God’s Wrath Appeased

(Article for publication week of 7-27-2011 AD)

“Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood…” (Romans 3:23-24b). In our recent series of articles on the attributes of God, we have been declaring the wrath of God. God is justly angry with the wicked.

Our text this week tells us how the wrath of God is turned away from the believer in Christ. It is through the propitiation of Christ.

Propitiation is a very delightful word, and a Biblical concept with which every believer should be well acquainted. Most modern Bible translations do not use this wonderful old word, and that is one of many reasons why you should avoid them. Many of the people that have been involved in modern translations are infidels themselves, and deny such truths as propitiation. It is my understanding that the word propitiation came into the English language with William Tyndale’s translation of the New Testament

Propitiation means that God’s wrath has been appeased by the atoning death of Christ. God’s wrath has been vented against a holy Victim that suffered Divine vengeance once for all. Propitiation means that Christ made an atoning sacrifice to pay the penalty due for sin, and against sinners.

Remember God is perfectly holy and perfectly just, and so He must punish sin. God will not allow any sin to go unpunished. Unless God’s wrath against the sinner is appeased and Divine justice satisfied, then the sinner must and will be punished for his own sins. This is where every sinner without Christ now stands. The sinner without Christ must answer directly to God for His sins. Poor sinner, can you bear the thought of having to pay the awful penalty for your sins? Unless the sword of God’s vengeance be turned away from you, it will cut you in pieces forever.

But now hear the gospel news! Christ was made a propitiation for all who would ever believe in Him! God made His eternal and coequal Son the victim of His wrath so that His elect people would not have to suffer the penalty for sin. The believer in Christ has a Substitute! God is not angry with the believer, for His wrath was fully appeased by the death of Christ. God is perfectly holy and perfectly just, and so He will not punish sin twice. God will not punish the Surety, and the one for whom the Surety stands good. This is what Christ is for His chosen people- their Surety (Hebrews 7:22).

Those in hell (and there are billions there at this moment, many with whom you were once familiar) have no substitute, and so they are suffering the eternal vengeance of God. You will soon be there also, unless a Fit Substitute be found for you. I beseech you by the mercies of God to flee to Christ, the only Fit Substitute.

Believer in Christ, here your comfort stands. Salvation is all of the Lord from first to last. Christ has made satisfaction for sin. He has died an atoning death. Never can any charge be brought against one who has Christ (Romans 8:33). The believer’s sins are all taken away! Therefore a just and holy God will never exercise His wrath against the sinner who is in Christ. May the Lord give you grace to believe this glorious gospel of salvation by God’s free and sovereign grace.

Sinners in the Hands of a Wrathful Christ

(Article for publication week of 7-20-2011 AD)

“And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” (Revelation 6:15-17).

The Lord Jesus Christ is a far different Person than most people, and many professing Christians suppose. Most people think that the Lord Jesus Christ is a harmless sissy that wouldn’t hurt a flea. But in the Day of Judgment, you will find out that He is a wrathful Christ.

First of all, note well that Christ is God, for our text says that He sits on a throne. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Who is omnipotent. This omnipotent Christ will judge the world in righteousness. Dear reader, you must face the Judge of all the earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, and give an account of yourself. You will find out in that day that He is not the little sissy portrayed in “religious art”. Our Lord declared the solemn fact of His righteous judgment many times in His Own earthly ministry. For example in Matthew 7:21-23, He said plainly that He would personally consign His enemies to hell.

Our text also proves the Deity of Christ by His omniscience. You cannot hide from Him. At this very moment He knows if you are a professed believer in Himself, and whether your profession is genuine. You cannot hide from Christ, for He is omniscient God. All the great mountains of the earth, and all the rocks cannot hide you from the presence of Him to Whom hath been committed the judgment of your poor soul.

Though the mountains are no refuge for a lost sinner, there is a refuge from the judgment to come, that is this Lamb Himself. Though He will get vengeance on His enemies, He will have mercy on every sinner that will repent of his sins and hide himself in the Rock of Ages. Dear reader, you do not want to be an enemy of the Lamb of God! If you do not make peace with Him now, it will be too late when you die and meet Him in judgment.

I have chosen the title of my article purposefully this week (as I always do). Some of you may remember a famous sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards entitled “Sinners in the hands of an Angry God.” That was in my mind as I entitled this article, “Sinners in the Hands of a Wrathful Christ“. I want you to see the whole truth about Christ, the Lamb of God. He is justly angry with His enemies, and justly merciful to all who repent and trust in Him for salvation. Flee to Him today, or you will futilely be trying to flee from Him at the last day.

God’s Holy and Just Wrath

(Article for publication week of 7-13-2011 AD)

“See now that I, even I am He, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, ‘ I live forever.’ If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me” (Deuteronomy 32:39-41).

God’s wrath is the execution of His holy justice upon His enemies in righteous indignation for their sins. God’s wrath is consistent with all His perfections. You may ask, “How can a God of love and grace also be a God of wrath?” This is easily illustrated by the example of a good and wise earthly father. A good man will be merciful and kind to his own children, but he will be stirred to wrath against any who attempt to hurt his children. We may also illustrate it by a good judge (a rarity these days and in these parts). A good judge wants the best for the commonwealth and so he is ready to execute the penalty of the law on criminals. So a good man is both merciful and wrathful. God Who is thrice holy is infinitely greater and purer than these examples, so we should not be surprised to read of His vengeance upon sinners who are cosmic rebels and law breakers.

Our text says that God kills people. The sword of His wrath is sharpened and prepared to punish you my sinner friend. Sinner, you are an enemy of God.

Now, I know that many of you reading this do not consider yourself to be a sinner, nor an enemy of God. Some of you are very respectable people. But neighbour, if you are not born again, you are an enemy of God. You may be respectable, and even religious, but if you are not a believer in Christ you are an enemy of God (John 5:23).

God’s vengeance is oft times slow in its execution, but it is certain. You may not see the Lord sharpening His sword, but be sure the Bible says that He is. God’s sword is being prepared for you my unconverted friends. You may try to put it out of your mind, but it certainly awaits you. You think that “out of sight is out of mind”, but hell gapes its infernal jaws for you even as you read these words. Except you repent and believe in the only Saviour of sinners, hell will be your eternal home. God will not feel sorry for you if you refuse His remedy for sin and sinners. You can hide behind a religious veneer, but God’s wrath will catch up with you. You can console yourself with false ideas of a god who is too weak and pitiful to punish sinners, but your imagination will not make God’s wrath go away. You can go to a psychiatrist who will help you make excuses for your sin (for that is all psychology is), but God’s glittering sword will not go away.

There is somebody reading this week who needs to contact me so I can tell you how to be saved and escape the wrath of God. May God spare you before it is everlastingly too late.

The Wrath of God

(Article for publication week of 7-6-2011 AD)

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold (or suppress) the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18).

God’s wrath is His holy hatred of sin. The true God Who is thrice holy must hate everything that is unholy. So our text says that His wrath is being revealed against everything and everybody that is ungodly and unrighteous.

Dear reader, do you understand that God is rightfully angry with the wicked every day? (Psalm 7:11). Lost sinner, do you realize that God is angry with you? He is awfully displeased with your rebellion, for that is exactly what your sin is. The wrath of God is hanging over every sinner who is outside of Christ (John 3:36). The sword of God’s terrible justice is now being whetted for your everlasting and just execution. I emphasize, God is too holy not to hate sin, and sinners.

God’s wrath is already being revealed from heaven. The wrath of God was revealed when God pronounced the curse of death upon the human race in the day that Adam transgressed His holy law. God has revealed His wrath from heaven by sending the flood on the old world. He revealed His wrath against the filthy perverts of Sodom and Gomorrah by raining down fire and brimstone upon them and wiping them off the face of the map. God continues to reveal His wrath by sending terrible calamities on sinners. Hurricanes and tornadoes are not sent by “mother nature.” They are not caused by “global warming.” These disasters are sent from the hand of a thrice-holy God Who reveals His wrath and hot displeasure against sinners.

Now, I know many of you do not believe in a God like that. But that is because you are a lost, unconverted sinner yourself and do not believe the Bible nor the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible sent a great flood and killed probably billions of people at one lick. The God of the Bible opened up the earth and swallowed up Core and his followers and sent them down to the pit and didn’t even give them time to pack their bags. The God of the Bible kills people (Deuteronomy 32:39-41). Don’t believe the false prophets who try to tell you that God is only love. Romans 11:22 says “behold the goodness and severity of God.” Most of you have a truncated view of God. You only think of God’s love and goodness, but you do not believe everything the Bible says about our thrice-holy God. God’s wrath is as much of His holy character as His love, mercy, grace and goodness.

God’s wrath has been, and is presently being, revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. But if you are not made to fear God by His present revelations of His wrath, you will one day be cut down forever by His awful vengeance when He pours out His holy wrath on you and sends you down to hell and the lake of fire forever.

Such a God is to be feared. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Knowing the terror of the Lord (II Corinthians 5:11), I seek to persuade you today to repent of your sins before God’s awful vengeance is turned loose on you forever. My unconverted friends and neighbors and kinfolks, I repeat the solemn warning of the Lamb Himself, from Whose wrath you cannot hide (Revelation 6:16), “repent or perish” (Luke 13:5). Turn or burn sinner, for God’s wrath is upon you.

Sinners in the Hands of a Gracious God

(Article for publication week of 6-29-2011 AD)

“If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (I Peter 2:3).

Oh! How wonderful to read in the scriptures that the Lord is gracious! Well did John Newton express it in his well-known hymn “Amazing Grace”, “how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.” Grace is indeed precious to a believer who has come to the end of himself and believed in Christ for his whole and sole righteousness. Grace is indeed precious to one who knows himself to be undeserving, ill deserving and hell deserving. Grace is indeed precious when we first believe in Christ, but it appears more precious day by day to the child of God.

When the Lord shows one of His elect children how vile and loathsome he is by nature, he is first of all struck with fear knowing that God is all holy and he, the wretched sinner is all unholy. God brings His children to the place where they are made to see that they well deserve eternal damnation. And again as Newton wrote,” ‘twas grace that taught my heart to fear.” It is a painful experience that we must go through to come to the place that we are ready to quit all our own efforts and trust in Christ Alone as the Rock of Ages of our souls. But it is the way the Lord leads His chosen ones. What dread and foreboding filled my soul when I realized I was in the hands of a Thrice Holy God Who could and would send sinners like me to hell.

But, Oh! how sweet did this grace taste to us when this same grace that taught us to fear God, relieved our fears! How strange is the course a Christian must walk. The same grace that brings him low at last sets him on high! The same grace that kills his self-righteousness makes him alive in Christ. The same grace that strips away his rags, clothes him well from top to toe with the robe of Christ. The same grace that wounds also heals. Oh! How wonderful to believe and know that we are in the hands of a God Who has said He will be gracious to sinners!

Poor sinner, do I write of your own experience? Have you come to see that you deserve nothing from God but His everlasting contempt? Are you mourning deep down in your soul because of your desperate situation? Well, let me drop a word of cheer and comfort into your soul. God is gracious! He saves real sinners. Though you may feel yourself too bad for God to save you, He is gracious. Remember, Christ, Who was full of grace and truth came into the world to save the chief of sinners.

Now, here is set before you a well from which you may drink and taste the grace of God. Taste that the Lord is gracious. You know, only the thirsty are interested in a well. So it is true spiritually, only those who are thirsty in their souls are interested in drinking from the well of salvation. Poor sinner, such a thirst is from God! He Who provides the well of grace, works in His children in such a way as to make them thirsty for the grace He provides. Come poor sinners. Come and taste of the sovereign grace of God. Come and believe in Christ for salvation. You are in the hands of the God of heaven and earth Who has said He will be gracious to sinners. I give you this gospel promise on the authority of Him Who cannot lie, and has revealed in His Word that He is gracious. May the Lord bless His dear children.