Some people seem to think that the gospel means that God’s wrath for sin has been negated (or “satisfied”) by the sacrifice of Yeshua, and now God no longer sees or judges sin…. Because of Yeshua, the cross “extinguishes Mount Sinai’s flame” and now everyone is acceptable to God — regardless of their behavior… “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He put our sins away from us…” God’s love trumps all things and now we can all “let it be” and “let go, let God…”
Now while this appeal to the unconditional love of God may appear compassionate, it is actually quite a superficial view of the Divine Love to say that God does not infinitely care for the sanctification of people. What sort of a father expresses love for his child by letting him do whatever he might want? It has been said that the opposite of love is not anger but rather indifference. God’s wrath for our sin is correlated to his passion for our healing, and therefore “he disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son whom he receives” (Prov. 3:11-12). We shall all stand before God one day in judgment (see Matt. 12:36-37; 1 Cor. 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:10, Eccl. 12:14; Heb. 4:13, etc.). Minimizing the seriousness of sin is therefore to minimize the atoning sacrifice of Yeshua and the very love of God, which is a personal affront to the holiness and glory of God… Not only that, but minimizing the dreadful weight of sin impugns the worth and dignity of the human soul that is created in God’s image and likeness. Indeed, the very meaning and message of the cross turns on both the infinite offensiveness of our sin and the infinite love of God that is willing to atone for that sin. We are redeemed at the great cost of the sacrificial death of the precious and most glorious Son of God.
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Samson once posed the following prophetic riddle, “Out of the eater came something to eat; out of the strong came something sweet,” referring to the honey that came from the carcass of the lion. Just as the men who heard him could not solve the riddle, so the message of the cross is regarded as foolishness to those who are perishing (Judges 14:14; 1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Thess. 2:10). The world cannot fathom the mystery that from the great evil of the cross would come a greater and surpassing good, and that from the sting of death would come sweetness…
Another way to say this is that God’s love triumphed over His justice by bearing the punishment for sin in Himself, by shedding divine blood for atonement and becoming a whole burnt offering (asham) for our guilt and shame. This now is how we are able to draw near (karov) to God, in fear and trembling over the incredible cost of the divine ransom paid on our behalf (Heb. 7:19). Only the cross of Messiah allows God’s justice and mercy to “kiss” (Psalm 85:10; 89:14); only the cross reveals the true Holy of Holies where the blood was placed over the Ark of the Truth; only the cross intimates the Inner Sanctum of God’s heart. Because of the cross, a holy God is able to truly love and help the trusting sinner (Rom. 3:26).
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- Psalm 85:10 Hebrew Card (pdf)
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At the cross of Messiah – ha’makom ha’gadol ha’kapparah, the great place of atonement – good overcame evil and vanquished its authority — though this great truth does not negate what evil itself is… Evil is still present in the world and will be dealt with according to God’s attributes of justice (middot ha-din), or His “left hand.” The philosophy of the world always seeks to eliminate the idea of the holy (and its corrolary, the idea of sinfulness) Political correctness allows “everyone to be special” by negating the very category of what is indeed truly exceptional. Polytheism is part of the world’s ideology because it denies the absolute uniqueness of the LORD God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth (עושה שמים וארץ). The Pharaoh would not have minded if the LORD was regarded as a “god” who might be made part of the pantheon of Egypt, but he stumbled over the LORD’s absolute authority and sovereignty (Isa 45:22). God had to change Pharaoh’s obstinate thinking (“hardness of heart”) so that he no longer would ask, “Who is the LORD that I should obey him?” (Exod. 5:2) but rather – mi kamokha – “Who is like the LORD among the gods” (Exod. 15:11). To the world and its political players who vaunt themselves and regard the LORD as just one among many, the LORD speaks this word: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter (Isa. 5:20). “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD” (Prov. 17:5; 20:24). As the prophet Elihu asked, “Shall one who hates justice govern?” (Job 34:17).
Denying that evil is real is to negate the cross and to subvert its message. We are not called to “go into all the world” and say that “everything is okay with you — no matter what you believe or what you do…” That is not the message of the righteous King Yeshua nor is it the doctrine of His kingdom! The cross is not a license to sin but is the place where the sinner goes to die. The cross is the sign and verdict of God upon sin, though by faith you can have Yeshua be your remedy or you can choose to rely on your own devices… Yea, there is a “dark side” to the good news, friends, and that is the bad news that if you reject the remedy of God’s salvation by loving what is evil, you will surely perish:
“This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering– since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” – 2 Thess. 1:5-10
The LORD is called Adonai Tzeva’ot (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת), LORD of the armies of Heaven…. If you are a saved soul, you are part of His regiment to deal with this world… Fight the good fight of faith; be strong and of good courage… “The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates (שָׂנְאָה) the wicked and the one who loves violence” (Psalm 11:5)…. Yes, although it might sound “politically incorrect,” God hates sin and will repay those who love it and who willingly spurn God’s gracious remedy for it. God cannot deny His own nature.
The cross is the utter repudiation of what the world worships… The message of the cross is always offensive to the natural man, since it reveals God’s verdict about his pride. And though we are indeed called to be “peacemakers,” this does not mean that we concede to this evil world and its proud devices. No, we offer the terms of peace in God’s Name and invite the rebels of this world to surrender… Where it is written, “have your feet shod with the readiness of the gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15), the “peace” referred to is God’s offer of reconciliation; it does not mean going around “making nice” to everyone…
The LORD is “a God of truth and without iniquity, righteous and upright is He” (Deut. 32:4). God calls us to know His absolute uniqueness and holiness. It is not loving to tolerate sin: that is the philosophy of the devil, not God… The philosophy of the world always aims to redefine the idea of the holy. The world loves “tolerance” and “political correctness” but reveals its own intolerance whenever it confronts a man or woman of real conviction. God pronounces “woe” to this world and its doctrines; soon everything that is hidden shall be brought to the light.
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