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Is God Mad At You
Driving through Huntsville,
Alabama one evening this past week, I noticed a large lighted sign in
front of what I assume is some sort of evangelical church building. The
sign identified the place as IMPACT -- an odd and unscriptural name for
a church, but no stranger than many others I've seen. But the thing that
really caught my eye was the phrase emblazoned in large letters across
the bottom of the sign. It said, "God is not mad at you...no matter
what." Hmmm. You know, it would have been good if someone had opened a
Bible before deciding what to put on that sign.
The well-known story of the Israelites' wilderness wanderings ought
to be enough to convince anyone that God does get angry with people who
do wrong. The Lord "was angry" when the people refused to go take the
land of Canaan because they believed the report of the spies
(Deuteronomy 1:34). The Lord "was also angry" with Moses because of
his disobedience, and so refused to allow him to enter the promised land
(Deuteronomy 1:37; 4:31). At Horeb, the Lord was angry enough
with the Israelites for their idolatry to have destroyed them
(Deuteronomy 9:8). He was "very angry with Aaron" for fashioning the
golden calf (Deuteronomy 9:20). Summarizing all of this in
Hebrews 3:17, the inspired writer says, "Now with whom was He angry
forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the
wilderness?" Oh yes, God was plenty angry with the Israelites over what
they had done. And the point of the Hebrew writer is that God will be
just as angry with us for failing to believe and obey. "Let us
therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to
the same example of disobedience" (Hebrews 4:11).
The idea that "God is not mad at you, no matter what" is just an
awful, nearly blasphemous description of the character of God Almighty.
The Scriptures plainly teach that "God is a just judge, And God is
angry with the wicked every day" (Psalm 7:11).
To teach otherwise is to deceive people with empty words. "For
this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who
is an idolater, has any 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).
We need to understand that our sins make God mad -- mad enough to vent
His wrath upon us for all eternity.
But as deep as God's anger is toward sinners, His love and grace
are deeper. His love, seen in the blood of His Son, can cleanse us from
all sin, and allow us to stand pure and pleasing before Him. "But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still
sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified
by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him (Romans 5:8-9).
Is God mad at you? If you are living a life of sin in rebellion to
His will, yes, He is. Can something be done to turn God's wrath away and
allow you to be at peace with God? Something already has been done.
Jesus died. Accept His grace. "He who believes and is baptized shall
be saved" (Mark 16:16).
--by Steve Klein
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