The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

— Romans 1:18

5 But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

6 God “will repay each one according to his deeds.”

8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger.

— Romans 2:5-6, 8

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

— John 3:36

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

–Romans 6:23

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

The absolute purity of God necessitates His just and holy wrath against sin. As a parent’s love demands justice when a child is exploited by a sexual predator, God’s love for His children demands a just response to sins. The evil and injustice prevalent in this worlds stir our holy God to a slowly intensifying righteous response against this world’s mounting depravity. God is holy. He upholds His standard of justice and holds people accountable for their sin. God acts true to His character when He brings deserved retribution against evil. God’s justice involves punishment and rewards. Inevitable punishment awaits the wrongdoers. Whether or not the legal system punishes wrong acts, ultimately every person will face God as the righteous, all-knowing judge.

Graciously, Jesus Christ satisfied God’s justice by taking our deserved punishment on the cross. Everlasting punishment awaits those who resist and refuse God’s grace. But those who receive God’s mercy through Jesus Christ receive His certain salvation. An eternal day of reckoning awaits, when God rewards His people for faithful service and judges those who reject Him.