18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress
the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has
shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power
and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the
world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For
although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him,
but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were
darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory
of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and
creeping things.(Romans 1:18-23 (ESV)
The wrath of God is revealed. It’s a strange thing, this
wrath of God. When we think of the wrath of God we often think of catastrophe’s
pain and suffering. But these things are just as likely to happen to his saints
as it is to those who have no fear of God. Here Paul says that the wrath of God
is revealed in that he lets people continue in their sin, he gives them over to
their sin.
At first blush, it doesn’t seem at all as if this is
punishment or wrath. God simply lets them be. But that is the worst of it. To
have nothing to do with God, for God to have nothing to do with you… There is
no comfort in that. God is a jealous God, he loves us Christians and sometimes
that love comes in the form of warning and chastisement that seems like
punishment, we see others who seem to get what they want without any repercussions.
This in turn can have the effect of making us jealous. It should be pause for
thought, that we would covet another person’s sin. That we would be mad that
they can do what it is that they do and receive no chastisement. But then when
the rod is spared the child is spoiled. This is true of God’s children too, no
matter what their age. Why should we covet that others can seem to get away
with sins without being called to repentance. They do not know the love of God
that we do. Perhaps then we should be all the more thankful that God sees fit
to call us to repentance that we would be able to know his love and
forgiveness, to stay in a right relationship with him and continue in his love.
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