God Isn't Angry

"You make light of sin," the email somebody sent me recently charged. The person who sent it went on to say, "God does not turn a blind eye to the sins in our lives. We were created for obedience and if we don't do that, He can't use us and will do whatever is necessary to bring us back to the place of obedience."

I've been teaching the message of God grace since 1990 and still can't get over how insulted so many Christians are when told that God's grace is bigger than their sins. I certainly do not make light of sin. What Bible teacher in his right mind would do that? What I do is make much of grace. Make no mistake about it, God's grace has already overwhelmed the sins of our lifetime. The final score is in: Sin: 0 God:Everything

God hates sin for one simple reason. It's because of what sin does to us. He isn't angry with us about our sin, no more than you would be angry with somebody you love who you found out had cancer. The sins of the world are no longer an offense to God because He conquered sin at the cross. He triumphed. Again, sin grieves God because of what it does to us, not Himself.

The primary reason for our existence in this world isn't to be obedient to God, but to know Him intimately. Obedience will naturally flow from that. Without intimacy, authentic obedience isn't possible. At the most, all we can offer is dead, religious conformity.

If we believe that God is angry when we sin, that is an indicator that our perception of our Father is distorted. Your Father is never angry with you anymore. Your very life is His Son "in whom [He] is well pleased." When we understand that God is never angry with us and that He is 100% on our side all the time, that truth becomes a motivator for us to abandon our sins and allow ourselves to be consciously swallowed up by His loving grace. Living in the awareness of that love is what produces obedience.