The Third Sunday after Epiphany
January 27, 2019
"The Vengeance of God"
Romans 12:sixteen-21
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Be of the identical mind towards one yet another. do not set your mind on excessive issues, but affiliate with the humble. do not be sensible to your own opinion. Repay nobody evil for evil. Have regard for respectable issues within the sight of all men. if it is possible, as much as depends upon you, are living peaceably with all guys. cherished, don't avenge yourselves, however rather supply location to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, i'll repay," says the Lord. therefore "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you're going to heap coals of fireplace on his head." do not be overcome by means of evil, however overcome evil with good. Romans 12:16-21
False instructing is poison to the soul. it might probably appear to be a harmless opinion, however when it's taught as truth, internally digested, and taught once again, it poisons the whole physique. False doctrine kills Christians and churches useless. All false doctrine is from the father of lies, the devil. False doctrine is the playground of the proud. Pure doctrine is obtained through the humble. those who are intelligent of their personal opinion teach doctrines that glorify themselves. The pure educating glorifies God. those who will no longer humble themselves earlier than God are both the targets of and the brokers of satan's assault against the pure and healthful doctrine of God's holy note.
St. Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth: "For I decided now not to know anything else among you except for Jesus Christ and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2) The crucifixion of Jesus is at the heart of our Christian faith. here is why Christians reveal crosses and crucifixes. 
Our religion is founded in a violent act of vengeance. We trust, teach, and confess that when Jesus died on Calvary, he bore God's simply vengeance against all sinners. God says, "Vengeance is mine, i will be able to repay." He spoke of it during the prophet Moses. He talked about it through the Apostle Paul. God capacity what he says. He talked about he would repay and he did. He repaid. He punished. He poured out his divine wrath. He worked vengeance. Upon whom did he avenge himself? Upon the realm! When and where and how did God wreak vengeance upon this world? When Jesus died on the cross and bore in his physique the sin of the realm, God carried out his just punishment of all sinners. Justice turned into carried out. most effective on Calvary is justice done. We call this the vicarious atonement, as a result of Jesus vicariously (it's, as our exchange) made peace between us and God by way of taking out our sin. We call it the vicarious pride, because Jesus, as our change, satisfied the calls for God manufactured from us all. He satisfied God's justice, each via obeying the legislation in the stead of all sinners, and by means of bearing in his body the punishment of God in opposition t all sinners. The vicarious atonement or vicarious pride is the heart of the gospel that we Christians believe, teach, and confess to the area.
this is a extremely precious truth, however offends individuals. Theologians had been attacking it for a long time. they say it is a barbaric doctrine. most effective a cruel God would punish his blameless Son. they say that this instructing contradicts what we believe about God's love. they are saying that a loving God would no longer require satisfaction for his anger to be appeased. so that they deny that God punished Jesus in our stead. They deny that Jesus bore God's wrath and turned it away on Calvary when he died.
they're going to say that Jesus died for us, however they don't suggest that he suffered the punishment we deserved. They mean that he demonstrated his love for us by using becoming a member of us in suffering. He expressed solidarity with us. He faced demise as considered one of us. they say many pious sounding things about the demise of Jesus Christ – a lot of which are proper – however they deny that God punished his innocent Son for the sin of the realm. That offends them.
Let's fake that they are right. The vicarious satisfaction on no account happened. God didn't pour out his wrath on his innocent Son who took our region on the pass. Jesus changed into now not punished for our sins. God is not vengeful. He does not punish. What do you suppose of this kind of god? Is God now nicer, much less violent, extra peaceable, and more loving? Would you fairly have a god who does not do vengeance than the God who poured out his vengeance on Jesus? may you trust a god who doesn't punish more than a God who punishes? Are those that deny Christ's vicarious atonement preaching a kinder and gentler God than the One we worship? Are they teaching a kinder and gentler lifestyle than are we who're determined to grasp nothing apart from Jesus Christ and him crucified?
No, they aren't. Denying the vengeance of God does not take away vengeance. Denying the fact doesn't make it go away. The notice the Bible uses for vengeance is a variety of the observe for justice. Justice requires vengeance. Crime requires punishment. Sin can pay off in loss of life. We comprehend this. We be aware of this earlier than we read the Bible. We recognize this before we be aware of how to read!
Little Johnny hits little Jimmy. mom asks, "Why did you do that?" What does Johnny say? He says, "He hit me first." That's justice. God spoke through Moses:
You shall provide lifestyles for all times, eye for eye, teeth for enamel, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Exodus 21:23b-25)
but this precept didn't start with Moses. God revealed this simple principle of justice to Noah after the flood as a protection in opposition t the taking of innocent human life. God pointed out:
Whoever sheds man's blood,via man his blood might be shed;For in the picture of GodHe made man. (Genesis 9:6)
here's no longer most effective taught explicitly within the Bible, it is written inside the judgment of right and wrong of all individuals. here is why Johnny can justify hitting Jimmy although he knows nothing of Noah, Moses, or the Apostle Paul.
here's why we avenge ourselves in opposition t those who do us incorrect. no matter if a violent lashing out or a quiet burn within, we cling the sins of others in opposition t them. they've carried out us wrong. They may still suffer for it.
Ask yourself: have you ever been angry at a person who did you incorrect? Did you desire him to pay for what he did that harm you? you did your most efficient to make peace, live at peace, and simply get along. You didn't ask for problem. He introduced it to you. You didn't provoke it. What can you do with such someone?
Bless him? Do first rate to him? Pray for him? Yeah. correct. And this can flip him into a good person, right? it may possibly handiest embolden him to be a fair bigger bully than he's up to now been. You cannot overcome evil with decent. All you do is to inspire the evil.
but is this in reality true? Is our Lord's instructing that we should turn the different cheek to the one who strikes us simplest a blank verify to abusers to abuse all of the more? There are few issues Jesus taught that have evoked such mockery as his words about turning the different cheek and blessing people who curse us. besides, how will we let bullies get away with their bullying? Isn't that incorrect?
first off, no person gets away with the rest. there's a announcing: "The wheels of justice flip slowly, however grind really nice." The neighborhood thug who receives away with one violent act after a further suffers a violent demise. The liar is exposed as a liar. The cheater is cheated. You don't deserve to be a Christian to see that what goes around comes round. The legislations of karma, taught by way of Hindus and Buddhists, is the natural expertise of the legislation regular to all individuals. You reap what you sow. no person gets away with anything. When God tells us now not to searching for vengeance, but to collapse to wrath, he is speakme about leaving it to him. We don't take vengeance for my part, because we know that God governs through the civil authorities who punish criminals. God does vengeance in the course of the civil executive. It doesn't do an ideal job, but in the end the wheels of justice do grind very satisfactory.
however how can we set apart our herbal want for revenge? How will we be content with letting God avenge us? Isn't it part of us to are looking to exact retribution towards those that have hurt us and people we like? How will we forgive people who aren't even sorry for the ache they've caused?
We appear to where God did justice. We appear to the place God wreaked vengeance. We appear to where God paid lower back. When Jesus suffered on the move, he was punished for the wrongs that americans have achieved, are doing, and may do towards you. The untrue significant other, the mendacity coworker, the snotty comprehend-it-all who elevates himself at your cost, the kid who bullies your youngster and get away with it, the rapist, the assassin, the thief, and the perjurer – all of their offenses received simply retribution on the cross when Jesus died for the sin of the area.
And so did yours. God poured out his anger in opposition t you on Jesus. He punished Jesus as an alternative of punishing you. Jesus bore it in order that you wouldn't must undergo it. Jesus, who is correct God and real man, confronted the vengeance of God and bore it patiently and willingly. Why? as a result of he loves you. Why? as a result of he loves the guy who has wronged you. You can provide place to wrath – give it over to God – as a result of God has met the calls for of his own justice.
We don't should are seeking for what God has already found. The crucifixion of Jesus is where justice changed into achieved. Your sins and the sins accomplished in opposition t you; the damage you've got brought about others, and the damage others have brought about you; God repaid. He punished. He forgives. So will we.
How? We cannot run returned to Calvary or stand at the empty tomb and hold close onto Jesus with our palms. but Jesus says the word and we are forgiven. What he achieved two thousand years in the past is given to us right here and now. He grew to become away divine anger, bore all sin, met the calls for of justice, all with the aid of his death on the cross. He rose from the lifeless and gave his church the authority to forgive sins. He workouts this authority at any place his gospel word is proclaimed. He mentioned the word and the Centurion's servant turned into healed. He says the observe and we're forgiven. We accept as true with what his forgiving be aware says and we have it. we are forgiven. We forgive those that have achieved us incorrect. God overcomes evil with respectable.
Amen.
Pastor Rolf Preus
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