Hands of a Living God

By Pastor Chad

Our knowledge of who God is only comes through what He has revealed to us. The most unique and intimate form of revelation is through Sacred Scripture. It is in passages, such as Hebrews 10:30-31, that we learn our God is a just God. The preacher of the book of Hebrews states, “For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Though it may be upsetting and uncomfortable to accept, in order to comprehend the full picture of the Christian view of God, we must admit that God sometimes enacts His judgment and wrath.

Many times we try to fit God into our own box. We emphasize the attributes of God we like and ignore or reject the attributes we don’t like. We cannot cherrypick the characteristics of God. He is Love, Good, Righteous, Holy, Compassionate, Merciful, and Personal, but He is also Just. As a display of His justice, God judges. And throughout Scripture we see there are times God pours out His wrath. Though we are not sure of all the details, we are certain that we all will one day stand before God. 

Some say that a loving God would not condemn anyone. Such folks say phrases like: “If He is truly loving, He will overlook their sins and welcome them into heaven.” But this isn’t the testimony of Scripture. As the book of Hebrews says, “How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?” (Hebrews 10:29). Granted, this is a bit of a confusing passage. At the very least, however, we can say that rejecting the glorious gospel of Christ has severe consequences. To trample underfoot was an ancient sign of disrespect and contempt. To trample the blood of Christ is to have disrespect and contempt toward Jesus and His sacrifice. The sacrifice of Christ is so precious and profound that to reject it is an insult to God. In His compassion, God sent His Son to die for our sins. He offered a way out of our condemnation. He was not obligated to do so, but in His mercy, He made a way. To reject the way of Christ is to reject the mercy of God–and such a dismissal of the gospel leads to a harsh judgment by God. 

There is good news, however. For all who have repented of their sins and believe in the gospel, our judgment will not be condemnation. Our sins have been forgiven. We have been made new. So we no longer stand condemned because Jesus has received the punishment we deserved. Thus, when Christians stand before God at the final judgment, we will escape the wrath of God through the blood of Christ.