JAN 18

Romans 2:1-6
Memorise Romans 3:4a
“…the judgment of God is according to truth…”

There is an alarming number of professing Christian preachers who find it so difficult to answer this question. Some have resorted to explaining that hell is not a place of eternal punishment, but only as a place where the sinner is separated forever from God. Is this a biblical answer?

While God is a God of love, Romans 2:2 reminds us that that is only one of God’s attributes, for God is also a God of justice. Remember it is we who sin, and not God who caused us to do so. Sin must be punished, otherwise God cannot be called a just God. Our God is perfect in His judgment. The punishment for our sins will be no more and no less than what we deserve. While none of us who believe in the existence of hell would desire even our worst enemy to be forever punished there, the fact remains that sin is heinous and grievous, and much evil abounds in this world of ours. Since God is holy, He cannot stand sin, and it is thus consistent with His character that sin must be severely punished, and we who are created in His image and who have been made holy by the blood of Christ must also view sin in the same light. We cannot join the world and overlook sin and its consequences. Instead, we must point out to this dark world that the wages of sin is eternal death. Just as God punished the past wicked world through a global flood, God will likewise bring a Great Tribulation, and cast all the unregenerate into the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:15). The Apostle Paul also here in Romans 2:1-2 tells us that it is a well-known fact that God will punish sins. Outwardly, the hypocrite can pretend to be good and obtain the praise of men, but God searches the heart, and sees the secrets as well as the open deeds of people. God, without respect of persons, will punish wickedness, and render to every man according to his deeds (Romans 2:6). 

Dear teen, be careful of those who preach love and tolerance and try to conform the image of God into one that fits their imagination. While many of you desire love and are appalled at acts of hatred, do remember that love rejoiceth in the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6), and the truth is that sin must be punished. If you truly have love for others, then show them the truth of God’s Word that their sin must be dealt with. Show them the truth that it is precisely because God is a God of love, that He then sent His Son to die on behalf of us sinners.

Thought: Do I conform to the image of God in my thoughts? 
Prayer: O God, may I learn to be more like Thee each day!