“Love, Justice, Wrath” 7-31-22

Overview

Stop the Spin: God Speaks for Himself

After a political debate, candidates' representatives gather in what's called "the spin room"—a place where rough edges get smoothed and unflattering moments are recast in a better light. When it comes to God, we can be tempted to play the spinner ourselves, softening attributes that don't sit comfortably with our sensibilities. The attribute most often spun away is the wrath of God. We've all heard it (or said it): "I don't believe in a God of wrath—I believe in a loving God." "A loving God could never allow hell." "Surely in the end, everyone will be saved."

But Scripture refuses the spin. John 3:35-36 holds three realities together in a single breath: "The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath." The same passage that gives us John 3:16 and the declaration that "God is love" 1 John 4:7-9 also speaks plainly of divine wrath—a theme echoed in Psalm 90:7, Ephesians 5:6, and 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8. Sin does not please God; sin angers a holy God. And the spin extends to ourselves when we shrug off the word "sin" because we imagine people are basically good. God says: silence. He speaks for Himself.

This is where the doctrine of God's simplicity helps us. God is not a collection of competing attributes. He is one—undivided in His divine essence. We cannot pit His wrath against His love, or His justice against His mercy. As one theologian put it, "God is as severely just as if He had no love, and as intensely loving as if He had no justice." Both are fully and always true at once.

The cross is where these truths meet without contradiction. A just God cannot wink at sin—He would not be just if He did. So the just God takes the punishment for sin and lays it upon His Son. The wrath of God falls not on us, but on the spotless Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. The resurrection vindicates that the sacrifice has been accepted. God rescues us from our sin and delivers us from His wrath without compromising His justice. So put away the spin. A God of love, justice, and wrath is most clearly explained at Calvary—and there we find that the pinnacle of His love is the cross.

Transcript

You open your Bible, please, with me. 2s

For our study this morning to the third chapter of the gospel of John. 5s

You'll find that if you're using a Pew edition on page 82 of Holy Scripture, the third chapter 9s

of the gospel of John. 15s

The spin room, the spin room. 20s

That phrase has become associated with what occurs after a political debate. 23s

Where there can be representatives of the various candidates standing under a sign. 30s

The press will come and they will ask questions. 36s

And the purpose in the spin room is to put the best spin on that which has just occurred. 40s

To put the best spin on what the candidate has said, perhaps a candidate said something 49s

that well, didn't quite come out as intended. 58s

And so in the spin room, the edges can be rounded. 62s

The way to look at it can be shared. 69s

The spin room, the spin room. 74s

When it comes to God, there can also be a spin room. 79s

And we are the spinners. 86s

Where we round out, maybe an attribute or two. 91s

So it's more in line with our sensibilities. 98s

We take the edges off a little bit just to put God in a better light. 104s

What it comes to God, there can be the spin room. 115s

And we are the spinners. 118s

And what attribute of God? 124s

What attribute of God do you guess? 127s

Is an attribute that we can be tempted to spin the most? 131s

Look when they please. 141s

At chapter 3 of the Gospel of John, verse 35, the scripture says, 142s

the Father loves the Son and has placed all things in His hands. 148s

The love of the Father for the Son and the expression then that everything is under the authority 158s

of the Son. 165s

That's very similar, isn't it? 166s

To what Paul says in Philippians 2, at the name of Jesus every knee should bend in heaven 168s

and on earth and under the earth. 176s

The Father loves the Son and everything has been placed under His authority. 180s

He goes on, verse 36, whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. 189s

Look over to the great verse, John 3, 16, for God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. 199s

So that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life. 209s

The Father loves the Son and places everything under His authority. 218s

The Father in His love for the world sends the Son. 224s

Why scripture comes right out and says it, God is love. 234s

In 1 John, the 4th chapter, we read these words. 241s

Whoever does not love does not know God. 248s

For God is love. 253s

God's love was revealed among us in this way. 258s

God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 261s

All authority has been given to the Son. 271s

The Father loves the Son. 276s

Everything is under the Son's authority. 279s

God loves the world and sends His Son. 282s

God is love. 287s

Go on and to verse 36. 291s

Right after it says whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. 293s

It says whoever disobeyes the Son will not see life. 297s

We see faith associated with obedience in scripture. 305s

So that's why when it says whoever disobeyes the Son, 310s

you can translate it whoever does not have faith in the Son as the Savior. 315s

Whoever does not have faith in the Son as the Savior will not see life. 321s

And then this phrase, 328s

but must endure God's wrath. 334s

RAF. 351s

RAF. 354s

Well, I am scripture multiple times. 358s

God's wrath is referred to. 361s

I think of Psalm 90. 364s

For we are consumed by your anger, by your wrath, we are overwhelmed. 368s

Ephesians 5. 380s

Let no one deceive you with empty words for because of these things, 384s

the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. 390s

Second Thessalonians 1. 397s

When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 402s

inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 409s

Why Jesus speaks of the reality of hell itself? 422s

The wrath of God, the wrath of a just God over sin. 433s

Sin does not please God sin angers God, the wrath of God. 442s

And the spin begins. 462s

Have you ever heard this phrase? 471s

I don't believe in a God of wrath. 476s

I believe in a loving God. 482s

Have you ever heard that? 487s

Have you ever heard this phrase? 490s

God is so loving. 495s

I can't imagine. 498s

That He would allow for the existence of hell. 501s

Have you ever heard that? 507s

How about this one? 511s

I've just got a hunch. 514s

I've got a hunch. 517s

That because God is so loving in the end, in the end, 519s

everybody is going to be saved regardless of what they believe. 527s

And the spin spins for we can be tempted in terms of defending the love of God 540s

to spin away the wrath of God. 555s

We can be tempted in defending the love of God to spin away the wrath of God. 563s

And we wind up creating an almighty that bears little resemblance to the creator. 573s

Or our words spin out of our mouths to defend the love of God. 580s

They spin out of our mouth of these words that bear little resemblance to the word. 590s

And the spin doesn't stop there. 603s

Because we start spinning about ourselves. 606s

Have you ever heard this one? 611s

You know, I don't like the terms sin. 614s

Because I think that people are basically good. 619s

So I don't like to use that term, sin. 625s

Why in the spinning of ourselves, we can come up with quite a flattering portrait of ourselves. 630s

Can't we? Where we say really in the end, what is God mad about? 637s

He might be a little well irritated at maybe some things that we do. 644s

You know, all we all do mistakes, but we're basically good. What is it that God is mad about? 652s

We're pretty good people. In fact, we're really good people. 657s

And God says, 669s

silence, stop it, 674s

and God speaks for himself. 682s

Several years ago, traveling down the freeway, there was a very large billboard. Really, really well done. 695s

Nice colors, nice big letters to it. Very simple. 703s

And it said, God is love. God is love. Well, that's very biblical. Isn't it? 708s

We reference the verse where it says it in first John the fourth chapter. God is love. 718s

But that's not all that God is. It's not all that God is. 727s

We're studying this summer, the attributes of God. And with the exception of this Sunday, 736s

in which we're looking at three attributes. We're going one by one. But even today, 744s

as we study about these three attributes, they all are kept in a lane here as we study it. Why is that? 753s

Because it's the only way that we can begin to comprehend it. But in actuality, God only has one 761s

attribute, one attribute. It's what's called the simplicity of God. God is one. He is undivided. He is 770s

one God, three persons. One divine essence. And so while we think of his attributes in these lanes, 782s

because it's how we can study it, actuality, there's only one attribute. Because there's one divine 794s

essence. The point is this, you can't pit the wrath of God against the love of God. 802s

You can't pit the justice of God against the love of God. I like how one theologian puts it. 813s

He says, God is as severely just as if he had no love. 826s

And he is so intensely loving as if he had no justice. God is as severely just as if he had no love 835s

and is so intensely loving as if he had no justice. God says, stop the spin. Stop the spin. 854s

Silence. He speaks for himself. And where does he speak? 879s

Back to our text. Verse 35, the father loves the sun and has placed all things in his hands. 898s

Whoever believes in the sun has eternal life. Whoever disobeyes the sun will not see life. 913s

But must endure God's wrath. God's love, God's justice, and God's wrath. 923s

God rescues us from our sin. Delivers us from his wrath without compromising his justice. 938s

The pinnacle of his love is the cross. We're a just God who is angry over sin. 957s

Sin that must be punished because God is just and cannot wink at sin because if God winked at 973s

sin, he would not be just. The just God then takes the punishment for sin and lays it upon his son. 981s

The wrath of God falls not on us. But the spotless sinless lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, 994s

on the cross. He raises Jesus out of the tomb, the validation, the sacrifice has been accepted. 1004s

God rescues us from our sin. Delivers us from his wrath without compromising his justice. 1015s

Oh, such love. God puts the spin to rest. He clears the room and he speaks for himself. 1034s

A God of love, justice, and wrath explained at the cross. 1059s