Sin’s Severity: Day 3
“Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. 8Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. ” - Jude 1:5-8
Our God is just. Jesus was not only a sacrifice for salvation, but he is currently the king who rules and reigns in glory. With this comes what is considered an uncomfortable reality. Jesus is both king & judge. Why might this be such an uncomfortable reality for people? Because it means that we have to acknowledge that in His love, He is also a just judge and will punish sin. The beautiful invitation of the gospel is that in Christ all our sin is forgiven. Yet there remains a truth often forgotten or avoided; outside of Christ, sin is still punished. This uncomfortable truth is important for us to understand the beauty of who Christ is. We have gotten to a point within modern Christian culture where we only want to accept the lovey-dovey feelings of the gospel without understanding the significance of salvation. There is no forgiveness without a debt to forgive, there is no all-sufficient sacrifice without a heavy cost to pay. We have reached a point where modern Christians have fallen in love with a Jesus they don’t fully know. Grace is not sweet if sin is not bitter. It is in the severity of sin and the punishment that grace is a sweet and overwhelming invitation.
Jude speaks words that are ever so applicable to today’s church. “I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it.” The idea that God is a just judge is not a made-up angry version of the gospel. It is the nature of who God is to be fully loving and fully just. We have, as a modern American church, forgotten this and have tried to replace the full awe-striking complexity of God’s nature with an “easier to swallow” shallow interpretation of God. We have taken the wonderful grace and love we read through the gospels and have crafted a new weaker version of Jesus among our theological ideals. Jude gives us three examples of God’s judgment over sin. The unbelief of the Israelites, the rebellion of fallen angels, and the sexual habits of Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude shares a harsh statement that all three “serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.” Again, this displays the justice of Christ. Sin does not go unpunished. What does this mean for us? I believe it displays a reality of where our hearts should be postured. That is, we should first be grateful that we have been offered a sweet invitation of grace, second, this should cause our hearts to be motivated to share the gospel.
Traditionally, the church has gotten a rap for preaching fire and brimstone. The overall view of Christians is that we are negative judgmental people who hate every chance we get. Yet this is so backward from the way it should be. Unfortunately, this is birthed from a false teaching about the severity of sin. Either we avoid the topic altogether, or the ones who do preach on the topic focus on condemning the world. Why is this wrong? One, we do not need to condemn the world for it will condemn itself. Two, we were the sinners who needed grace to redeem us. No one is exempt from the need for God’s grace. The understanding of sins’ severity and God’s judgment should humble us and when we look to this world we should burn with a heart to see them come to Christ and His grace. Paul writes in Romans 9 that he burns with unceasing anguish for those who do not believe. Where is this heart today? Take time to reflect, in your own life, have you taken a stance to condemn the world or seek to reach the world? Evil exists and it seeps its way into our churches and our sources of influence. This is why Jude says to contend for the faith. We MUST stand for what is the truth, while we also MUST have the heart to see the gospel reach all.
Takeaway: Understanding sin and its severity should cause our hearts to be humble in reflection of grace and motivated in action to share that grace.
