God's Love and Righteous Judgment: Two Sides of Our Father

The great love of God for the world is incomprehensible and immeasurable. He gave His only Son for us so we could live through Him. Christians spend a lot of time, rightfully so, talking about God's love for us and our love for others, but much less time talking about the vengeance of God. God's love and righteous judgment are two sides of our Father. His vengefulness will be against those who reject His Son and wrong His children. As His people we are not to seek vengeance.

Revenge vs. Divine Vengeance: Understanding the Difference

Probably one reason we don't talk about vengeance much is because we define the term in human ways. When we speak of revenge between people it means killing, injuring, or harming someone because they have harmed you. Vengeance has a slightly different meaning. It is more intense retribution. Its goal is to restore balance or punish someone for doing wrong. God does this righteously, not with spite or bitterness.

God’s Promise of Justice for the Oppressed

God promises vengeance on those who have wronged His people unjustly. God's people are precious to Him. He will repay those who have harmed them for what they have done. It is His duty, His job, not ours. It may not come in a timely manner, to our way of thinking, and it may not be in the way we think it should be but one thing we can be sure of, it will be just. God's judgment will restore order by punishing sin and protecting the innocent. How should we respond while we wait for God's justice?

“Naqam”: The Hebrew Word for Divine Vengeance

To understand God's justice more fully, it's helpful to look at the word often used for vengeance in Scripture. The Hebrew word for vengeance is "Naqam" it is often used in judicial settings and means to vindicate or avenge. All sin will be judged. And all sin can be forgiven, but there will be justice for unrepentant sin.

Deuteronomy 32:35 and the Call Against Revenge

For the first time, in Deuteronomy 32:35 we hear the word of the Lord on this subject, "Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them." Throughout the Old and the New Testament from Deuteronomy to Romans we are repeatedly told not to seek revenge.

Examples of Mercy Instead of Vengeance

King David is but one example of God's servants who heeded these words. He had the perfect opportunity to kill Saul, who had pursued him for years, but instead he chose to obey God knowing that Saul would be judged in due time by God for his sins (1 Samuel 26:11).

A modern example is Pastor Andrew Brunson, who was wrongly imprisoned, and later under house arrest in Turkey for two years on charges of terrorism. Pastor Brunson never called for retaliation or vengeance. Instead, he relied on prayer and Scripture, especially 2 Timothy's call to endure and finish the race well. His wife, Norine, in the meantime, continuously petitioned political and church leaders on his behalf until finally in 2018, all charges were dropped and he was released. Pastor Brunson was finally vindicated by God-ordained justice through diplomatic and legal channels.

When Wronged: Pray, Forgive, and Trust God’s Timing

Do we seek vengeance when we feel we have been wronged or do we let God take care of that? Maybe someone stabbed us in the back to get a promotion that should rightfully have been ours. Perhaps we were ignored and ridiculed for our faith. Maybe someone 'stole' our boyfriend or girlfriend or enticed our husband or wife to have an affair. We are told to "pray for those who despitefully use you" (Matthew 5:44), but do we?

Eternal Judgment Awaits Unrepentant Sin

Deuteronomy reminds us that "their foot shall slip in due time" and calamity and doom will follow quickly. The Lord will judge those who have chosen sin over His forgiveness. They may feel as though nothing bad will ever happen to them because of their decisions but it will. They may believe they can get away with everything they have done because they don't see any immediate consequences but they are mistaken. Without warning, judgment will come.

The World’s Objection: Why Evil Seems to Go Unpunished

One of the many complaints the world makes towards the God of Christians is they say He allows evil with seemingly no consequence. The world doesn't realize God sees eternity. Those who have done evil and never turned to Christ will have a terrible price to pay. Just because we don't see God's righteous judgment while we are living doesn't mean it won't happen.

Jonathan Edwards’ Warning: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

This truth was powerfully preached during the Great Awakening. In one of the most famous of all sermons delivered on American soil, in 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". In his sermon he makes some important points about God's judgment. He says:

• God has the power to judge men at any moment.

• Judgment received is judgment that is deserved.

• “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

• Even now the wrath of God burns against the wicked.

• The devil eagerly awaits those who never turn to God. They are just waiting for God to say their time is up.

• Even though it may seem far away, death can happen at any moment.

• Too many of us think we are secure in our destination because of all the good we have done.

In short Edward's says, "they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of; all that preserves them every moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged forbearance of an incensed God." To put this in more modern language, "They have no protection and nothing to cling to; the only reason they are not destroyed at any moment is because God, though angry, is choosing to hold back His judgment, though He is not bound to do so."

Edward's reminds his hearers that it is the wrath and fierceness of an infinite God that we have brought on ourselves. In describing God's wrath, in Revelation 19:15 we learn of, “the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." His wrath is everlasting against those who don't seek His Son.

Hope Amid Wrath: Mercy Still Offered Today

But Edward's doesn't leave his audience without hope. He explains, that today, judgment hasn't yet fallen upon them. Today, God still offers mercy and forgiveness. Today, God offers them His love bought with a price, the death of His Son, whose resurrection brings life. They still have time to make a choice.

The Danger of a Hardened Heart

He reminds them that each day they "neglect so great a salvation" (Hebrews 2:3) their heart becomes harder. It becomes more and more hardened to sin and unwilling to turn and repent. The longer we remain in sin, the less we hear the voice of our Shepherd. The farther removed we become, the fainter we hear His call.

Today’s Urgent Call to Salvation

What Jonathan Edwards wanted his hearers to understand was that "today is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Just as the people of Edward's day had a choice to make, so do we. Do we continue in our sin? Do we think we're Heaven bound because we are such good people? Do we understand God is a God of love, but also a God of vengeance?

Radical Discipleship: Jesus’ Demanding Love

The modern church is often guilty of presenting Jesus as a soft and loving guy who would never hurt a fly. Jesus certainly is loving but he is anything but soft. His call to us is to die to self and to take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). God wants you to acknowledge that He is a loving Father and God of the universe. And that His Son "will judge the living and the dead at His appearing" (2 Timothy 4:1). His judgment will be righteous and true.

God's Love and Righteous Judgment: Two Sides of Our Father

In John 3:16, we read the famous verse that announces the good news that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." The Bible tells us that God loved and sent His Son to die for us "while we were yet sinners" (Romans 5:8). So how can He have anger toward us and still love us? Because His anger is towards our sin, not toward us as individuals whom He desires to redeem (1 Timothy 2:4). We don't have to become perfect for Him to love us.

As human parents, we love our children, even when they have done great wrong. That doesn't mean we excuse their wrongdoing. It means we offer forgiveness when they ask for it, unconditionally. In a far greater way, God, who is our perfect Father also offers unconditional forgiveness when we repent and trust in Christ. It is His grace which offers forgiveness; it cannot be earned. Always remember though, we can be forgiven, but there are always consequences to our sin.

Two Paths: Choosing the Narrow Way to Life

Today we have a choice. We have a clear decision between two paths. We can remain in unrepentant sin and wait for our day of judgment to come, only to find out, too late, that there is no hope for us after death without Christ. Or we can take a different path. We can trust that God truly loves us with an infinite love and waits for us to call on Him. One path is easy and broad, with a wide gate, and many people take it. The other way is narrow and difficult, with a small gate and few go down that path. One leads to destruction. The other leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14). Which will you choose?

"Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!" - James 5:9(b)