We live in a society that does not want to accept the fact that God judges people. They
want to believe that God is love without understanding that He is also holy and just. Take the following people as an example. They might represent people you know.
“I am a Christian, but I don’t believe all that stuff about the wrath of God. My God is loving and caring, and wouldn’t do evil things to people. I’ve heard Christians say that AIDS and other stuff like that came from God, but I just don’t agree. My God isn’t like that.”
“I just can’t believe in a place called hell. I mean, I am totally comfortable with the fact that Christians are going to heaven, but I believe God loves all people, so how could he send people to hell. Anyway, that makes God seem awful mean and unfair. My God isn’t like that. I believe that people who don’t know Jesus are just done, life is over, they die and don’t exist anymore.”
“I am a Christian, and all. But I really believe that all people will end up in heaven one way or another. So many Christians make God out to be this mean, angry Person who is out to get people. My God isn’t like that. I think people are truly trying to figure out their own way, and if they find God through Buddhism or Hinduism, or Islam, well, that is their approach. I don’t believe God would judge those people.”
“I get tired of the church talking so much about sin. I mean, how much can we beat people down. People are basically good, and to be honest, they are doing the best they can. As a Christian, I think the church needs to realize that God is love and accepting People should stop talking about judgement. My God isn’t like that. He loves us just the way we are.”
How would you respond to these people? God’s Word is very clear. God is holy, which means he is perfect and cannot tolerate sin. God is also just, which means He must judge sin. The death of the firstborn in Egypt is a tragic, terrible event in the Bible. But it is the result of the idolatry of the Egyptians and their hatred and evil treatment of God’s people. God has given them nine warnings and nine opportunities to repent, but Pharoah continued to harden his heart. So now the hammer of God’s judgement is about to fall. By the way, God is also love. And the greatest act of love that has ever been shown is when God took your sin and placed it on His Son, Jesus Christ. God judged your sin and mine at the cross. He didn’t excuse our sin, but He choose to let His judgement fall on Christ so that we could receive forgiveness. What a wonderful God we serve!