Men, we’ve been thinking about divine judgment insufficiently. Here’s what I mean by that.
We often rightly speak of the fact that on the cross Jesus took the punishment that your sins and my sins deserve. This is of course true. And, we should keep saying it.
He indeed became the “record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.” (Colossians 2:14) And, yes 2 Corinthians 5:21 teaches us that God “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
The doctrine that Christ was taking our final judgment punishment on the cross so that all who belong to Him will not face it is a rich, glorious, Biblical truth that we should never cease to preach about, sing about, talk about and teach about.
But, is there more than can be said about the punishment that our sins deserve? Is there more good news that we’re failing to communicate? I’d like to submit that there’s a great deal more to be said. Our union with Christ has wrought much, much more and we’re failing to talk about it. In fact, I think we fail to talk about it because we are guilty of not believing it ourselves.
There’s another punishment that our sins deserve. And, we’re reaping it right now. And, that punishment is this: Misery
Consider what G.C.P’s “First Catechism for Children” asks in question and answer number 35:
Question: How did Adam and Eve change when they sinned?
Answer: Instead of being holy and happy, they became sinful and miserable.
Do you really believe that your sins are right now making you miserable?
It is of course easy to see and understand that other people’s sins are making us miserable. We all easily recognize how the sins of someone else can make us miserable. A defiant child, an abusive spouse, a hot-headed employer, a violent attacker.
But, embracing the truth that my sins are currently making me miserable, that is a harder sell. The reason that it is a hard sell- the reason that truth is harder to recognize is because Satan’s public relations campaign for sin and vice has been wildly successful. Have you ever thought about Satan’s original lie? We speak a lot about “original sin”. But, what was the “original lie”? At its core, Satan’s original lie to Eve was this: Real happiness, real fulfillment, real joy is to be found outside of the boundaries of God’s arbitrary rules. God is really oppressing you. He doesn’t really want you to be as happy as you could be. So, he’s erected these cruel fences to keep you roped in- unable to experience the joy that is available to you … on the other side of that fence.
That’s sin’s promise. Sin will make you happy.
Whether we like it or not- we’re a little bit like Billy Joel in his song “Only the Good Die Young.” Do you remember that song? It is the song of a teenage boy pleading with a good catholic girl who doesn’t want to “go all the way” with him.
Come out, Virginia, don't let me wait
You Catholic girls start much too late
Aw, but sooner or later, it comes down to fate
I might as well be the one
Well, they showed you a statue, told you to pray
They built you a temple and locked you away
Aw, but they never told you the price that you'd pay
For things that you might have done
Only the good die young
So come on, Virginia, show me the sign
Send up a signal, I'll throw you the line
The stained-glass curtain you're hiding behind
Never lets in the sun
Darlin', only the good die young
And they say there's a heaven for those who will wait
Some say it's better, but I say it ain't
I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun
You know that only the good die young
What’s the message? You can be holy or you can be happy. But, you can’t be both. You can be righteous or you can be experiencing joy. But, you can’t be both.
Men, repent of believing the lie that pursuing Christian holiness is drudgery. Repent of believing the wicked lie that the call to lay down your sins and pursue righteousness is a call to quit having an enjoyable life.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
John 10:10 NKJV
Repentance brings joy. To believe otherwise is to believe a lie of the devil.
That’s not a “prosperity Gospel”. It is the resounding truth of God’s word.
Jesus on the cross was not only taking care of your “final judgment” misery. He was freeing you from your miserable captivity to sin, right now. When we get that, when we understand that it will change your life. And, it will change how you talk about the joys of salvation.
Scott Davis is the pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
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