“Willing to Show His Wrath” (Rom 9:17-24)

“What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction: and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory” (Rom 9:22-23)

I have disturbing thoughts about God in His sovereignty: why did He create a world where MOST people will die eternally in hell? Why do believers have to fight against our natures and resist sin? Why must we do things God’s way, and they be so hard?

The answer I received is from God’s character: He is a God of LOVE and HATE, both (Rom 11:21-22). He is not merely love, but He WILLS to make His power and wrath known in punishing sin, so He created a world where man would fall by the hand of Satan, a fallen angel, and the elect only would be redeemed, while the REST of mankind and all fallen angels will be damned, having spurned mercy (Jude 1:6). God is in control and wants us to see His glory, which is love (heaven by grace) and hate (hell eternal by God’s rejection of sin and sinners), and we have TWO simple choices: believe on Christ and love God for mercifully saving you, or REBEL against the Light, find fault, and hate God for who He is. But, pain exists because God WILLED for there to be pain, to show His power and anger at sin. Heaven exists to show God’s glory in saving sinners by the sacrifice of His Son.

You and I can’t CHANGE God; we can be saved, or we can be damned, but this is who God is (Rom 9:21).

I’m comforted that I have an answer, for now, that helps me. I will believe, because I cannot overthrow Him, and He is BETTER than imagined and perfect. He will save ANYONE who wants salvation, even the most sinful of all sinners, and He will do EVERYTHING in this salvation, giving faith, strength, repentance, forgiveness, and all that we need.

Faith is THE EASIEST thing imaginable; it is DOING NOTHING; it is ONLY believing God to do what He has said - “But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness“, even as Abraham “was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what [God] had promised, [God] was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness“, so that BELIEVING God is believing all that He says, and He declares RIGHTEOUS those that do (Rom 4:5, 20-22). If you trust God to save you, the helpless and rebellious sinner that you are, then He will. If you SEE His glory in Christ Jesus, then He will put strength in you and me, both (Heb 11:11-12). God will make you and I do what we cannot do, simply by believing that Jesus and God‘s own word are SUFFICIENT for God to do as He has said, to all that believe. We don‘t need anything else, and we need not bring anything to the table. “Only believe“ is His counsel to us, and He is WILLING in heart, so that He yearns over you and DESIRES that you and I be saved (Mark 5:36). He is not far off, indifferent, or unwilling. He says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if ANY MAN hear my voice, and open the door”, receive me as who I am, both Lord and Savior, “I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20). He wills for you and me to be saved FAR MORE than we can imagine, & He delights to receive all that come, having paid for our sins and covenanted to save you from eternity. But, we CAN’T be saved by unbelief. He chose faith: you & I will believe God to be worthy of worship & praise FOR His mercies, or we will be vessels of wrath that He afore appointed & eventually perfected unto hell (Jer 18:15-16). The choice WAS God’s, and it is yours now. Your decision will manifest His decision for you.

I ask, are you willing to be saved by God who is willing to show both His love and hatred? If so, then you shall be saved, no matter how evil you are or how tempted. You shall be saved by God, as He says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom 10:13).

“Go to Nineveh” (Jonah 1:1-4)

“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.”

We must do what God says, if we will have peace. His commands are BINDING, and they are for our good, because He blesses us in this way and none other.

Jonah thought that he’d have peace by casting himself into the sea, he thought God would meet him in death, and all problems would be over. He didn’t know that God had prepared a great fish, and he’d spend three days and nights - a picture of Christ suffering God’s wrath - in the heart of the whale, suffering for his sin - “And said, I cried by reason of my affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and you heard my voice” (Jonah 2:2). Before he got out the fish, he said, “I will pay that that I have vowed”, or, I will do what God says. Then, upon confessing that “salvation is of the Lord”, Jonah was spat out on the dry ground of no condemnation to preach unto Nineveh the preaching that God commanded (Jonah 2:9-3:3). So, Jonah couldn’t escape the command, and we can’t either. We can’t be happy or saved, unless we strictly obey what Jesus says.

Somehow, it comes into our carnal mind that salvation by grace means that I can do my own thing, and my heart breaks for Christians and false-professors who hold this lie in unrighteousness. We CAN’T be happy, because God CHASTENS whom He loves, and He cannot bless us in a way that is contrary to Himself. If He says, “Go and do”… “go to Nineveh, that great city and cry against it”, then we must go and speak His word.

Leave the consequences with God, but know that you have a better life and better reward by obedience, than by sin. Matthew 5:12 says, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad“, in the here and now, “for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you“, so that God gives us joy as we are hated by men and ridiculed, which we cannot get cowering and choosing sin (Matt 5:12).

God sets before us BLESSINGS and curses, so that we may CHOOSE the good and hate the evil (Deut 30:15-18). Be wise, plan wisely, and prepare yourself for FUTURE good by doing God’s will now.

How often have you and I awoken from sin only to say, “It profited me not”, and “why did I do that? How foolish was I”? Let this word of Christ STOP you and me from sin before we commit it. Let us RETURN to the Lord by the Lamb’s blood to do His will now, obtaining fresh mercy from God to obey. We can obey by the grace that He gives, and we will certainly get the reward, as promised. It is not wrong to seek reward, so long as we seek it from God His way. He commands OBEDIENCE to be the apex of Christianity, that from a willing heart we do His will by the forgiveness that we’ve received. We are not only justified by faith, but we’re born from above, so that we love God and obey by the power He gives.

We labor now for rewards soon to come.