THURSDAY January 2, 2025
The Wrath of God
Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
Colossians 3:5-7
As we return to the book of Colossians, we find the Apostle Paul using the word therefore, before moving forward, he referred back to what had been previously taught. We were encouraged to set our minds on things above and put to death our fleshly desires. In his teaching, Paul established the position of the believer in Christ––dead to sin, but alive in Christ––walking in the newness of a resurrected life.
Jesus is to be Lord over our lives; we are no longer to live a life of habitual sin. Paul reasoned with believers by asking them, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1). He gave the answer––a resounding no! He continued by saying, “Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:2). Christians must not have the wrong mindset in thinking they can continue to live a life of sin and God’s grace will cover it. No, we cannot cheapen the grace of God! He will not continue to extend His grace.
Listen, God is love, but He is also a God of wrath! God loves the sinner, but He hates the sin. If your flesh is not put to death, your flesh will be the death of you! The wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient! Have you ever read the book, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God? It is well worth reading. It is a very short, but powerful book. It was created from a sermon that was given by Jonathan Edwards on July 8, 1741.
The sermon sparked a revival in what became known as the First Great Awakening. People felt an urgency to repent and receive salvation, due to the vivid imagery of hell and the precariousness of their spiritual standing as described by the preacher. How we need fiery preachers and the Holy Spirit to draw repentant sinners to salvation today! Pray for a revival!
There is nothing that keeps wicked men at any one moment out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.
~Jonathan Edwards~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
