Good morning, Zane.
We made it to your Aunt Jill’s home in Spencerport, New York about 4:30pm yesterday. She took us on a drive right away up to the beautiful venue for the wedding…where your Uncle Christian is just finishing up a timberframe pavilion structure next to a nice little lake. Very nice. Not sure how today will play out.
Blessings on your day. Love and prayers—Tua/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.”
“Sin is not judged by the way we see it but by the way God sees it.”