Attributes of God: The Love of God Pt. 3 - The Depth of God's Love Pt. 2

It has been an incredibly long time since I last posted on the Attributes of God series, but I am back at it. Last time, I left you hanging with a very significant question. How could God "agape" us first and still remain just (true to his holiness in dealing with man's sin)? The Holiness of God is so brilliant, so tremendously beautiful that the defilement of this attribute in correlation to God's love is detrimental to the Christian faith. What do I mean by that? Our faith is futile, if God is love, but not just. However, sadly, many false preachers preach this message with no idea what they are saying half the time. They say in a subtle, deliberate manner that God is like a father, who lets their children run rampant around the house without any discipline. No discipline for wrongdoing, no consequences for sin, nothing. You can sin, sin, and sin, and God is not going to mind. God's love is going to wash you clean each and every time. Continue sinning 'wink' is what they are truly saying when they preach this type of gospel, even if they don't mean it. What does Hebrews 10 have to say about this?

Hebrews 10:26-31 says, "For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay.' And again, 'The Lord will judge his people.' It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

In the context of this passage, the author is warning the Hebrew believers about the impending justice of God, clearly revealing that God is not just a God of love, HE IS A GOD OF JUSTICE AS WELL. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Paul also tells us in Philippians to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. The justice of God is real and there is no way of escaping it. Romans 2:3-5 says, "Do you suppose, O man--- you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself--- that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed."

I know that I am throwing a lot of Scripture out in this post, but it is extremely vital to realize that God's justice is just as real as His love. The only way that you are going to realize this is by soaking your minds in the truth of God's precious Word. God's Word will never return void and will never fail. Take Him at His Word! He literally means it.

I have primarily used up this whole post in creating the backbone for the depth of God's love in relation to His justice. In answering the question I posed earlier, it is crucial to believe that God is just. He will not even tolerate sin, because it is in complete opposition to his divine nature, His astounding Holiness. His astounding Holiness is so brilliantly bright and penetrating that sin is utterly repugnant to Him--- fully abominable. HE CANNOT STAND SIN. So with what I have said thus far, we can now answer the question: How could God "agape" us first and still remain just? Tune in Monday, when I post the answer on Resurrection Sunday.

Sola Deo Gloria!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!