The depiction of the Old Testament God as perpetually angry and Jesus as endlessly forgiving is inaccurate. The Bible reveals a consistent triune God who is merciful, just, patient, and intolerant of sin. Peter states, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise... He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). This applies to all humanity, regardless of political or racial distinctions.
How
do we determine our experience with God—his grace or wrath? C.S. Lewis
addresses this in Mere Christianity: “God is both our comfort and
supreme terror, our ally and enemy. Facing absolute goodness is serious; it can
be safety or danger, depending on our response. Sadly, we have often reacted
poorly.”
The
nature of God as either forgiving or judgmental is influenced by individual
choices throughout history. God can be perceived as a source of comfort or
fear, depending on how one responds to the concept of salvation. A self-effacing repentant heart has
never met God’s wrath, and a proud, defiant one has yet to meet his mercy.
Jesus, the exact exemplification or representation of his nature said it like
this, once again quoting the Old Testament: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a
smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice.”
We as individuals
must take a moment to ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand the degree to
which we’re serving the God of the Bible or a god of our own making. Any
understanding of the Lord that does not make equal room for both his wrath and
his mercy will necessarily fall into the latter category.
No comments:
Post a Comment