God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.
(Romans 8:9-10)
WANTED: people looking for truth. Hence, I write. Hunters for true truth (that which accurately describes and corresponds to what really is) must always begin by answering three core questions: (1) Does God Exist? (2) If yes, what is he like? (3) And how does a human gain his approval? Shelving these questions to be answered at a later date – when my hair is gray and I have nothing else to do – is a sign you really are not a genuine hunter, you are just a player, a poser, an impostor. Psalm 14:1 and 53:1 agree, “The FOOL has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.'”
Foolishness is never becoming, nor does the fool want truth.
Answering the first question is not as easy as it may seem. Oh sure, evidence for the presence of God is everywhere abundant, but getting people to acknowledge the evidence is where the difficulty lies. Over the centuries, arguments for and against the existence of God have raged; the topic has attracted and involved some of the most brilliant minds mankind has ever produced. This battle has not ceased, and it will never stop because from a Christian perspective, answering this question adequately and convincingly, ultimately depends on the work of the Holy Spirit to awaken a spiritually blind man.
“Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?” (Luke 6:39)
Mere human reason and logic will not suffice nor satisfy, it can’t raise the dead. So, needless to say, I am not going to go into the limitless arguments for and against his existence on this blog. I will only say this, “If God doesn’t exist, the rock group Queen was right when they sang, ‘Nothing really matters.'” Let us then, “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” (I Corinthians 15:32). But the human heart cannot survive on such terminal despair, it longs for meaning, it demands for an eternity to chase buried hope. Even the atheist can’t and will not live in accordance with his belief in a meaningless world; worth cannot be found in something that lasts no longer than a blink and ends in a groan.
Everyone knows God is. (Romans 1:19)
That takes us to question 2: What is God like? Scripture says he is, “Holy, Holy, Holy.” This means he is completely separate, without blemish or spot, wholly pure. He lives among a tempest of fire, ready to burn up the smallest threat of stain. Oh there is so much more to say about him, but his other character qualities will not shine as bright, nor compel us to drop to our knees in worship until this concept of Holiness is adequately understood. Holiness is an awesome and terrible barrier we all must face.
“For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.” (Malachi 1:14)
I am convinced, if this primary truth of God (holiness) is not met with honestly, secondary subsequent truths (love, mercy, kindness, joy) will never be arrived at nor savored. Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge.” I have experienced this first hand. For 23 years of my life, I viewed God as a harmless being who was easy to dupe. Like a blind and senile old uncle in the sky with a big bank account – – God was a patsy; I could play him like a fiddle for one hour on Sunday to get from him what I wanted. And in course, his Son Jesus was my cool frat-bro who was in on the scam. All I had to do was use his name to procure material pleasures.
But then the dark year came when God’s terror struck me and my family. Through a very serious crisis, I came face to face with the stark reality of my spiritual nakedness. I was desperate in my need to be purged from sin because his uncompromising holiness was bearing down hot and heavy on me – I was exposed, I couldn’t hide:
“See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”(Hebrews 12:25-29)
God has a way of shaking things – – as Hebrews says, “He can shake the earth, the heavens and even the silly arrogance and pride of a 23-year-old boy.” That’s right, I was spiritually a small-minded boy; a boy never considers his personal responsibility. He lets mom and dad clean up his messes. But sin is personal; between a singular man or woman and God — parents are forbidden to step in and help the shameful child out. I had to answer alone for my offenses against Holiness. It was just me left unprotected before the burning gaze of God. I was guilty, the verdict was in, my heart was poisoned by sin. It has always been my native condition, not just my individual actions.
Throughout this intense spiritual cross-examination, I realized religion is a farce. You CANNOT compare good deeds with bad – holiness always sees past individual actions and reveals the corrupted soil that they ALL grew out of. Every good farmer knows a tree is of a certain kind before it bears fruit of its kind. My sins were born out of a prior condition; I sinned because I was a sinner. And I knew his Holiness demanded for my sin to be judged; his fiery wrath was directed against me, it was my “Just Desserts.” (Def: something that is deserved or merited.)
Up until that time I assumed heaven was my rightful inheritance; I heard enough silly jokes to imagine that the pearly gates were attended by Saint Peter, and with a nod and wink, access from the fun-loving apostle was always granted. But those were just jokes, funny lies to make people laugh. And for some reason boys mistake funny lies for quasi-truth. Adults know better. And as God was bringing me deeper into the true truth of his Holy light I began to realize what I truly deserved, my just desserts were hauntingly described in Isaiah 66:24, “And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Faith believes the whole of God’s word, not just the promises of reward, but of judgment too. It is easy to believe God will bless me, in fact, a silly boy presumes upon heavenly delights (surely Muhhamed Ali, Prince and Ghandi made it in?). But believing in the promises of judgment is when faith becomes real, for it requires an adult mind to comprehend the deadly seriousness of God’s warnings. Confession understands and agrees that I deserve this:
worms, fire, physical abhorrence and eternal humiliation.
For the first time in my life, God’s Holiness began to brand me with a red-hot iron of conviction. It scorched me. Try really contemplating the reality of hell, just for a second, it will change your life. Boys will try to ignore it and run from it like they do from heavy chores; adults know they must face it head on…they count the cost and the wise ones surrender. (Luke 14:31-33).
Biblical teaching says hell is fair punishment, eternal condemnation is “just desserts” for offending the Eternal Holy God. It is painful. And it is perpetual, the offender is always under the presence of Holiness without the protection of righteousness. This is wrath, it is not meant to restore but condemn. It is punitive. It is right. This past week a horrendous crime captured the attention of America; a college student was found raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. He tried to run away, but two men caught him. His case went to trial, he was found guilty, but his dad begged the judge for leniency because “20 minutes of action” shouldn’t condemn a man to years in prison.
Sadly, to the horror of the woman’s family and friends, the judge went light on the student’s sentencing. Instead of giving him 14 years in prison, which he was legally allowed to do; he gave the student only 6 months! The judge delivered this sorry answer for his decision, “a harsh prison sentence would have severe impact on him.” Isn’t that the point?
Justice is meant to have an impact. A major crime was committed! The privileged father felt otherwise, he wrongly assumed his son was entitled to behave like a beast but be treated like an angel. A woman’s life was shattered! The stupid, lust driven student did this. Justice and punishment are not designed to be nice in his case. It is meant to shock and break the callous shell of the criminal fool’s heart. And so is hell! Sinners have violated, polluted, and perverted infinite beauty, wonder, and God’s perfect world. Condemnation is by definition designed to be eternally punitive, it is meant to vindicate God’s holiness.
So, now question 3 comes into play. After rightly understanding the horror of Holiness, this last question begs to be answered with the sobriety of an adult mind: “Tell me, can I escape this? How do I gain God’s favor and avoid his wrath?”
No long explanations are needed here, just a solution. Something to grab hold of, something to throw my desperate, guilty soul upon. Here it is, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Approval is found in the death of the Son. Jesus ate my just desserts.
Incredible! Absolutely, utterly, incredible. I’m speechless…
Those who are honest, surrender. And they also know there is only one option open. They look up, hold out their limp arms, and cry,
“Lord Jesus, I have sinned against the Holy God, Save me!”
