Grace & Wrath

July 18th, 2020 § 6

To understand how the grace of God in Jesus and the wrath of God for an evil world are both a present reality, you must be able to see the two worlds.

As a believer we have been translated from this world of flesh and darkness through the Portal into the kingdom of the beloved Son.  The evil world still exists and those who are in the flesh are subject to that world and in that world the wrath of God abides upon them.

“He that believes on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.”  John 3:36

We have the Good News that Jesus took all of the wrath of God for us and if we only believe then all our sin will be considered as taken away completely and we will pass through the Door into a new world where there is no law and no judgment.  A new reality in the Spirit.  We are witnesses to this new world.  Witnesses of Jesus primarily. 

As Paul said to the Galatians, Christ will be of no benefit to the one who does not believe.  No benefit.  The unbelieving world receives no benefit from the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, except for the love of God they receive from believers.

So while it is true that God loves the whole world and that He judged the whole world on the cross at the death of Jesus, that universal act only benefits the individuals who believe on Jesus.  If we believe then God baptizes us into the Spirit of God and thus into the history of Jesus where we also died and where we also were raised again.  If a person does not believe then he has no history with Jesus and he remains one of the fallen sons of disobedience still in Adam under the power of the evil one and subject to judgment.  Still a prisoner of this fallen world.

We see the judgment of God falling on Herod in the book of Acts after the resurrection.  Ananias and Saphira were also judged as unbelievers who were trying to become a member of the body of Christ with the wrong currency, a living faith being the only coin of God’s realm.  These were judgments from God falling on unbelievers even as the Good News of God’s grace was being proclaimed.  Believers need not fear the judgment of God.  Jesus said, “He who believes in Me shall not come into judgment but has already passed from death and into life.”  Believers have passed over into another world.  His world.  His realm where we sit with Him in heavenly places.

Paul said, “Behold the goodness and severity of God.  Goodness toward you who have believed but severity toward those who have refused to believe.”  So Aslan is not a tame lion and though He seeks to rescue the lost and has given His life that all may live, His roar and terror still lives because He lives and evil will be judged, one way (the cross) or another.

James Barron

§ 6 Responses to “Grace & Wrath”

  • Gay Cookman says:

    Awesome James. Can’t wait for your book. Gay

  • Peter Jordan says:

    Amen!

  • James Barron says:

    Thank you Gay and Peter for your comments. In the scriptures you see how God allows evil to run wild until it is clearly manifested and then He ends it in judgment.

    I think it is partly due to His patience and that He is slow to anger and that He desires all men to repent. It is also written that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. His goodness compels Him to “stretch forth His hands all the day long” in an effort to save some. But when He has had enough of the violence and suffering of the innocent He will pounce like a mighty lion and no evil will survive His wrath.

    The apostle Paul tells us that Jesus will return to earth in a flaming fire and all who rejected the Lamb shall be judged by the Lion.

  • James Barron says:

    2 Thessalonians 1:5-8
    NASB

    5 This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering. 6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

  • Peter Jordan says:

    I have kept this tab open a while now, going back to it off and on. I have had to “chew “ on it “swallow, and am still “digesting” these words..
    Thank you Lord.

    Thanks James B.

    “ The unbelieving world receives no benefit from the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, except for the love of God they receive from believers.“
    Clarifies things , for me. Really made me think about relationships with others. Still chewing on it.

    “..a living faith being the only coin of God’s realm.” That’s cool.

  • Peter Jordan says:

    Happy new year.
    Grace and peace to you and your family.

  • § Leave a Reply

What's this?

You are currently reading Grace & Wrath at Seeing Grace.

meta