“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in him will not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
All love, no wrath.
All grace, no judgment.
All accepting, no rejecting.
All mercy, no justice.
All heaven, no hell.
Wow! What a god!
This is the god of our imaginations. This is the god of our own creation. And, this is the god most Americans believe in. To hear most Americans, no one ever goes to hell. Every person turns into an angel who looks down upon their loved ones from heaven.
Where did we get such an understanding?
The problem with all this is that it’s all a figment of our imaginations. Such a god does not exist in the world.
How do I know that? Because such a god doesn’t exist in the Bible.
Because God is loving, God pours out his wrath on evil.
Because God is full of grace, judgment is paid by his sacrifice of the Son on the cross.
Because God is accepting and has made a pathway for all sinners, God must reject those who refuse the gift of eternal life through his Son.
Because God is merciful, God must punish evil.
Because God couldn’t imagine an eternity without you in it, God sent his Son to die for us so that we might rise with him. God did all this because it is not his will that any one should perish in hell.
Wow! What a God!
That is the God of the Bible. His name is Jesus. He is the Savior of the world. Do you know him? Have you received him as Lord and Savior?
Praxis: Faith in Action 