Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Greetings, dear people..

I found evidence of some moisture having fallen from the sky when I stepped outside this morning.

Our female cat is big with babies again. When we noticed her displaying a larger-than-normal belly, we wondered how this can be that she would be pregnant again so soon after having a litter—and still nursing. We went online to ask the question—and learned that cats are capable of going into heat and becoming pregnant only one week after delivering a litter.

It’s time to do our exercise excursion—at 8am. We’ll do Short Fellows Road again—so Dandy can come. Blessings on your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Do you happen to have a Roth IRA account? Whether or not your do, are you aware that you actually have, or have had, a WRATH IRA account? If you pronounce “wrath” like many English speakers in the world, it sounds like “Roth.” You already know that a Roth IRA (Investment Retirement Account) is a good thing to have and keep active as it holds the promise of paying good benefits as the account matures with interest over time. But you don’t want to have an active WRATH IRA (I Remain Arrogant) account, even though everyone has inherited one—but this one urgently needs to be cancelled by the blood of “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). That account needs to be closed forever! And Christ’s sacrifice joined with REPENTANCE is the ONLY means for doing so.

We normally don’t think of inherited sin in these terms. But that’s exactly how Paul is presenting the matter here. We normally don’t equate sin with God’s wrath and anger. But that’s exactly what it is. That’s right!—the Sovereign God is capable of Sovereign Anger! And all mankind is painted into the same corner—there is no escaping this absolute fact—“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Warning: Let’s not be snookered by the over-emphasis of many on God’s absolute grace and “unconditional love.” So let’s balance it out by reviewing verses 5 through 11. It’s just too important to pass over casually:

“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up (as with an investment account) wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life (That’s incredibly good interest!). But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger (With compounded interest). There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.”