Vengeance will be His!

Hebrews 10:26-31 (New International Version)

26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"^[a] and again, "The Lord will judge his people."^[b] 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

"From the Inside" - Hillsong
A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace...

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Hi everyone,

I love that song by Hillsong, definitely one of my favourites. I put it up there, because it's true God is a merciful God. He is a loving God. He is compassionate, pouring mercies upon mercies on us when we are so unfaithful and undeserving.

But, God is also a perfect God. He gave us His son, Jesus Christ, for us...that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life! Anyone who turns down that free gift (v29), is subject to RIGHTLY deserved judgment. And when I say judgment, it is LEGAL. It is the just act of the judge. Raging fire will consume the enemies of God. Consider this a motivation by punishment >=P, to go alongside the encouragements through reward.

So what does this mean to you?
1. For those of us that are sinning, we do get punished for it. The punishment will manifest itself over time. No, it doesn't mean you get robbed of salvation. Yes, it means God disciplines His children so that they grow closer to Him.
2. I know the verses don't talk about evangelism, but people do have a general knowledge of who Jesus Christ is today. We often talk about loving God, and loving others. Well, how loving is it....knowing that your friends or family members are going to hell, because they don't have the free gift of salvation?

I know it's rough to talk about the harsher "reality" of this life, and this is definitely not a dig at any specific person. But, we are fighting a spiritual war. My brothers, I hope you hear the call.

Richard Chong