Day 20
God is MERCIFUl
God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire, with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-8
In 2017, when I was nine-years-old, I put my faith in Jesus Christ. At the time of writing this, I am a senior at Decatur High School, and I plan to be a pastor when I am older. During the summer of 2025, my girlfriend, Sophia, and her brother Nolan passed away in a car accident. It was, and hopefully will stay, the worst day and experience in my life. Sophia and I had a Christ-centered relationship, and we had been together for a little over a year. She was the dearest and closest friend I have ever had. It is safe to say that if God did not gift me with his faithfulness, I would not be writing this.
God is fully just while also being fully merciful, which at first seems contradictory. King David wrote this truth concerning God’s mercy: “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Psalm 32:1). This verse reveals how God can forgive us and cover up our sins. The apostle Paul writes another truth about God: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23). This verse shows that we all deserve death because of our sin. God must punish our sins since He is just. How then can God be merciful and forgive us, sinners, without sending us to Hell? How can God be fully merciful while still being fully just? The answer is simple, yet extraordinary - Jesus Christ’s sacrifice.
Since Jesus is perfect and lived a sinless life, He sacrificed Himself for our sins, taking on our punishment. He will not let an ounce of sin go unpunished. The prophet Isaiah spoke these words regarding Jesus Christ: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed… the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5-6).
God is fully merciful because Jesus Christ took the punishment for our sins, and He is fully just because Jesus Christ took the punishment for our sins. God is so just that He would give His own, perfect Son, to pay the punishment for sin. That truth always reminds me that God is LORD and that my sins have inconceivable consequences.
The main scripture that I chose, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-8, reveals how just God is through Jesus’ second coming and His final judgment. All non-Christians will be eternally punished in Hell. However, for believers, our punishment was placed upon Jesus Christ. My girlfriend, Sophia, put her faith in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus, who is fully God yet fully man, took on the punishment for not only Sophia’s sins but also the sins of all humanity. Jesus was given her punishment, while Sophia was given His reward, eternal life with God, through His resurrection. That gift is available for anyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ alone.
FURTHER REFLECTION:
Jesus Christ gave it all for us. He took the punishment that we deserved. Have you put your faith in Christ?
There is no way to repay the debt we owe to Jesus as believers. The least we can do is surrender our whole life to Him. What parts of your life have you not given to God?
PRAYER:
Father God, thank You for sacrificing Jesus Christ in my place. I do not deserve such an indescribable gift. Please help me surrender every part of my life to You. Help me realize that You are just and that my sins have major consequences. Convict me, Lord, and help me turn away from my sins. Not my will but Your will be done. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
FOR FURTHER STUDY: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, Psalm 89:14-18
by: Barrett Teichelman