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Allergic to Sin

Allergic to Sin
Words of Faith 9-27-16
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2016
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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John 3
[31] "The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. [32] He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. [33] The man who has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. [34] For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. [35] The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. [36] Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."

John the Beloved, writer of this Gospel, reflected upon the powerful truth of the coming of Jesus. These verses summarize and declare clearly several truths about Jesus.
(1) Jesus came from heaven and spoke with a higher authority than that of earth.
(2) Jesus spoke from observation, not from theory.
(3) Jesus spoke the words of God.
(4) The Father's love caused Him to endow the Son with complete authority to execute his purpose.
(5) These truths create a dividing line. Jesus is not just a messenger of truth; He is the object of our faith. To reject Him is not to reject just another message among many. The believer in the Son has eternal life; the unbeliever will never possess that life, for he is already under condemnation. The wrath of God remains on him (Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Zondervan, 1981. P.52).
Wow. I thought John the Beloved was sort of warm and fuzzy but now he talks about “wrath”. Actually, this is the only passage in John’s Gospel and Letters in which he uses the word "wrath".
Now don’t misunderstand. “Wrath” does not mean a sudden outburst of anger or temper. Merrill Tenney describes it as “the settled displeasure of God against sin”. Tenney describes God’s wrath as the “divine allergy to moral evil, the reaction of righteousness to unrighteousness” (EBC, vol. 9, p. 52).
God is allergic to sin. The wrath of God is not whimsical or unpredictable. It is as predictable as the sneeze and watery eyes a hay fever sufferer gets in a summer field.
The truth is that God is neither easily angered nor vindictive but the very nature of God is unalterably committed to opposing and judging all disobedience. There are moral laws in the universe that are as unvarying and unchangeable as its physical laws. God cannot set aside moral law without violating his own nature.
The Good News is that Jesus is the gracious provision God has made for our sin. This provision fulfills the requirement of the moral law and shelters us from the wrath of God. To reject Jesus is to reject this provision and step deliberately into the wrath of God.
“Acceptance of Christ” is more than a momentary stop at an altar rail; it is the personal appropriation of God's truth. Tenney compares this appropriation to the practice of endorsing a check to cash it. One cannot cash the check unless one endorses it and claims it by name.
Have you endorsed the check? Have you “accepted Jesus”? God is allergic to the sin in our lives but He has provided the solution. Have you accepted that solution?

Father, I give thanks for the gift of Your Son who speaks truth into a world that is dark. I accept Him as Your divine solution for my sin. I give thanks that You have shielded me from Your wrath. I rejoice this day in the gift of life You have provided. In Jesus’ name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2016
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.