Question 12: According to the just judgment of God, we will be punished in this life and in the life to come. How can we escape this punishment and be restored to God's favor?

 

Part 2: The Salvation of Man

 

Question 12: According to the just judgment of God, we will be punished in this life and in the life to come. How can we escape this punishment and be restored to God's favor?

Answer: God desires that His justice be satisfied. Therefore, we must fully satisfy His justice, either by ourselves or by someone else.

In Luke 15:1-2, "All the tax collectors and sinners were coming up to hear him. But the Pharisees and scribes began to grumble, saying, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.'" Tax collectors and sinners were condemned by everyone. They came to Jesus. However, the Pharisees and scribes criticized Jesus. They thought they were righteous because they kept the law. So, because the Pharisees criticized Jesus, Jesus told a parable.

“Jesus told them this parable: ‘What man among you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?’” When a lost sheep is found, he calls his neighbors and friends and throws a party. Therefore, in Luke 15:7, Jesus says, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” This refers to repentance.

Next, the parable of the lost drachma appears in Luke 15:8-10. It tells of a woman who lost her drachma not outside, but inside her home. Regarding the finding, it says, "I tell you that in the same way there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." Repentance is also mentioned here.

What is repentance? Today, the meaning of repentance has changed from repent to receive. It has shifted from turning to acceptance. Consider the parable of finding the lost sheep and the lost drachma. The parable of finding the lost sheep is a metaphor for the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, into this world. Many people think salvation means returning to the Lord. This is not true. The Lord came to this earth in the form of the Son. There is no one righteous, not even one. No one seeks God.

In the parable of the second drachma, the drachma is dead. Ephesians 2:1 says, "And you he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins," meaning that all people are spiritually dead. Verse 2 of chapter 2 says, "In which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient."

"Dead in trespasses and sins" means following the ways of the world, and therefore dead to God. All who are not masters of Jesus are dead. Even if a believer attends church, if they follow the world, their master is the devil. Ephesians 2:3 says, "Among them, we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest of mankind."

This passage says that they were not children of love, but children of wrath. However, the parable of the prodigal son mentions the father's love, leading people to think of a God of love. The parable of the prodigal son is about the prodigal son returning to his father. Here, we must consider the meaning of "death" in the phrase, "This your brother was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." The Lord does not love everyone, but rather loves those who have died (death on the cross) and come back to life (resurrection). Those who have died and come back to life represent those who have been born again and possess the resurrection life of heaven.

In the Bible, the tower at Siloam suddenly collapsed, killing more than ten passersby. It was truly a tragic event. Even today, many people die unjustly while passing by construction sites. When the disciples said to Jesus, "How sad it is for those who died because of the tower at Siloam," Jesus replied, "Unless you repent, you too will die like them." It's wrong to say that God loves everyone. It doesn't mean He loves even those who haven't repented.

People may think that receiving God's love makes them whole. However, God's righteousness comes first. Those who lack God's righteousness are unworthy of love. Only those who possess God's righteousness—those who died with Jesus Christ—have God's righteousness (resurrection life). Therefore, what sinners need is not love, but God's righteousness. Those who lack God's righteousness are subject to God's wrath. All people are by nature children of wrath.

Romans 1:17-18 says, "For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, 'The righteous shall live by faith.' For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness."

And Romans 2:5 says, "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of God's righteous judgment." This is the state of all humanity. The unregenerate have the devil as their father, and sinners are his servants. This is why the Lord is angry. This is the righteousness of God.

Jesus said the last days will be like the days of Noah and Lot. We live in an age where people's thoughts are evil from their youth, and they are completely ignorant of God's righteousness. Even in the church, it's difficult to find someone who "repents and believes that their fleshly self must die." While they may profess faith in Jesus, those who truly connect with his death are extremely rare. The church is overflowing with false believers who live lives where they are masters, not where the Lord is. While God is wrathful, people sing only of the God of love.