Who Or What – Part 4

We have seen that God loves each of us because He is love Personified. It doesn’t matter who or what you are, His love is unconditional! We have also seen that we are, regardless of who or what we are, separated from God because of sin, which results from our nature. Our nature is defined by who we are, and our nature is one of rebellion (just as Adam rebelled against God). However, God has intervened and provided a way to replace our old nature of rebellion with a new nature of obedience. This is accomplished through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ! God loved us enough to send Jesus to die in our place, but it doesn’t end with death. Christ’s resurrection offers us a new life of power, provided by the Holy Spirit and working through the new nature God implants in each person who comes to Jesus. And all of this has been provided because of God’s enormous love for mankind!

Matt 7:21-23

 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Given these facts, many people question how a loving and compassionate God can send people to a literal Hell. Does He pick and choose who will be saved, and who will be lost? No, He doesn’t do that at all. He offers the free gift of salvation and new life to everyone who hears and believes the gospel – the “Good News” – of unearned grace available through faith in Jesus Christ (John 3:14-17). But God is not just all love and warm, fuzzy thoughts as some suppose. He is also righteous and holy. He is without corruption and without fault. Although He loves Man and has proven His love by having sent His Son, He will not tolerate rebellion. He shows great restraint and patience toward mankind by allowing people time to freely decide to open their hearts and lives to Him, because He understands who we are. He is patient and kind in putting up with our sins (which we continue in because of what we are), but there are limits to His patience and kindness. Instead of a warm and fuzzy “Daddy” image, the incessantly rebellious among us can expect quite the opposite should they reject His offer of grace and life.

God’s righteous anger is concentrated on those who obstinately disregard what they know is His will, simply because they want to do what they want to do (Rom 1:18-19). People (depending on who or what they are) pursue their own lusts and desires above all else, often and despite knowing the negative consequences it has for themselves and/or others.  To that kind of individual the ends justify the means in obtaining what they want. Does anyone remember the song “If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don’t Wanna Be Right)” by Luther Ingram? How about “I Did It My Way” by Frank Sinatra? Those songs sum up the nature of sin. This is the nature which requires, compels and demands satisfaction at whatever cost – over and over and over again. This is the nature of sin, and God will not tolerate sin in His presence or His kingdom – period.  By continuously acting out lustful desires (because of who we are) we are declared sinners. Our actions then become what quantify us as what we are.

Is there then a difference between who or what we are? Absolutely there is! We are who we are by nature, and we are what we are by actions. This is why Jesus makes the distinction between the two aspects in the text of Matthew 7:21-23. By the action of our continual rejection of truth we remain who we are, and if we remain who we are we remain what we are. This creates a pretty big dilemma because there has to be a way to reconcile the two aspects we are talking about.  Thanks to God, this reconciliation is found in the Person of Jesus Christ!

This is Part Four of a multi-part series. Keep an eye out for the next installment!