Reflecting on Truth #18
Q: Will God allow our disobedience and idolatry to go unpunished?
A: No, every sin is against the sovereignty, holiness, and goodness of God, and against his righteous law, and God is righteously angry with our sins and will punish them in his just judgment both in this life, and in the life to come.
For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 5:5-6)
Why does this matter?
A just judge will not, for he cannot, let the guilty go unpunished; even for a human judge, whose just reputation is at stake. All the more for God, whose not only reputation is at stake, whose holiness also existentially requires perfect blamelessness, for it must annihilate any blemish.
Such consequences from God’s justice and holiness must not be seen in any negative light for it flows from His goodness. The Scriptures are clear when teaching that God is the source of all good, and that nothing but good comes out from Him (Ps 16:2; Jas 1:17). As such, God’s law given to us is righteous because it is based on perfect goodness. Therefore, to love, obey, trust, and rely on anything but God is to undermine His sovereignty, disregard His holiness, and insult Him who has offered the highest good, that is, Himself. It is only proper then that unrepentant disobedience and idolatry must be punished.
However, together with the Psalmist, we can observe the reality that many wicked people live more seemingly “blessed” lives than Christians (Ps 73). This is not a new phenomenon, nor is it an obsolete ancient observation. Indeed, God’s longsuffering and mercy are a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it gives people a “grace period” to repent. On the other hand, for the recipients of such “grace period” who refuse to repent, the condemnation will be more severe. As such, it should change our perspective on our present difficulties and others’ apparent comfort. If we are Christians, Christ has come to receive the most severe punishment that is rightly ours. Now the just judge can let us free because the punishment is already passed to Christ on our behalf.
What does this mean for us?
Christians, among all people, should be the people who understand the severity of disobedience and idolatry since God has revealed His attributes in His word. The most immediate implication for us is to live according to God’s law in response to the grace in Christ that we have received; that we love, obey, trust, and rely on God alone, which as a result, we will love His people too.
While life is often tough, we must realize that, among all people, we are the most blessed ones because Christ has taken on our punishment. Non-Christians may lead more comfortable lives, but objectively, they ought to be the object of our pity for they are still the object of God’s righteous wrath. But this pity must not be a condescending one. Instead, this should drive us to evangelism. They need to know the highest good that they can have, Christ, even if it is at the cost of their present comfort, for the coming wrath is unbearable.
Lastly, in our flesh, we often demand justice in our own terms and time. While justice is good, our demand for it is often misplaced. Knowing and trusting that God is just and His punishment will inevitably come in this life or in the life to come should drive us to growing longsuffering and mercy, as God Himself is sustaining at this present time.
By God’s grace, let us live as a freed person whose life has been redeemed at the cost of God’s own Son.