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The world today holds many false assumptions towards the
nature of God, perceiving Him to be infinitely merciful and
One who never punishes sins. This has led to irreverence
towards God and boldness in sinning. However, the truth is
that while God is all merciful, He does take action on sin,
as seen in the text studied today. He destroyed Sodom and
Gomorrah because of their sin. There are three main lessons
we can draw from this.
We are all prone to the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah
In God’s assessment of the two cities, their sin was
described to be “very grievous”, a term synonymous to an
immense weight, or overwhelming degree. One of the sins they
had committed was that of homosexuality. They were “giving
themselves over” (Jude 1:7) to this sin, an act that reveals
their unrestrained attitude. They were “ungodly” and
“filthy” (2 Pet 2:7-9); their hearts irreverent and
rebellious, overflowing with unbridled lust. Thus we see
that sin really starts from a heart rebellious towards God.
It brings about a sinful attitude which finally manifests
itself in sinful actions. The unrestrained attitude of Sodom
and Gomorrah is not just relegated to sex. It is common in
any motive behaviour, like the lack of control over one’s
emotions, or the lack of restraint over one’s lust after
material possessions — which was the root cause of today’s
economic crisis. We are all capable of committing sins as
heinous as theirs. “For all have sinned and come short of
the glory of God” (Rom 3:23), which is a result of our
hearts being “deceitful above all things and desperately
wicked.” We need to examine our hearts — whether or not they
are truly directed to righteous and holy living.
God hates sinners but is merciful towards them
Our God is a righteous God. He is entirely righteous in
destroying the wicked, “for the wages of sin is death” (Rom
6:23) and “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezek
18:20). He makes no hasty judgments. He weighs our sins, He
beholds and tries (Psa 11:4) before passing judgment. And
when He does, His wrath is very severe. Yet at the same
time, our God is a merciful God. He hears our pleas and
forgives anyone who humbly repents. In David’s distress, he
cried out to God and “(God) did hear (his) voice” (2 Sam
22:7). He is “longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2
Pet 3:9). He waited for the two cities, giving them time to
repent. As long as Christ tarries in His return, He gives
sinners a chance to repent. Yet He will not always tarry.
One day, He will come. And He will judge the world the way
He did Sodom and Gomorrah.
God spares the wicked on account of righteous
In Jeremiah 5:1, God promised to spare the wicked city if
there were but one righteous man. In like manner, He will
pardon us for one righteous man. However, this righteous one
cannot be found among men because “all our righteousness are
as filthy rags” (Isa 64:6) and “there is none righteous”
(Rom 3:10). He can only be found in “Jesus Christ the
righteous” (1 John 2:1). Christ has “suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God.” Only in
Him can we be pardoned from God’s wrath.
Applications
For the unbelievers: be found with Christ in the day of
destruction
For the believers: pray for the nation, as salt and light of
the world, that they would come to the saving grace of our
Lord. Be not carnal Christians like Lot who, though a
believer, separated not himself from sinners and lived the
way they did. He escaped with his life, but with nothing
else. We will face another judgment where our works on earth
will be tried by fire (1 Cor 3:13-15). And the Christian
who, though saved by grace, labours not for Christ, will not
receive a reward. Let us strive not merely to be saved by
His blood, but also to live lives that are pleasing and
acceptable to Him. |
