October 25 God’s Wrath?

John 3:35-36 “The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
 
THERE is some debate whether John the Baptist, Jesus or the apostle John speaking here. In any case, here again in John 3, as in verses 16-18, we read a gospel summary. The gospel of John continues to adamantly proclaim: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
   Two points I’d like to make. How could the gospel have been spoken by John the Baptist? He’s an Old Testament prophet, right? True, but he is not the first Old Testament prophet to speak the gospel. See, for example, Isaiah 42:1 “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations.” Through Isaiah, God, the Father, describes his Son to come. His chosen one will be anointed in the Spirit’s power to proclaim God’s righteousness. As a result, all nations will know the difference between “whoever believes” and “whoever rejects”. The gospel is good news declared since God’s promise of a Savior in Eden. Jesus is the servant come. Matthew 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
   Second, let’s note “God’s wrath remains on him”. Most of us will skim right over those words. We are very uncomfortable to consider that as God is love. (1 John 4:16) and God so loved the world (John 3:16), his wrath or anger would be on anyone. We consider God’s wrath as being an Old Testament view of God. Surely, Jesus canceled all of God’s wrath!
   Yes, Jesus will cancel God’s anger against sin. But that will occur, again, for whoever believes in him. Jesus teaches many times of God’s wrath on the unrepentant sinner. He gives us the awful view of the Rich Man’s condemnation to hell in Luke 16. He has told Nicodemus that those who do not believe stand condemned. He prophesies he will come to separate the believers from unbelievers.
   We are born under God’s wrath. Jesus as come to release us into God’s glory. Believe this and live.
 
Prayer: I pray, Lord, for those in my family who do not believe. Turn their hearts to your justice, so they will be saved. In Jesus’ name, amen.