Theology Matters: Peace with God

The Fear of God’s Wrath and the Believer’s Morning Assurance

Let me ask you a personal question. When you awoke this morning, why didn't you fear the wrath of God? Now I'm speaking primarily to my fellow believers in Christ. I'm not speaking to those of other religions.

I'm not speaking to those who believe in a works-oriented type of religion. I'm referring to fellow Bible-believing Christians who believe that their faith in Jesus Christ is the mechanism by which they have eternal life.

But I ask you, knowing your heart, knowing the thoughts that you had yesterday, the words that came out of your mouth, the deeds that you yourself remember and you know that from the perspective of a holy God would be worthy of His wrath, why didn't you fear the wrath of God this morning?

Now, I'm also not speaking to those who honestly don't really have much concern about their spiritual state, that first thing in the morning their mind is totally focused upon the things of the world.

Those who are presuming upon God's grace, I'm not referring to those folks either. If you take seriously the message of Scripture, why didn't you fear the wrath of God this morning? You've read Isaiah chapter 6.

You know that when Isaiah stood in the presence of God, here a holy man said he was undone. You know that holiness refers to otherness, that all that teaching that tries to make God our grandfather in the sky, that results in music that refers to God as our girlfriend type stuff, that all that is completely unbiblical.

It's not even Christian in essence. You know the holiness of God and you know that His wrath burns against sin. Why didn't you fear the wrath of God? There's only one meaningful biblical answer to that question.

Justification by Faith and the Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness

The believer awakes in the morning assured of the acceptance of that holy God because of nothing that we claim for ourselves outside of the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to us. A complete righteousness, not the cut down righteousness popular amongst some today sadly who have decided to divide the righteousness of Christ up, no.

The only righteousness of Christ that avails is the whole righteousness of Christ and that person recognizes that the whole standing they have before God, the reason that the wrath of God does not rightly come upon those thoughts and those actions is because those sins were imputed to one who could bear them and His perfect righteousness has been imputed to me.

The reason that I awoke this morning and without presumption did not fear the wrath of God is because of what is found in inspired scripture in Romans chapter 5. After talking about the empty hand of faith, how that empty hand of faith is the only hand that can fit into the hand of grace, that we can bring nothing of our own.

That's why faith and grace they fit together. Only after talking about all of that does the Apostle Paul then beginning this new section say therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

True, abiding peace, divine peace because it's not created by what I do. It's not a temporary thing because of what it's based upon. It's based upon what Christ has done in my place. That is the only basis upon which anyone can truly say that the wrath of God finds no place in me.

Though it rightly would, it found its place completely in Jesus Christ. We have a perfect high priest, one who ever lives to make intercession for us. Therefore he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw nigh unto God through him.

That atonement was perfect in our place. His work was perfect in our place. He fails to save none of those for whom he died and because of that, and because the faith that I have, I recognize I am not bringing it out of myself.

It is the work of the regenerating work of the Spirit of God within me. All these things come together to assure me that the wrath of that just God fell upon my substitute in my place. He bore that wrath perfectly.

Why Theology Matters for Peace with God

I can add nothing to what he has done. You know, at the beginning I started with a graphic that said, theology matters. I've been talking about justification by faith. I've been talking about the imputation of the righteousness of Christ, sola gratia, sola fide, the perfection of the atonement, substitutionary atonement, particular redemption.

But what has it all been about? How it is that the believer can arise in the morning and rejoice in the peace that I have with a holy God. That's why I say theology matters. Isn't the gospel beautiful?

But the gospel is multifaceted. There is a reason why the Spirit of God has given to us such a rich revelation in his word. And as we grow in our understanding, as we see how all of these facets fit together into a beautiful whole, that becomes, I believe, one of the means that God uses to grow our confidence, to grow our assurance as we see the beauty of his truth and how it relates to our lives.

If you do not fear the wrath of God, I pray it is not because of presumption. I pray it is because you recognize that the gospel is so pure. The gospel is so powerful. It is so much about God glorifying himself perfectly that it results in perfect peace for you before that holy triune God.

Think about it. Thanks for watching.