DIVINE GRACE, AND DIVINE JUDGMENT

DIVINE GRACE, AND DIVINE JUDGMENT

In Jesus¡¯ lament over Jerusalem (Lk 13:31-35), we see two things together. Jesus often wanted to gather

its people like a hen gathering its chickens under her wings. Yet they rejected Him, and God forsook their city.

What was God¡¯s attitude to Jerusalem¡¯s killing of His prophets? Certainly not indifference! There is a section in

Proverbs 6 that reads: ¡°These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a

lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to

evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.¡± Clearly, the Lord hated their

sin.

But does God hate sinners themselves? Psalm 5:5 says, ¡°The boastful will not stand in Your sight; You

hate all workers of iniquity.¡± It was God¡¯s wrath against sin and sinners that brought the destruction of the world

in the Flood, that brought destruction on Sodom and Gomorrah, and brought the destruction of Jerusalem by the

Romans in AD 70.

Yet if that were the full story, there would be nothing but despair. Scripture reveals more about God¡¯s

attitude toward sin and the sinner. Who doesn¡¯t know the word of our Saviour: ¡°God so loved the world that He

gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life¡±? Although the

world was guilty of sin, God loved it so much that He sacrificed His Son to redeem sinful human beings. It is not

that Jesus¡¯ death cleansed people of sin so that God found it possible to love them again. It is, rather, that God

loved this sinful world so much that, as a result, He sent His Son to pay the penalty of human sin and its

consequences. Paul wrote: ¡°God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners,

Christ died for us¡±

Eternity is an awesome thought. In this world we get used to the idea that life deteriorates and then ends.

Things wear out and we discard them. But every human being will continue on, without end. The mind boggles

and almost protests at the thought. There are only two places after this present life: heaven with eternal life and

joy, or hell, with eternal torment and chagrin. God doesn¡¯t want the latter for anyone. If people die in unbelief,

that is the ultimate tragedy for them, from which there is no possible rescue or relief. That is what lay behind

Jesus¡¯ lament for Jerusalem. The destruction of the world in the Flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,

and the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC, and again by the Romans in AD 70 should be

warnings enough that God will not overlook spiritual disobedience and rejection of His mercy.

God¡¯s love reaches out to sinners and calls them to repent. He invites every person to believe in the

redemption that He has provided in His love. He sends forth His Gospel message to people, ¡°to open their eyes

and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness

of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in [Him]¡±.

It may seem like a contradiction to us that God hates sin and the sinners, but at the same time deeply loves

this sinful world. Yet both are true. Both are revealed in Scripture. What we have here is God speaking through

the Law and through the Gospel. In the Law God reveals His wrath against sin, and says, ¡°The soul who sins will

die¡± But this is not God¡¯s only word to the sinner. Through the Law God reveals people¡¯s damnable position in

His sight. He reveals His wrath against sinners. However, His Gospel says, ¡°Nevertheless, I reveal My love and

the redemption I have provided. I invite you. I urge you to accept it in faith. Sinner, I love you.¡± Both are true. It

may seem impossible to us that God should both hate and love sinners, and yet so it is.

What about Christians when they sin? Does God hate them? Christians also need to have what God says in

His Law. He says that He hates sin, and that His wrath goes out against sinners. That keeps reminding them of

the seriousness of every transgression against what God wants. Yet Christians also know that Jesus Christ has

met the demands of God¡¯s Law, and suffered its punishment for them. God has worked faith in their hearts by

the Gospel and sustains it through the Gospel and the Sacrament. They know that their relationship to God is

based on the Gospel. Christians hate the sins that they have committed, just as God hates them. They repent of

their sins, and turn to God for forgiveness. God says, through John: ¡°My little children, these things I write to

you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the

Righteous.¡± God gives the assurance that Jesus is at the right hand of God, making intercession for His

Christians.¡¯

Does God hate Christians when they sin? The Law says, ¡°Yes¡±, but the Gospel says, ¡°No.¡± Christians

know that God has redeemed them from the curse of the Law. The Gospel determines their relationship with

their God.

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