The wicked are sentenced to suffer just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the adjacent towns - which likewise gave themselves over to impurity and indulged in unnatural vice and sensual perversity. They are laid out in plain sight as an exhibit of perpetual punishment to warn of everlasting fire. Nevertheless in like manner, today’s dreamers also corrupt the body, scorn and reject authority and government, and revile and libel and scoff at the glorious Heavenly angels. . . . Men scoff and sneer at anything they do not happen to be acquainted with and do not understand; and whatever they do understand by mere instinct - like irrational beasts - by these instincts, they corrupt and kill themselves. . . . they are:
Their talk is boastful and arrogant, and they claim to admire and pay people flattering compliments only to gain advantage. . . . they are merely sensual creatures, worldly-minded people, devoid of the Holy Spirit and destitute of any higher spiritual life. - Jude 1:7-20clouds without water, swept along by the winds; trees, without fruit at autumn gathering time--twice dead, lifeless and plucked up by the roots; wild waves of the sea, flinging up the foam of their own shame and disgrace; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of eternal darkness has been reserved forever. ... inveterate grumblers who complain of their lot in life, controlled only by their selfish passions and desires.
Do you not know that the unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived or misled: neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality, nor cheats, swindlers, and thieves, nor greedy, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
WOW . . . is this a reference to Justice, or what? Does God Love us enough to warn us, or is He trying to "scare us into submission"? Throughout our blogs "Does God Hate Us?" Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 examine Proverbs 6. God hates the sinful character in man - especially sins committed against one another. He hates the sins and entities that separate us from Him. We also learn that our separation is each physical, emotional, and spiritual. We hear this familiar cliche, "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner," - HOWEVER, this is not stated anywhere in Scripture. Rather God warns us how He hates that sinners make choices to sin, while knowing the adverse consequences of that choice - knowing the difference between good and evil. The consequences are detachment from our Loving Creator and Heavenly Father, and separation from the abundant life He's purposed for us.
Here we learn God not only despises those that persist in sin; and for those that reject Him - and/or reject His instruction - He will leave alone "to their own devises," separated from Him, and given over to a mind that can only do loathsome things. From His instructions we learn that God is extremely Just, and perfectly evaluates the condition of our hearts - not just our actions. He knows our hearts better than we know our own. So is there anything we can do to establish Justice for our own heart? Is there anything or anyone we can pay off or make amends, to make up for our faults and separation from God? If the world is "the devil's playground" how can any human overcome the wickedness of this world or from within their own heart alone, separated from God? How can one "beat the devil" when the only weapons and rules to use are from the devil's own playground? No individual can overcome, change, or remove the darkness and destruction within their own hearts - none can redeem their own hopelessness. Nothing we can do within our own devises - not any other person we go to for help - can reconcile our relationship to God, except God Himself. For God's wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative. For that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God, Himself, has shown it to them. For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attributes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made - His handiworks. So men are altogether without any defense or justification, because when they knew and recognized Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks.
And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and condemned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome, until they were filled (permeated and saturated) with every kind of unrighteousness, iniquity, grasping and covetous greed, and malice. They were full of envy and jealousy, murder, strife, deceit and treachery, ill will and cruel ways. They were secret backbiters and gossipers, slanderers, hateful to and hating God, full of insolence, arrogance, and boasting; inventors of new forms of evil, disobedient and undutiful to parents. They were without understanding, conscienceless and faithless, heartless and loveless and merciless. Though they are fully aware of God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve and applaud others who practice them. - Romans 1
And God Loves us so much, that despite who we are or what we've done that He hates, His Love is Greater than Justice. Rather than rewarding us with what we deserve, He has provided a means for us to receive absolute absolution - complete acquittal and pardon. Forgiveness. Not only do we receive Mercy, but in His Grace, He also promises to renew our hearts, making us new creatures in Him - reborn with a second chance at life, the past in the past. He Loves us so much more than that. He promises to give us benefits we never deserved - freedom, Power, peace, prosperity, Love, Joy, new life, abundant life, protection, healing, and on and on. But why would a Just God not judge us accordingly, and see to it that we each get the punishment we deserve?
Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. While we were yet in weakness [powerless to help ourselves], at the fitting time Christ died on behalf of the ungodly. Now it is an extraordinary thing for one to give his life even for an upright man … But God shows and clearly proves His own Love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Therefore, since we are now acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God by Christ's blood, how much more certain is it that we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more certain, now that we are reconciled, that we shall be daily delivered from sin's dominion through His resurrection life. – Romans 5
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the
world that He even gave up His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in
(trusts in, clings to, and relies on) Him shall not come to destruction, but
have eternal (everlasting) life. For God
did not send the Son into the world in order to judge, to condemn, or to pass
sentence on the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe
through Him. He who believes in Him is
not judged - he who trusts in Him never comes up for judgment; for him there is
no rejection, no condemnation--he incurs no damnation. But he who does not believe has already been convicted and has already received his
sentence, because he has not believed in and trusted in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. – John 3:16-18
So that's it? All one has to do is believe that Jesus was God's Son and accept that He came as a sacrifice for my sin? The key to my freedom from the addictions, this enslavement to sin and my heart's wickedness, comes from believing and trusting in that name? Belief is going to get me into heaven, reunited with God, and life ever-after? Well, not quite - belief is not enough ... and this is where many people professing to be Christians remain deceived. Pay attention:
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you; away from me, you evildoers!’ - Matthew 7:21-24
So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, if you abide in My Word, hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them, you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free . . . What do You mean by saying, You will be set free? Jesus answered them, I assure you, and whoever commits and practices sin is the slave of sin. Now a slave does not remain in a household forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free men, then you are really and unquestionably free. – John 8:31-36
I will judge each of you according to your own ways, . . . Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! – Ezekiel 18:30-3
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord - Acts 3:19
[Jesus says] But unless you repent, you too will all perish - Luke 13:3
God requires not just belief or some acknowledgement that Jesus is God's plan of redemption for all of mankind. Jesus told us we must repent, as well as be obedient to the will of the Father. How does one know or understand, then, what God's will is for us, if our sins have separated us from God? How do we know, then, what God wants us to obey if we do no have a genuine relationship with Him, with His Holy Spirit? Only by His Spirit can our heart be purified, such that we truly know Him, hear Him, and are led to repent. Repentance means to "turn around" or "change from." Despite our depravity and enslavement to sin, somehow we must come to the acknowledgement that we have sinned and confess these things to Him. We must make an honest evaluation of our heart condition and cry out to Him to change our heart when predisposed to continue evil, we need a heart conditioned for His Love.
It doesn't matter what we've done that God hates - this God promises to forgive everything if we are committed to follow Him. It doesn't matter how ugly or wicked we are when we seek Him. What matters is that we accept how much God Loves us, despite our rejection of Him and His teaching - regardless what He finds in our heart. We must not be naive to what God hates, and regardless if we call ourselves Christian or not, our separation from God might yet be incurable - we never really knew Him because we did not Love Him enough to obey. In exchange for His full pardon, He only asks that we love Him back, with all our hearts. To Love Him, Christ says to obey: be trusting Him, His Word, and repenting for our sins. Yet only God can renew and change the human heart; only His Spirit can create for us a heart to know Him. Only He can deliver us from the influences that separate us from Him. Unless we fully surrender our hearts to Him and request Him to give us new life, there is nothing humanly possible to reconcile us to God and His promises. And when calling out to Him, God promises to hear those calling for Him with a broken or "contrite" heart - those truly repentant.
Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to those who are of a broken heart and saves such as are crushed with sorrow for sin and are humbly and thoroughly repentant. - Psalm 34:12-18
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit - 1 Thessalonians 4:7-9
And this is His command, His injunction: that we should believe in - put our faith and trust in and rely on - the name of His Son Jesus Christ, the Messiah, and that we should love one another, just as He has commanded us. All who keep this commandment –all who obey His orders and follow His plan - live and continue to abide in Him, and He in them. They let Christ be a home to them and they are the home of Christ. So by this we know and understand and have the proof that He really lives and makes His home in us: by the Holy Spirit Whom He has given us. – 1 John 3
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have instructed you. – John 14:26
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. – Galatians 6:7-8
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone. At one time we, too, were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. - Titus 3
We pray you take the time to seriously consider your living and your relationship with our Heavenly Father - what's in your heart and how far that will get you in this life. We are not alone in our suffering, and Christ is the only God that ever walked and talked among us, experiencing the human heart; then willingly gave it all up to die, so that we could be drawn back into God's presence and reconciled to Him. We need His Loving Justice.
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