1 Thessalonians 1:10
“and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead — Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.”
The last entry we attempted to clear a misunderstanding. That God was angry with us. We learned that He loves us and seeks to draw us for the purpose of redeeming and blessing us.
So, why is it called the coming wrath? God is angry at sin and the destruction it creates. We understand this as we also get angry at injustice. We’ll hear of a crime in which innocent people are harmed. People initiate campaigns to protest these. Some are fueled by fighting these injustices that last a lifetime.
What’s uncomfortable is that all of us have sinned and are in need of forgiveness. Our indignation at injustice blinds us to our own wrongs. What makes this even more complicated is that we can be guilty of a crime if we fantasize about it in our hearts (Matthew 5:22).
We often think God will give us a break, as we learn to give others slack in life. We also grade on a curve. We see others much worse than us, so we think that we’ll pass. Unfortunately, justice doesn’t work that way. If a crime been committed, payment must be made. Yes, people have done worse crimes, but that doesn’t get us off the hook.
This is why coming to Jesus is the only option. He took the penalty for our sins in His body and soul on the cross. When we ask The Lord to forgive us based on Jesus’ sacrifice, justice has been done. Jesus spent the time for us in a very concentrated way. The wrath over those wrongs has been dealt with. Today’s verse describes Jesus as the deliverer from the coming wrath. It’s over.
Lord, thanks that You have forgiven us from the coming wrath. Thank You Jesus for paying such a great price for us.