are saved because of Him, so on the cross, God poured out all His wrath. This wrath is not directed at the Son, for Jesus did not sin. All this wrath comes from us; all our sins, God's wrath for our lifetime of sins, and the price of sin were all laid upon His Son. So when Jesus on the cross said, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" that was the only time He called out "My God"; at other times, He always called out "Father, Abba Father." That time He could not call Abba Father because He was bearing the sins of all humanity, suffering the punishment. He bore God's wrath for you.
Today, you must make a choice: to believe in what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross or to believe in your own efforts to be justified before God?
I hope brothers and sisters choose the redemption of Jesus Christ because Jesus has accomplished this work. We do not need to rely on our own righteousness to please God because Jesus Christ has completed all this. You must understand this revelation; you must understand that God sent His Son to redeem your sins. When you do, you will thank God from the bottom of your heart.
The Bible often says to give thanks in everything. Where does the strength come from? Only when you truly understand what Jesus Christ has done for you, that God is no longer angry with you, that you are righteous and holy, can you thank God in everything.
When you understand this truth, you will know that God is no longer angry with you. His love is always upon you.
Deuteronomy records that so many curses will have no effect on you; the words written in the law that are against us will be invalid because Jesus Christ has "fulfilled all," so all the blessings will come upon you. When you believe all this, you can only thank God because you know He will no longer be angry with you.
Hebrews 8:10-12
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.
We have a covenant with God; this covenant is eternally valid, established by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, written by the life of the Son of God. Therefore, God swears not to remember our sins anymore because today it has been completely paid off.
God reveals His wrath against those who do not believe, hoping they can turn back. Because their hearts are indeed too hard, unwilling to turn back, when He becomes angry with them, He also hopes their hearts can turn back and receive this salvation; this is God's love.
When people do not accept this revelation and reject the Son of God, they are relying on their own strength; they do not believe that God has prepared such a gift for them. When they do not believe, what will happen to people? Their thoughts will become futile. Their foolish hearts will be darkened.
Futile means that in the end, everything returns to emptiness, becoming useless and valueless.
A foolish heart being darkened means that they will never see the desired results.
Some say that the people in Jesus' time were truly blessed because they saw Jesus and witnessed His miracles. Jesus was indeed biased; He only stayed in Israel. Wouldn't it be better if He came to China for a tour? Please see the fourth point.
Fourth Point: The Disciples of Jesus Christ Revealed to Us
Although Jesus Christ has returned to the Kingdom of Heaven, His disciples are still proclaiming God's salvation today. What kind of salvation are they proclaiming? What kind of gospel? When we preach the gospel, we must tell others that God is no longer angry with you. We must tell those under the law that God is no longer angry with you because His Son, Jesus Christ, has completed everything. The conditions required for God not to be angry have all been fulfilled by Jesus, who bore all our sins on the cross and rose from the dead, proving that everything is complete.
Hebrews chapters 8 to 10 mention this many times. God says He will not remember our sins anymore, will not remember our transgressions, and will not be angry with us. What is the reason? Because of the work done by Jesus Christ on the cross.
Some may say, "But I really see some believers living under curses, always in problems!"
That is because they believe wrongly. Brothers and sisters, for hundreds of years, many times, we have accepted human traditions. People have added many of their own things to the truth, and many strange theories have been passed down from ancestors, which we accept without thinking and treat as truth.
For example, some say, "Do not think it is so easy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I tell you, the number of people entering the Kingdom of Heaven is few; it is a narrow road, a narrow gate. Besides believing in Jesus, you must also have good behavior; your thoughts and actions must be holy to enter. If you do not repent, even if you are saved, God will still abandon you." Many people say, "I want to change, but I cannot!" Then... confess your sins; otherwise, God will discipline you, and He will bring disasters upon you until you change.
Brothers and sisters, many times, such teachings sound very reasonable! It seems very correct from a rational perspective; how can someone who still sins be worthy of entering the Kingdom of Heaven? The Kingdom of Heaven does not need sinners! If you do not confess your sins, how could God possibly forgive my transgressions?
On one hand, we say that God's love is unconditional, and His salvation is unconditional; on the other hand, we say that if we do not repent, God will bring disasters upon us; God will punish us, and we will lose our salvation. This is a contradictory human theory and is not the truth.
In the past, we accepted such erroneous teachings, and inadvertently, we would pray, "Lord, I have sinned again today; please punish me quickly; if You punish me, I will feel comfortable; I will be at ease, and You will not use other things to punish me. I am really afraid You will take away what I consider the most important."
A sister was accidentally hit by a car and broke both legs; she came to church, and the pastor told her, "You have sinned; you have distanced yourself from God; this is God's discipline upon you. Now that you have finally returned, it is fine." That sister said, "Thank God!"
Brothers and sisters, do you see some problems here?
Does this not contradict what we just read? On one hand, we say, "Lord, I know I am righteous because of Jesus Christ; I have been justified." On the other hand, we say, "Lord, You are angry with me again today; if I do not confess my sins, You will be angry and punish me." What a terrifying God!
Legalistic teachings contradict the Bible. I hope brothers and sisters return to the Bible. No matter who speaks, you also need to find the correct basis in the Bible; do not believe everything.
Brothers and sisters, we need to understand what the Old Testament is, what the New Testament is, and what Jesus Christ has done for you. When you truly understand that Jesus Christ on the cross has completely paid the price for your sins and has borne the consequences of your sins, you will know that God is pleased with you today and is no longer angry with you. God's word truly does not change; thank and praise the Lord!
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we especially thank and praise You! Because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross, I am not under the law; I am under Your grace.
You are the God who loves us; You are no longer angry with us. You wish to pour Your grace upon us. You desire for everyone to come before Your throne of grace, to accept the truth of Jesus Christ, to accept the grace of Jesus Christ. I believe I am holy and pleasing to You.
Father, I also believe that wherever I go, You will not abandon us; You will not forsake me. Your grace will lead me to live a godly life. I believe You are always smiling at me today. Grant me strength to live out the pattern of new life. In Christ, You are pleased with me, and by Your grace, I can live a victorious life! In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!