Halleluiah to the Living Christ!

August 22

God evidences more ‘wrath and judgment’ in the Old Testament than in the New Testament—according to the Biblical evidence—but the reality is that He has said of Himself, “I am the Lord, I change not,” Malachi 3:6 and, “God IS love,” I John 4:8, so we know that love is more than an aspect of His character, love is WHO HE IS.

Yet He is righteous and just, so He must deal with sin. The Old Testament saints looked forward in faith to the day when the Deliverer would come. New Testament saints (including believers like you and me) look back at Calvary where the promise of deliverance was fulfilled in the propitiatory life and death of Jesus who washed all who believe, for all time, in the cleansing Fountain from Emanuel’s veins.

What they could only hope to be true based on the integrity and love of God, we can know to be true based on the demonstration of His integrity and love on the cross where He fulfilled His Word. Paul says in Romans 8:28, “Can we not then trust Him who gave us His own Son, to freely give us all things!” Yes, we can! The integrity and love of Jesus are incomparable treasures. With HIM, we possess all things—all the good things of time and eternity that He promises are ours.

Is His wrath still part of who He is? Yes! But, praise His name, we have seen ourselves in the light of truth that caused us to bow before Him and to receive His mercy and cleansing salvation! We have seen and believed and received His redemption and we will NEVER be required to face the angry God who will judge the quick and the dead, who will ultimately deploy the unredeemed to hell and the redeemed to eternal glory.

If nothing else makes us thankful, those of us who hate hot weather must be appreciative of being spared the torment of hell because of not having to face the heat! Of course I’m being flip here, but I have sometimes thought how blessed we are that we will be spared the eternal sweltering heat of hell. But the horror of the intensity of the heat will pale in comparison to the presence of demons and the stench of unforgiven sin that will pervade that awful place.

Oh, Jesus, we thank and praise You that You bore God’s wrath in our behalf. All that we must bear is the beauty of Your love upon us. Halleluiah to the Living Christ forever!