Wrath

Romans 3:25 (NIV)

God presented Christ as a sacrifice for atonement.

God did not deny Himself justice, but instead poured out His wrath on His Son. The Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is complex as they are three different Individuals, yet the same. God the Father, the eternal and righteous judge, is a wrathful and vengeful God. But God the Son is a gentle, humble, and suffering Savior. Since God could not find another completely holy and righteous sacrifice to pay for our sins, He had to pour out His wrath on His only begotten Son. Christians should have a sober view of what transpired on the cross. Every single one of us belongs on the cross. We are the ones who should have been whipped till our bones were bare and our flesh and muscles were hanging loosely on the sides, ripped from our bones. We should have been suffocating and gasping for breath on the cross. Yet, we were not worthy enough to be sacrifices, as we are inherently sinful. That honor belonged only to the Lord Jesus Christ.

By pouring His wrath on His Son, God Almighty did not deprive Himself of the justice and revenge due Him. Had God denied Himself revenge, then sin would have gone unpunished. If sin were not judged and punished, then God would have to coexist with sin for all eternity. That is something a holy and righteous God can not do. Through the agonizing death of Jesus of Nazareth on the cross, God finally sought and obtained His revenge on sinful humanity. So, the next time we sit for a meal and give thanks to God, let us remember that the Lord Jesus became the scapegoat for God's wrath and revenge.