For the LORD is righteous; He loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold His face.

— Psalm 11:7

He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.

— Deuteronomy 32:4

1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

17 And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.

— Romans 8:1, 14, 16-17

9 … “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand,

10 he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.

–Revelation 14:9-10

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, peace and joy from Christ to you.

God’s actions flow from His character. God, who is totally separate from sin, will not let evil go unchecked. Only God can solve the problem of sin’s grip on all of humanity. Sin’s damage will continue until God steps in to judge evil and stop sin’s ongoing destruction. Everyone enters the world with inborn inclinations to revel against God. Therefore, every single person deserves the judgment God’s justice requires. God sent His own Son to drink the full cup to His wrath on behalf of every person who looks to Him for salvation. Rejecting Jesus’s sacrifice means facing the judgment we deserve without His protection.

Sin so infects everyday life that we can fail to recognize its damage. Revelation describes God’s judgment upon the earth at the end of the age. The awfulness of these escalating judgments helps us understand the seriousness of sin and its ultimate consequences. Believers—those who trust in Christ and His atoning sacrifice—will not face God’s judgment for their sin because Jesus has absorbed God’s wrath in their stead. Believers’ works will be evaluate for rewards, but their sin will not be counted against them. Unbelievers—those who refuse to repent from sin and choose to live without God—await His just judgment.