TCW Short Take #2 - Week of Dec 3

It says in the survey, an alarming 69% of people disagree that even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation, with 58% strongly disagreeing. How to explain this truth about God's just judgment in what we deserve, even if we had just sinned one time in our life, which no one of course does, but even over one sin, how is that just, to explain that to someone today? You know, I think for one thing, it just shows us how far we are removed from a true view of who God is. If we have this view of God that somehow comes from our own making, or is sort of a bottom-up, you can understand the response to this question.

It's almost like this is just the absolute injustice, that there could be some standard that would be so high that would have such a punishment for the smallest sin. But that only works if we come at who God is based on who we think God should be, or how we think God should act. If we come at this from what God says about himself, and who God says he is, if you just read through the Psalms, you come to grips with who God is. And you get a sense that the psalmist is fully aware that God is both ready to crush us. He has that strong, omnipotent right arm. He is able to crush us, but that God must crush us because he is pure and just and holy.

And you come out from the Psalms recognizing that, but for Christ, my sacrifice, my perfect sinless sacrifice, I would be justly and rightly crushed by the power of God's justice. You know, you mentioned R.C. at the beginning, and it's interesting.

R.C. was converted as a college student, and he talks about reading the Old Testament for the first time as a Christian. And he says, and he never lost this impression from that first reading, that this is a God who plays for keeps. And so, if we set aside what we think about God and let God declare for us, and let God declare for us, we've got this great scene from Uzzah. So, here's this Old Testament story, and here's the ark, and they're marching it, and it's toppling. And what does Uzzah do? He reaches out to steady the ark because he doesn't want it to touch the ground. And in the process, he's violating God's commandment, and he's struck dead for touching the ark. And the idea is that Uzzah is rather presumptuous to think that he is more clean than the dirt. There is something, if we come at God as who he says he is, then we understand this question. And what's interesting to me about this question is, you know how these sort of surveys work, you do the strongly disagree to strongly agree, the sort of five paths there, and they pretty much even out on the scale.

But you come to this one, and if you go to the website, it's visually stunning how uneven it is. And it's not just that the vast population disagrees, it's exactly as you pointed out, they strongly disagree. There is something about this question that really triggers a vehement response. And it basically comes down to, my God would never do that.

And I think therein lies the problem. It's not our conception of God, it's who God is. And now we have this understanding of justice. And now we also recognize how abundant and good and kind God is in his love and mercy and making a way out of this damnation for us through offering his perfect son, his beloved son, as our sacrifice. We hope you gained from this short take of the Christian Worldview radio program. To hear the full program and further connect with this ministry, visit thechristianworldview.org. I'm David Wheaton.