January 11, 2005
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth…
-Romans 1:18
If you went to a jewelry store to pick out a fine gem, most likely the jeweler would first bring out the case. Then he or she would put a bright and brilliant light on the jewel and lay it on top of a black velvet cloth on the counter. There, you would see all of the rich hues, cut, semetry, and design of each gem.
It is the backdrop of the velvet that brought the beauty of the jewel out. And so it is here in the book of Romans. Before the good news, there is bad news. Before the cure comes the diagnosis. Before the salvation comes the condemnation. We’ll never fully appreciate the beauty, glory, and greatness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ—His grace, love, and power to save us—until we understand the background of sin that is behind us.
The Bible says that God won’t accept an alibi or excuse for sin. It’s a problem that lives deep within the life of every person. The Apostle Paul begins to build a case here in the drama of a courtroom to say that God has pronounced all people everywhere without Him guilt as charged. He begins with an affirmation. God is holy and possesses a righteous wrath.
Now in our world, the idea of the wrath of God is repugnant to many people. As a matter of fact, some of you might be thinking right now, “Alright, here goes another preacher telling me how bad I am…laying more guilt on my head. I already feel bad enough without anybody telling me how bad I am and how angry God is with me.”
Let me repeat this…the problem is that we’ll never understand God’s grace and love until we understand the depth of our condition without Him! And God’s position in this is one of righteousness and holiness. We’ve preached in America a sentimental Gospel—a saccharin sweet Gospel, if you will—without balancing it with the other attributes of God which include His justice and holiness. In fact, the church of America has preached such a sweet Gospel that church members have spiritual diabetes—and what we need is the whole Gospel.
In this day and age of immorality, make sure you don’t leave out the complete truth of Scripture. Ask God to reveal to you the complete truth of His Word when walking daily through life.
GOD IS SO PURE, THAT THE SLIGHTEST
POLLUTION OF SIN CAN CAUSE THE WRATH OF GOD TO REACT.